Ezekiel's Forgotten Prophecy of the House of Israel

The House of Israel's Divine time of punishment ended with the conquest of the Persian Empire in 331 B.C. -- exactly 390 years after their kingdom collapsed. So what happened to the Ten Tribes? These exiled tribes did not retrace their path to Canaan, but were dispersed to all points of the compass following which, in their new homelands, they would become a blessing to all the earth.


By Jory Steven Brooks, CBIA

Even Christians who seldom read their Bibles may have heard of the prophecy of the joining of the two sticks in Ezekiel 37:15-28. It is therefore not an unknown prophecy, although mainstream churches incorrectly interpret it with the claim that this rejoining of the two branches of YEHOVAH's people took place immediately after the Babylonian captivity. However, the Prophet Ezekiel himself refutes that interpretation in a little-discussed -- almost forgotten -- prophecy found in chapter four, verses 4 and 5.

This prophecy states,

"Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity. For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel."

This prophecy states that the ten tribe House of Israel -- also called "Ephraim" by the prophets -- would undergo a distinct and separate 390-year period of "bearing their iniquity" during which time they would therefore remain separate from Judah -- who suffered only a 40-year period of punishment for their own iniquity (Ezekiel 4:6-8). It is, therefore, not possible that the two houses of Israel -- Judah and Ephraim -- reunited immediately after the much shorter Babylonian captivity that totaled only 70 years.

This 390-year period indeed represented a time of punishment for the ten tribe House of Israel. Prof. B. E. Thiering in the American Journal of Biblical Archaeology refers to the prophetic 390 years as a "period of wrath" (Qumran Interpretation of Ezekiel 4:5-6, AJBA-1, 1969, p. 30-34). There is a parallel with other Old Testament passages. The prophet Hosea reveals that exiled Israel was cast off into the wilderness (Hosea 2:14). What then is the purpose of this 390- year punishment in the wilderness? It would cause a forgetfulness of prior homeland, history, pagan rites and rituals; a veritable loss of identity in order to set the stage for a new beginning for the House of Israel. It was a period of cleansing to be purified of their pagan rites and false religion.

complete article: http://www.hope-of-Israel.org/forgottenP.html

PS I would suggest to those Christians that think they are Gentiles and will be rapture before God can deal with the Jews get their Bibles out and start re-reading them for themselves. Most do not even know who they are yet the scriptures has told us that the ecclesia is made up of both the House of Israel and the Gentiles. Get over this lie of a pre-tribulation Rapture and realize how much the Church has been hood-winked by the best of them....the Jesuits.

Gerlinda

Disclaimer: Rapture Bible Prophecy Forum, ( http://www.rapturebibleprophecyforum.com ) does not necessarily endorse or agree with every opinion expressed in every article posted on this site. We do however, encourage a healthy and friendly debate on the issues of our day. Whether you agree or disagree, we encourage you to post your feedback by using the reply button.