It's a distraction.

Really. It is.

We have been asked by some visitors to the site if JerusalemCouncil.org subscribes to Two-House (Ephraimite) theology. No it does not - at least not those who volunteer here. This site is open to all who desire to discuss such things, but it is not the view of the current volunteers at JerusalemCouncil.org. The majority of visitors to this site follow a one-Torah (One Law for both native and non-native born Jew) view of Torah application which is inclusive of the believer in Yeshua. This viewpoint is promoted by Messianic Torah observant organizations such as http://ffoz.org, http://ctomc.org, and many others.

Rather than hold to a belief that someone is drawn to the Judaism of the Messiah simply because they must somehow be descended from one of the lost tribes of Israel, we instead hold to the belief that one is drawn simply because Yeshua is himself, Jewish. We believe the Two-House explanation is not necessary, and is in fact a tacit continued substantiation of the lie that God's righteous standard for living is only applicable to the native-born of Israel. One's obedience to the Torah is not based on (fruitless) genealogical speculations which often serve to do nothing less than distract the believer from the real reason why they are drawn to the Torah: because they have a Torah-observant Jewish Messiah living in and through them Who desires to conform their lives to His.

We therefore of course, as a site, and contrary to some organizations in the Messianic movement, and Judaism in general, support and defend the non-native born's believers right to the Torah and its application as the standard of right living in their lives. See a discussion concerning this here and here.

We of course do not discount the possibility that some believers in Messiah who are coming into a greater and greater knowledge of the Jewishness of the faith in Messiah Yeshua may in fact be descended from the 10 lost tribes of Israel - but as far as it being the main reason as to why so many non-native born believers are drawn to the Jewishness of our faith, we disagree emphatically with such a speculation because the applicable conclusion of such thinking continues to promote the same lie the the Torah isn't for the non-native born believer, which was the cause for the appearance of Two-House theology in the first place. Tacitly surrendering to the prejudice of others is not, in the opinion of this site, the proper solution to this sad state of Messianic affairs.

Therefore it is obvious that Two-House theology evolved as a popular theology due to the rejection by some native-born (read Jewish) believers of non-native born (read Gentile) seekers, refusing them access to all the commandments of Torah which apply to Israel. This prejudice is due in part, we believe, to a fear of man, in which some in the Messianic movement have fallen to, as they seek recognition and legitimacy within greater and more popular Judaism that rejects Yeshua as the Messiah, and which refuses the Torah to non-native born believers. We believe such a fear is unwarranted when it should be the Messiah that our common identity is found in, and therefore legitimized as the sole reason for our participation in imitating Him.

Such Two-House genealogical speculation isn't even necessary when one realizes that it is a distinctly Jewish Messiah who desires to take Lordship over the hearts of both the native and non-native born. Such imitation of the Messiah will lead someone to a distinctively Torah-observant, Jewish-looking lifestyle, and to that end, we hope that this truth will counter the rapidly encroaching darkness of the Torahless Anti-Messiah in these last days.

See the discussion: A Comment on Two-House Theology