A movement alternately known as the "Ephraimite," "Restoration of Israel," "Two-Covenant Israel," or "Two House" movement has recently gained ground in some areas among ardent Christian Zionists. The erroneous "two-house" belief (started approximately 40 years ago) that all Christians who become Torah observant believers in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob automatically belong to the Tribe of Ephraim...and they have built an entire religion around this train of thought and some have even gone so far as to place more emphasis on their supposed "tribe membership" than on the fact that through Y'shua we are all ONE in Messiah!

Many, if not most, proponents of this movement contend that members of the "born-again" segment of the Christian church are, in fact, actual blood descendants of the ancient Israelites who were exiled in the Assyrian invasion of Israel in 722 B.C.E. Their agenda is to "prove" that Christians are the northern tribes - which actually detracts from our Savior, Yeshua.

Originally, the Messianic Jewish "movement" was all about bringing Jews to faith in Messiah, nothing more. It was NOT about separating Jews from Gentiles in some sort of a hierarchy of faith....

The bottom line is, there is a difference between discussing the issue in scripture that Ephraim returns, and building an entire religious identity around it! The two-house issue is NON-CORE, non-salvation specific. Instead of "two-house", the more correct way of looking at it - and this comes straight from author Andrew Gabriel Roth - is: "ONE HOUSE, two doors, one faith."

YHWH never said this issue was to build a separate religion, nor separate Messianic believers into "us and them!" (Jews and Ephraim.) It's not about being "Jews" or "Ephraim"! It's simply about YHWH and being obedient to HIM.

Who CARES what "tribe" we are from? YHWH knows which tribes everyone of us belongs to and we will enter through that particular gate when the times comes (Revelation 21:10 through 22:14). But to insist all Gentiles who become believers are automatically part of the "Northern Tribes" - and more specifically "Ephraim" - is absolutely ludicrous. Yet there are entire factions who believe this, and it's all they EVER talk about. But, where does Scripture tell us all Gentiles who come to YHWH are automatically part of Ephraim?

The below are just a couple of the many scriptures that show Ephraim was NOT among YHWH's favorites. Ephraim was driven so low that they at one point even tried to falsify their own identity - yet many insist Ephraim was one of the Twelve Tribes and that they will play an important part in the end times:

The concept of the Olive Tree which is put forth by Rabbi Shaul (Apostle Paul) is one such metaphor that has been pushed by some further than its intention, and from which has come great grief in the Messianic movement. The error is found in the attempt to bring together the prophecy of Ezekiel 37 (concerning two trees which become one in the hand of the Most High) with Romans 11:17,18. Whereas Romans talks about branches coming from another tree and being grafted in to an established tree, Ezekiel is talking about two separate but equal trees becoming one tree. In the case of Shaul, he is speaking of people coming and joining other people: Gentiles joining Jews in the Torah of Messiah. Whereas, Ezekiel sees the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel coming under the authority of Messiah.

Shaul is talking about a spiritual union of faith, while Ezekiel is plainly talking about a union of physical kingdoms. Shaul is saying that the wild branches have to leave their tree and join the tree the natural ones are in. The natural ones are the righteous Jews. Some of them who are cut off from the natural are also able to be grafted in from off the ground where they have been cut off. Therefore, Shaul in Romans 11 is emphasizing the importance of the spiritual flow of bearing good fruit by being grafted into the spiritual tree which G_d intended, and that this comes from trust in Messiah Yeshua and obedience to His Torah. That is his only meaning to the metaphor.

In Ezekiel 37 the two trees are indicative of fully realized physical Israel, Ephraim and Judah and their associated tribes. In Romans 11, the wild branches come away from the wild and enter the natural. It is the Gentiles (wild in sin) becoming aware of the natural (Torah obedient Israel) through the knowledge of Messiah, thereby joining with the stream of life available to Israel. That part of Israel (the Jews) which does not take to the Torah through Messiah is cast off, with the possibility of returning to the Olive Tree.

There is no reason to think that Ezekiel 37 and Romans 11 are speaking of the same metaphor. For, if the the wild are Ephraim and the Jews are the natural, then Romans 11 is saying that righteous Ephraim must leave Ephraim and join Judah. Ephraim then is no more. Under that scenario Ephraim is bad and Judah is good, and that just is not the case.

A friend of The Refiner's Fire sent us the following observations:

"Since people are dead set on focusing on who WE are far more than focusing on who YHWH is....that spirals into many narcissistic teachings that promote separatism. I, myself am an Orthodox Jew. The basic GOOD two house teaching is that there are two houses and Yeshua, as He claimed, came to reunite the two houses. I do believe the Northern kingdom is scattered among the nations and are coming home as prophesied. Ruth is our example of those born outside of the two houses....and she joins beautifully with her whole heart and is completely Israel as much as anyone else who chose the covenant.

By the same token, one can be born into Israel and reject the covenant and be broken off. So, as the Northern kingdom floods home, they are to bring Ruth with them for one united kingdom under Yeshua. It appears to me that Judah (the older brother) has the covenant, but is still int heir sin because they have rejected the sacrifice. Considering how Yeshua is presented by the nations, this is understandable to some degree, in my opinion. Ephraim (the younger brother) has the sacrifice, but for what? They are not in the covenant (which is Torah where we even learn in the first place of why we need the sacrifice and what that looks like (Yeshua!). So the brothers need each other and will unite in the love for the father one day and both have both and Yeshua will take over His father David's throne (which was the throne that covered both houses). The important thing to stress here is that birth is not the predictor. The heart makes the choice, accepts the covenant and receives the sacrifice."

So, let's take a look at who comprised the Twelve Tribes - Notice Ephraim is nowhere to be found:

Among the proponents of the "two-house" deception are "rabbis" who are often off the mark on many other fronts, such as Moshe Koniuchowsky and Simon Altaf (the same guys who are teaching that God condones polygyny). Koniuchowsky, in his book, "Sex and the Believer" suggests that men should be encouraged to have multiple wives and, if the wives are in need of a man in the meantime, they are allowed to find themselves "male concubines". Koniuchowsky also used to teach that Isaac was actually sacrificed, and he is a proponent of the "lunar Sabbath"....'Nuff said!

So, the "Two-House movement" has accomplished what?

(1) Division among Messianic believers.

(2) Falsely concentrated on the idea that there are "10 lost tribes." The Bible tells us there were 12 tribes, not ten; and YHWH knows where each one is!

(3) Ignored the idea that Ephraim, the son of Joseph's pagan Egyptian wife, was a rebellious "bad guy" full of idolatry; not a tribe that was destined to be a great people.

(4) Totally downplayed the fact that we are ONE in Messiah (Ephesians 2:15); that in Messiah there is no Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free (Galatians 3:28).

Do you see anywhere in the following passage that suggests Ephraim has any significance upon Yeshua's return?

The "Ephraimite" movement has taken root out of prejudice and jealousy, it is not only divisive but it is taking a Name and Identity from others which is not rightfully to be taken. If one identifies himself as a Christian, Messianic, Netzarim, Believer, a Jew, Follower, Disciple, Talmid, a Spiritual Israelite, or someone with a Jewish Heart, Heart of a Jew, or Hebrew heart, they do so by their Faith. Anyone can choose to be a Jew, a Christian, a Netzari, a Believer etc, but to call oneself "Ephraim" without evidence to prove it, is by material point of law, theft.

Those who claim to be "Ephraimites" are also claiming to be a portion above their brethren, although a very small percentage of people having a love for Yeshua, Torah, Israel, the Jewish People, Hebrew, Aramaic etc claim to have any blood connection to Israel. "Ephraimitism" is an unsanctified division within the Body of Mashiyach and causing divisions within friends, families, and congregations. Most individuals are interested to grow their Faith in Yeshua and Torah, instead of being sold "Ephraimite" theories and "Lost Tribe" propaganda at Holy Convocations. It is wrong to hold meetings in the name of "Two Houses" and spend the majority of efforts and discussion around this motif, there are much more vital and important matters at hand. Prophetic passages in the Tanakh and Ketuvim Netzarim direct us to grow in HaMashiyach and go out and make Talmidim, thus creating the bond of Unity, we are not to focus on political and genealogical theorem.

...The fact of the matter is that Ephraim was very disobedient to YHWH and as a Tribe they never had such great military exploits as other Tribes, neither did they become the largest in number, far from it. Scriptures indicate that Ephraim let Canaanites dwell in their territories, the Canaanite idolatry rapidly brought Ephraim down physically and spiritually. To teach that Ephraim, irregardless of their crass rebellion to YHWH became or will become a great people, is antithetical to Scripture.

Following is some food for thought for those who insist on dwelling on the "two-house" issue:

Traditionally it is said that 10 of the 12 Tribes of Israel are lost among the heathen/nations of the world. The question remains, if all 10 are lost, then how do we define or how are supposed to understand scriptures such as the following:

Luke 2: 36. Then there was Kanna the prophetess a daughter of Peniel from the tribe of Asher; she was also advanced in her days. (AENT)

Wouldn't Asher be one of the 10 "lost" tribes - yet this scripture says that Kanna was of this tribe....

Matthew 4: 13. And he left Nasrath and came (and) dwelt in Capurnakhum on the side of the sea by the border of Zebulon and of Naptali. 14. That might be fulfilled the thing that was spoken through Yesha'yahu the prophet who said, 15. "The land of Zebulon the land of Naptali (by) the way of the sea the crossings of the Yordanan Galeela of the nations. 16. Who sit the people in darkness have seen a great light, and those that sit in the land and the shadow of death, a light has appeared to them." (AENT)

Aren't Zebulon and Naptali both tribes of Israel? Though this scripture speaks of the LAND more so than the people of these tribes, is it safer to say that if the land was still there, that there were people of those tribes that lived there in the days when Yeshua walked the earth?

Matthew 15: 24. But he answered and said to them, Have I not been sent except to the sheep, which went astray from the House of Israel? (AENT)

Wouldn't the lost sheep of Israel be the 10 "lost" tribes of Israel? But, if Yeshua was only sent to them, wouldn't that mean that both He and His Apostles knew who and where they were since He said unto his Apostles:

Matthew 10: . 5. Y'shua sent these twelve and commanded them and said, Do not go by the way of the heathen, and do not enter the cities of the Samaritans. 6. But you go, rather, to the sheep that are lost from the house of Israel. (AENT)

And lastly, did YHWH not make His New Covenant with the Torah observant House of Israel and House of Judah? Where was Ephraim mentioned?

Jeremiah 31: 31 "Here, the days are coming," says ADONAI, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Isra'el and with the house of Y'hudah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers on the day I took them by their hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt; because they, for their part, violated my covenant, even though I, for my part, was a husband to them," says ADONAI. 33 "For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Isra'el after those days," says ADONAI: "I will put my Torah within them and write it on their hearts; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will any of them teach his fellow community member or his brother, 'Know ADONAI'; for all will know me, from the least of them to the greatest; because I will forgive their wickednesses and remember their sins no more."