The Two Witnesses - Part 5: Brothers
Welcome back dear Friends and Readers!
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| The desire of the everlasting hills |
I cannot believe we are ready for Part 5! Who knew there was so much to understand about these 2 witnesses!!
If you are just now joining us, let me say WELCOME 😃 ! Since we have covered so much ground, I recommend starting here and joining us after you have read the first 4 installments of this series. Speaking of starting at the beginning...I bet some of you thought I had forgotten about The Bronze Bow. Nope. We will come full circle by the end, so if you are so inclined, starting reading 😃 .
Last we were together, we began looking for scriptural evidence to help us narrow down some popular theories as to the identity of the 2 witness of Revelation 11 and Zechariah 4.
I feel like I need to pause here and emphasize the word theories.
While I have and will continue to use scripture to put together my case for the identity of the 2 witnesses, I need to be transparent with you in pointing out that my case is just a theory. I happen to believe it is true, but as a teacher, I have to admit that I am still a learner, too. I also have a personal conviction that prophecy is fulfilled in layers, meaning that multiple scenarios might play out in any given fulfillment. We see that in the exodus -- Abram physically modeled it, the Children of Israel lived it, and there is a second exodus still to come. So, while I hope to give you a nudge in the right direction, please understand that the only person who is always "right" is YHVH. Think about that as you sit under the instruction of any teacher.
So, last time we looked at Moses & Elijah and the Original & New Covenants. Now we will investigate the brothers: Judah and Joseph.
Judah and Joseph -- Last time I teased a bit about siblings getting along, but in this installment, we will look into this relationship to 1) identify these brothers, and 2) determine whether or not they agree. Their identity goes all the way back to the beginning. We find some useful information about them as their father, Jacob/Israel, gives his final blessings in Genesis chapter 49.
Judah, so you are --
your brothers will praise you:
Your hand will be on your enemies' neck.
Your father's sons will bow down to you....
The scepter will not pass from Judah,
nor the ruler's staff from
between his feet,
until he to whom it belongs will come....
He washes his garments in wine,
and in the blood of grapes his robe....
A fruitful son is Joseph,
a fruitful son beside a spring....
Yet his bow was always filled,
and his arms quick moving --
by the hands of the Mighty One
of Jacob.
From there a Shepherd,
the Stone of Israel....
The blessing of your father surpassed
the blessings of the ancient mountains,
the desire of the everlasting hills.
May they be upon Joseph's head,
upon the crown of the one
set apart from his brothers.
These are not the complete blessings that you will find by reading Genesis 49, but you can see from the selected portions, that Judah and Joseph were special and set apart among the 12 sons of Jacob/Israel.
If we did not understand it by reading Genesis, 1 Chronicles 5:2 comes to our rescue in telling us exactly where these brothers land in the family hierarchy.
Though Judah was the strongest
among his brothers,
and a ruler came from him,
the birthright belonged to
Joseph.
Recall that King David was of the tribe of Judah. Most of my readers will know that it is of David's line...the line of Judah...that Messiah Yeshua was born. HallaluYAH!
But what is meant about the birthright belonging to Joseph?
It means more than I can relate to you in this series, but I will give you my simple way to think of it.
Think of Joseph as the son who inherited the family surname: Israel.
So, when you see talk of Judah in the scriptures, it usually means just that: Judah.
But, when you see talk of Joseph, it can mean more:
Joseph = Joseph
Joseph = Ephraim
Joseph = Ephraim and Manasseh
Joseph = All tribes except Judah
Joseph = Israel
If that's confusing...well, I will have to agree. I can't really explain how I have come to understand all of the combinations except to say that reading the Bible over and over gives more understanding every time. (I will take this short commercial break to recommend that you read the Bible cover to cover...multiple times. If you are looking for a great reading plan with support, check out my friend Christy Jordan's site: Seeking Scripture).
All of this background is to help us in our search as to whether or not the brothers agree or disagree on anything. Understanding who they are will go far in helping us establish our evidence. So here goes:
*When David began to rule as king, he first ruled only Judah. After 7 and a half years, the other tribes...the tribes of Israel also anointed him as their king.
*But even in the time of David, sometimes the brothers fought against each other. One such time was when David's son Absalom sought to overthrow his father. In one defining battle we learn that, "the people of Israel [Joseph] were defeated there before the followers of David [Judah], and the slaughter that day was great -- 20,000 men."
*After King Solomon died, King Rehoboam was unable to keep the kingdom united. It split into southern (Judah) and northern (Israel) kingdoms.
*In 722BC, Israel (Joseph/Ephraim/northern tribes), was conquered by the Assyrians. They were marched off into captivity, and they have not yet been returned. Their identity has been lost in the nations to this very day. However, we know that they will come back -- YHVH makes promises throughout the scriptures to this end. The entire book of Hosea is about the restoration of Joseph/Israel/Ephraim. (But that is a story for another blog 😉).
The case that I am making is that Judah and Joseph have a history of disagreement.
But YHVH's Word tells us that the brothers WILL come together and agree at a time in the future. I am sure by now you have discerned that I believe these brothers to be the 2 witnesses that we have been looking for. Whether or not you find yourself in agreement, I hope you will keep reading. Scripture does promise us, more than once, that these brothers will one day live in unity. So, even if you're not sold on them being our 2 witnesses, they still have a beautiful story of unity to tell. But thinking of them as our possible suspects, here are some questions to consider:
All these years later:
- Who are Judah and Joseph in our day?
- What might they disagree upon now?
- What is it essential for them to agree upon in order for Yom Teruah/Feast of Trumpets to begin and Messiah Yeshua to return?
- What does scripture say about their unification?
Need to Catch Up?
The Two Witnesses - Part 2: The Hour and Day
The Two Witnesses - Part 3: Sons of The Oil
The Two Witnesses - Part 4: Who Does Not Agree?
Ready to Move On?
The Two Witnesses - Part 6: Who are Judah and Joseph
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Thank you for this discussion about the 2 witnesses. While reading your blog Ezekiel 37:17-28 come to my mind.🥰
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