Sorry this is so long Raphe, I just wanted to try to sought this out because I still cant see Ephraim in all this although I do see it biblically.
why is it hard to believe that God would gather them together again and give them a name and inheritance through His Son's name - Jesus? Not really that hard.
Maybe this could happen in the resurrection from the dead but how does it happen today?? Those in Israel today are Jews and not Ephraimites, so , were is this hidden tribe??
Are they to be revealed in the future raphe because god has not revealed them yet??
God promises to restore them and gather them again.
We have seen god gather the Jews and bring them back to a land called Israel, not Judea. I have seen no other tribes return bar these Jews that were among the other nations.
I am just wondering if this is what god meant, in establishing the boarders of Judah and Ephraim and calling those boarders Israel again, instead of Israel and Judah, hence the boarder problems between Judah and Ephraim that were happening at the time of this prophesy, have been removed and the boarders of Israel are one again and I believe they will be totally restored to the boarders of Israel in Solomons time.
Ephraim is the Church of Jesus - not just in America, but a large part, which has the trait of the powerful warrior tribe that Ephraim is, and has such a noisy insistent witness towards their God, the Father of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
I have to disagree hear again mate because as Said before, Jesus is a JEW and the lion of the tribe of Judah and therefore we Christians are Jews through Jesus from the tribe of Judah. I cant see any links to Ephraim there.
This is my main point Raphe;
I see the scriptures that your putting forth and I agree with your interpretations for the most part although I can not see any sign of a tribe of Ephraim in todays world. I have seen god return the Jews but were are these Ephriamites?? They have not returned yet and we have no sign that they will. If god has them hidden and he intends to return them, then it would have to be in the future because it isnt happening yet and hasnt happened.
This is were my interpretation clashes with yours;
I tend to think that the return of the Jews and the enmity departing between the two is most likely that the boarders of Israel will be one under the banner of Israel, which means Gods chosen people. Maybe it has something to with the boarders because I simply cant see any sign of Ephraim in todays world and I would have thought God would have returned them with the Jews considering that is what the prophesy indicates although that isnt exactly how it happened , so, maybe it is referring to the separation between the two being done away with by Judea being called Israel and Judah being given back the land of Israel.
Abraham wasn't a Jew nor Isaac or Jacob, yet so many people forget that Israel is, and has to be the two houses put together or God would not have repeated over and over that He would them restored together. This is also an end-time sign which is happening right now - being revealed, you could say, this instant if your open to it.
Why is it important to know who Israel is? God made it important in His word.
I would be open to it because I am already open to the fact that it is god who has returned Judah and established the boarders of Israel again. Hear is the catch, hear is my problem Raphe. If what you are saying is true and they are being returned together right now, then how come they are all Jews that are returning and none of them claim to be anything but from the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi?? So were are these Ephriamites if it is and has been happening at the same time as god bringing home the Jews???
There is still no physical evidence of Ephraim being returned to the boarders of Israel.
Even if, as you say, I am linked to one of the tribes of Israel, were, when and how does god reveal that to me and cause me to return to the land of Israel??
Do you see where I am coming from mate??
Besides, I know I am not of those tribes because I know a good part of my ancestry and I come from the Celtics and the Anglo-Saxons.
The Celts make up a big part of America. I do not believe the Celts have any link to Israel because of there religious practices for a start.
The European Genealogies that exist in the US are mostly from the Germanic tribes which were also not Israelites.
I dont assume they are around middle eastern parts but rather I assume they are extinct and lost to us and if these prophesies have the interpretations that your saying, concerning god returning Ephraim with Judah , then there is something wrong because this didnt happen and hasnt happened?? The Ephriamites didnt and havent returned to Israel with Judah, so I am questioning the interpretation of these prophesies and the only thing I can come up with is as I said above concerning the boarders of Ephraim and Judah being removed and the land being united again under the banner of Israel.
Remember, also, that God wanted to hide the woman Israel from the dragon in Revelations, and He did a pretty good job of it. Looks like a plan to me.
Revelations can be a hard book for me to understand at the best of times. Its a very symbolic book
This is how I see it.
In the first place, the coming of Christ to destroy Satan is spoken of. I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head and thou salt bruise his heal. Hear, we have the woman from whom Christ should be born, Christ himself her seed and Satan his enemy. I figure the 3 and a half years that Jesus was hidden is the 3 and a half years he fled into the wilderness after herod came after him to kill every baby in Bethlehem and Mary and Joseph fled into the wilderness until herod died soon after.
Dont misunderstand me, I know the prophesy is about Israel although it was the seed of the woman that was caught up to god, this is Christ and the woman has to be the woman that gave birth to the seed which is Mary at this point, even though the woman as a whole is Israel.
I don't see this however as Isreal being hidden in 722 BC. That shorely is not what it is saying hear??
thats just my view although revelations can seem to be seen numerous ways.