(By Chelle Wagner) As we watch the world unravel the biggest question on my mind is where are we on Yahuah’s time clock? When does the Greater Exodus begin? When do the two sticks in Ezekiel’s hand become one?
Ezekiel 37:16-19 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?
Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
The problem I have when I begin to try to talk to other believers of Yahusha about what I am looking for prophetically is that most of them look at me like I have two heads. After years of traditional church attendance, God one night in my kitchen showed me this concept and it has captivated me ever since.
So for today I would love to share some history. The history makes more sense from a Hebraic mindset than a Greek/Roman mindset. I grew up in the American school system where I was taught history from timelines that started at point A and went in a straight line to point B. One of the biggest assets to understanding the timeline of Yahuah is to understand that He loves repeating patterns. His time seems to travel in a circular spiral. If I had to give it a picture in my mind it would almost appear as a dna helix. Beautiful full of order and infinite possibility.
How did the house of Israel become two separate peoples?
The times of the kings begins during the lifetime of Samuel the prophet who was from the tribe of Ephraim. A synopsis of 1 Samuel 8:1-5 is this: Samuel’s sons were the last judges of Israel. As he was getting along in years the people of Israel came to him and told him your sons do not have the right heart to be judges over us as they practice wickedness and do not follow after YHVH, therefore we would like to have a king so that we can be like the other nations. This led to the first king of Israel King Saul of the tribe of Benjamin. After Saul, David from the tribe of Judah reigned and then his son Solomon took the throne.
It is not taught in the American public school curriculum but the whole house of Israel was once the Superpower of the world. David subdued the enemies of Israel during his reign. In fact, this is why YAHUAH would not allow him to build the temple because he was a man of war. YAHUAH declared that Solomon would have that honor. During Solomon’s reign Israel was the supreme nation on planet earth. They were the head merchants, they owned the gold and they made the rules. However:
1Kings 11:6-13 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.
Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.
And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,
And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.
Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.
Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.
Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.
Solomon’s son Rehoboam was the next king to ascend the throne. Jeroboam who had been head over the working class who constructed the temple during King Solomon’s reign was from the tribe of Ephraim. He came to Rehoboam and requested on behalf of the people that the extreme tax burden placed upon the people be reduced now that the temple was constructed. Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had been advisors to his father and they counseled him that the right thing to do in this situation would be to reduce the taxes and give the people the relief they were requesting. Rehoboam wasn’t sure that was the advice he wanted to hear so he called together a much younger council to ask what their advice would be. The council of his peers was that he should not only refuse to lower the taxes but he should make them even higher so that he could accomplish great things during his reign and make a name for himself as king. He decided to take the advice of his peers. The kingdom split at this point into the Southern kingdom and the Northern Kingdom.
The Southern Kingdom was retained by King Rehoboam and comprised the tribe of Judah, Benjamin and most of the Levitical Priesthood, and a small scattering of the other tribes. They became known as the House of Judah or the Jews.
The Northern Kingdom was comprised of the other tribes Rueben, Simeon, some Levites, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Manasseh and Ephraim. Manasseh and Ephraim are the two sons of Joseph which comprised his double portion inheritance given in Genesis 49. The blessing of the firstborn had been given to Joseph and passed to his son Ephraim as explained in Genesis 48. So, these tribes became known as the Northern Kingdom, the house of Joseph, the house of Ephraim, or Israel.
The Assyrian invasion and captivity of the Northern Kingdom took place first in the region of the Galilee.
2 Kings 15:29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abelbethmaachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria.
Some of these northern tribes assimilated into the Assyrian people and others were scattered into the nations. References in scripture to the northern tribes are referred to as the House of Israel, the stick of Joseph, or Ephraim.
As previously mentioned, the story of the division of the kingdoms begins in 1 Kings 11 where Solomon is told it will happen. He has allowed the worship of Milcolm and Ashtoreth because of his idolatry and his love for his many pagan wives.
Ashtoreth – was Nimrod’s mother she has been known around the world by the names: Asherah, Ishtar, Eostre, Diana, Maia, Gaia, Ninurta, Nana, Ceres, Ostara, Venus and Aphrodite. We are probably most familiar with the name Easter, our modern day spring celebration. Idol worship caused the division of the House of Israel, YHVH’s people.
We see many examples in scripture that Yahshua died for two nations.
John 11:45-54 Then many of the Jews who came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on Him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and Pharisees gathered a sanhedrin, and said, What can we do? For this man does many miracles. If we let him alone this way, all will believe on him. And the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.
And one of them, Caiaphas, being the high priest of that year, said to them, You do not know anything at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation perish.
And he did not speak this of himself, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation; and not for that nation only, but also that He should gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.
Then from that day they took counsel together that they might kill Him.
Therefore, Jesus walked no more openly among the Jews; but He went away from there to a country near the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and continued there with His disciples. KJV
John 10:16 And I have other sheep who are not of this fold. I must also lead those, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one flock, one Shepherd. KJV
What time is it?
For the two sticks to become one we would have to endure things being shaken on this earth to a level that we willingly give up our opinions. When it comes to religion opinions run rampant. I have attended Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Seventh Day Adventist, Charismatic, Messianic Jewish, Messianic Israel, Hebrew Roots…services. I have seen more division and hatred in defense of religious opinions than I ever wanted to see. It has been heartbreaking to watch church splits, divided families, etc and this is just in one stick of the house of Yahuah.
From my observations and the testimony of others certainly the stick of Judah has zero interest in reuniting with the stick of Ephraim at this point in time.
So what kind of perfect storm are we going to experience that will make us as open minded as the perishing can be? For YAHUAH’S word will come to pass and I believe it is coming very rapidly.
Isaiah 11:11-16 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod.
And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
Chelle Wagner
About Chelle Wagner: I am part of the remnant of people whose ancestors were part of the 12 Tribes of Israel that were scattered abroad to every nation of the earth because of their rebellion, idol worship and refusal to worship the King of Kings in the way they were instructed. My heart beats with the message of the regathering of all 12 tribes to the full parcel of the physical land of Israel that is the inheritance that belongs to all of Yahuah’s children. My name is Chelle Wagner and I have been writing and speaking about this message which I call “Heart of the Tribe” since 2003 when it was revealed to me by the Holy Spirit of God. The reason I am so passionate about this message is because it is the plan of Yahuah to give us a hope and a future. The body of the Messiah has been just like the valley of dry bones since we were scattered into the nations. The good news is these bones will live!