by torahgirl

Notes from yesterday’s analysis of the Two House position…

What were the promises given to Abraham?

• great name, a blessing to ALL people {Genesis 12, 18, 28; Zechariah 8}
• multiply exceedingly & father a multitude of nations {Genesis 17, 46, 48}
• relationship with HaShem {Genesis 17}
• the Land of Canaan {Genesis 17}

What are the tenets of Two House?

1. the Northern tribes {known as “Ephraim”} were captured and did not return from Babylon – they never rejoined the Southern tribes {known as “Judah”}.
2. the Southern tribes {“Judah”} are what we know as Jews today, while the Northern tribes {“Ephraim”} are still lost and have been entirely assimilated into modern-day Gentile kingdoms.
3. the blessing given to Ephraim in Genesis 49 is fulfilled by the infiltration of Israel into all nations.
4. when Christians start keeping Torah we assume they have a hidden Jewish soul inside, which is why they were ‘drawn’ to the Torah of Israel in the first place.
5. Judah {the Southern tribes} and Ephraim {the Northern tribes} comprise completed Israel.

Problems:

• If all who come to Judaism are Israelites, the blessing to the Gentiles through Abraham cannot come to pass. Logically, we can’t all be Jews!
• There were more Jews in Babylon than anywhere else in the world when Yeshua was born. It’s normal for Jews to remain in exile – look at how many there are in America today who don’t like the idea of moving to Israel!
• Babylon is the same place the Southern tribes were taken.
• The term “Jew” does NOT refer only to a person from the tribe of Judah.
• Scripture makes it clear that the tribes in captivity knew who they were – they didn’t forget their heritage or lose their Jewishness. {Hosea 2, 5}
• Believing we are “the new Israel” is simply soft anti-semitism or supercessionism.
  {these two are frequently combined, as seen in quotes like “Israel of the Scripture is totally distinct from the Jewish people.” -C.A.L. Totten, Yale University}
• We are drawn to a lifestyle of obedience by the Spirit of G-d, not by our national heritage. As sinful people, nothing within ourselves can compel us to love and obey G-d. {Romans 7, Psalm 14}
• Assimilation with the world cannot be G-d’s approach to blessing! HaShem hates syncretism {us being part of the culture}. He calls us to come out and be separate! He cannot bless what He has forbidden or cursed.

Consider…

The response of disciplined children…
…because effective discipline leads to repentance. We have the story of the “Wise Men” as a result of the Babylonian captivity – Jewish scholars studying the Scriptures, eagerly awaiting the birth of the Messiah, and finally coming to honor the King.

Rebels find each other…
…and in the same way, Jews find each other! G-d’s people have an incredibly strong and resilient bond to each other. There is no way entire tribes could have forgotten their ancestry.

Egypt, Rome, England, Spain, and Portugal…
…all kicked out the Jews. This NEVER meant that the people in question stopped being Jewish – they were simply forced to relocate.

Judah {the Southern tribes} is described as far worse…
…than Ephraim {the Northern tribes}. Yet Judah was allowed to return and keep their Jewish identity? This doesn’t make sense.

Did G-d’s people change so dramatically? “Vanishing Jews” from thousands of years ago are all the sudden found, in Messianic congregations? Even when Israel as a nation disobeyed G-d and broke His commandments, He always refers to their sin as mixing His ways with pagan culture, not losing Judaism.

Conclusion: if you’re part of the Two House movement, take time to study what you believe and why. Think about these points. You can find the audio recording of this class, “Two House Two Step” on Bella Torah’s website.Your thoughts and comments are welcome.

~//A non-Jewish girl serving the G-d of Israel, grafted in to His chosen nation, striving to be holy unto Him {kadosh l’cha}//~
-torahgirl

=)