After the Tribulation, Connecting the Testaments

In the Gospel of Matthew, the now famous chapter twenty-four, verses 29-31, Y'shua tells us:

“And immediately after the tribulation of those days, 

‘the sun will be darkened 

and the moon will not give its light, 

and the stars will fall from heaven, 

and the powers of heaven will be shaken.’

And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect together from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other end of it.


Was Yeshua (Jesus) making a new claim, or reinforcing an old Israelite hope?
What did the Rabbi Shaul (aka apostle Paul), teach?  

We see in a letter to the believers in Thessalonica:

"For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who remain, will be snatched away at the same time together with them in the clouds for a meeting with the Lord in the air, and thus we will be together with the Lord always." 1 Thess. 4:16-17


Zechariah 8:2-8 ² "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'I am exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.' ³ "Thus says the LORD, 'I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.' ⁴ "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Old men and old women will again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of age. ⁵ 'And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in its streets.' ⁶ "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'If it is too difficult in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be too difficult in My sight?' declares the LORD of hosts. ⁷ "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west; ⁸ and I will bring them back and they will live in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness.'


So we see, reading our Bibles contextually, that Y'shua did come to fulfill the Messianic hope.  He is both Messiah ben Josef, and Messiah ben David, still to come in glory and conquering power!  The Protestant and Catholic churches have been steeped in the tradition of men for so long that there is a difference, a separation between the first and the Renewed Covenant (Jer. 31:31-33), that for many, the Old Testament is not a serious object of inquiry (to their own destruction).


But in truth, the Bible contextually has one theme throughout, and Yeshua came to restore the lost ten tribes (Mat. 15:25, 10:6), to reunify the tribes of Israel (Ezekiel 36:22-28)) under Torah (Zech. 14:16: Is. 2:3; Mic. 4:2).


The Gentile Church is not a separate people from the Jews, nor should it be.  Any simple student of history can verify that Sunday observance by the Church shifted formally under the reign of Constantine.  The early church kept Sabbath, observed Yahweh's feasts (Lev. 23) and observed the teaching of the clean and the unclean.  Who the Gentiles are... is that they are now the prophetic fulfillment of Ephraim, who was prophesied by our father Jacob to be the "fullness of the Gentiles" (Gen. 48:19).  As the one who received the blessing of the firstborn (along with Judah), Ephraim was also known as the head of the ten northern tribes (the "lost tribes").


This is why, Jeremiah tells us, the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-33) is for the house of Israel and the house of Judah (no one else is named).  But the tribes were to be dispersed through all the world and mixed with all the peoples (Hos. 8:7) so that they could be brought back in to Covenant with Yhwh, and walk in His commandments (1 John 2:6).


Y'shua lived a sinless life, by walking according to the words of life, Torah (Deut. 30:15,16).  All who follow Him are commanded to walk as He walked (1 John 2:6).

The Israelite Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God (Yhwh), what does it look like in the end?  Most believers today have a faulty view of what the kingdom of God is, since "the Church" believes to one extent or another that it has replaced the Jews for rejecting their Messiah, Yeshua ben Joseph.

We lose track and forget the promises that Yhwh made to the Father's, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Note: you hear Muslims say they are worshippers of "the God of Abraham", but not, "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob"!), to multiply the I descendants like the sand on the seashore, that through them, all the nations of the earth are blessed.

Genesis 12:1 "And Yahweh said to Abram, “ 'Go out from your land and from your relatives, and from the house of your father, to the land that I will show you. And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great. And you will be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse. And all families of the earth will be blessed in you.' ” 

Genesis 15:17  On that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram saying, “To your offspring I will give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates river, the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” 

Gen. 17:3 Then Abram fell upon his face and God spoke with him, saying, “As for me, behold, my covenant shall be with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. Your name shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. And I will make you exceedingly fruitful. I will make you a nation, and kings shall go out from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you, and between your offspring after you, throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant to be as God for you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land in which you are living as an alien, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting property. And I will be to them as God.” 

So that is it.  All this fighting over the land of Israel, the culmination of a centuries old battle to control this land promised by the Creator to Abraham, and to regathering his dispersed descendents from the ends of the earth, all the tribes of the Israelites, back to Israel!  Ezekiel spells out the Renewed Covenant Yhwh makes after His people had broken the first Mosaic Covenant (all foreseen by Moses, Deut. 30:1-5).

Ezekiel 36:26- 36  "And I will give a new heart to you, and a new spirit I will give into your inner parts, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh, and I will give to you a heart of flesh. And I will give my spirit into your inner parts, and I will make it so that you will go in my rules, and my regulations you will remember, and you will do them. And you will dwell in the land that I gave to your ancestors, and you will be to me as a people, and I will be to you as God. And I will save you from all of your uncleanness, and I will call to the grain, and I will cause it to increase, and I will not bring famine upon you. And I will cause the fruit of the tree and the crop of the field to increase, so that you will not suffer again the disgrace of famine among the nations. And you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourself over your iniquities and over your detestable things. But not for your sake am I acting,” declares the Lord Yahweh. “Let it be known to you, be ashamed, and be put to shame because of your ways, house of Israel. 

“Thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘On the day when I cleanse you from all of your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the ruins will be rebuilt. And the land that was desolate will be cultivated in the very place that it was desolate before the eyes of all of the persons crossing over. And they will say, “This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden, and the wasted and desolate and destroyed cities, now being refortified, are inhabited.” And the nations who are left all around, you will know that I, Yahweh, I built that which was destroyed; I planted the desolate land; I, Yahweh, I have spoken, and I will act.’ 

Genetic Roots of the Ashkenazi Jews | The Scientist Magazine®

Today, many are rediscovering the Hebrew Roots of their faith, and many are re-discovering the migration of the ten northern tribes.  It seems Yhwh is calling out the descendants of Ephraim.  The below article from The Scientist discusses some of the mitochondrial variation among Ashkenazi Jews.



Genetic Roots of the Ashkenazi Jews | The Scientist Magazine®

Was Hercules a Greek telling of the Exploits of the Danite, Samson?

I am still amazed that growing up, we were never taught this information, even while it was still considered a "Christian nation."  As so much comes to light, and more and more realize the migration routes and later history of the "lost tribes" of Israel, so much seems to fall into place!  So many historical incidences, words, language patterns, etc.

In researching, something I found, that I thought really quite interesting, after reading up on the migration of the Danites northward into Greece, and later via the European coast, up to Ireland(!), is that the tale of Hercules may have not necessarily been a Nephilim descended from the fallen watchers, but rather, a telling of the legacy of ancient Danites of one of their heroes, who was used mightily of Yhwh.

Here is the excerpt from http://www.british-israel.ca/Dan.htm: 

The Mighty Hercules
The legend of Hercules has been told from ancient times till our day today. Many have not made the connection between Hercules and Samson. Yet the similarities between the two are obvious. Samson was a Judge in Israel, and was of the tribe of Dan! The Danites when travelling to Greece and having still commerce and trade with Tyre, who were of the tribe of Asher, still communicating with the Danites of the Promised Land knew and heard about Samson, their Judge and all his exploits. Coming back to Greece, the stories of Samson were told.  Interestingly enough, the "Encyclopedia of the Classical World," states, " The tales of his heroic deeds lend to the supposition that Hercules was originally an historic figure."  Of course that is Samson.
Both Hercules and Samson were incredibly strong, both killed a lion with their bare hands. Both were virtually invincible. One important event in Hercules' life involved his escaping from the clutches of a symbolic woman, who is called "Pleasure." This corresponds directly to the troubles Samson got himself involved in with the harlots of Canaan.
In the book, "God's Heroes and Men of Ancient Greece " by W.H.D. Rouse writes about Hercules slaying of the lion: "Heracles threw down his bow and arrows and leapt upon the lion's back... while he put his hands round the lion's neck ...gripped the lion's throat with his two hands, and bending him backwards, throttled him. There lay the lion dead on the ground." (p. 59). In our Bible, Judges 13:6 says that Samson actually tore the lion in two, but the ancient historian Flavius Josephus in his "Antiquities of the Jews" also tells us that Samson first strangled the lion, which is exactly as Hercules is said to have done. I don't even know if there ever were any lions in Greece. The Biblical Archaeologist Magazine somewhat tersely comments, "lions, we may remark are not frequent in Greece." (59:1, p.17). In fact, the Greek myths explain this one away as the offspring of a monster! But whether there were lions in Greece is not important; Hercules needed to find one anyway. Why? Simply because the Biblical Samson inspired the Greek legend called Hercules, and provided the basis for his life!
Why is he called "Hercules"? The word Hercules in Greek is, "Heracles," which is virtually identical with the Hebrew plural word for traders, "Heraclim," and Heracles is said to have come from "Argos," himself! The Greek myths tell that the people of Argos are from the Danioi were descended from a patriarch "Danaos" who was the son of "Bela." In the Bible, the Hebrew patriarch Dan was the son of the concubine "Bilhah" (Genesis 30:3-6).

Surprising Insights on the Gospel from "Christmas" Prophecies Taken In Context

It cracks me up how hypocritical we are in the Church, yet, it is so sad!  Hypocritical that is, about properly interpreting the scriptures (i.e. exegeting the scriptures) only when it suits our denominational interests.  Don't get me wrong.  I think and believe that there are many godly people out there who delight in Yhwh's word, and seek to follow Him and live in obedience to the scriptures... but our entire theological outlook is all discombobulated, that's a good word for it!

The other morning I was reading in the book of Isaiah, chapters 7-11, and it was a good refresher, having forgotten a number of good verses that are found in this section of chapters.  In chapters seven and nine, these contain some very famous and well known Messianic prophecies oft quoted by Protestants and Christians around Christmas time.

Is. 7: 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give youf a sign. Look! the virging is with child and she is about to give birth to a son, and she shall call his name ‘God with us.’ 

Is. 9:6 For a child has been born for us;

a son has been given to us.

And the dominion will be on his shoulder,

and his name is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 ⌊His dominion will grow continually,

and to peace there will be no end⌋h

oni the throne of David and overj his kingdom,

to establish itk and sustain it

with justice and righteousness

now and forever.

The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this.

These Messianic prophecies, foretelling the coming of Messiah Yeshua are indeedi incredible and powerful prophecies fulfilled by (and to be fulfilled) Yeshua the Messiah.  These are oft quoted, laminated, put on posters, web pages, books, Sunday school materials... but then we don't look into the context of which the verse is foiund... or we do, and miss the context, because we miss the distinction of the two houses of Israel!

And this is one reason why Protestant Christians' theology is so messed up!  This is why so many believe there will be a Pre-Trib Rapture, is because they see the Church as being separate from the Jews (or/and, having replace the Jews in God's plan, a sublte form of anti-semitism), never mind that the Church began as being completely Jewish, but then being overwhelmed later by the mass number of Gentile believers.  And contrary to the clear teaching in the Newer Testament (Brit Chadashah), that the Gentile believers are ingrafted into the tree of Israel, and their root supports us, the Gentile Church!  In fact, Rabbi Paul uses some rather strong language to warn us against having such arrogant thoughts as replacing the Jewish church (Rom. 11:17-24)!

But when one begins to read the passages in Isaiah, keeping in mind the eventual dispersion of the ten northern tribes of Israel (circa 722 B.C.), and noting that most of the prophets, in the Tanakh (Old Testament), are prophesying during the time shortly before, or shortly after (relatively speaking), the dispersion of the ten tribes into the nations, where they no longer kept Torah and were mixed with the Gentile inhabitants wherever they went, thus fulfilling Yhwh's promise to Abraham:

Gen. 17:5 Your name shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 And I will make you ⌊exceedingly⌋f fruitful. I will make you a nation, and kings shall go out from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you, and between your offspring after you, throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant to be as God for you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you ⌊the land in which you are living as an alien⌋,g all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting property. And I will be to them as God.”

Many times, we see the beginning of chapter 9 quoted ":2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; light has shined on those who lived in a land of darkness."  But the verse is often cut off from the preceding verse, alienating it from its context, or, not having the context left or explained.  "In former times hec treated the land of Zebulun and Naphtali with contempt, but in the future he will honor the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations."

Zebulun and Naphtali were tribal regions in northern Israel, which along with the other eight northern tribes, were eventually conquered by Assyria and deported to Gimera, in Assyria, coming to be known as Gimeroi, or Cimmerians, later on as they begin their migrations.  The ten northern tribes were given into the hands of the king of Assyria by Yhwh, because they did not keep His word.  (If you have not begun, the migration of the "lost tribes" of Israel makes a fascinating study, and believe it or not, there is quite a bit of info about it!*)

This is what makes the Messianic prophecies in Isaiah 9:6-7 so powerful!  We westerners in the Church do not fully understand the meaning of all that we read, and thus end up neglecting much of the theological import.  The verses speaking of the rule of Messiah, and of the increase of His government, but that's where we stop.  But the verse continues... 

oni the throne of David and overj his kingdom,

to establish itk and sustain it

with justice and righteousness

now and forever.

The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this.

These prophecies foretell the coming rule of the Messiah ruling on the "throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and sustain it (David's kingdom), the restoration and fullness of the kingdom of all Israel... not just the Jews (the southern tribe, Judah).

In Isaiah ch. 10, it contains some prophecies yet to be realized for the restoration of both houses of Israel (the house of the northern ten tribes, called Israel, and the house of Judah), which has significant import for us to know and understand today.  

20 And this shall happen: on that day, the remnant of Israel and the survivorsq of the house of Jacob will not continue to lean on the one who struck it

but will lean on Yahweh, the holy one of Israel, in truth.

21 A remnant will return—

the remnant of Jacob—to the mighty God.

22 For though your people Israel was like the sand of the sea,

only a remnant of it will return.

Annihilation is determined,

overflowing with righteousness.

23 For the Lord Yahweh of hosts is about to make a complete destruction

and a determined end in the midst of all the earth.

Rough times are upon us, and the are foretold in the pages of scripture.  I don't want you to be on the wrong side, or supporting the wrong group.  False teachers abound today, wolves in sheeps' clothing!  Knowing Yahweh's word is all that will protect you and guide you into coming kingdom of the Real New Age.  Yeshua already told us that the supposed "New Age" being brought about by the "rulers" of this world will be like "the days of Noah" (Mt. 24:37).  So we see it is not a "new" age being brought about, but an old one, which existed before the Flood.

Yeshua said to the Jews who had believed in him, "if you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth ad the truth will set you free." (John 8:32)

* scriptures posted from www.biblia.com, Lexham English Bible.

*some interesting resources I've found in researching on the "lost tribes" are:  Joseph Dumond, his website www.sightedmoon.com; also Jewish geneological researcher Yair Davidy and his site www.britam.org