PART 4 – GOD IS BUILDING HIS NATION WHILE THE NATIONS RAGE

In conjunction with the previous 3 postings on God building His nation we will do an in depth look at the tribes of Israel

In order for us to have some kind of understanding of what Elohim is doing in our day it is important to understand basic Bible history. To understand how God is moving through history in our time we must understand how He moved in Biblical times. Therefore we must allow the Bible to interpret itself! It all fits together.

The following list is the original twelve tribes of Israel according to birth mother in Genesis 49.28:

Leah                                           Zilpah                                                         Bilhah                                           Rachel

Reuben                                     Gad                                                              Dan                                             Joseph

Simeon                                      Asher                                                          Naphtali                                      Benjamin

Levi

Judah

Issachar

Zebulun

In Numbers 3.11 Levi is separated by Elohim to serve as priests to the nation:

"The Lord also said to Moses, 'I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether man or animal. They are to be mine. I am the Lord."

The Lord is their inheritance. They live in the 48 cities designated for them and receive no land inheritance.

But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel is their inheritance, as he said to them. Joshua 13.33

Later when Jacob blesses Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, they are grafted into Israel/Jacob and replace Joseph. Then the list is Rueben, Simeon, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Gad, Asher, Dan, Naphtali, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. This is how they inherit the promised land.

Therefore, if we allow the Bible to interpret itself when we read in Revelation 21:12 about the holy Jerusalem:

It has a great, high wall with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates are inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites;

This verse confirms that the twelve tribes here do not include Ephraim and Manasseh but are represented by their father Joseph as he is a member of the original twelve tribes of Israel. This is stated in Genesis 49.28 when Jacob blesses them after he blessed Ephraim and Manasseh in a separate ceremony.

In Deuteronomy 33 Moses blesses the “children of Israel” which is interesting. It does not say the tribes of Israel. Remember, Jacob is Israel, as Elohim changed his name after wrestling with the angel (Gen 32.22-32).

The Bible calls them the “children of Israel” prior to Moses blessing them. Ephraim and Manasseh are blessed within Joseph’s blessing, because Jacob/Israel said in Genesis 48.16, that his name and the name of his fathers would be upon them.

In Deuteronomy 33 we see the original twelve tribes blessed with Ephraim and Manasseh included within Joseph’s blessing. It is important to observe and understand these small, but significant details in order to understand end time prophetic events. This is how the Bible interprets itself—everything is hidden in plain sight but is very easy to miss!

Allowing the Bible to interpret itself is exciting isn’t it? Not only is it interpreting itself, but, it is staying true to the Law/Torah of Yahweh. It is confirming itself by two or three witnesses! Slow down and read carefully if you have a desire to understand the Bible prophetically!

Now let’s look at Ezekiel 48.30-35:

“These are the exits of the city. On the north side, measuring four thousand five hundred cubits (the gates of the city shall be named after the tribes of Israel), the three gates northward: one gate for Reuben, one gate for Judah, and one gate for Levi; on the east side, four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates: one gate for Joseph, one gate for Benjamin, and one gate for Dan; ³³ on the south side, measuring four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates: one gate for Simeon, one gate for Issachar, and one gate for Zebulun; on the west side, four thousand five hundred cubits with their three gates: one gate for Gad, one gate for Asher, and one gate for Naphtali. All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE^[a] LORD IS THERE.”

Once again, a confirmation on who the twelve tribes are. Ephraim and Manasseh were grafted in, but they are not an original tribe!

Now look at Revelation 7.3-8 where it list the 144,000. It begins by saying “all the tribes of the children of Israel” and it includes Manasseh, but leaves out Ephraim and Dan. It also says in verse 3, “…till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.” Then it lists “…all the tribes of the children of Israel.”

First, we see it does not say “Jews” but it says servants of our God, before listing the tribes.

If we Gentiles are grafted into Israel as Paul the Apostle and the Bible says, we Gentiles would be included within a tribe of Israel. Remember in Hosea 7.8-9 Ephraim, who represents Gentiles, was mixed in with the peoples (nations). If we are grafted into the “commonwealth of Israel” as stated in Ephesians 2.11-13 then we are included within the tribes listed in Revelation 7. These tribes are not composed of only “Jews” but all those who have crossed over into Yeshua.

Most prophecy teachers say the 144,000 are composed only of Jews because the church has been raptured out. They are wrong. Allow the Bible to interpret itself. Yeshua only returns once—that is on the last day (John 6). There is no secret rapture. When we resurrect from the dead that is His return day. It is on the last day! That is the last day for all peoples on the earth.

Secondly we see something interesting in this list—Ephraim and Dan are missing! They are not in this list of the faithful who have the mark of God. Why is this?

When we study the division of the kingdom into Israel and Judah we see that the tribe of Ephraim, led by Jeroboam, from the tribe of Ephraim set up a golden calf idol in Bethel and Dan (1 Kings 12.26-33). In Judges 18.29-31 we see that the tribe of Dan was very idolatrous and set up idols.  

These two tribes were the most idolatrous and led the northern kingdom into idolatry. This is most likely why they are excluded from the list of the 144,000. They did not have the seal of God in their foreheads—they were idolaters.

It does appear that after the judgment in Revelation 20 that Dan and Ephraim are restored (not every person of these tribes was idolatrous). In Revelation 21.12-13 it says the gates of holy Jerusalem are named after the twelve tribes. It does not give a list. I believe they are included in this list. The White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20 will be a judgment for many wrongs. The Bible does not give a lot of detail on this event, but it is a judgment of sin and the heart.

These two tribes can also represent and be a lesson on idolatry in our hearts and the church. There is too much mixture and idolatry seeping into the modern church. There are many “graven images” in Roman worship.

Ezekiel 48.20-35 is speaking about the Millennial Kingdom (MK). So is Ezekiel 47.21-23.

So shall you divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel. It shall be that you will divide it by lot as an inheritance for yourselves, and for the strangers who dwell among you and who bear children among you. They shall be to you as native-born among the children of Israel; they shall have an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.  And it shall be that in whatever tribe the stranger dwells, there you shall give him his inheritance,” says the Lord God.

This is beautiful indeed. We are the strangers who have been grafted into the tribes of Israel. We receive an inheritance in the MK within the tribe in which we dwell. Do you still think we are not included in the 144,000? If we allow the Bible to interpret itself there is no way we are not included! We have no idea the things which God hath prepared for those who love Him (Isaiah 64.4; 1 Corinthians 2.9).

The 144,000 represent all those who are truly dedicated to the Lord during the tribulation period—both Jew and Gentile who have crossed over into Yeshua and obey His commandments.

When we study the tribes and allow the Bible to interpret itself many things we have been taught and have assumed in the past become questionable. We need to study the word with an open mind on all of these things. We are too quick to argue without having done the proper study. We are too quick to assume all we have been taught in the past is truth.

The information above should fill in some of the blanks when we study our being grafted into Israel and what it means for us eternally. We have to unlearn many things that we’ve been taught in the past. Most believers today do not take the time to prayerfully study and understand these issues.

Understanding the tribes, inheritance, grafting in, and identities of nations in the tribal end time blessings gives us deeper understanding of who we are and what we are going to inherit along with Jews who accept their Messiah. We are going to be that one new man together.

One final study in this section. Look at 1 Chronicles 5.1-2:

The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel. (He was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright; though Judah became prominent among his brothers and a ruler came from him, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph.)

Here we see that Reuben forfeited his birthright by going into his father’s concubine (Gen 35.21-22). His birthright was then given to Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh. Levi was the Lord’s inheritance so it went to the sons of Joseph.

I believe Simeon was passed over because of the incident in Shechem when he and Levi killed the men of Shechem in Genesis 34. In the prophecies in Genesis 49 Simeon and Levi are separated because of this cruelty. Their anger was cursed. They were to be “scattered” in Israel.

Levi became scattered as priests serving in the 48 cities reserved for them. Simeon and Judah became close (Judges 1.3; Joshua 19.9) and Simeon was basically absorbed into Judah.

Judah became prominent (a leader) among his brothers during the time when Joseph and his brothers met in Egypt. Judah stepped up at this time and took responsibility for what had happened. Judah through default becomes the predominant one and leader.

From Judah of course, Yeshua is born. He is the Lion of Judah, He is Shiloh (Gen 49.10) the Messiah. From Judah, the Jews, comes salvation (John 4.21-26). At the end of this age Judah and Israel will become one stick in the hand of Yeshua Ezekiel 37.15-28). The Bible contains all the information. It is our job to seek it out and understand it.

It is truly amazing how the Bible does not miss a detail. Written by at least 40 different writers over at least 1,500 years it contains all the information and detail according to the Law/Torah of Yahweh. If we allow the Bible to interpret itself truth become clear. We, in our minds and stubbornness, muddle the truth with our “traditions.”

Using this information also helps us understand many other Biblical events and passages. We will look at some of those in the next posting.