We all know that YESHUA had 12 disciples that He chose out of the world, but what does the 12 represent?
Mathew 10:1-4
“And having called His twelve talmidim (disciples) near, He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every bodily weakness. And these are the names of the twelve emissaries: Simon, who is called Kepha, and Adri his brother, James the son of Zabdai, and John his brother; Phillip and Barthalomew, Thomas and Mathew the tax collector; James of Heleph, and Labai, who last name was Thaddaeus, Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also delivered Him up.”
The number 12 often represented the 12 Tribes o Yisra’el as we see in:
Exodus 28:9-21
“And you shall take two shoham stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Yisra’el, six of their names on one stone, and the remaining six names on the other stone, according to their birth. With the work of an engraver in stone, like engravings of a signet, engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Yisra’el. Put them in mountings of gold. And you shall put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the shoulder garment as stones of remembrance for the sons of Yisra’el. And Aaron shall bear their names before YAHWEH on his two shoulders, for a remembrance. And you shall make mountings of gold, and two chains of clean gold like braided cords, and fasten the braided chains to the mountings. And you shall make a breastplate of right-ruling, a work of skilled workman, like the work of the shoulder garment. Make it of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet, and fine woven linen. It is square, doubled, zereth its length, and a zereth its width. And you shall put mountings of stones in it, four rows of stones: The first row is a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald; and the second row is a turquoise, a sapphire, and diamond; and the third row is a jacinth, an agate, an amethyst; and the fourth row is a beryl, and a shoham, and jasper. They are put in gold mountings. And the stones are according to the names of the sons of Yisra’el, TWELVE according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, each one with its own name, for the TWELVE TRIBES.”
Leviticus 24:5-9
“And you shall take fine flour and bake TWELVE CAKES with it, two-tenth parts in each cake. And you shall put them in two rows, six in a row, on the clean table before YAHWEH.”
This reminds me of the two shoham stones with the names of the sons of Yisra’el that Aaron wore as high priest (Exodus 28) divided by putting six names on each shoulder just as the showbread is divided into two rows of six.
Revelation 21:12-14
“And having a great and high wall, having TWELVE GATES, and at the gates TWELVE messengers, and names written on them, which are the TWELVE TRIBES of the children of Yisra’el: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the TWELVE EMISSARIES of the Lamb.”
So here we have the names of the twelve tribes and the twelve disciples mentioned as part of the New Jerusalem, which ties right into the point of the message.
YESHUA being present with the 12 disciples is a representation of the restored kingdom of Yisra’el, where the 10 tribes of the Northern Kingdom (Ephraim/Israel) and the 2 tribes of the Southern Kingdom (Judah and Benjamin) will be joined back together as One House with One King ruling over them and that King is YESHUA! To understand this concept, we have to look at what happened that caused this division in the first place and the future promise of the regathering.
1 Kings 11:1-13, 29-35 (parenthesis mine)
“And King Solomon loved many foreign women in addition to the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Tsidonian, and Hittite, women; from the nations of whom YAHWEH had said to the children of Yisra’el, “You do not go into them, and they do not go into you, for they shall certainly turn away your hearts after their mighty ones.” Solomon clung to these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. And it came to be, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other mighty ones. And his heart was not perfect with YAHWEH his ELOHIM, as was the heart of his dad David. And Solomon went after Ashtoreth the mighty one of the Tsidonians, and after Milkom the abomination of the Ammonites. Thus Solomon did evil in the eyes of YAHWEH, and did not follow YAHWEH completely, like his dad David. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the children of Ammon. And so he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and slaughtered to their mighty ones. Therefore, YAHWEH was enraged with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from YAHWEH ELOHIM of Yisra’el, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this word, not to go after other mighty ones. But he did not guard what YAHWEH had commanded. And YAHWEH said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not guarded My Covenant and My Laws, which I commanded you, I shall certainly tear the reign away from you and give it to your servant. Only, I do not do it in your days, for the sake of your dad David. Out of the hand of your son I shall tear it. Only, I shall not tear away all the reign but give ONE TRIBE (Judah and Benjamin) to your son for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.” Verse 29-35 “And it came to be at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahiyah the Shilonite met him on the way. And he was wearing a new garment, and the two were alone in the field. And Ahiyah took hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into TWELVE pieces, and said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself TEN PIECES, for thus said YAHWEH, the ELOHIM of Yisra’el, ‘See, I am tearing the reign out of the hand of Solomon and shall give TEN TRIBES (Ephraim/Yisra’el) to you, but he (Solomon’s son Rehoboam) shall have one tribe for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Yisra’el.”
When Solomon fell into idolatry the kingdom was split into two kingdoms, Solomons son Rehoboam received two tribes the southern kingdom and Jeroboam received the other 10 tribes the northern kingdom. Ever since then there were two separate houses with two separate kings to rule over them. Then throughout time both houses committed spiritual adultery against YAHWEH by worshipping false mighty ones; although it seems that Judah remained more faithful then Yisra’el; however, they would eventually go into exile themselves.
Hosea 11:12
“Efraim has surrounded Me with lying, and the house of Yisra’el with deceit. But Judah is still wandering with EL, and is true to the Holy One.”
2 Chronicles 18:3-7
“And Ahab king of Yisra’el said to Yehoshaphat king of Judah, “Do you go with me against Ramoth Gilead? And he answered him, “I am as you are, and my people as your people, even with you in battle.” And Yehoshaphat said to the king of Yisra’el, “Please inquire for the word of YAHWEH today.” And the king of Yisra’el gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Do we go against Ramoth Gilead to battle, or do I refrain? And they said, “Go up, for ELOHIM gives it unto the kings hand.” But Yehoshaphat said, “Is there not still a prophet of YAHWEH here, so that we inquire of him? And the king of Yisra’el said to Yehoshaphat, “There is still one man to inquire of YAHWEH from him’ but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil. He is Mikayah, the son of Yimla.” And Yehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so!”
This shows that Yisra’el had turned away from YAHWEH as Ahab called pagan prophets to inquire, which is why Yehoshaphat said “Is there not a prophet of YAHWEH?” This shows that the House of Judah was still following YAHWEH at this point.
The House of Yisra’el stumbled greatly because most of their kings walked in the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat:
1 Kings 12:26-33
“And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the reign shall return to the house of David. “If these people go up to do slaughtering’s in the House of YAHWEH at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people shall turn back to their master Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall slay me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah.” So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. See, your mighty ones, O Yisra’el, which brought you up from the land of Egypt! And he put up one in Beyth El, and the other he put in Dan. And this matter became a sin, for the people went before the one as for as Dan. And he made the house of high places, and made priests from all sorts of people, who were not the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam performed a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival that was in Judah (Sukkot), and he offered up on the altar. So he did at Beyth El, slaughtering to the calves that he had made. And he made offerings on the altar which he made at Beyth El on the fifteenth day of he eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart. And he performed a festival for the children of Yisra’el, and offered on the altar and burned incense.”
As we can see Jeroboam committed a great sin against YAHWEH even after YAHWEH gave him 10 tribes and to walk in the ways of David, but he trusted in his own strength and did it his own way. So whenever you see in scripture where a king walked in the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, this is what they were doing. Walking in his ways and not the ways of YAHWEH! Jeroboam not only made two calves to worship as the children of Yisra’el did when they came out of Egypt, he also made priests of any tribe that was not of Levi when YAHWEH ordained the Levites for the priesthood and no other tribe, and he made his own festival day that he devised in his own heart similarly to how Christianity has made up false days. And because of these abominations that the Kings of Yisra’el committed YAHWEH exiled them to Assyria:
2 Kings 17:16-18
“And they left all the Commands of YAHWEH their ELOHIM, and made for themselves a molded image, two calves, and made an Asherah and bowed themselves to all the hosts of the heavens, and served Baal, and caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, and practiced divination and sorcery, and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of YAHWEH, to provoke Him. So YAHWEH was very enraged with Yisra’el and removed them from His presence-none was left, but the tribe of Judah alone.”
This is where the term “lost tribes of Yisra’el” comes from because they were taken by the Assyrians into exile and they eventually became mixed in with the gentiles and forgetting that they were even Yisra’elites because they became like the nations.
Hosea 7:8
“Efraim is mixed among his people, Efraim became a cake not turned.’
Hosea 8:8 (Septuagint)
“Yisra’el is swallowed up: now it has become among the nations as a worthless vessel. For they have gone up to Assyria: Efraim has flourished again against himself; they loved gifts. Therefore they shall be delivered to the nations: now I will receive them and they shall a little to anoint a king and princes.”
Then about 130 years later or so, Judah was taken into Babylonian exile.
Lamentations 1:3 (Septuagint)
“And it came to pass, after Yisra’el was taken captive and Jerusalem made desolate, that Jeremiah sat weeping and lamented with this lamentation over Jerusalem and said. How the city that was filled with people sits solitary! She has become a widow: she that was magnified among the nations and princess among the provinces, has become tributary. She weeps great in the night and her tears are on her cheeks; and there are none of all her lovers to comfort her: all that were her friends have dealt deceitfully with her, they have come her enemies. JUDAH has gone into captivity by reason of her affliction and by reason of the abundance of her servitude; she dwells among the gentiles, she has not found rest: all her pursuers have overtaken her between her oppressors.”
But we see in Ezra 1 that the Jews/Benjamin the southern kingdom survived because they were allowed to return to their homeland after the 70 years of Babylonian exile, while the other tribes remained lost; although, they say that some of those tribes have been found such, as Beta Yisra’el a tribe of Ethiopians, but for the most part they are still lost. That is why YESHUA said that He came for the lost sheep of the House of Yisra’el, because the southern kingdom that included Judah and Benjamin were not lost unlike the other 10 tribes.
Ezra 1:1-4
“And in the first year of Cyrus the king of Persia, that the word of YAHWEH by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, YAHWEH stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, to proclaim throughout all his reign, and also in writing, saying, “Thus said Cyrus king of Persia, ‘YAHWEH ELOHIM of the heavens has given me all the reigns of the earth. And He has commanded me to build Him a House in Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? His ELOHIM be with him! And let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the House of YAHWEH ELOHIM of Yisra’el-He is ELOHIM-which Is in Jerusalem. And whoever is left from all the places where he sojourns, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the voluntary offerings for the House of ELOHIM which is in Jerusalem.” And the heads of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin (southern kingdom) and the priests and Levites, with all those whose spirits ELOHIM had stirred, rose up to go up and build the House of YAHWEH which is in Jerusalem.”
Then we know that the second temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. and the Jews have been scattered all over the world as well, although they were still able to maintain their identity. YAHWEH has made a promise to regather His people again and there will no longer be two houses with two kings! They will be restored back to one house with one king!
Isaiah 11:12-14
“And He shall raise a banner for the nations, and gather the outcasts of Yisra’el, and assemble the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. And the envy of Ephraim shall turn aside, and the adversaries of Judah will be cut off. Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah not trouble Ephraim. But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines towards the west; TOGETHER they plunder the people of the east, their hand stretching forth on Edom and Moab and the children of Ammon shall be subject to them.”
Ezekiel 37:15-25
“And the word of YAHWEH came to me, saying, “And you son on man, take a stick for yourself and write on it, “For Judah and for the children of Yisra’el, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘for Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Yisra’el, his companions.’ Then bring them together for yourself into one stick, and they shall become one in your hand. And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, ‘Won’t you show us what you mean by these? Say to them, “Thus said the Master YAHWEH, “See, I am taking the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Yisra’el, his companions. And I shall give them unto him, with the stick of Judah, and make them ONE STICK (One House), and they shall be ONE in My hand.” And the sticks on which you write be in your hand before their eyes. And speak to them, “Thus said the Master YAHWEH, “See, I am taking the children of Yisra’el from among the gentiles wherever they have gone (lost tribes), and shall gather them from all around, and I shall bring them into their land. And I shall make them ONE NATION in the land, on the mountains of Yisra’el. And ONE KING shall be King over them all, and let them no longer be two nations, and let them no longer be divided into two reigns. And they shall no longer defile themselves with their idols, nor with their filthiness, nor with any of their transgressions. And I shall save them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and I shall cleanse them. And they shall be My people, and I be their ELOHIM, while David My servant is King over them (YESHUA). And they shall all have one shepherd (YESHUA) and walk in My Right-Rulings and guard My Laws, and shall do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt. And they shall dwell in it, they and their children and their children’s children, FOREVER, and My servant David (YESHUA) be their prince FOREVER.”
So going back to the beginning of the article, we have YESHUA with the 12 disciples which is symbolic of the 12 Tribes reunited together again with One King ruling over them YESHUA HA’MASHIACH!
As always may our Father YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name!