A stick for Judah and a stick for Ephraim, and their companions, the children of Israel. 

Ezekiel 37:15-16

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“Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’” Ezekiel 37:15-16

As seen on the map below, during the time of Ezekiel, the house of Israel was divided into two “sticks”, the northern territory of Israel [blue area], and the southern territory of Judah [orange area]. Ezekiel had one stick for Judah, and the other stick for Joseph [the stick of Ephraim]. What Ezekiel was about to do with the two sticks would be for the benefit of all the children of Israel, the entire house of Israel. This is described in the next verse.

The two sticks also represent the two “countries” of Christianity and the Jewish people. The stick of Judah represents everyone who are born as the children of God through Jesus Christ. That’s because Jesus is of the Jewish tribe of Judah. Jesus Christ, the stick of Judah, also benefits the children of Israel as they acknowledge Him as their Messiah.

The other stick is for Joseph, through Ephraim. Ephraim is the younger son of the two sons of Joseph, and the older son was Manasseh. The tribe of Joseph was divided between his two sons, but the younger son received the blessings of the older son. This is described in (Genesis 48:12-22). This represents the younger child of Christianity receiving the blessings of the older child of the Jewish culture. Christianity was to benefit the children of Israel by expanding the family of God through Jesus Christ. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13

Although the Jewish culture, as a whole, has fallen away from God and rejected Jesus Christ, God has not given up on them, they can still come to Him through Jesus. As the Apostle Paul said through the Holy Spirit, “I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. 11:1-2 The hope is that they will see the freedom in the Spirit of the followers of Jesus Christ and realize that Salvation is in the Spirit and not through Jewish customs. “I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!” Romans 11:11-12

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1