Due to the quantum nature of Bible prophecy, this verse has meanings
at different levels. At the literal
level it is talking about watchmen calling out from the hills of the territory
of Ephraim just north of Jerusalem.
However, on a deeper level it could be referring to the northern Kingdom
of Israel (Lost 10 Tribes) calling out from where they were exiled and
scattered to return to their original homeland.
Mountains and hills in the Bible often are used symbolically as kingdoms. So the verse in this context is saying that
there will be watchmen from the kingdoms of the 10 tribes associated with
Ephraim calling out and wanting to come home to Zion. These “Watchmen on the hills of Ephraim” are
those of the northern kingdom of Israel waking up to who they are and desiring
to return to the Promised Land and to their God, the God of Israel.
So who are the “Watchmen on the hills of Ephraim” today? There is a hint of who they are in the actual
Hebrew text of this verse. The Hebrew word
translated as Watchmen in the word Notzrim.
According to Wikipedia, “In
Modern Hebrew, the word "Notzrim" (נוצרים) is the standard modern word for Christians,
but Meshiykhiyyim (Hebrew: משיחיים)
is used by many Christians of themselves, as in the BFBS New Testament of Franz
Delitzsch; 1 Peter 4:16 "Yet if any suffer as ha-Meshiykhiyyim (Hebrew: משיחיים), let them not be ashamed, but let them
glorify God in that name." In the
Hebrew New Testament Tertullus' use of "Nazarenes" (Acts 24:5) is
translated "Notzrim", and "Jesus of Nazareth" is translated
"Yeshu ha Notzri".”
Consequently, today in Israel, Notzrim (Watchmen) is the word that the
Israelis use for the term Christian. I
don’t believe that this is a coincidence, but a divine clue as to what group of
people includes the Lost 10 Tribes. They
are found within Christianity.
Specifically, I believe they are the Christians that have a strong
affinity and love for the Jews and the State of Israel. Their eyes are being opened to who they are
and a movement referred to as Hebraic Restoration has been building momentum
for over a decade now.
It is time for the rest of the “Watchmen on the Hills of Ephraim” to
wake up to who they are and make the call – “Arise, and let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.”
I loved your article!
ReplyDeleteI am a christian that have been in conflict inside my own religion. It started when a friend of mine that I converted to Jesus decided to convert to a hebraic restoration type church. I fought this idea that I use to consider heretic, but my friend went on and now he left christianity altogether and converted to judaism. By debating with him I started to learn more and more about judaism and Torah and than my internal conflict started. I can't take the shalowness of the church anymore. On the other hand I admire the cleverness of the jewish people and the Oral Law. The problem is that I don't know what to do about Jesus and the oral law (kaballah, talmud, zohar). Which one should I go for? I`ve been asking G`d to direct me on this issue. Thank you, Luiz Eduardo.
I would recommend a new book by Rabbi Feld and Ovadyah Avrahami called "Jewish Secrets Hidden in the New Testament". It documents how Jesus taught from the oral law and provides a lot of insight into the jewishness of Christianity. There are huge numbers of Christians that are involved in the hebraic restoration movement which I believe is from God as he calls his people back to truth.
ReplyDelete