And the Lord said, Go, and tell this people: Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed,1
Because Solomon did not keep God's covenant and statutes, God would tear the kingdom away from him and give it to Jeroboam. But for the sake of his father David; he tore it out of the hand of his son Rehoboam.2
God split the kingdom up leaving the tribes of Judah and Benjamin with Rehoboam. The other ten tribes were given to Jeroboam, of the tribe of Ephraim. God said to Jeroboam, as long as you walked in my ways, as David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house.3 Jeroboam would do evil in God's eyes, so eventually God would give Israel up, scattering them abroad, because of the sins of Jeroboam, who sinned and who made Israel sin.4
God split the kingdom up leaving the tribes of Judah and Benjamin with Rehoboam. The other ten tribes were given to Jeroboam, of the tribe of Ephraim. God said to Jeroboam, as long as you walked in my ways, as David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house.3 Jeroboam would do evil in God's eyes, so eventually God would give Israel up, scattering them abroad, because of the sins of Jeroboam, who sinned and who made Israel sin.4
The house of David would weary God, so He gave them a sign, Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings. The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father’s house—days that have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah.5
God had put a curse on the land of Israel, it was thorn and briar, so cattle and sheep roamed the land, and as such milk was a popular diet.7 Prophesy would be fulfilled, in that Immanuel would eat curds and honey. The people would question the coming of the Messiah, they would say, who would come from Galilee?, but they did not know the scriptures. Here is the prophecy of a great light coming from Galilee, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles.8
Unto Israel a child was born, a son given, the government would be on his shoulders And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.9
God sent a word against Jacob, and it has fallen on Israel, the southern tribes of Judah, all the people will know, Ephraim and its capital Samaria, the northern tribes who hardened their hearts against God and said with pride and arrogance, we shall rebuild Israel, stone by stone.10 God sends the nations against Israel. For all his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
But they do not seek him, so he cuts off the head and tail, good and evil, the elders and the prophets, as the leaders caused the people to sin, the north and south, they all are hypocrites and speak folly. For all his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
But still they do not turn to God. The land will be burned up, and the people as fuel for the fire, no man shall spare his brother, they shall devour each other, Manassah against Ephraim, Ephraim Manasseh together shall be against Judah.11 For all his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, who rob the needy, take what is right from the poor, and prey on widows, and rob the fatherless. In the day of punishment and desolation which will come from afar, what will you do? who will you flee to for help and where will you leave your glory? Without me you will bow among the prisoners and fall among the slain. For all his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.12
Now a great sign appeared in heaven: Israel clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars, for the tribes. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. But the great dragon tried to kill the child but he did not die, he rose and ascended into heaven. And Israel was dispersed, scattered abroad.
And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.13
Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.
Now when Satan saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the women, who gave birth to the male Child, so She went to the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent, he tried to destroy her but the earth saved her, so he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, and knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His delight is in the fear of the Lord, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears; but with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist.13
And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious. It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, From Assyria and Egypt, Pathros and Cush, Elam and Shinar, Hamath and the islands of the sea.14
He will set up a banner for the nations, And will assemble the outcasts of Israel, And gather together the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth. Also the envy of Ephraim shall depart, And the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, And Judah shall not harass Ephraim.15
Jesus is reuniting the remnants, assembling the outcasts of Israel. When Jesus was on earth, the high priest, Caiaphas, prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.16 But Satan sought to the destroy him and through the Pharasees his death was plotted. Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.17 Jesus went to Ephraim, of the ten northern tribes, the envy of Ephraim shall depart.
It is expedient for Israel that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish. Jesus died for Isreal, so they would not perish, so they would return to God. The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the Mighty God. Through Jesus they return, they were the first Christians, they are called Messianic Jews,18 and Jews for Jesus.19 Jesus is the way to the God of Abraham. His Hand Is Stretched Out Still.
Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered: Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, the houses are without a man, the land is utterly desolate.