Nazarene Israelite Two House Congregation of Port Elizabeth

Will there be a second exodus?

Do you believe that the prophecies given in the books of the Scriptures will actually occur? Or do you have your doubts about it? Do you realize that about 90% of the prophecies given in the Scriptures are yet to occur in the near future, or are you even at this time of the opinion that the prophecies given especially in the Tanach (or ‘so-called Old Testament’) have already happened and was only about the people who lived during those times? Because most of the almost three billion Israelites living in the world today are totally oblivious of the fact that they were once part of our ancient forebears who entered into a covenant relationship, together with the house of Judah with YHVH the Elohim of Israel. They are not in the least interested what the Scriptures have to say about what is about to happen in the very near future.    

However, most of the prophecies about to happen to the Israelite nations who were scattered into the nations of the world are also quoted in the Renewed Covenant (or ‘so-called New Testament’), but has been twisted so much by the religion to which most of these Israelites belong, that they do not even know about it. For example, do you believe that King David is going to rule the united Israel, consisting of both the house of Judah (or the Jews) and the house of Israel (the ten so-called lost ten tribes of Israel) once again? We read from Acts 15: 15 -18 where a prophecy given by Amos in Amos 9: 11 & 12 is quoted , as follows: “And with this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, (16) ‘AFTER THESE THINGS I WILL RETURN, AND I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN, AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL RESTORE IT, (17) IN ORDER THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK YHVH, AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME (meaning the Israelites who now believe they are Gentiles, who were before their exile from the Promised Land by the Assyrians known as the house of Israel  - meaning he who strives with Elohim), (18) SAYS YHVH, WHO MAKES THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM OF OLD.’’ Rav Yaa’cov was actually saying in Acts 15, that what happened at that time (a short while after Messiah’s ascension to heaven) was actually the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy by Amos, which will only be completed when Messiah returns, to reestablish the kingdom of Elohim over Israel.

This is clearly all part and partial of the true gospel that Yahshua the Messiah, who came mainly to bring the lost sheep from the lost ten tribes back into the covenant relationship they made together with the house of Judah at Mount Sinai, and again at Mount Horeb. But, most people in the western world have been deceived so much by Satan and his human agents, that very few are aware of the true gospel which Messiah proclaimed whilst He was on earth. In addition Satan’s main focus is on people from the house of Israel, who lost their language, culture and religion after their dispersion into the nations of the world, to try and retain them in the spiritual stupor into which most have fallen, as was evident by the recent silly season, and to keep them following the false religious system that he introduced through the Roman Empire. Like with Eve, Satan are still using three main tactics to keep people deceived, namely the lust of the eyes (fancy colorful lights, tinsel and beautifully packaged gifts), the lust of the flesh (all sorts of exotic unclean meats as well as scantily clad people of the opposite gender) and the pride of life (the luxurious presents that some give their families and themselves to show off their achievements in live).  

Do you believe that the exodus of the nation of Israel out of Egypt, as recorded in the book of Exodus and again briefly described by Stephen the original Nazarene Martyr in Acts 7, actually happened? Do you believe that there will be a second exodus in the near future as prophesied in Isaiah 11: 11 & 12, in this way: ‘Then it will happen on that day that YHVH will again recover the second time with His hand (meaning Yahshua) the remnant of His people, who will remain (alive after the Great Tribulation), from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. (12) And He will lift up a standard for the nations, and will assemble the banished ones of Israel, and will gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.’ Like I mentioned before, unless we know the history of our people Israel, we cannot prepare for what will happen to us and our people in the near future. In a recent study of how our ancient forefathers arrived in Egypt in the book of Genesis, we came to understand from the account of Joseph that it was (YHVH)’s doing that his brothers sold him to Ishmaelite slave traders, to eventually be sold to Potiphar an Egyptian officer of the ruling Pharaoh. The reason was to save Jacob and his twelve sons as well as the nation of Egypt from a severe famine that occurred throughout the known world at the time. As a result Jacob and his sons moved to Egypt where they made a living as shepherds. Whilst the children of Israel lived in Egypt Jacob and his twelve sons died, and the sons of Israel were fruitful and multiplied and the land was filled with them.

After the descendants of Israel lived in the land of Egypt for many years, several Pharaoh’s ruled and died and a new Pharaoh arose over Egypt, who did not know about Joseph and how he protected the Egyptian nation from the famine. We see from Exodus 1: 9 & 10 that he came to dislike the Israelites, as follows:  ‘Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we. (10) Come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply and in the event of war, they also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us, and depart from the land.’  With the passing of time, the Israelites were lured from their farms and pastures to construction jobs, and they soon realized that they were tricked into forced labor.  The Egyptians forced the sons of Israel to labor rigorously and made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks, and with all kinds of work in their fields. Despite the harsh treatment meted out to the Israelites, their numbers increased greatly and the Egyptians began to fear them. As a result the Pharaoh decreed that the midwives should kill baby boys born to Israelite families, and failure to obey his decree was punishable by death. When later Pharaoh realized that his plan failed, he commanded his people to cast every son born to an Israelite woman into the Nile River, but ensured that the Israelite girls be kept alive.

 

It was during that time that a baby boy was born to Levite parents and because of Pharaoh’s decree his mother hid the boy for three months. When she realized that the authorities became suspicious, she put the baby in a wicker basket covered in pitch and set him afloat in the nearby river, trusting that Elohim would send someone to find him who would keep him safe. Whilst the baby’s sister stood close by to guard over her brother, Pharaoh’s daughter came to the river to bathe and found the basket with the little baby in it. Upon seeing Pharaoh’s daughter the baby’s sister approach her and suggested that a Hebrew woman help her nurse and raise the child. Pharaoh’s daughter immediately approved of the idea, and as a result the baby’s mother made arrangements with Pharaoh’s daughter to take care of the baby. Later when the child was old enough his mother took him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, because she drew him out of the water. Whilst growing up in the palace, Moses was educated by the best teachers in the nation; he grew up to attain fame and became a prince in Egypt. By the time he reached the age of forty Moses became interested in the affairs of his Israelite kinsmen living in Egypt. He became angered by the cruelty with which the Egyptians treated his people. One day he saw an Egyptian guard beating an Israelite slave, and when he tried to save the life of the Israelite, he killed the Egyptian guard accidently.  A few days later Moses discovered that two fellow Israelites witnessed the fight and that Pharaoh and his men came to hear about it and seeking to arrest him. As a result Moses fled from Egypt and settled in the land of Midian.

 

Whilst in the land of Midian, Moses started working for a Midianite priest and married his daughter. Later he came to hear that the conditions in Egypt became much worse for his people living there, and as a result they started complaining to Elohim in prayer, as witnessed in Exodus 2: 23 – 25, in this way: ‘Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to Elohim. (24) So Elohim heard their groaning; and Elohim remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (25) And Elohim saw the sons of Israel, and Elohim took notice of them.’ Eventually YHVH got Moses to return to Egypt to lead the nation of Israel out of Egypt to the Promised Land. Even so, there is a valuable lesson for us, the latter day descendants of the ancient Israelites in this section of the Scriptures, in that we realize that YHVH the Elohim of Israel hears and answers the prayers of His people in desperate situations. The conditions in which we the lost ten tribes find ourselves today, have been worsening despite some believing that everything has improved vastly over the past number of years. We fail to notice the deteriorating conditions in which we live, because we are deluded by the many innovations that saw the light in the recent past. Because it is so much easier to communicate world-wide, we mistakably believe that everything else has also improved. Despite many advances in the medical and related fields the life expectancy of people in countries like South Africa has actually decreased during the past number of years. Without realizing it, the additional time that we gained by all the modern innovations over the past number of years, is wasted in useless pursuits which ultimately results in sinful deeds. As a result divorce, murder, rape, unwanted pregnancies, aids, and abortions are spiraling out of control.  Because everyone has a cellphone and laptop computer, our children became more vulnerable to drug abuse and pornography. There are absolutely no boundaries to what people are doing today. Consider for a moment tattooing; something which is specifically prohibited in the Scriptures (Leviticus 19: 28), but is done by virtually every second person and then they do so to the extremes. In addition some of those who have tattoos all over their bodies also have their body parts pierced, in places normally considered private. Cellphones also make it easier for young school-going children to get involved in drug and sex related activities, at ages when their parents were still playing with toy cars and dolls.

 

To top it all, our Israelite youths do not find suitable employment, despite the fact that some graduated from universities in such fields as engineering, science and so forth, due to financial problems world-wide and government policies in countries like South Africa, the USA and even the U K.  Because of the high level of unemployment, crime, violence and corruption which are at an all-time high throughout the world, most of us fear for the lives of our children and grand-children in an uncertain dangerous future. Instead of making our lives easier, the modern methods used for communication is causing us to be absolutely flooded with too much information on a daily basis. We receive phone calls, SMS’s, e-mails, and WhatsApp messages from all over the world providing us with special offers, and other information, which become too much to process.  As a result we are overwhelmed by information from many different sources, contending for our money and time which have both become much scarcer. To summarize then, we are much worse of today, than what we and our forebears were for many years. It is slowly but surely getting worse for us on a daily basis but because we have become like the proverbial frog in a pot of water, which is slowly but surely being brought to boiling point, we are getting so comfortable with the ever worsening situation, that we do nothing. O yes, we complain to neighbors, friends and family, and even get additional security and perhaps stunt-guns, pepper-spray and other self-defense mechanisms, but never even think of telling our heavenly Father about the ever worsening situation in which we find ourselves. The problem being, that most Israelites are totally unaware that they are Israelites who were according to the Scriptures scattered throughout the world because of their idolatrous ways. As a result, we do not realize that if we like ancient Israel call on YHVH our Elohim, reminding Him of our current situation in exile, He will answer our prayers and ensure that we get back to the land which He promised us, through our fathers in the faith.  We have, like our ancient forebears been in exile for so long, we are beginning to co-operate with Satan our abductor. We have forgotten the ways of Elohim and started participating in the pagan ways of the peoples among whom we were scattered. 

 

However, because we are getting closer to the end of our exile and because our heavenly Father remains ever true to His word, He has since the last century slowly but surely been calling a remnant of Israelites to come out of the false religions of the world, whom He wants to eventually be joined with their brethren from Judah on the mountains of Israel, at Messiah’s return. YHVH is at this time calling us out of the world and its ways, to become the first fruits among His creatures as witnessed in James 1: 18, as follows:  ‘In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among His creatures.’ This is in accordance with what He prophesied in Deuteronomy 4: 27 – 31, saying: “And YHVH will scatter you among the peoples, and you shall be left few in number among the nations, where YHVH shall drive you. (28) And there you will serve gods, the work of man’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. (29) But from there you will seek YHVH your Elohim, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. (30) When you are in distress (during Jacob’s trouble) and all these things have come upon you, in the last days, you will return to YHVH your Elohim and listen to His voice. (31) For YHVH your Elohim is a compassionate Elohim; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.” People, if you have over the past number of years felt the urge to return to YHVH our Elohim, your forefathers must have been some of those who stood at Mount Sinai with our Jewish Brothers. If you and I answer Elohim’s call and return to Him once again, we could if we qualify in the end enter the Tabernacle of David which YHVH will restore and be in the Kingdom of Elohim over Israel.  Yes, if we are called, chosen and remain faithful until Messiah returns, or when we die, we will rule the world as kings and priests under Yahshua our High Priest and King of kings. When Messiah returns, those of us who died in Messiah will be resurrected and those still alive, will be changed into the first born sons of Elohim, as we read from 1 Corinthians 15: 51 & 52, in this way: ‘Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, (52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.’ The firstborn priests are identified by circumcision of the heart and the flesh, to live in the land promised to Abraham, as also clarified in Ezekiel 44: 9, as follows: ‘Thus says YHVH Elohim, “No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, of all the foreigners wo are among the sons of Israel, shall enter My sanctuary.”’ This clearly tells us that those people in the Assemblies of YHVH and Churches of G-d, who continue to teach against circumcision, are in for a surprise.  

 

It is also at that time that YHVH will enter into a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Moses prophesied about the Renewed Covenant before Israel entered the Promised Land in Deuteronomy 30: 1 – 8, saying: “So it shall be when all these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where YHVH your Elohim has banished you, (2) and you return to YHVH your Elohim and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, (3) then YHVH your Elohim will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where YHVH your Elohim has scattered you. (4) If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there YHVH your Elohim will gather you, and from there He will bring you back.  (5) And YHVH your Elohim will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. (6) Moreover YHVH your Elohim will circumcise your heart (immersion) and the heart of your descendants, to love YHVH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live.  (7) And YHVH your Elohim will inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you. (8) And you shall again obey YHVH, and observe all His commandments which I command you today.”  After the establishment of the new covenant, by the death and resurrection of the kinsman redeemer of Israel, everything is in place for the nation of Israel to receive their priestly position among the nations in the world.

However, we are also promised a second exodus in the section of the Scriptures quoted above.  Turning to Ezekiel 34: 2 – 5, YHVH also have a special message to the ‘so-called’ ministers of religion amongst us, who caused our forefathers to be scattered for lack of a shepherd, saying: ‘“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, ‘Thus says YHVH Elohim, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?  (3) You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. (4) Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them. (5) And they were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered.”’ Even so, YHVH promised to bring us back to the land which our forefathers possessed, as also witnessed in Ezekiel 34: 9 – 15 & 22 - 24, as follows: ‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of YHVH: (10) Thus says YHVH Elohim, “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I shall demand My sheep from them and make them cease from feeding sheep. So the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I shall deliver My flock from their mouth, that they may not be food for them.”’ (11) For thus says YHVH Elohim, “Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. (12) As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. (13) And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. (14) I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down in good grazing ground, and they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. (15) “I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest,” declares YHVH Elohim.”’ (22) “Therefore, I will deliver My flock, and they will no longer be a prey; and I will judge between one sheep and another. (23) Then I will set over them one shepherd (Yahshua), My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd.  (24) And I, YHVH, will be their Elohim, and My servant David will be prince among them; I, YHVH have spoken.”

YHVH made the ancient Israelites wander in the wilderness for forty years, until the entire generation of Israelites who came out of Egypt died in the wilderness, because of idolatry and their grumblings against Him. We read from Ezekiel 20 that YHVH then instructed their children in the wilderness, saying in verses 18 – 24, “And I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, or keep their ordinances, or defile yourselves with their idols. (19) I am YHVH your Elohim; walk in My statutes, and keep My ordinances, and observe them. (20) And sanctify My Sabbaths (weekly and annual); and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am YHVH your Elohim.’ (21) But the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, nor were they careful to observe My ordinances, by which, if a man observes them, he will live; they profaned My Sabbaths. So I resolved to pour out My wrath on them, to accomplish My anger against them in the wilderness. (22) But I withdrew My hand and acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. (23) Also I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them among the lands, (24) because they had not observed My ordinances, but had rejected My statutes, and had profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were on the idols of their fathers.” We are all aware that YHVH eventually caused both the houses of Israel and Judah to be taken captive. Israel was taken captive by the king of Assyria during 721 – 718 BCE and were eventually scattered throughout the world, but are located predominantly in the west.  Judah was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon around 586 BCE, but returned to the Promised Land 70 years later.

We understand from reading Ezekiel 4: 3 - 5 together with Leviticus 26: 27 & 28, that the period of exile destined for the house of Israel amounted to (390 times 7 times) 2730 years, in this way:  “Then get yourself an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between you and the city, and set your face toward it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This is a sign to the house of Israel. (4) As for you, lie down on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel on it; you shall bear their iniquity for the number of days that you lie on it. (5) For I have assigned you a number of days corresponding to the years of their iniquity, three hundred and ninety days; thus you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.” In Leviticus 26: 27 & 28 we read, ‘Yet if in spite of this, you do not obey Me, but act with hostility against Me, (28) then I will act with wrathful hostility against you; and I, even I, will punish you seven times for your sins.’ The house of Israel was taken captive during 721 - 718 BCE; If we add 2730 years to 718 BCE, we get to 2012 CE. That means that we, the latter day house of Israel have reached or are very close to the end of our exile. Continuing in Ezekiel 20: 33 – 44 YHVH tells us that what He promised will happen, saying: ’“As I live,” declares YHVH Elohim, “Surely with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm  (Yahshua) and with wrath poured out, I shall be king over you. (34) And I shall bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and outstretched arm and with wrath poured out; (35) and I shall bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I shall enter into judgment with you face to face. (36) As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,” declares YHVH Elohim. (37) And I shall make you pass under the rod, and I shall bring you into the bond of the covenant; (38) and I shall purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I shall bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am YHVH.” (We are warned here that YHVH will not tolerate the rebels amongst us who do not want to conform to the guidance provided by Judah, regarding His Feast Days, Kosher laws and circumcision and always want to do things their own way, that even though He will bring them out of the land where they are exiled, He will not allow them to enter the Promised Land – or the kingdom of Elohim over Israel.) (39) “As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says YHVH Elohim, “Go, serve everyone his idols; but later, you will surely listen to Me, and My holy name you will profane no longer with your gifts and with your idols. (40) For on My holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel,” declares YHVH Elohim, “there the whole house of Israel, all of them will serve Me in the land; there I shall accept them, and there I shall seek your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your holy things. (41) As a soothing aroma I shall accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered; and I shall prove Myself holy among you in the sight of the nations. (42) And you will know that I am YHVH, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the land which I swore to give to your forefathers. (43) And there you will remember your ways and all your deeds, with which you have defiled yourselves; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for all the evil things that you have done. (44) Then you will know that I am YHVH when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your evil ways or according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel,” declares YHVH Elohim ‘.

YHVH divorced the house of Israel, because of her adulteries with foreign gods, as witnessed in Jeremiah 3: 8. But, as recorded in Isaiah 54: 1 – 8 those of us who are like Isaac, children of promise because of our faith in Messiah will once again come under the protection of YHVH our Redeemer, but also our husband, as follows: ‘“Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child; break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed; for the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous than the sons of the married woman, “ says YHVH. (2) Enlarge the place of your tent; stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your pegs. (3) For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left. And your descendants will possess nations, and they will resettle the desolate cities. (4) Fear not, for you will not be put to shame; neither feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; but you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. (5) For your husband is your Maker, whose name is YHVH of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, who is called the Elohim of all the earth. (6) For YHVH has called you, like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,” says your Elohim. (7) For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you. (8) In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting loving-kindness I will have compassion on you,” says YHVH your Redeemer. (9) For this like the days of Noah to Me; when I swore that the waters of Noah should not flood the earth again, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, nor will I rebuke you. (10) For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace will not be shaken,” says YHVH who has compassion on you. (11) O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires. (12) Moreover, I will make your battlements of rubies, and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones. (13) And all your sons will be taught of YHVH; and the well-being of your sons will be great. (14) In righteousness you will be established; you will be far from oppression, for you will not fear; and from terror, for it will not come near you.”’ YHVH has prepared for the united Israel consisting of both houses a city, called YHVH Shammah meaning YHVH is there.

We are actually commanded to remind YHVH to once again make Jerusalem a praise in the world, as recorded in Isaiah 62: 6 & 7, ‘On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen (another name for Nazarenes); all day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind YHVH, take no rest for yourselves; (7) And gave Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.’  It is not that our Father YHVH needs reminding, as He is an all knowing Elohim; but I believe we should cry out to Him to bring an end to our exile, since we are in deep trouble at this time, and have endured almost all of the 2730 years assigned us in exile. YHVH heard ancient Israel’s cries for help in Egypt: if we cry out to Him in our current distress in a united and humble fashion, He will also hear us and take us back to the Promised Land, as He promised our forefathers! He will once again make us His bride. Yes, He will be a husband to us one again! Baruch HaShem YHVH!