Bethlehem Ephratah

Micah recorded this passage over 2700 years ago, foretelling the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:1-6). But what is meant by “Ephratah”? And how is it inexorably linked to Bethlehem and the coming thousand-year reign of Christ here on Earth?

Was it merely to distinguish between the Bethlehem of Judaea (within the land of Judah), which is located south of Jerusalem, and the Bethlehem of the land of Zebulun (Joshua 19:10-16), west of the Sea of Galilee? Or does it perhaps have a deeper, prophetic meaning?

The birthplace of Jesus is described in the Gospel accounts recorded by Matthew and Luke. Both tell us that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, also known as the City of David, which was definitely the Bethlehem located within the land of Judah.

Matthew 2:1-6
2:1 Now when Jesus had been born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men (druids) to the East to Jerusalem,
2:2 Saying, Where is he that has been BORN King of the Jews? for we saw his “Star” in the East, and are come to worship him.
2:3 When Herod the king had heard [these things], he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
2:4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and lawyers of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
2:5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
2:6 And thou Bethlehem, [in] the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a Governor (of this prison planet), that shall rule My people Israel – Ephraim (the English) and Manasseh (the Anglo-Saxon Americans) who both became Christian nations.

Genesis 48:16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name [Israel] be named on them (let Ephraim and Manasseh be called Israel), and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.

Luke 2:4-6
2:4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the region of Gennesaret, into Judaea, unto the City of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the House and lineage of David:)
2:5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
2:6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

Further confirmation may be found in the Gospel account recorded by John, which again relates Jesus’ birthplace of Bethlehem to king David, from whom Jesus was descended (Matt. 1:1-17).

John 7:42 Hath not the Scripture said, That Christ cometh of the Seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?

And where was David? Was he not found tending the sheep at Bethlehem, for his dad Jesse?

Note well: Bethlehem means the “House of Bread”. As God fed the Israelites in the Wilderness of Sin with Manna, so Jesus was the Manna – Bread of Life from Heaven (John 6:35) – to feed the world the Truth. The symbolism at the Last Supper ties into this aspect, when Jesus symbolically broke bread and told them to eat his body: Manna, the Bread of Life.

Matthew 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed [it], and brake [it], and gave [it] to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

Luke 22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake [it], and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: whenever you do this remember me (and what I taught you).

John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth me shall never thirst.

Jesse the Ephrathite of Bethlehem-Judah

And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her [that had been the wife] of Urias (Uriah) – Matthew 1:6

1 Samuel 17:12-15
17:12 Now David [was] the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem-Judah, whose name [was] Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men [for] an old man in the days of Saul.
17:13 And the three eldest sons of Jesse went [and] followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle [were] Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
17:14 And David [was] the youngest: and the three eldest followed Saul.
17:15 But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

So what is an “Ephrathite”?

The definition below is from: Strong’s Hebrew: 673. אֶפְרָתִי (Ephrathi):

Ephrathi: a descendant of Ephraim, also an inhabitant of Ephrath.
Original Word: אֶפְרָתִי

Transliteration: Ephrathi

Meaning: “fruitfulness”, from Ephraim, which means “fruitful” (Gen. 41:52).

The Hebrew word אֶפְרָתִי is translated into English both as “Ephrathite” and as “Ephraimite”, making these two English terms interchangeable.

So was Jesse, king David’s dad, descended from Judah-Pharez and from the tribe of Ephraim? Would that not make the kingly line of David eligible to rule over both the 2-tribed “House of Judah” and the 10-tribed “House of Israel” (1 kings 2:11), as, in fact, both David himself and his son Solomon did? Jesse is also referred to as a “Bethlehemite” (1 Sam. 16:1; 1 Sam. 16:18; 1 Sam. 17:58), because he and his family lived in Bethlehem.

1 Samuel 16:1 And the “I AM” said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided Me a king among his sons.

This raises two additional, important questions:

1) was Bethlehem possibly an Ephraimite enclave located within the borders of Judah (perhaps given to Ephraim because his grandmother Rachel was buried there), like the land of Simeon was (Josh. 19:9)? Ephraim also had cities within Manasseh territory (Josh. 16:9; Josh. 17:9); and

2) Why, among the rather lengthy list of the cities of Judah found in Joshua 15, is there no mention of Bethlehem (“house of bread”) or of Ephratah (“fruitfulness”)?

Note: Ephraim is referred to as God’s “firstborn” in Scripture (Jer. 31:9), to emphasize Ephraim’s importance and role, both then and in the future. The birthright has always belonged to Joseph (1 Chron. 5:1-2).

It was Joshua the Ephraimite (Num. 13:8) whom God entrusted to divide for an inheritance the lands that He promised Israel, and Samuel, the Ephraimite (1 Sam. 1:1), whom God chose to anoint the kings of Israel (1 Sam. 15:1; 1 Sam. 16:12). Further, it is from Joseph-Ephraim that the body Christ is using during His Second Coming originated (Gen. 49:10, Gen. 49:22-24).

“In him is strength”

And Salmon begat Boaz of Rachab; and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse – from the lineage of Jesus, recorded in Matthew 1:5

Ruth 1:1-6, 22
1:1 Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem-Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
1:2 And the name of the man [was] Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem-Judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
1:3 And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.
1:4 And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one [was] Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.
1:5 And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left by her two sons and her husband.
1:6 Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the “I AM” had visited His people in giving them bread.
1:22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem (“house of bread”) in the beginning of barley harvest.

Ruth 2:1, 19-20
2:1 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech (the Ephraimite); and his name [was] Boaz.
2:19 And her (Ruth’s) mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? And where wroughtest thou? Blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she showed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man’s name with whom I wrought to day [is] Boaz.
2:20 And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed [be] he by the “I AM”, Who hath not left off His kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man [is] near of kin unto us, one that hath right to redeem.

Ruth 4
4:1 Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat himself down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! Turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.
4:2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.
4:3 And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which [was] our brother Elimelech’s:
4:4 And I said I will reveal in thine ear, saying, Buy [it] before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem [it], redeem [it]: but if thou wilt not redeem [it, then] tell me, that I may know: for [there is] none to redeem [it] besides thee; and I [am] after thee. And he said, I will redeem [it].
4:5 Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field from the hand of Naomi, thou must buy [it] also from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance.
4:6 And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem [it] for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem [it].
4:7 Now this [was the manner] in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave [it] to his neighbour: and this [was] a testimony in Israel (Deut. 25:5-10).
4:8 Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy [it] for thee. So he drew off his shoe.

4:9 And Boaz said unto the elders, and [unto] all the people, Ye [are] witnesses this day, that I have bought all that [was] Elimelech’s*, and all that [was] Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi.
4:10 Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren (Deut. 25:5-10), and from the gate of his place: ye [are] witnesses this day.
4:11 And all the people that [were] in the gate, and the elders, said, We [are] witnesses. The “I AM” make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the House of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Beth-lehem:
4:12 And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the “I AM” shall give thee by this young woman.
4:13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the “I AM” gave her conception, and she bare a son.
4:14 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed [be] the “I AM”, Which hath not left thee this day without a redeemer, that his name may be famous in Israel (Php. 2:9-11)**.
4:15 And he shall be unto thee a restorer of [thy] life, and a nourisher in thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.
4:16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it.
4:17 And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he [is] the father of Jesse, the father of David.

*Note: By right, Boaz could not have purchased and thus redeemed the land, and all that had belonged to Elimelech the Ephraimite, unless Boaz was a near kinsman to Elimelech with ties to the same tribe of Ephraim (Num. 36:7-9). However, Boaz can clearly also trace his lineage back to Judah-Pharez, as the final verses of Ruth remind us:

4:18 Now these [are] the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,
4:19 And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,
4:20 And Amminadab begat Nahshon (Num. 2:3; 1 Chron. 2:10), and Nahshon begat Salmon,
4:21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed,
4:22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.

**Further Note: The name Elimelech is from: (1) the word אל (‘el), i.e. “God”, and (2) the noun מלך (melek), i.e. “king”, so that the name meaning is literally “the one God exalted to be king” (Luke 1:31-33).

Pillars of the Community

Name meanings:

Boaz means: “In him/it is strength”
Obed means: “Obedient Servant”
Jesse means: “God’s Gift”
David means: “Well-Beloved”

Boaz was also the name given to the left hand pillar of the two pillars before the Temple:

2 Chronicles 3:17 And he reared up the pillars before the Temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin (“He shall establish”), and the name of that on the left Boaz (“In it is strength”).

Jesus, the human son of the virgin human body of Mary, was descended from Boaz, through Obed, Jesse, David and David’s descendants, listed in Matthew 1:1-17. The names God chose for all of the ancestors of Jesus were meant not only to describe the named individuals, but also to make it obvious to the world that Jesus was the embodiment of all of these descriptions (2 Tim. 2:1; Sura 2:87; Heb. 5:8; Sura 19:30-34; John 4:10; Sura 19:19; Mark 9:7; Sura 3:55).

Please also note well that the pillar on the right hand (Acts 2:22-36; Heb. 1:3; Rev. 5:1-5) was “Jachin”, which means “He shall establish”. And what is it that God has promised to establish here on Earth through His Right Hand (Heb. 10:12)?

His Kingdom (Matt. 6:9-10).

Isaiah 2:1-4
2:1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, [that] the mountain of the “I AM”’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the “I AM”, to the House of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His Ways, and we will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the Law, and the Word of the “I AM” from Jerusalem.
2:4 And he (Christ) shall judge among the nations (Enoch 58:1; Enoch 59:9; John 5:22), and shall rebuke many people (Matt. 7:21-27; 25:31-46): and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more (Isa. 32:17).

And who shall God establish to govern His Kingdom on Earth (Ps. 2; Isa. 4:2)?

His Christ (Matt. 28:18); i.e. the One whom God appointed and anointed to be the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Revelation 19:11-16
19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him [was] called Faithful and True (Rev. 1:5), and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
19:12 His eyes [were] as a flame of fire, and on his head [were] many crowns; and he had a NAME written, that NO man knew, but HE himself (Rev. 2:17; Rev. 3:12).
19:13 And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
19:14 And the armies [which were] in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
19:16 And he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

During Christ’s First Coming in the body of Jesus, which was descended from David (Matt. 1:1-17)*, the Lamb of God performed miracles, stood up to the satanic worldly institutions of church and state, and sacrificed himself to pay for our past sins (Rom. 3:25), before being raised by God three days and three nights later (Acts 4:10-12; Sura 4:157-158), to leave no doubt that God was working through him (Isa. 7:14; John 6:29-33).

IN him IS strength (Rev. 5:12; Sura 2:253). The bread of Life (Deut. 8:3; John 6:35). Bethlehem.

*Please note well that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a descendant not only of David by Judah-Pharez and Ephraim (Ruth 2:1, Ruth 2:20), but also of the tribe of Levi, as she was a “daughter of Aaron”, like her cousin Elisabeth (Luke 1:36, Luke 1:67-71), who gave birth to John the Baptist (see: Exod. 6:23; Num. 1:7; 1 Chron. 2:4-15; Luke 1:5;  Sura 3:35-37; Sura 19:27-34; and Sura 66:12). This made Jesus uniquely eligible to be both high-priest and king over all of Israel (both houses), and the one who has the RIGHT to redeem us all.

During Christ’s Second Coming right before Judgement Day (Mal. 4), in a new body from Joseph-Ephraim (when the sceptre shall depart from Judah – Gen. 49:10; Gen. 49:22-24; Matt. 21:19), with a new name (Rev. 2:17; Rev. 3:12; Rev. 19:12), Christ will gather the “Elect” (Ezek. 37:15-28) and SHALL physically rule with a rod of iron (Rev. 2:27), exactly as prophesied (Deut. 33:16-17; Micah 5:2-3; Ezek. 21:25-27; Luke 1:31-33).

He SHALL establish (Isa. 42:1-4; Rev. 11:15). And be fruitful (Hos. 13:9-14:9; John 15:5). Ephratah.

The Genesis of the Journey to Ephratah

Genesis 35:6-19
35:6 So Jacob came to Luz, which [is] in the land of Canaan, that [is], Bethel, he and all the people that [were] with him.
35:7 And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.
35:8 But Deborah Rebekah’s nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth.
35:9 And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him.
35:10 And God said unto him, Thy name [is] Jacob (the Supplanter): thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and He called his name Israel (champion of God).
35:11 And God said unto him, I [am] God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;
35:12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.
35:13 And God went up from him in the place where He talked with him.
35:14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, [even] a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon.
35:15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel.
35:16 And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephratah: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.
35:17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.
35:18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.
35:19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephratah (fruitfulness), which [is] Bethlehem (house of bread).

Later, after the land of Canaan was divided up by the tribes of Israel, both Bethel (the “House of God”) and Shiloh (“a place of rest and peace”), were located within the larger borders of the Ephraimites/Ephratites, i.e. in the hill country of the descendants of Ephraim. And it appears that the royal line leading up to king David, with tribal ties to Judah, Ephraim, and Levi, lived in Ephratah, which is Bethlehem.

Even ~600 years after a tender twig was transplanted from Jerusalem into the British Isles (Jer. 1:10; Ezek. 17:22), Bethlehem Ephratah still retained its connection with the royal line of David, which would explain why Joseph and Mary returned there to be taxed (Luke 2:1-5).

Tephi 2:2 Nay, Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh – Israel: Gen. 48:16) shall long be blind (Rom. 11:25),
An ox (unicorn) that sleepeth at “midnight”, and Judah couched (Gen. 49:9) as a hind.
The lion hath fled from his lair. The ox (unicorn – Deut. 33:17) hath wandered astray
Till the dawn of the East be red (Matt. 24:27), and the night of the North be grey.
In the “Night” (1 Thess. 5:2) shall no man know them, or the “Signs” that be left [them] to show
Where the Shepherd (John 10:11) keepeth the ox (unicorn), whilst the lion is couched full low.
Not by the banks of Jordan, NOT on the Holy Hill [but in Engelland – see 11 (3)]
Are Ephraim’s feet (Deut. 11:24), until his furrows be ploughed unto Yahweh’s (God’s) Will.
Bethlehem’s field is empty. The Shepherd (Messiah) follows astray (Matt. 15:24).
Hear ye my words, oh my sons, for “the isles (Brit-ish)” shall await “The Day” (Isa. 42:1-4).

Shiloh, in the Hill Country of Ephraim

Genesis 41:50-52
41:50 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.
41:51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, [said he], hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.
41:52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to BE “FRUITFUL” in the land of my affliction.

Genesis 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah [to Joseph], nor a law-giver (Psalm 108:8) from between his feet, UNTIL Shiloh (Christ – Matt. 11:27-28) comes [from Joseph-Ephraim v 22-24]; and unto him [shall] the gathering of the people [be]*.

*the gathering/union of Jacob/Israel, symbolized in the Union Jack(ob) flag

Genesis 49:22-26
49:22 Joseph [is] a FRUITFUL bough (through Ephraim – ch. 41:50-52), [even] a fruitful bough by a well (John 4:5-14); [whose] branches (John 15:1-5) run over the wall (Deut. 11:24):
49:23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot [at him], and hated him (ch. 37; John 15:18-19):
49:24 But his bow abode in strength (Rev. 6:2), and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty [God] of Jacob; (from THERE [is] The Shepherd (John 10:11), The [Corner] Stone of Israel:)(1 Cor. 10:4; Daniel 2:34-5; Dan. 2:45; Matt. 21:42-44)
49:25 [Even] by the God of thy father, Who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, Who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
49:26 The blessings of thy father (ch. 48:11-20) have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they (the blessings) shall be on the head of Joseph (Deut. 33:16-17), and the crown [of Israel] on the head of him that was separate from his brethren (ch. 37:7-11).

Genesis 48:11-20
48:11 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath showed me also thy seed.
48:12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
48:13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought [them] near unto him.
48:14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid [it] upon Ephraim’s head, who [was] the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh [was] the firstborn.
48:15 And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before Whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,
48:16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name [Israel] be named on them (let Ephraim and Manasseh be called Israel), and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
48:17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head.
48:18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this [is] the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
48:19 And his father refused, and said, I know [it], my son, I know [it]: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude (Commonwealth) of nations (Eph. 2:12).
48:20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee [Joseph] shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

Deuteronomy 33:16-17
33:16 And for the precious things of the earth and fullness thereof, and [for] the good Will of Him that dwelt in the bush: let [“The Blessing”] come upon the head of Joseph, and the CROWN upon the head of him [that was] separated from his brethren (Gen. 49:10 & Gen. 49:22-24).
33:17 His glory [is like] the firstling of his bullock, and his horns [are like] the horns of Unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they [are] the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they [are] the thousands of Manasseh.

Again, it is from the fruitful tribe of Ephraim that the body Christ is using during these end-times has come, NOT Judah (Matt. 21:19).

Matthew 21:19 And when he saw a fig tree (symbolizing the “House of Judah” – Jer. 24) in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.

It should be self-evident that The True Vine (John 15:1-9) – Shiloh/Christ – will forever be fruitful and rule over the “Elect” as their king (soon), because our heavenly Father and God has anointed The Messiah/Christ/Mahdi to do exactly that. That’s what the TITLE “Christ” means: the One Whom God Anointed to be king over His Kingdom, which has no end.

Is it merely coincidental then that Bethlehem is also known as “Ephratah”, directly linking it to the tribe of Ephraim, or was that God’s Plan all along (Sura 3:54)? And what could be more concise than the prophecy of Bethlehem Ephratah in Micah 5:2-3, foretelling BOTH the coming of Christ in the body of Jesus 2000 years ago AND His Second Coming now, right before Judgment Day, when the fruit of The Vine is due to be harvested (Matt. 9:37-38; Luke 10:2; Thomas 13:3; Rev. 7:4-9; 14:1-4; Rev. 19:7; Rev. 23:12; Rev. 26:9)?

May Christ’s Bright Reign Come Quickly (Rev. 11:15; Rev. 20:4; 30:1-21).

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