"Who is Israel?"

Abraham was called 'A Hebrew' (Gen.14:13). Please notice that - he was not called "Jewish." He was set apart as it is said in Genesis 14:13. Let's go on. In the story, Abraham begat Isaac - notice Isaac is not called Jewish either, but is a Hebrew as well. And Isaac begat Jacob - also a Hebrew.

Now, with Jacob, the story changes a bit. This is where the name Israelite comes in. In Genesis 32:1-30 we see that Yahweh Himself changes this son's name from Jacob to Israel because he 'struggled with Elohim and persevered.' So, in short, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob...were all Hebrews. Jacob's name was changed to Israel and his descendants came to be known as 'Israelites'.

Jacob had twelve sons, known as the twelve tribes of Israel. They are listed in Genesis 30:

• Rueben`
• Simeon
• Levi
• Judah
• Zebulun
• Dan
• Gad
• Asher
• Naphtali
• Joseph
• Benjamin

Please note...all of these sons of Jacob were Israelites!

One son, however, whose name was Judah can be called "Jewish" but he was also a Hebrew, an Israelite. It is from Judah that the name Jew derives from due to the return of the tribes to the city of Jerusalem from Babylon in 576 BCE. This is when they were first called "Jews".  So we can see that all Jews are Hebrews, but not all Hebrews are Jews.

Let's fast forward to the Exodus. Was Moses Jewish? In Exodus 2, versus 1-10 we see that he was a Hebrew, a descendant of Levi and one who led all of the tribes out of Egypt. His protégé, Joshua, was a descendant of Joseph (and Joseph was called Ephraim) and it was Joshua who actually led the tribes into the promised land, the land of Canaan.

After the Israelites entered the Promised Land, they were ruled by Judges and by Kings and chose to follow the pagan practices instead of obeying Yahweh's laws. For this reason, Yahweh separated the tribes and took the ten northern tribes (read 1 Kings chapters 11 and 12) away and called them the Northern Kingdom, or Israel or Ephraim-Joseph. The two tribes of Benjamin and Judah were left in the southern part of the land and became known as Jews or the Southern Kingdom.

After the Northern and Southern Kingdoms were separated by Yahweh, they continued to rebel against the god of their forefathers as well as to fight and struggle with each other, their brothers.  The Northern Kingdom, known as Israel or Ephraim, set up their own priesthood, their own altar to Yahweh and their own set of Feast Days! In I Kings 12:25-33 during Jeroboam's reign over the ten tribes of the north, he became fearful that his people would continue to go down to the Southern Kingdom under his rival, King Rehoboam, to celebrate the Feast Days of Yahweh as they were commanded to do so in Exodus 23:14-17.

So, to keep his empire in tact, and his people home where they belonged, he developed the "Golden Calf Worship System" He built
two temples and strategically placed them in the Northern Kingdom. One temple was located in the City of Dan near the upper Northern border close to Mt. Hermon, and the other temple was in the City of Bethel on the Southern border that divided the two Kingdoms. Amazingly, after all they had come thru, the focus of worship in these temples was a "golden calf!" Torah worship of Yehowah was being mixed with the revived Egyptian "golden calf" Sun-god religion! 

Now let's look at the book of Hosea. Hosea was a prophet to the Northern Kingdom only (remember, the Northern Kingdom was also called Israel, Ephraim, Joseph or Jacob). Hosea prophesied over Israel (Ephraim) their judgment and future restoration. When the prophet was told to marry a prostitute it was symbolic of Ephraim and his unfaithfulness and backsliding.  When children came along, Hosea gave those children names that were a prophecy of Yahweh's judgment.

Hosea Chapters 1-2 summarizes these judgments. Yahweh told Hosea to take Gomer, the daughter of Dibliam and she bore him three children. The first was named Jezreel, the second Loruhamah, and the third named Loammi.  These names reflected the judgments of Yahweh on the Northern Kingdom. Jezreel represented the 'ceaseing of the kingdom of hte house of Israel; Loruhama reflected in her name that Yahweh would have no mercy on the house of Israel and Loammi declared that 'Israel' would no longer be the people of Yahweh!

However, if we read on, it was only for a time that Yahweh would divorce His people. They lost their identity, they behave and look like everyone else in the nations. They are not like their brother Judah (Jews) who have always been distinguishable! Judah has maintained their identity in the twelve tribes of Israel.

In Ezekiel 37:11-23 it declares that Israel return to the land and in  Jeremiah chapter 31 we can read that Israel also returns! Now take a look at Luke 15 and understand if you will the meaning of the parables of Yahshua concerning the lost sheep, lost coin, lost son, - all saying the same thing! The younger son lost his identity, while his older brother (Judah) looked after the land. They are still looking after the land, still holding true to the commandments of Yahweh, still looking for Ephraim to return.

So, again, who is Israel? Can we know who they are? Will we know them by the way they look, the way they act or the fruit of their hand? How will we, and all peoples, know that Ephraim is being called home?

Jeremiah 31:31 declares that a new covenant (renewed) with the house of Israel and the house of Judah will be written -  "I will write My law (torah) within them, on their hearts I will write it." This means that they will want to keep Yahweh’s laws, commandments and statutes Romans 2:12-16. And in Ezekiel 37:4 it says, "I will put My Spirit within you."  Mmmmm, new creation? born again? Feasible.

Read in Ezekiel 28:25 where Yahweh declares,  "When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob." WOW! Yahweh will gather those poeple from among the heathen nations and He will place them in the land of Jacob!! These people will be known as Israel because they live, breathe and walk in His commandments, given from the beginning of time! They will be santctified!

So look around you ... do you see a company of people beginning to be called out of the established man-made doctrines? Do you see a company of people, individuals, families trying to return to the commandments, learning how to keep the Holy days, His holy days, and who have the Ruach HaKodesh, the Spirit of the Living Elohim living within them? Think on this - In Acts 2, both Jew and gentile received that poured out Spirit; both become righteous, both keep His commandments, both hold fast to His Holy Days!

So again I say, look around....are YOU a part of this House?

~ blessings ~ Pam