THE AWAKENING OF EPHRAIM
PART 13 — THE TWO STICKS SHALL BECOME ONE
The Restoration of the Whole House of Israel
One of the greatest prophetic promises in all of Scripture is found in Ezekiel 37.
Most people know Ezekiel 37 because of the Valley of Dry Bones.
Few continue reading to the prophecy that immediately follows.
Yet the prophecy of the Two Sticks may be one of the most important restoration prophecies in the entire Bible.
Because the dry bones are not the end of the story.
The awakening is not the end of the story.
The gathering is not the end of the story.
The destination is unity.
The destination is restoration.
The destination is one people under one King.
For centuries the House of Israel was divided.
The Kingdom split after Solomon.
One nation became two.
One kingdom became two kingdoms.
One people became two houses.
The Northern Kingdom became known as Israel, Ephraim, or the House of Joseph.
The Southern Kingdom became known as Judah.
From that moment forward division became one of the defining realities of Israel’s history.
The Northern Kingdom eventually entered Assyrian captivity.
The Southern Kingdom eventually entered Babylonian captivity.
Both houses experienced judgment.
Both houses experienced dispersion.
Both houses experienced exile.
Yet Yahuah repeatedly promised that division would not be permanent.
The split was judgment.
The reunion would be restoration.
This promise appears throughout the prophets.
Isaiah speaks of it.
Jeremiah speaks of it.
Hosea speaks of it.
Ezekiel speaks of it.
Zechariah speaks of it.
Again and again Yahuah promises that what was divided would become one.
What is remarkable is that the restoration was planned before the scattering ever occurred.
The Elohim who scattered Israel also promised to regather Israel.
The Elohim who judged Israel also promised to restore Israel.
The Elohim who divided the kingdom also promised to reunite the kingdom.
Nothing caught Yahuah by surprise.
The exile was not the failure of the plan.
The exile was part of the plan.
The scattering was part of the plan.
The regathering was part of the plan.
The awakening was part of the plan.
The restoration was part of the plan.
The Kingdom has always been moving toward this moment.
This is where Ezekiel 37 becomes so important.
Yahuah instructs Ezekiel to take two sticks.
On one stick write:
“For Judah.”
On the other stick write:
“For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the House of Israel his companions.”
Then Yahuah commands Ezekiel to bring the two sticks together.
Not near each other.
Not allied together.
Not cooperating together.
One.
One stick.
One people.
One kingdom.
One King.
One covenant people under the authority of Yahuah.
This is the restoration story.
This is the prophetic destination.
This is why the awakening of Ephraim matters.
The goal is not Ephraim.
The goal is restoration.
The goal is reconciliation.
The goal is unity.
The goal is the restoration of the whole House of Israel.
Many people stop at identity.
Scripture never stops there.
Identity is the beginning.
Kingdom is the destination.
The purpose of awakening is not tribal pride.
The purpose of awakening is covenant restoration.
The purpose of awakening is preparing for reunification.
This becomes especially important because both houses have problems.
Judah has preserved many things.
Judah preserved the Hebrew language.
Judah preserved the Scriptures.
Judah preserved many covenant traditions.
Yet Judah also has traditions that must be tested.
Ephraim has experienced awakening.
Ephraim has rediscovered many covenant truths.
Ephraim has rediscovered the Hebraic foundations of the faith.
Yet Ephraim also has errors that must be corrected.
Neither house is complete without the other.
Neither house stands as the final picture.
The restoration is not Judah becoming Ephraim.
The restoration is not Ephraim becoming Judah.
The restoration is both becoming what Yahuah intended.
One people.
One kingdom.
One King.
This is why hostility must eventually disappear.
Competition must disappear.
Pride must disappear.
Division must disappear.
Denominationalism must disappear.
Sectarianism must disappear.
Tribal superiority must disappear.
The Kingdom cannot be built upon tribal arrogance.
The Kingdom cannot be built upon superiority.
The Kingdom cannot be built upon fleshly identity.
The Kingdom is built upon covenant.
The Kingdom is built upon obedience.
The Kingdom is built upon submission to the King.
Isaiah foresaw this day.
“Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.” (Isaiah 11:13)
Think about that.
A day is coming when centuries of division end.
A day is coming when hostility ends.
A day is coming when jealousy ends.
A day is coming when competition ends.
A day is coming when both houses stand together under the reign of the King.
That is the prophetic goal.
That is where the awakening is leading.
That is where the restoration is leading.
That is where the Kingdom is leading.
One of the most overlooked parts of this prophecy is that the reunification occurs under one Shepherd.
Ezekiel 37:24 declares:
“And My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd.”
The issue is not merely Israel becoming one.
The issue is Israel submitting to the King.
The issue is covenant authority.
The issue is Kingdom authority.
The issue is the reign of Messiah.
The scattered are not merely being gathered to one another.
They are being gathered to the King.
The dry bones are not merely becoming alive.
They are becoming an army.
The remnant is not merely awakening.
The remnant is being prepared for Kingdom service.
The two sticks are not merely becoming one.
They are becoming one under the authority of the Messiah.
This is why the Gospel of the Kingdom is so important.
The Gospel is not merely about individual salvation.
The Gospel is about Kingdom restoration.
The Gospel is about reconciliation.
The Gospel is about gathering.
The Gospel is about bringing together what was scattered.
The Gospel is about restoring what was broken.
The Gospel is about preparing a people for the reign of Messiah.
This is precisely what Yahusha came to accomplish.
He came to seek and save the lost sheep of the House of Israel.
He came to gather.
He came to restore.
He came to reconcile.
He came to establish the foundation for the reunification that the prophets foretold.
The apostles understood this.
James addressed the twelve tribes.
Peter spoke of the scattered.
Paul repeatedly spoke of the reconciliation of those who were far off.
The restoration story never disappeared.
The restoration story continued.
It expanded.
It advanced.
It moved toward fulfillment.
This is why the awakening occurring today is so significant.
The dry bones are awakening.
The scattered are returning.
The watchmen are sounding the alarm.
The remnant is emerging.
The call to come out of Babylon is going forth.
The Gospel of the Kingdom is being proclaimed.
Yet all of these things point toward something greater.
They point toward reunification.
They point toward restoration.
They point toward the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy.
The two sticks becoming one.
This does not mean every detail has already been fulfilled.
It does not mean every prophecy is complete.
It does not mean every aspect of restoration has occurred.
It means the process is underway.
The gathering is underway.
The awakening is underway.
The preparation is underway.
The King is preparing His people.
The Kingdom is drawing near.
The scattered are hearing the call.
The remnant is responding.
The watchmen are proclaiming.
The Gospel of the Kingdom is advancing.
And the prophetic promises spoken by the prophets are moving toward their appointed fulfillment.
The story of Ephraim was never intended to end in scattering.
The story of Judah was never intended to end in division.
The story of Israel was never intended to end in exile.
The story has always been moving toward restoration.
The story has always been moving toward reunion.
The story has always been moving toward one people under one King.
The dry bones live.
The scattered awaken.
The remnant returns.
The watchmen warn.
The Gospel of the Kingdom advances.
The covenant is restored.
The two houses move toward reunification.
The Kingdom draws near.
And the day approaches when the two sticks shall become one in the hand of Yahuah.
Greg Witter | Ephraim’s Cry Hebraic Mindset Study Series Study • Learn • Apply • Grow • Share • Repeat
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