Two-House Theology (Reality) defined and defended

What is "Two-House Theology"? It is known by several names, both positive and disparaging. It is called the "Two-House Teaching", the "Two-House Doctrine", the "Two-House Ideology", the "Two-House Movement", the "Two-House Heresy", the "Ephraimite Movement", the "Ephraimite Fallacy", and the "Ephraimite Error", but we like to consider it the Two-House Reality! And this reality of two Israelite peoples, both "Jews" and "Joes", are depicted in a prophetic, unconditional Last-Days (End-Time) scenario in Zechariah 10:6:

"And I shall strengthen the House of Jew-dah, and I shall save the House of Joe-seph. And I shall bring them back, because I have compassion on them. And they shall be as though I had not cast them off. For I am יהוה their Elohim, and I will answer them."

In English translations of the above verse, the words "Judah" and "Joseph" are used respectively. The simple modification is made here for illustrating a reality not well-known in mainstream circles: that is, the people known as the "Jews" are only part of Israel, NOT exclusively representing ALL of Israel. The modern government of Israel nor the Orthodox Rabbis deny this FACT, but actually confirm it (see 10 Reasons the Jews are from Judah).

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Who are "the Jews"?
Who are "the Joes"?
Two-House Theology or Two-House Reality?
Answering Common Criticisms of the Two-House Reality

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WHO ARE "THE JEWS"?

Where does the word "Jew" come from? It is simply an abbreviation for the word "Judah" in English. The Hebrew pronunciation and transliteration of Judah is "Yehudah" and individuals of Yehudah are sometimes called "Yehudi". Most languages that attempt to designate an individual of "Judah", generally have a shortened form like "Jew", but because so few understand the two-house reality in antiquity or in prophecy, most people think of that shortened form, Jew, as a name representative of ALL Israelites. Here you'll sometimes see Judah referenced as "Jewdah", "Jew-dah", or "Jew da" to help newcomers get their minds wrapped around the idea phonetically.

So who are the people known as the "Jews"? Historic and modern rabbinic sources indicate they are a people predominantly descended from the ancient Southern Israelite Kingdom of Judah (see 10 Reasons the Jews are from Judah). However, they aren't "just" the tribe of Judah. In antiquity, this Kingdom contained the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and some of Levi and Simeon (who were both scattered without land inheritance throughout both Northern and Southern Kingdoms because of a curse - see Genesis 49:7). Judah was the largest and most prominent tribe in the South, thus all those paying allegiance to the kings of the Southern Kingdom became known as "Yehudim" over time... or "Jews" as we know them today in English. For verification, use a Hebrew concordance and see how the underlining Hebrew word Yehudi is translated as "Jew" in passages like Zechariah 8:23.

WHO ARE "THE JOES"?

The "Joes" are a multitude of nations, colors, and peoples who descend from various admixtures of ancient Israelites who were largely scattered and/or deported by the Assyrian Empire (740-722 BC). There were those who settled outside of the Promised Land hundreds of years before the Assyrian invasions, later to be united with those being aggressively dispersed by Assyria (many were not deported but fled voluntarily before deportation). Their modern descendants are predominantly oblivious of their distant Hebrew ancestors, but this shouldn't be surprising, although it is a common criticism of secular and religious historians. The prophet Hosea foretold 10-Israel would cease to be "a people", but they wouldn't forever forget their Israelite identity (see Hosea 1:9-11 2:23). 10-Israel departed from their Torah-based culture, which set them apart from others, and hence began to look just like the surrounding peoples even before the time of their captivities. This is not an unprecedented phenomenon. The same can be seen in modern peoples and cultures, especially considering globalistic pressures and the general ease in which family histories are lost within just a few generations.

Remember the Coat of Many Colors which Jacob gave to Joseph as a young boy (Genesis 37:3). Nothing is mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures without purpose. Even seemingly meaningless details often foretell profound prophetic realities. Joseph inherited Abraham's promise of multitudes, and Jacob passed that blessing onto his grandson Ephraim in Genesis 48:19. For a promise with so many ramifications (as with the ramification of the two sticks of Ezekiel 37), it is mind boggling how quickly bible scholars and prophecy scholars pass over such passages with little time or consideration.

Who are the Joes? Ephraim became the most influential tribe in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, largely because of the ruling Ephraimite kings (for more detail, see History and Timeline of Israel and Judah). This is why the Northern Kingdom was sometimes idiomatically called Ephraim (Hosea 5:3) or the House of Joseph (Zechariah 10:6) by the Hebrew Prophets, but we sometimes simply call them "Joes" in English. They don't necessarily have to be from the tribes of Joseph (Ephraim or Manasseh). Just as a Benjamite or Levite may be called a "Jew" or a "Yehudi", so a Reubenite or Gadite can be called an "Ephraimite"... or even a "Joe". This is partially a practice born out of necessity since the Jews nor the Joes can prove their exact tribal affiliation within the 12, but there will come a time when one's tribe or companion tribe will be known (Revelation 7).

TWO-HOUSE THEOLOGY OR TWO-HOUSE REALITY?

The Two House Movement isn't a religion, but more an ideology held by many individuals and authors within Judaism, Messianic Judaism, and Christianity. In the same light, Two House theology is not truly a "theology". It is unfortunate such a title has stuck so well. Calling it an "Ideology" doesn't sum it up well either, even though it is charged with profoundly meaningful "ideas".

This so-called "theology" or "ideology" would best be designated, as mentioned earlier, the "Two House Reality".

Theology can be broken down to mean: "to talk about theos/God". Ultimately, Theology comes from the Greek: θεολογία, "theologia", from θεός or "theos" (God) + λόγος or "logos" (words, sayings, discourse). Technically, when "two house theology" is talked about, the perspective or existence of "God" isn't mentioned. He is generally only implied and not cited except where His promises of multitudes to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Ephraim are referenced. Maybe we should just call it "Two-Housology" or "Israology" to be more precise? But... for the sake of confusing the-Adversary, we'll keep referring to it however compulsion leads us.

So what is the BIG controversy of Two-House Theology? Well, there is truly no argument regarding the existence of two houses or two kingdoms of Israel in antiquity. That specific "reality" isn't a point of contention. Any novice bible scholar or simple bible reader can see plainly that the twelve tribes of Israel were divided into two nationalities after the reign of King Solomon. It is very clearly described in the Writings (Ketuvin) of the Torah and re-enforced by the Prophets (Nevi'im) where Israel and Judah are warned separately and repeatedly for their wickedness. It just can't be denied and I've found no one who is willing to do so. The scriptures are literally riddled with this duality and there are approximately 200 instances where "Israel and Judah" are mentioned together in a single verse. And that isn't counting the number of times Judah, the Southern Kingdom, is mentioned as the counterpart of "Joseph" or "Ephraim", figurative names interchangeable for "Israel", the Northern Kingdom.

No, most everyone can see these two kingdoms existed as separate political and national entities before the Babylonian Captivity of Judah in 586 BCE. However, the mammoth controversy unhinges much of the Orthodox Jewish, Messianic, and Christian world when this ancient "reality" is applied to our modern context or even to the context of the First Century CE where Josephus, Akiva, and Eliezer all indicate the Two Houses were still separate entities. Yet, even more astonishingly, the existence of the Two Houses are inconceivable even when the Prophets refer to them in End Time scenarios on numerous occasions (see Promise of Multitudes). It is really quite disconcerting to have to argue for a "reality" that is not only implied, but loudly and explicitly reverberates throughout the text of Scripture.

Below you'll find a few verses indicating a continuation of the Two House phenomenon in Latter Day contexts. But even after reading and considering these, the more adamant "One-Housers" are so emotionally attached to their One-House paradigm, it will in essence mean very little to them. But for the sake of those seeking the truth and REALITY, consider and ponder (selah):

Jeremiah 50:4-5 "In those days and in that time,” says יהוה, The children of Israel shall come, They and the children of Judah together; With continual weeping they shall come, And seek יהוה their Elohim. (5) They shall ask the way to Zion, With their faces toward it, saying, 'Come and let us join ourselves to יהוה In a perpetual covenant That will not be forgotten.'"

Zechariah 10:6 "And I shall strengthen the House of Judah, and I shall save the House of Joseph. And I shall bring them back, because I have compassion on them. And they shall be as though I had not cast them off. For I am יהוה their Elohim, and I will answer them."

Ezekiel 37:16 "And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it, 'For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions'; then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.'"

Zechariah 2:11-12 "And many nations (compare Genesis 48:19) shall be joined to יהוה in that day, and they shall become my people (compare Hosea 1:9-11 2:23). And I shall dwell in your midst. And you shall know that יהוה of hosts has sent Me to you. (12) And יהוה shall inherit Judah, His portion in the Set-apart Land. And He shall again choose Jerusalem."

Now, Ephraim nor Joseph are mentioned above in Zechariah 2:11-12, but the allusion to "Ephraim" is made so strongly, it should take our breath away in astonishment. Jacob prophesied that Ephraim would become the "fullness of the nations" in Genesis 48:19 and then Hosea prophesied Ephraim would become "not my people" and THEN become as numerous "as the sand in the sea" (Hosea 1:9-11) and THEN be called "My People" again at the End-Time restoration (Hosea 2:23). See below. The Tanakh (Old Testament) is full of these barely hidden treasures.

Hosea 1:9-11 "And he said, Call his name Lo-ammi; for you are not my people, and I will not be for you. (10) Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea which cannot be measured or numbered; and it shall come to pass, in the place where it was said unto them, 'You are not my people', it shall be said unto them, 'Sons of the living Elohim'. (11) And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint themselves one head, and shall go up out of the land: for great is the day of Jezreel."

Hosea 2:23 "I will sow her for Myself in the land I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, And I will say to those who were not My People, 'You are My People!' And they will say, 'You are my Elohim!'"

ANSWERING COMMON CRITICISMS OF THE TWO-HOUSE REALITY

1.) 10-Israel wasn't ever "lost" and they already re-joined the Jewish People after they (the Jews) returned from Babylon

Those who dispute the Two-House reality usually argue that the 10 Tribes of Israel already united with or assimilated into the Kingdom of Judah, the Jews. This criticism is by far one of the simplest to refute. Two House scholars generally do not deny a small segment of 10-Israel have rejoined Judah. There is ample evidence that individuals from the Northern Kingdom escaped to the Southern Kingdom at different times and for different reasons, noting Jezebel's persecution of the righteous in the North and the later Assyrian invasions (2 Chronicles 31:6;30:6). There simply is no doubt some of them did indeed assimilate into Judah. But on the flip side, there were also Yehudim who were assimilated into the Northern Kingdom, especially noting the Judaen cities captured by the Assyrians (2 Kings 18:13) and carried captive along with the Northern Kingdom into Assyria and Media. And considering more recent centuries, many Jews have assimilated into nations descending from the Northern Kingdom, usually by force or voluntary conversion into Catholicism, Protestantism, and Islam.

The best refutation of this criticism can be heard from Jewish rabbis and historians themselves. The 1st Century Historian Josephus records the ten tribes of Israel as an "immense multitude" remaining "beyond the Euphrates River" (Antiquities of the Jews - Book XI Ch. 5), which would indicate "the Jews", the two tribes in the Land of Israel controlled by the Romans in the First Century CE, were of the Kingdom/House of Judah, the House that historically returned from Babylonia (from their Babylonian Captivity). Furthermore, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Eliezer (c.117-138 C.E.) argued about the return of the ten lost tribes as though it hadn't happened yet (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 110b), indicating "the Jews" of the 2nd Century C.E. were not representative of all twelve tribes, but instead, still represented the ancient Kingdom of Judah (of course, we mentioned earlier in this article how some of the Northern Kingdom likely joined the Southern Kingdom for various reasons and vice versa).

And arguing whether or not 10-Israel was ever really "lost" is a delicate matter. Two-Housers have varied opinions, but they of course all agree that 10-Israel is no longer "lost" (at least not to the initiated). Most indicate the tribes simply became lost to "themselves" in a similar way some descendants of Judah (Jews) have experienced. Look how many Jews have been swallowed up by Catholicism and Protestantism in the last few hundred years (who no longer know they have Jewish ancestors). 10-Israel already resembled the pagans before exile and "lost" their identity as "a people" in exile. Judah on the other hand, has better controlled assimilation factors because of their affinity towards the Torah and their pervasive rabbinic-system. For more detail on the "lost" factor, read: Where the 10 Tribes of Israel ever really "LOST"?

2.) Two-House Theology = British-Israelism with a twist

Two-House theology is often equated with Replacement Theology or having stemmed from British-Israelism (BI). There is no doubt that British-Israelism had some radical replacement ideologies and there is no doubt that BI had a huge influence on making many English-speaking nations and Protestant Christian teachers aware of who 10-Tribe Israel is in the modern world. We don't deny this, but there have been many other refining and correcting influences since the 1800's, most notably non-Messianic Jewish rabbis and researchers such as Rabbi Avraham Feld, Yair Davidiy, Dennis Jones, and the late David Horowitz. Unfortunately, BI-influenced teachers have continued to identify Ephraim as only western English-speaking peoples even though their DNA very closely matches peoples still residing in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus region, Central Asia, and the Indian sub-continent. The languages (i.e Indo-European) and their DNA (i.e. Hg.R) go back to the same ancient people for good reason. They all came from the same place and 10-Israel makes up large (but not all) of their populations. Ephraim has truly become "the fullness of the peoples/nations" as Jacob prophesied he would become (see Israelite Haplogroup-DNA Hypotheses).

Note: Yair Davidiy and many others point to evidence that Two-House knowledge defuses replacement-type ideologies found within Christian sects. Read the article: The "Two-House Teaching" defuses Christian-based Anti-Semitism.

Ironically, even though Two-House theology is often accused of and equated with Replacement Theologies, Orthodox Christians are the ones who actually believe "they" are heirs to the promises given to Israel because of statements by the Apostle Paul. There is an interesting article concerning this called: The Hidden Irony in Christian Replacement Theology.

3.) Israel was already said to be "As Numerous as the Sand of the Sea" in Antiquity

"One-Housers" love to quote verses like 2 Chronicles 1:9, Isaiah 10:22, 1 Kings 3:8, and 1 Kings 4:20 which all reference back to the much older promises of Genesis 15:15; 22:17; 32:12. Here they are:

2 Chronicles 1:9 "Now, יהוה Elohim, let Your promise to David my father stand fast, for You have set me up to reign over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth."

Isaiah 10:22 "For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return – a decisive end, overflowing with righteousness"

1 Kings 3:8 "And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted."

1 Kings 4:20 "Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea, eating and drinking and rejoicing."

One-Housers unwittingly utilize these verses without realizing the verses actually entangle them (the critics) in something which forces them to face mathematically-fused prophecies (which have become even more magnified in modern times). These promises of numerous descendants were first given to Abraham, more than a thousand years before the time of King Solomon and Isaiah and the authors of I/II Kings and I/II Chronicles. The people of Israel had grown from just a few families to many millions of descendants within that period from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. There is much speculation about "how many" millions they had become by the time of Solomon, but there is no doubt it was considerable in comparison to their immediate neighbors and the relatively-small global population. For example, remember how the Egyptian population began to be shocked and alarmed by just how vast the Hebrew population had become... many generations after Joseph (Exodus 1:7-10). Now realistically try to consider what the Hebrew population could be in modern times (regardless if they know they are Hebrew or not).

Solomon and the prophets certainly employed hyperbole to communicate the "dust of the earth" and "sand of the sea" promises, but considering the shear volume of fighting men King David could deploy against his enemies to maintain and expand an empire against the likes of Egypt, Babylon, and Assyria... should put the suggestion of Solomon's so-called "exaggerated" or "inflated" statement (recorded in 2 Chronicles 1:9) in proper context. And when that context of three thousand years ago is moved into our modern context (three thousands years forward), what should it convey? Did the millions of ancient Israel simply disappear or stagnate, or did they continue to radically expand as they did during the thousand years between Abraham and Solomon? If Israel could become millions in one thousand years, how many more millions could Israel have become in four thousand years?

Understanding the math behind the exponential population growth curve makes it relatively simple to confirm how a small population can become enormous within a short period of time (such as a thousand years or even just a few hundred years) when there is a steady, natural birthrate (however, Ephraim's birthrate variable should be considered (at least partially) super-natural because of the promises of יהוה).

Two-Housers reference verses and historical texts like Hosea 1:8-11 and Flavius Josephus which indicate 10-Israel became even MORE numerous AFTER the Assyrians scattered and later deported them (740-722 BCE). Note: Josephus lived about two thousand years after Abraham.

~ Hanok ben-Galatyah

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