Frequently Asked Questions
Ephesians 2 - The Middle Wall of Partition - Part 7
Ephesians 2:16-18
"And that He might reconcile both unto ’Elohiym in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby, and came and preached to you who were afar off, and to them that were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father."
These three verses continue to sum up the main point of this chapter. YHVH has reconciled two entities unto Himself, having slain the enemy, and has now made peace. It is clearly taught in verse 16 that the cross (i.e. the execution tree) was where the enemy was destroyed. The Brit Chadashah is replete with teaching that it was the body of sin, the old man, personified universally by hasatan himself, that was slain (Ivrim 2:17, Romans 6:1-10, Colossians 2:11, Ivrim 9:26, 1 Yochanan 3:8). According to verse 17 we read again that Messiah came and preached to those who were far off, the scattered sheep among the Gentiles, and to those who are near, His own brethren, the house of Judah. This truth is captured in Yochanan 1:10-13:
He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew him not. He came unto His own, and His own received him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the children of ’Elohiym, even to them that believe on His name; who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of ’Elohiym."
Whether 'Jew' or 'Gentile', when the seed of the Messiah is received by faith, then you have become a son of the living God (Hoshea 1:10). Both of these houses, or sons, now have equal access and inheritance from the Father. Both sticks are now one in the hand of the Father, with one shepherd and one head. All His sheep are still scattered throughout the earth to someday be brought together in the land.
Ephesians 2:19-22
"Now, therefore, ye are no more strangers and sojourners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of ’Elohiym; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Yahshua the Messiah Himself being the chief corner [stone], in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in YHVH; in whom ye also are built together for an habitation of ’Elohiym through the Spirit."
This statement has always been historically true for individuals who desired to follow the God of Israel. As I stated earlier in this study, once the stranger (ger - gentile, alien, foreigner) has elected to follow the God of Israel, then he or she is no longer a stranger, alien, gentile, or foreigner, but is counted as the child of Israel. This is because YHVH is ONLY the God of Israel, the God of Avraham, Yitz'chak, and Ya‘aqov. This household of YHVH began in the beginning, built upon the testimony of the apostles and prophets with the Messiah, the seed of the woman, the creator of all things, as the ROCK or cornerstone of this most magnificent building. The cornerstone is placed first and must precede all of the building. The cornerstone is not something that is laid down somewhere in the middle of the project, otherwise the building would not be built upon a trustworthy stone.
The God of Israel has been gathering His people and preparing for the time very soon when He will bring all unto the land. It is at this time when all of His children will dwell together in the land of Israel. In the meantime, YHVH is calling His own sheep to come out of Babylon. He is calling out the children of Israel, and He is calling out the children of Judah. YHVH is washing her in the water of the word. He has broken down the dividing wall that she may be one.
1 Corinthians 6:17
"But he that is JOINED unto YHVH is one spirit."
Yirmeyahu 50:4-6
"In those days, and in that time, saith YHVH, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping they shall go, and seek YHVH their ’Elohiym. They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces toward it, saying, Come, and let us JOIN ourselves to YHVH in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten. My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains; they have gone from mountain to hill; they have forgotten their resting place."
Mizmor 148:14
"He also exalteth the horn of His people, the praise of all His saints; even of the children of Israel, a people NEAR unto Him. Praise YHVH!"
Shalom Alecheim!