12 31 25 – Part of His Plan

On the Zoom call, we shared the reasons why God is known as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and life-changing concepts regarding the church—translated "the multitude"—and its three different Hebrew terms (qahal, dag, and melo hagoyim) in order to unlock fundamental, irreplaceable truths to the Gospels and all the Apostolic Writings (the New Testament). Without this fundamental understanding, firmly established in Genesis 48, we have a tendency to make up things that are very culture-based rather than truth-oriented, resulting in the divisions between the thousands and thousands of different denominations. Ugh.

In this week's Torah portion, Vayechi ("and he lived"), we discover truths about the "church," its current condition, and its potential to change the world, through the history of Jacob, Joseph, Ephraim, and Manasseh. Unfortunately, in a strange way, the Most High—who knows the end from the beginning (Isa. 46:10)—purposely or inadvertently (depending on your sovereign perspective :-), allowed Ephraim ("fruitful") to enter into idolatry in order to be scattered throughout the world (Hos. 4:17; Rom. 11:28–32). Huh?

The entire book of Hosea is written to the northern kingdom, which is under the headship of Ephraim/Joseph—the ones who were ordained by God to be fruitful. It tells us that Ephraim is joined to idols. We know historically, from 2 Kings 17:6–7 and 18, that the northern kingdom (the lost ten tribes, Ephraim/Joseph) fell to Assyria because of their idolatrous practices (722 BCE). Consequently, the ten tribes were scattered among the nations and eventually became assimilated into the nations, losing their identity. As a result, they were swallowed up by the nations (Hos. 8:8), and from that point forward in the Prophets (Isaiah–Malachi) they are referred to as Gentiles.

Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.
(Hos. 8:8)

In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, and walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.... Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.
(2 Kings 17:6–8, 18)

Israel, the northern ten tribes, was swallowed up, and their nation became useless as a broken vessel. When Hosea says they were swallowed up—just like food in our mouth—they could not be seen anymore, until… you get the picture :-). They are gone essentially, but they are not. Right?

At this stage of God's prophetic puzzle assembly, no one really knows which tribe they will be associated with in the Messianic Era, but we do know, historically, that the tribe of Ephraim—which became the lost ten tribes of Israel, who became the focal point of Yeshua's ministry (Jer. 50:6; Matt. 10:6; 15:24)—received a blessing of fruitfulness and became a scattered seed among all the nations until a future day when they would wake up and smell the coffee and become lights to the world. Currently, their complete identity is obscured. Their cumulative inheritance is forfeited and lost, but God is calling the people back. There is a prophetic call to return to Yahweh, and when we return to Yahweh, there is spring restoration (Acts 3:20–21)—not just for one tribe, but restoration for all of Israel, Abraham's seed (Rom. 11:19–27).

This is who will be joined to the new covenant with Yahweh to be called by His name (Jer. 31:18–20):

"I heard Ephraim grieving: 'You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined like an untrained calf. Bring me back that I may be restored, for you are Yahweh my Elohim.' Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore my heart yearns for him, and I will surely have mercy on him," declares Yahweh.

Welcome to the year 2026, when this will become more of a reality than ever. He never forgets! He always finishes what He starts, and you are part of His prophetic plan! Where will you fit into His plan in 2026? There is only one option: be fruitful and multiply :-)

Shalom,
Alan

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