By Maria Merola אריאל
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The Apostle Sha’uwl (Paul) has been one of the most misunderstood writers of the Briyth Chadashah (New Testament) of all times. Even the Apostle Keefa (Peter) recognized this and prophesied against those who would twist Sha’uwl’s words out of context to their own destruction:
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Ah, but lo and behold! We find out that there are actually 14 Tribes of Yisra’el! In Genesis 48-49, Ya’aqob (Jacob) whose name was changed to Yisra’el gave his blessing to all twelve of his sons. But his youngest son YaHuW’ceph (Joseph) was given the “double portion” of his father’s inheritance through his youngest son Ephrayim. Joseph had two sons in Egypt by a Gentile woman (symbolic of the marriage between Messiah & the Gentiles). The two sons from this union represent two groups of people in the last days. These two sons of Joseph are Ephrayim & Manasseh who were both given the name of Yisra’el, (like their grandfather) when he declared to them “let my name be named upon them” (Genesis 48:16). Now even though Manasseh was the older son of Joseph, Ya’aqob -Yisra’el switched his hands around and gave the blessing of the 13thtribe to Ephrayim (the younger) and the blessing of the 14th tribe to Manasseh (the older). Ya’aqob remembered what it was like to be the youngest of twins when he and his brother Esau were born only minutes apart. He remembered the fact that his mother Rebekah was given a prophesy at his birth:
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In Ezekiel 47:22-23, we learn that the “stranger” is merged into whatever tribe of Yisra’el that they choose to sojourn with. In the case of a “born-again” believer in Messiah, we sojourn with YaHuWShuWA who is from the House of YaHuW’dah (Judah). And thus Ephrayim is merged into YaHuW’dah (Judah) as per Ezekiel 37:16-19. A bride takes on the name of her husband, and that is why the name of Ephrayim is not mentioned among the tribes of Yisra’el in Revelation 7. It is because when Ephrayim becomes married to the Messiah, he becomes “one stick” with YaHuW’dah (Judah) according to Ezekiel 37:16-19. The House of Ephrayim will take on the name of their husband’s tribe----YaHuW’dah (Judah)! Ephrayim will then go into the gate of YaHuW’dah (Judah) in the New Yerushalayim because when he resurrects along with his older brother Judah, they shall no longer be two, but they shall become “one new man” (Jew & Gentile) according to Ephesians 2:15.
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The smallest of “seeds” of the sons of Yisra’el-Ya’aqob was the youngest son of them all and his name is “Ephrayim” whose name actually means “double fruit” for he would later on in history become like the mustard seed, which becomes the largest and most fruitful of them all! Our Messiah even told us that the “smallest” of all seeds on the earth is the mustard seed, yet, when it is all grown up, it is the largest of plants! (Mark 4:31-32).
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But a seed must go into the ground and “die” in order to become fruitful! Our Messiah told a parable relating the mustard seed to the Kingdom of Heaven:
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The Apostle Sha’uwl (Paul) is likened unto the House of Ephrayim because his name means “small” and he called himself “the least of the apostles.” The Apostle Sha’uwl is likened unto that little boy who donated his lunch to the multitudes:
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What are we seeing here? We see that the “five barley loaves” symbolizes the Towrah because there are five books in the “Mosaic Law” (Towrah). Then we see that there are two fishes which represent the “two houses of Yisra’el” that have been split apart since King Solomon died in 1st Kings 12. These two houses of Yisra’el (Ephrayim & Judah) are represented by the two fishes because in Jeremiah 16:16 we see a prophecy about how in the last days, YaHuWaH would send “fishers” to fish these divorced tribes out of the Gentile nations where he had sent them. Then in Matthew 4:19, YaHuWShuWA was calling his disciples to become “fishers of men” because he knew the prophecy of Jeremiah. Hence the “two fishes” represent “both houses of Yisra’el” (Isaiah 8:14). The little boy “fed the multitudes” and yet there was so much food left over that there were “twelve baskets full” left over representing the “twelve tribes of Yisra’el!”
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2nd Qorintiym (Corinthians) 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Messiah, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
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In the New Yerushalayim the tribe of Ephraiym will go through the YaHuW’dah (Judah) gate because he will become “one stick” with the tribe of YaHuW’dah (Judah) through our Messiah! And so this is how the thirteenth tribe is able to be grafted into the twelve tribes!
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© Copyright Double Portion Inheritance, August 2011
2nd Keefa (Peter) 3:
15 And account that the longsuffering of our Master is salvation; even as our beloved brother Sha’uwl (Paul) also according to the wisdom given unto him has written unto you;
16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
17 You therefore, beloved, seeing you know these things before, beware lest you also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
Here the Apostle Peter (Keefa) explains that those who reject the writings of Paul (Sha’uwl) are rejecting the scriptures! He said that when they twist Paul’s words they are doing the same thing with “the other scriptures!” Beloved there are people out there who are trying to tell us that the Epistles of Paul are not inspired and that they are not considered “scripture!” Peter’s words here prove them wrong! These very same people who want to discredit Paul as a legitimate Apostle try to use the fact that he was the “thirteenth apostle” as some type of proof that he could not have been sent by our Messiah. They cite Revelation 21:14-21 where we are shown that there are only going to be “twelve gates & twelve foundation stones” in the New Jerusalem for “the twelve tribes & the twelve apostles.” They think that they have found their proof that Paul is an illegitimate apostle because he was the “thirteenth apostle,” and there are only twelve tribes.
Bereshiyth (Genesis) 25:23 And YHWH said unto her, Two nations are in your womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from your bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
And yet Ya’aqob-Yisra’el understood the same principle that our Messiah taught in Matthew 19:30 “But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.”
Hence, he made the youngest (Ephrayim) “the first born” (Jeremiah 31:9).
Now it is a curious thing that the tribe of Ephrayim and Dan are not mentioned among the 12 tribes of Yisra’el in Revelation 7. One can only speculate as to why this might be the case. I believe it is because in 1stKings 12, King Jeroboam set up golden calves at Dan & Mount Ephrayim and he invented pagan holidays in the eighth month of the year against the commandments of YaHuWaH. Because Dan & Ephrayim became the place of idolatry, I believe that their names were blotted out which is why they are not seen in Revelation 7. However, they are not dead! Like the prodigal son, they will rise again when they “die” to the old sinful nature! But when they resurrect from the dead, they will be given “a new name” (Revelation 2:17, 3:12) and they will be grafted into the tribe of their bridegroom which is Judah! The Apostle Sha’uwl even explained in Romans 2:26-29 that those who have their hearts circumcised are considered “YaHuW’diy” or Jews. This is how Ephrayim & Judah will become one stick in the hand of YaHuWaH (Ezekiel 37:16-18) at the resurrection!
Now we can see the Apostle Sha’uwl as being a prophetic “type” of the tribe of Ephrayim. It is no “small coincidence” that the name “Sha’uwl” (Paul) in Hebrew means “small.” It is because Ephrayim was the “youngest” (the smallest) and yet he became “the greatest.” Likewise the Apostle Sha’uwl (Paul) called himself “the least of the apostles” (1stCorinthians 15:9), and yet he later on became the “greatest” or the “chiefest” of the Apostles just like Ephrayim who became the greatest of all tribes! (2nd Corinthians 11:5 & 12:11). The Apostle Sha’uwl was called to preach to the Gentiles which are the “lost sheep” of the House of Yisra’el. Like Ephrayim who thought he was an Egyptian, he did not realize that he was an Yisra’elite until his grandfather Jacob-Yisrael declared over him “let my name be upon you.” Likewise, the Apostle Sha’uwl is called to bring “Ephrayim” back home like the prodigal son to see his true identity with Yisra’el! What is even more amazing is that we have already seen that Ephrayim is the 13thtribe of Yisra’el and guess how many books of the Briyth Chadashah (New Testament) Sha’uwl wrote? He wrote 13 books of the New Testament for the 13 tribes of Yisra’el!
BinYamiyn: “Son of My Right Hand”
In keeping with the theme of the “youngest” we can also see why the Apostle Sha’uwl (Paul) was from the tribe of Benjamin. When Joseph was about to be restored to his eleven brothers in Bereshiyth (Genesis) 43, the youngest son of Jacob (Benjamin) was left at home. YaHuW’ceph (Joseph) inquired about his little brother and wanted to know where he was. He sent his ten brothers back home and said to them:
Bereshiyth (Genesis) 43:3 “…You shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.”
This language is very familiar because YaHuW’ceph (Joseph) is a prophetic type of Messiah here and his brothers represent the other “ten lost tribes of Yisra’el” who do not as of yet recognize YaHuWShuWA as their Messiah. In Luke 13:35, our Messiah prophesied to the inhabitants of Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) “….You shall not see me, until the time come when you shall say, Blessed is he that comes in the name of YHWH.”
We can see a parallel here where Joseph told his brothers “you shall not see me until Benjamin comes back with you.” And then our Messiah said “you shall not see me until you recognize me as the one who comes in the name of YaHuWaH.”
In other words, Benjamin is the key to bringing back the other tribes to Messiah! The fact that his name means “small” means that the least among us shall be the greatest!
This is why the Apostle Sha’uwl , whose name means “small” is from the tribe of Benjamin (Romans 11:1), because he is the one “assigned” to bring the other lost tribes back to the Messiah! In this story it was Joseph himself (symbolic of Messiah) who sent his brothers away requesting that they bring “BinYamiyn” (Benjamin) back with them. The name Benjamin means “the son of the right hand.” And who is seated at the “right hand” of the Father in Heaven? Who is prophetically called “the Arm of YaHuWaH” (the arm of the Lord) in Isaiah 51:9 & Isaiah 53:1? It is YaHuWShuWA Messiah who is the “right hand” of YaHuWaH and the tribe of Benjamin is his son!
In other words the one who was chosen to bring back the other ten tribes to meet their Messiah was Benjamin whose name signifies that he is the son of the Messiah (typified in Joseph) who is “seated at the right hand of the Father.” This is a prophecy about the Apostle Sha’uwl (Paul)! The Apostle Sha’uwl is the one who was chosen to bring the besowrah (gospel) to the “Gentiles” and he is the one who was assigned to bring back the “ten tribes” to meet their Messiah in the last days!
MattithYaHuW (Matthew) 13:
31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
YaHuW’chanon (John) 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone: but if it die, it brings forth much fruit.
Here we see that Ephrayim is the smallest of the “seeds” of the sons of Abraham. He was the youngest and yet in the end of days, he will become “a multitude of nations” too numerous to count! (Genesis 48:19, Revelation 7:9)
YaHuW’chanon (John) 6:
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Shimone Keefa (Simon Peter)’s brother, said unto him,
9 There is a lad here, which has five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
10 And YaHuWShuWA said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11 And YaHuWShuWA took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves.
This story is a picture of the smallest and the least among us. That little boy who gave his small lunch away is like Ephrayim (the youngest) and like the Apostle Sha’uwl who called himself the least apostle in 1st Corinthians 15:9. And also like that mustard seed (the smallest of seeds), that becomes the largest and most fruitful of trees once it “falls to the ground and dies.” And thus we learn a very important principle here that our Messiah taught:
Marqos (Mark) 10:44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
Ephrayim is like the prodigal son in Luke 15:24, who was thought to be dead, but when he comes back home to the Father and his Towrah (commandments) he is given the blood atonement (fatted calf) and he is “resurrected” into a new creature. In Ezekiel 37:1-13, he will “come out of his graves” and his dead bones will be revived! His name was blotted out in Revelation 7, but he will come back to life again in Revelation 7 & 14 as “the multitude of nations.” But the reason why his name is never mentioned again is because Ephrayim must go through a metamorphosis much like a caterpillar that goes into a cocoon and “dies” to his old nature. But when he emerges (resurrects) into a new creature, he no longer has the same name. His name becomes YaHuW’dah (Judah):
In Revelation 2:17 & 3:12, we are told that the overcomers will receive a new name. When Ephrayim gets married to the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah” (YaHuW’dah), he will then be given a new name and he will rule and reign with Messiah for “one thousand years” with a rod of iron!
Hence the Apostle Sha’uwl is the thirteenth Apostle who was assigned to bring the thirteenth tribe of Ephrayim back home and he wrote thirteen books of the New Testament. In other words, he has been sent to the “Ten Lost Tribes of Yisra’el” who think that they are Gentiles. When Ephrayim is joined back to the House of of YaHuW’dah (Judah) into one stick, one olive tree, then he will no longer be the 13th tribe for he will be assimilated into the 12 Tribes of Yisra’el in the New Yerushalayim!
Discrepancies in Sha’uwl’s Account in the Book of Acts Explained
There are some people who have attempted to discredit the Apostle Sha’uwl by using these verses in the book of Acts. At first glance, it would appear that Sha’uwl’s story is being told several different ways and thus makes him appear not credible. But let us examine these verses below that are in question:
Ma’asheh Shlichiym (Acts) 9:3-7: The men who were with Sha’uwl heard a voice but saw no man.
Ma’asheh Shlichiym (Acts) 22:6-11: In verse 9 those men with Sha’uwl saw the light but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me.
Ma’asheh Shlichiym (Acts) 26:12–18: In verse 13 they heard the voice, but in verse 14 we had fallen to the ground.
Ma’asheh Shlichiym (Acts)9:3-7
3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecute you me?
5 And he said, Who are you, Master? And the Master said, I am YaHuWShuWA whom you persecute: it is hard for you to kick against the pricks.
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Master, what will you have me to do? And the Master said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told you what you must do.
7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
Ma’asheh Shlichiym (Acts)22:
6 And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come near unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.
7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecute you me?
8 And I answered, Who are you, Master? And he said unto me, I am YaHuWShuWA of Nazareth, whom you persecute.
9 And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spoke to me.
*Note: this is not a contradiction from Acts 9:7 for even though the men heard a voice, it does not mean that they heard what was being said. It is possible to hear a voice and not be able to discern what that voice is actually saying. In Acts 9:7 it says that “they saw no man” but it does not say that they did not see a light. Here in Acts 22:9 it says that “they saw a light” but not a man. They heard a voice in Acts 9:7 but that does not mean that they heard what was being said to Sha’uwl. The Greek translation for the word “voice” in the Strong’s Concordance is as follows:
# 5456 phōnē: fo-nay; a sound, a tone, of inanimate things, as musical instruments, a voice, the sound of uttered words, speech, of a language, tongue.
This word is much more ambiguous than a person’s voice. This Greek word “phone” means a noise of some kind but not limited to a human voice.
We see the same phenomenon taking place when the Apostle YaHuW’chanon (John) heard the voice of YaHuWaH in heaven. Let’s see what that voice sounded like:
Chazown (Revelation) 1:10 I was in the Spirit on YHWH’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
Chazown (Revelation) 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up here, and I will show you things which must be hereafter.
Below the prophecy against Mystery Babylon is being described and it says that the “voice” of musical instruments” will no longer be heard in her:
Chazown (Revelation) 18:22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in you; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in you; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in you;
Why does it not say in the above verse the “sound” of musical instruments will no longer be heard? Why does it use the word “voice” instead of sound?
We can see that John heard the “voice” (sounds, musical tones).
Hence, the men who were with Sha’uwl “heard tones” or sounds, but that does not mean that they heard “a voice talking” or that they heard intelligible words being spoken!
Ma’asheh Shlichiym (Acts)22:
10 And I said, What shall I do, MASTER? And the Master said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told you of all things which are appointed for you to do.
11 And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.
Ma’asheh Shlichiym (Acts)26:
12 Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,
13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.
14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecute you me? it is hard for you to kick against the pricks.
*Note: Here only Sha’uwl can hear the voice in the Hebrew Tongue! It does not say that the other man can speak in Hebrew does it? They heard a “voice” (phone, tones, sounds) like musical instruments from heaven, but that does not mean that they understood the conversation that Sha’uwl was having with the Messiah does it? NO! Here it says that Paul saw a light (not a man) and it says that he “heard the voice speaking to him.” The other men heard a “phone” (the Greek word for musical tones) but it does not mean that they heard the voice speak to them intelligibly!
Ma’asheh Shlichiym (Acts)26:
15 And I said, Who are you, Master? And he said, I am YaHuWShuWA whom you persecute.
16 But rise, and stand upon your feet: for I have appeared unto you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of these things which you have seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto you;
17 Delivering you from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send you,
18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto Elohiym, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
In the final analysis, we can see that the Apostle Sha’uwl (Paul) has been one of the most fruitful of all gospel writers. To eliminate his writings from the scriptures is to eliminate a major portion of Bible Prophecy! If you have been assaulted by “Anti-Paul” zealots, this explanation should get you back on the path of truth.