Who are modern Ephraim and Manasseh? Part 6
[This is a continuation of the notes from one of Ron Oja’s teachings at the Stone Kingdom Ministries Passover-Resurrection Conference held March 29-April 1, 2013 in Manassas, Virginia.—JWB]
During the summer following our 10th and last meeting in Philadelphia, James called me to announce that a daughter (of course it would be a daughter) [see Zelophehad connection below—JWB] had invited us to hold our annual Passover/Resurrection celebration in Manassas in 2009. She and her husband owned a Greek restaurant in Manassas and they have an “upper room” for banquets which she said could hold as many as 120 people. (Cf. Acts 1:13-15)
This seemed like a wonderful offer and perfectly fit my own thoughts regarding the location because I had been studying various Civil War battles for the prior few years. Manassas was the site of the first major battle of the Civil War. To hold our meeting in Manassas on the 144th anniversary of the end of the Civil War in 1865 seemed to be quite a confirmation to me because I had been seeing our Bible Conference meetings as a repair of the breach between the northern and southern tribes of Israel. So my expectations for Manassas included those thoughts.
Because of some folks’ objection to Stone Kingdom’s ministry a couple of weeks before our scheduled gathering, protesters caused the owners of the restaurant to become duly concerned about their business and they very graciously asked us if we could meet somewhere else.
We certainly didn’t want to see them suffer any financial loss and so, on a very short notice, James was able to obtain the venue we are all sitting in today. This is our fourth meeting in the Four Points Sheraton in Manassas.
Many of us will well remember that the hotel said that to accommodate our Conference they would have remove “the partition” between the General Lee and General Grant rooms and even open up the Stonewall Jackson and Abraham Lincoln side rooms. If this isn’t a type and shadow of the repair of the breach between the North and South, then I don’t know what is!
The first major battle of the Civil War was fought in Manassas in July of 1861. This would begin the bloodiest war in United States history. The South named the battle sites for the nearest town; in this case, it became known as the Battle of Manassas. The North, however, usually chose the nearest landmark or body of water. In this case it was Bull Run Creek; hence, the North called it the Battle of Bull Run.
In Scripture, Joseph and his son Ephraim are associated with the bull. Manasseh has a feminine attachment because of the five daughters of Zelophehad who were allowed to receive a land inheritance. They were from the tribe of Manasseh.
In early 2003, this reporter was divinely led to the fact that the story of these five daughters is found in only three chapters in the Bible: Numbers 27 and 36 and Joshua 17. These are the 144th, 153rd and 204th chapters in the Bible and we discussed these details at our initial gathering here in 2009.
We knew that we had to come here to Manassas three times because of these three chapters and correspondingly we had to hold Tabernacles conferences in Sweetwater (Tennessee) three times in order for our bitter waters to be made sweet. And all of this could only take place after the repair of the breach intercession was completed at Passover in 2008. Altogether we spent 15 years doing what I like to call the Hezekiah 15-year-extension-of-life intercession.
We knew that 2012 would begin a brand new slate and we really didn’t think we would return here after last year. However, the daughter who invited us here in the first place, told us last year that since there were five daughters in the Biblical inheritance story that we had to come back two more times. Well, here we are for #4 and we shall see what Father has in store for next year.
This year is the first time in 15 years that we could not obtain a venue for Easter weekend so we are here on Palm Sunday instead. Because of our ongoing discussion and connection to the Civil War, we have been believing that we are walking out a prophetic picture of peace instead of war.
I was amazed to discover that the meeting of Grant and Lee in Appomattox Court House, at which the South formally surrendered, took place on Palm Sunday in 1865. We have our confirmation now as to why Father wanted us here a week earlier than normal. This is our 4th meeting in Manassas and the Civil War lasted four years.
We will probably issue a declaration of peace before this weekend is over. We began these meetings four years ago with a clear sign of the repair of the breach between the North and the South and now our last day (of the Conference) this year will be on the very day that said breach was formally ended in April 1865.
Now we would like to discuss some additional details that will further illuminate the importance of what these Manassas/Bull Run Creek meetings are telling us about the actual resurrection of Christ in us to repair the breach.
We have now demonstrated how Jesus was put into Joseph’s grave and that Joseph, the birthright holder, representing the Kingdom, was buried in Shechem, in the territory of Manasseh. We will now demonstrate how Scripture also shows that Jesus was symbolically buried in the territory of Ephraim, or the place of the Bull.
Jesus was placed in Joseph of Arimathea’s grave. Arimathea is defined in the Greek Strong’s #707 as “heights.” It is taken from the Hebrew Strong’s #7414 which is Ramah. This word means hill and it is located in Mount Ephraim. Ramah is the birthplace and burial place of Samuel. (It was from Ramah that King Saul used witchcraft to call up Samuel from the dead.)
We know that Jesus Christ is our Head. When He rises on the third day, it will be as Joshua/Yahshua because Joshua represents the appearing of the Christ Body from the shoulders down to the feet. Joshua is from the tribe of Ephraim (double portion of fruit). And of course Ephraim is the son of Joseph.
There are no coincidences in Scripture. There are reasons why Jesus was placed in the tomb that was built for a man named Joseph and not named Peter, Paul or Mary. These are the same reasons that the earthly father of Jesus was a man who was also named Joseph. Once we really begin to see this, then the amazing code book, also known as the Bible, will come to a level of new understanding for all of us.
Jesus Himself forecasted that He would rise as Joshua on the third day. How so? It is demonstrated in the second chapter of John in the story of the “third day” marriage and the new wine. The wedding in Cana is revealing the atomic change of “water to wine” in the six stone water pots.
Joshua comes from Ephraim which means a “double portion of fruit.” The grapes are the main fruit that was brought back from the Promised Land by spies, possibly Joshua and Caleb, prophesying of this event.
We see it again in the fourth chapter of John in the woman at the well story. In this case, we can clearly see that the territories of both Manasseh and Ephraim are being addressed. The well is in a parcel of land given to Joseph by Jacob. Jesus is sitting on the well at the sixth hour of the day, which we call noon, when the sun is at its HIGHEST! Since Father is hooked on phonics, we know that this is a code for Nun (pronounced noon) the father of Joshua. Nun is of the tribe of Ephraim.
When Jacob crossed his hands over the sons of Joseph and put his left hand on Manasseh, it was because judgment must come first before we can enter into His blessing in mercy in a double portion. This is why the Old Testament is about the judgment of the law, while the New Testament emphasizes the administration of the same law in mercy and grace. Grace has a gematria of 911 and we are here in Manassas, right next door to D.C.
This understanding will cause us to understand why the opening of every Bible will show the Old Testament on our left hand and the New Testament on our right hand.
In John chapter 11 we see that Lazarus must rise from the dead before Jesus. Lazarus’ resurrection takes place on the first day of the new year in Israel’s religious calendar that was established by Yahweh in Exodus, chapter 12.
Following the resurrection of Lazarus, the high priest Caiaphas is led by the Spirit to prophesy (without knowledge) some amazing things. Let’s pick up the story in John 11:48-54:
If we let him thus alone, all [men] will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. And one of them, [named] Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death. Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.
In verse 51 when Caiaphas said that Jesus should die for “that nation” he was talking about Judah/Benjamin, or the House of Judah, who were currently the only inhabitants of the land of Israel in Palestine.
He then addresses the children of God that were “scattered abroad.” James and Peter confirm that these are the 10 “lost tribes” of the House of Israel! The high priest is actually confirming the prophecy of Ezekiel’s vision in the 37th chapter of his book where the dry bones of the two sticks, the Houses of Judah and Joseph become one. This is a repair of the breach in the 2-10 (two tribes and ten tribes).
We are then told in verse 54 that Jesus goes “into the wilderness” to a city called Ephraim. America was called “The Wilderness” right from the beginning of the English establishment of settlements within her boundaries.
It should now be clear to us that Scripture is speaking to us that Christ will resurrect in a location that is both Manassas and Ephraim, or Bull Run. It is clear that the Stone Kingdom is walking out an amazing prophetic intercession as James has been led by Father all these years. [That fact is no credit to me or to puff me up, because I assure you that I was in blindness to all those leadings until after the fact—sometimes immediately after, but in some cases not until years later!—JWB.]
At our first Manassas meeting we read from reports that were written in 2003 regarding not only the story of the five daughters of Zelophehad and the fact that he was from the tribe of Manasseh, but also the fact that other friends were led in 2002 to obtain water from Bull Run Creek.
This water would later be poured into the Mississippi River (River of the Holy Spirit) from Peace Island in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul. How appropriate that the last day of this year’s conference falls on Palm Sunday on the 147th anniversary of the beginning of peace between the North and South (Palm Sunday was on April 9th in 1865—the same calendar day that we arrived in Manassas for our first meeting in 2009).
Folks, we are on the edge of enormous “change” and this will include our discussion on the “Capitol Hill evacuation” intercession that was done just before our initial 2009 gathering. This was fulfilled on the same day in an amazing fashion and a double witness came on August 23,2011, when Capitol Hill had to be evacuated because of an earthquake. Yahshua/Christ cannot arise without a great quaking in our land.
All of this is a reflection of what is taking place inside of us when we realize that our bodies are the Promised Land. This is why when Jesus Christ said in Matthew 12:40 that He was going to lay in the “heart of the earth,” that He really meant what HE said. Therefore, Joseph’s grave is our own heart!
Jesus Christ showed that He would be the repairer of the breach between the Head (Himself) and the Body (Joseph) when He came to lay in the heart of the earth as the Christ in Joshua/Yahshua form.
(This concludes Ron Oja’s notes from one of his teachings at our Conference in Manassas in the spring of 2012. I probably will not have time to edit and post any more blogs on this subject until the middle of next week. There is more from Ron on this which I hope to attend to at that time. Meanwhile, consider attending our Tabernacles Conference to be held halfway between Kansas City and St. Joseph, Missouri, on the weekend of September 27-29, 2013. See our home page for all the details.)