The Wilderness Experience
By
By
The Lord speaks of a day in which He will "bring" the children of Israel "into the wilderness of the peoples," and there, He says, "I shall enter into judgment with them face to face." At that time, says the Lord, "I shall make you pass under the rod, and I shall bring you into the bond of the covenant; and I shall purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me..." (Ezekiel 20:35-38).
Those who presently feel lost, alone, or alienated from organized religion would do well to glean from the verses explaining this desert experience, for in them is found food for hungry souls, drink for parched spirits, and a way of escape for Israelites who would flee all godless wastelands (Ezekiel 20:11-44).
What is the "wilderness of the peoples"?
"Wilderness" is translated from the Hebrew word, midbar, the word for desert, which word "is often described negatively, as being without grapes, fountains, pools of water, or pleasant places."(1) I.E.: "Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?" (Psalm 78:19).
"Peoples" is translated from the Hebrew word, am. Yehovah uses this word, calling His people "Ammi," meaning, "My people" (Hosea 2:23,25). According to the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, "The unique emphasis of am lies in reference to a group of people as viewed by one of themselves... Am is predominately used to express...the unity of the group."(2)
The "wilderness of the peoples" speaks of a unified group that is without wine or water. Certainly religious organizations, be they churches, synagogues, home fellowships, or para-church ministries, each qualifies as a unified group of peoples. Beyond doubt, some are without the "water of the Word." And, many find themselves lost in such parched wastelands.(3)
The Lord "brings" us into these "grapeless groups" for a reason: "There," He says, "I will confront you. There will I state My case against you" (New English Bible). "I will deal with you there face to face" (Moffatt).
It is as was stated in an old Pogo cartoon: "I have seen the enemy, and it is us." We are the ones whom the Lord seeks to isolate at this time. It is still a matter of "If My people..."
Speaking of this wilderness encounter, Soncino Books of the Bible says: "As in the wilderness of Egypt they were constituted the people of God, so in this desert, cut off from intercourse with heathen nations, they will be made again into His people. There God will plead, i.e. remonstrate and reason with them, face to face with none to distract their attention from Him."(4)
The Lord took Abraham from Ur, Moses out of Egypt, David into the wilderness, and Paul to the desert. He has a history of bringing His people to a point of isolation, and there He deals with them. So He will deal with us in this latter-day.
In this wilderness, the Lord will cut off all bonds between heathen and Israelite. He will isolate us. While floundering among a sea of peoples, the Father will deal with us on an individual basis. For, Ezekiel does not speak of congregational confrontation, rather, he speaks of a very personal encounter.
Additionally, the Lord has sworn: "I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts--They came from you, O Zion, and the reproach of exile is a burden on them" (Zephaniah 3:18).
While lost in this dry desert of idolatry, the children of Zion will grieve for the pure unadulterated Feasts of Israel. Being separated from the Land promised to the Fathers will be regarded as a reproach. They will long for the comfort of Shabbat. Seeking true reunion with the God of Israel, they will turn from all Gentilized, heathen, and false religious practices--be they Jewish or non-Jewish traditions.(5) If they are unscriptural, they will turn from them. And, in that turning away, they will be made to feel alienated, alone.
Why does the Father bring His children into this wilderness?
"He led you in the wilderness...that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart..." (Deuteronomy 8:2).
"Testing" is the reason for the season. Ezekiel is speaking
not so much against the wilderness congregations as he is speaking for the personal encounter which tests our hearts. His words confirm the time in which Believers are called to "grow up in Messiah," to "lay aside elementary principles: repentance, faith, baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection/rapture, and eternal judgement... and to advance..." (Ephesians 4:15; Hebrews 6:1-3).
If not "diligent" about moving "beyond these elementary things," we become, "slothful, sluggish and bored." Whereas, the Father wants to excite us, to make it "unmistakably clear" to us, as heirs of Abraham's promise, His "unswerving determination to fulfill His promise" (Hebrews 6:12,17; Galatians 3:29). He wants us to see that we have always been part of His plan.(6)
But, the truth is, today's Churches have not moved beyond these elementary principles. They erroneously teach about being adopted into Abraham's family,(7) causing many in the flock to feel slothful, sluggish and bored; like they are being pastured in a desert wasteland.
While in this wilderness, the Lord says there, "I shall enter into judgment with you face to face..."
The Lord will deal with us on face to face basis, because, "for now, we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face." "We behold as in a mirror the glory of the Lord," and so are "being transformed into the same image from glory to glory." To realize this glory, we need to have a heart that says to the Father, "Thy face, O Lord, I shall seek."(8)
Looking intently into His face will help us to know Him; and so for the obedient, this encounter speaks of intimacy. Also, Yeshua is the Word Incarnate, and to intently study the Word, is to look into His face--it is truly a form of worship. But, for now...
The Father said He "will go away from us, and will return to His place, until we acknowledge our guilt, and seek His face." He also says, "In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me" (Hosea 5:15). There is a certain "guilt" the Lord wants us to deal with, and He will afflict us until we repent. Further, it will be known when we are appropriately repentant, for when we truly seek His face, it will produce a certain glory.
This "momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison." Because, "godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation" producing, "earnestness, eagerness, indignation, alarm, longing, concern, and readiness to see justice done." Also, "Testing of your faith develops perseverance. And perseverance must finish its work, that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."(9)
Testing matures us. Affliction produces glory. Thus, the Lord says: "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness..." (Hosea 2:14).
Of whom does the Lord speak when He says, "I will allure her into the wilderness"?
The other house of Israel--the almost unknown house of Ephraim.
What is the sin the Lord wants the Ephraimites to acknowledge?
"Though I wrote for him ten thousand precepts of My law, they are regarded as a strange thing" (Hosea 8:12).
The Ephraimites did not have regard for the Father's precepts. They wanted to be like the Gentiles--so He scattered them among the Gentiles...
To understand the Father's plan for His people, Israel, one first must see that in Scripture, there were and there still are two houses of Israel. As Isaiah prophesied, Messiah became a "Sanctuary," and thus a "Stumbling Stone" over whom "both houses of Israel do stumble" (vss 8:13-14).(10)
All know about "Jewish Israel." And, many who call themselves Christian are faithful to point out how they see the Jewish people stumbling over Jesus. But, few know the truth about "Ephraim Israel."
That truth is: When on his deathbed, our forefather, Jacob, prophesied that the people of Ephraim would become a "melo goyim," meaning a "fullness of Gentiles" (Genesis 48:19).(11) Later, Jacob's twelve sons, the Twelve Tribes of Israel, divided into two houses: Ephraim and Judah. Northern and Southern Kingdoms. Then, in 722 B.C., the end came to the "kingdom" of Ephraim (Hosea 1:4).(12)
True to Jacob's prophecy, those of the Northern Kingdom were assimilated among the nations. Hosea said, "Ephraim is swallowed up among the nations" (vs 8:8).(13)
Like a piece of meat that becomes part of a man's body once he eats his dinner, so the Ten Tribes of Ephraim became assimilated among "all nations." However, when the Father scattered them, He also guaranteed: "Not one kernel will fall to the ground" (Amos 9:9). The Holy One, He who sits on High, has not lost sight of the Ephraimites. Though disobedient, the facts about their biology did not, could not, change.(14)
As promised, their children would "respond to Jezreel" (Hosea 2:22): Scattered among the nations, like seed that is planted, they would experience a second birth--causing them
to again become the people of Israel.(15)
Believers in Messiah Yeshua are beginning to see this truth about Ephraim. Also, many see how "Christians" have for centuries stumbled over Messiah. For, both Judah and Ephraim "stumble" over the "Sanctuary." But, they stumble in different ways, because Yehovah "blinded," "hardened," and used both in different ways (Romans 11:25).
These two houses of Israel have not been reunited as many erroneously teach. For, "Sinlessness" will be their hallmark when reunited.(16) Rather, they have been used as the Lord's Two Witnesses: "Deep-rooted" Judah witnesses to the truth that our Father has a Law, and about the Feasts of Israel. "Rootless" Ephraim teaches about Jesus, and that, by His Grace, we can be redeemed from the curse that comes from breaking that Law.(17)
Ephraim and Judah. Two witnesses. Law and Grace.
The Holy One also said of this wasteland appointment: "I shall make you pass under the rod, and I shall bring you into the bond of the covenant." Soncino says, "In separating the tithe of the herd or flock, it was the practice to make the animals pass one by one under the rod, and the tenth was separated and declared holy (cf. Leviticus 27:32). Similarly... before their deliverance from exile, [Israel] will be scrutinized by their Shepherd; the wicked will perish and the righteous be saved."(18)
Like lambs destined for the Altar, so the two houses will be scrutinized--passing single-file under the rod of the Shepherd.
We will pass under the rod because there, the Lord will
separate the covenant keepers from the heathen: "For, I shall purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I shall bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will not enter the land of Israel... For, the remnant of Israel will do no wrong and tell no lies, nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths... 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... All the sinners of My people will die by the sword, those who say, 'The calamity will not overtake or confront us.'"(19)
Today, many fulfill the words of Amos, saying, "Calamity will not overtake us." "I am innocent. Surely His anger is turned away from me." But, the Lord says, "Behold, I will enter into judgment with you because you say, 'I have not sinned' (Jeremiah 2:35).
In the same vein, Yeshua cautioned us about thinking ourselves more righteous than the brethren "on whom the tower of Siloam fell." "Unless you repent," He warned, "You will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3-5).
Believing that because of righteousness, we will be "raptured"(20) out of this world before trouble begins, appears to run counter to the instructions of both Father and Son. A study of the history of ancient Israel, as well as that of the Early Church, indicates that the Lord often allowed His children to see, "a thousand fall at their left, and ten thousand fall at their right." Yet, for many, "the evil did not approach them." Because, when it is dark for the disobedient, there is light in the land of Goshen. Still, there were those who did give their lives as a testimony of faithfulness, and they were instantly transported into a far greater glory.(21)
Sadly, the pre-tribulation rapture theory produces an anti-Jewish, "escapist" mentality, leading many to think themselves more spiritual than the Jew, and worthy of escape.(22)
It encourages them to "love their life," wanting to escape with it, while Believers are told they will "overcome because... they love not their life even unto death" (Revelation 12:11). Also, this doctrine encourages Christians to prepare for retreat, when in reality they should be preparing for war.(23)
Certainly, the end-times will be trying, but, let us remember that "fools reject their father's discipline, while he who regards reproof is wise." And, if we are not corrected, we are not sons, but illegitimate children. Most importantly, if counted worthy to suffer for Messiah, our reward will be to, "follow the Lamb wherever He goes."(24)
Dismissing arguments about the exact time in which we will be "changed" (1 Corinthians 15:52), disregarding the precise moment in which we will put on "immortality," we must determine that we will live our lives for Messiah, and that we will not love our lives on this earth even unto the point of death.
Returning to our desert experience, we see that there, the Israelites are afflicted with a lack of water. The Lord says they are in a parched pit because, "My people have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water" (Jeremiah
2:13).
Yeshua is the source of Living Water, and true faith in Him provides us with an unending supply (John 7:38). But, according to Yeshua, how do we exhibit the fact that we believe in Him?
"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments," Yeshua said. "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word." "He who does not love Me does not keep My words." He also says, "The word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me." And, "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love."(25)
"Do not think I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill." For, "not the smallest stroke of the Law will pass away until all is fulfilled" (Matthew 5:17,18). "All" is not fulfilled: Scattered Israel is not fully regathered, circumcised of heart, keeping all the Law; Ezekiel's Temple has not been built; Messiah's foot has not yet set down on the Mount of Olives.(26)
Thus, the Father's law must still be in force.
However, most claim they are not "under the Law."
The truth is, we are no longer under the Sacrificial Laws. For, "when the priesthood is changed, of necessity the law is changed also." And, the priesthood was changed from that of the Aaronic order to that of the order of Melchizedek, when Messiah, who is our Passover, was sacrificed.(27)
Messiah redeemed us from the "curse" of death that comes from breaking the Law (Galatians 3:13). His Blood delivers us from the "penalty" due lawbreakers. However, the Father's Laws, or more accurately, His Loving Instructions, comprise eternal principles--from which we will never be delivered! And neither should we ever want to be delivered from them! For, we cannot enter into the Laolum Haba, the Eternal Kingdom To Come, without first embracing the laws
that: We will have no other gods. We will honor our father and our mother. We will not lie, cheat, steal, bear false witness, practice sorcery, murder, commit adultery, cohabit with animals or those of the same sex, etc., etc., etc.. Furthermore, desire to do these things must never even be entertained in our hearts!(28)
"Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven," Messiah declared (Matthew 5:19).
Undoubtedly, Christianity short-changes itself by not teaching that Torah is full of ancient truths that help make men healthy, wealthy, and wise. Believers are robbed when they do not embrace truths that should be regarded as a rewarding way of life. They are mislead, not realizing that "the law is spiritual" (Romans 7:14).(29)
Also, according to the New Covenant, "Where there is no Law, there is no transgression" (Romans 4:15). Thus, for the "sinner" to "repent," of necessity, there must be a Law that he has broken. The Law must be upheld, for without it, man cannot know Grace, which is forgiveness.
So... How do we exhibit faith in Messiah?
We follow in His footsteps. We walk as He walked, not seeking to destroy, but to fulfill. For, no one who knows Him would change a thing about Him. Thus, His earthly walk is the perfect role model for all--Jew and non-Jew alike. We follow Yeshua--He who kept the Law, yet was and is Grace personified.
Our Father prayed: "O that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me, and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!" That they would, "keep every commandment, that they may be strong" (Deuteronomy 5:29; 11:8).
Our Father's instructions keep us "well," and make us "strong." His words are the water with which we wash ourselves (Ephesians 5:26). But, some forsake these cleansing waters. Of them it is said: "O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake Thee will be put to shame... because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the Lord" (Jeremiah 17:13).
These "hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water" (Jeremiah 2:13). Claiming "they are not under the law," many create Church by-laws, dogmas, doctrines and decrees--which often hold no water when measured against the Word of God.
They forget that the Lord warned: "Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, or keep their ordinances, or defile yourselves with their idols. I am the Lord your God; walk in My statutes, and keep My ordinances, and observe them. And sanctify My sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.' But the children rebelled against Me..."(Ezekiel 20:18-20).
Again, why did they have to go into the wilderness? "He led you in the wilderness...that He might test you, whether you would keep His commandments or not..." (Deuteronomy 8:2,16).
Christians fool themselves. They seem to think they will be able to stand before the Father and say: "I followed the Doctrines and Decrees of my Church, so please judge me
according to those rules."
It will not be so. All, Christian and Jew, will be judged according to the standards written down in the Lord's Word
"You say, 'We will be like the nations, like the tribes of the lands, serving wood and stone.' As I live,' declares the Lord God, 'surely with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I shall be king over you. I shall bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out; I shall bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I shall enter into judgment with you face to face. As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you. I shall make you pass under the rod, and I shall bring you into the bond of the covenant; and I shall purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I shall bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am the Lord. As for you, O house of Israel,' thus says the Lord God, 'Go, serve everyone his idols; but later, you will surely listen to Me, and My holy name you will profane no longer... For on My holy
mountain, on the high mountain of Israel, there the whole house of Israel, all of them, will serve Me in the land; there I shall accept them... As a soothing aroma I shall accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered; and I shall prove Myself holy among you in the sight of the nations. You will know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the land which I swore to give to your forefathers. And there you will remember your ways and all your deeds, with which you have defiled yourselves; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for all the evil things that you have done. You will know that I am the Lord when I have dealt with you for My name's sake, not according to your evil ways or according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel,' declares the Lord God'" (Ezekiel 20:32-44).
The Lord of Hosts will bring forth a righteous remnant--an army. One by one will they pass under the rod, be set apart, and come under the bond of the covenant.
Yeshua "came to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).. What was lost? Beyond the "lost sheep of the house of Israel," we lost something else: In the cool of the day God walked and talked with Adam (Genesis 3:8-10).
Yeshua came to restore that lost fellowship.(30)
Once again, the Father wants to talk with man--on a personal level. When He has to, He uses human mediators: Prophets Pastors, and even donkeys. But ideally, there is "but one mediator between God and man, the man Messiah Yeshua" (1 Timothy 2:5). Our Father does not want us to have need of others in order for Him to talk to us. He wants
us to hear His voice for ourselves. He does not want us to be like our forefathers, who were afraid to hear His voice; nor like them in their desire to have an earthly king--meaning someone who will tell them what the Lord wants them to do. Rather, He wants us to grow up in Messiah--that He might talk to us.(31)
Personal maturation. That is what the sojourn in the wilderness is about. The Lord wants each of us to learn to hear His voice. For, in the coming wilderness, His voice will lead us. We need to have ears to hear when He says, "This is the way, walk ye in it" (Isaiah 30:21).
Since the Lord wants to mature us as individuals, how should we regard the Church? Surely, He calls His people to fellowship, to being built up in the Body of Messiah, for the true ekklesia is a legitimate expression of His handiwork.(32)
Despite infiltration by pagan practices, our Greek Westernized Cultural Churches have served and continue to serve a purpose, providing a certain training and education for the Lord's children. This "infiltrated Church" has for centuries been declaring the Good News about Jesus--and nothing is more important than that. Thus, some regard must be given her.
How should we regard this organized Church, and the seemingly paradoxical calls to "grow up" and "to fellowship"?
Our church sojournings compare to going to school: First comes Elementary, then High School, then perhaps College, or even Graduate School. But ultimately, all finish school and need to get a job.
This need to get a job does not speak against going to school, rather, it speaks for growing up and becoming responsible.
So should the true church serve Believers: Primarily, but not exclusively, it should aid in their necessary maturation process.
However, many in Church leadership do not recognize this necessary maturation process, thus they become part of the problem.
Therefore, as Believers, we should have regard for the true accomplishments of the Church, and whenever possible, seek to gently correct misconceptions found in her many doctrines and decrees. However, this must be balanced with the realization that the latter-day Laodicean Church ultimately degenerates into a godless shell, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. Then, she will be spit out of the Lord's mouth--and let not His children be caught in her when that happens.
What is the answer?
There is no pat answer.
In these trying times, each of us must learn to hear the Father's voice for ourselves; we must allow Him to speak directly to our particular situation. Further, we must take total responsibility for our actions; we must cease to blame others, crying, "But, he said..."
The Lord says, "The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness--Israel, when it went to find its rest" (Jeremiah 31:2). According to Soncino, "the people left of the sword" are, "the survivors of the Northern Kingdom."
Ephraim. The melo goyim. Their affliction in the wilderness will produce a certain "grace." They will exhibit Messiah's Grace.
When? "As a soothing aroma I shall accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered" (Ezekiel 20:41).
In this wilderness, the Lord "brings us under the bond of the covenant." Soncino says this speaks of a "reconsecration" of the people of Israel. We need to be reconsecrated because the New Covenant is not yet fully in effect:
"'Behold, days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah... I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it... And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them..." (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:8; 10:16).
First, note that the Lord "writes His law on our hearts." If we have a wrong attitude toward that law, it is self-evident that we oppose the very essence of the New Covenant. So let us ask the Lord to "give us a perfect heart with which we may be empowered to keep His commandments, testimonies,
and statutes" (1 Chronicles 29:19).
Secondly, note that when this New Covenant (made with Israel and Judah) is in effect, we will not teach our neighbor to, "Know the Lord," for "All will know Him." The very thrust of the Evangelical Church proves this covenant is not in full effect.
Therefore, presently, if we will truly accept a testing of our hearts--if we will be open to having this covenant written on our hearts--then, "the Spirit will be poured out upon us from on high, and our wilderness will become a fertile field, even a forest." If we will submit to our Father's purging, "then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness will abide in the fertile field. And, the wilderness and the desert will be glad, they will rejoice and blossom."(33)
In the wilderness a voice calls, "Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God." There, says the Lord, "I will open rivers on the bare heights, and springs in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land fountains of water." There, "the glory of the Lord" will appear. There, He will "give drink to His chosen people." There, once again, "the One who was in the congregation in the wilderness" will speak, making His oracles come alive. Indeed, "He will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places. And her wilderness He will make like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and sound of a melody."(34)
In the Book of Revelation we read: "And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars ...And the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she might be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days... And the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, in order that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent" (Revelation 12:1,6,14).
This woman can be used to paint many pictures and to tell many stories--one being that she represents the people of Israel, the twelve stars symbolizing the Twelve Tribes. In her we see the pure ekklesia: She was in the wilderness in the Old Covenant (Acts 7:38). Presently, she is in the wildererness of the nations. Surrounded by the Son, she overcomes darkness. And, we are called to be part of her.
Again, in the woman we see the infiltrated ekklesia: In the New Covenant, she begins with the Son--but she ends with the moon--darkness. And, we will be called out of her... For, her degeneration will lead her to become the Harlot betrothed to the Beast: "And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names..." (Revelation 17:3).
Because of her blasphemy, "the Lord has a controversy with the nations. He enters into judgment with all flesh. He gives the wicked to the sword. I will gather all the nations," He says, "And bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there" (Jeremiah 25:31; Joel 3:2).
"Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision," cries the Prophet Joel (vs 3:14).
And, there are only two roads that lead out of this valley:
One goes to Babylon, to the Harlot, to union with the Beast. The other leads to Jerusalem...
Our Father is getting ready to do a new thing in the earth. And so He calls to us to, "Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel... At that time," declares the Lord, "I will be the God of all the families
of Israel, and they shall be My people... Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness..." (Jeremiah 2:4; 31:1; Isaiah 43:19).
Welcome to the first step on that roadway.
Footnotes:
For a complete study of the two houses of Israel, see the books, In Search of Israel, and The Olive Tree of Israel by Batya Ruth Wootten. Available through House of David.
Abbreviations: HDH - House of David Herald Newsletter. SHL - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon. TWOT - Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament.
Dear Angus and Batya,
Greetings to you from all here in the name of the Messiah.
We think of you often as we read and discuss your materials and when we recall the blessed occasion when you were with us in the Community. We do appreciate the House of David Herald and the opportunity it provides to keep abreast of your activities and to read the interesting articles from others who are now supporting the ministry.
The reports from your annual conference sound encouraging and exciting. They surely give much evidence that more and more Bible scholars are recognizing that Judah and Ephraim are now gathering... The good Lord willing, we hope to send some of our people to future United israel Conferences... I pray that we may participate in these important gatherings...
Some years ago we felt that the Holy Spirit directed us to carefully note everything in the Old Testament which God termed everlasting, eternal, forever, throughout all your generations, etc. We were convinced then, and remain convinced, that whatever God decrees as eternal or forever is something which has a place in restored Israel, and which no man has a right to set aside as irrelevant or superseded.
We recognize that the outward manner of observing eternal covenants (such as the Feasts) may change because the Messiah has come and we are under His New covenant, Praise the Lord. We really rejoice to see that you emphasize these eternal covenants, such as Shabbat and the Holy feast Days. In my opinion, these observances will figure strongly in the reuniting of Ephraim and Judah.
Whenever your travels take you through the west, we invite you to stop by and visit with us in EskDale. The Welcome sign at the gate is for you and any of the House of David family who wish to fellowship with us...
God's love and blessing to all of you.
In Messiah,
Robert J. Conrad, EskDale, Utah
If you want to be surrounded by a Community of loving people who delight in the Word of the Lord, and to be fed on some absolutely wonderful home grown potatoes, and to enjoy the beauty of the Utah mountains--take Dr. Conrad up on his offer.
God is whistling for Ephraim. He is strengthening those who answer His call by removing the blindness regarding their identity--that they may again be like mighty men (Zechariah 10:7-12, Romans 11:25). Father is giving them a "knowing"
deep within their being that they are Israelites, it is like the "knowing" they have regarding their personal relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This "knowing" is changing their lives, causing them to see the need to walk in righteousness--as sons of Israel
(Isaiah 27:9). And, this knowing is giving them an even deeper love for their brother, Judah (Isaiah 11:13-14).
In the forefront of this regathering are those who realize the Father would use them to accomplish His Divine Mandate For Ephraim. Thus, they do:
One little step: Perhaps that of asking the Father how this message should change your personal walk. Perhaps sharing with a friend. Little steps. Steps that will result in righteousness, and in the return of our King.
|
Or write: House of David, PO Box 700217, St. Cloud, FL 34770. |