The Plain Truth About the "Lost Ten Tribes" and Why You Need to
Know!
The United Kingdom of Israel split in two during the reign of
Solomon's son, Rehoboam. The Northern Kingdom of Israel was
composed of 10 tribes, headed by the tribe of Joseph, in their
new capital called Samaria. The Southern Kingdom of Judah
continued to rule from Jerusalem, with the Royal House of David
presiding over them. Both sinned against the God of Israel and
were patiently warned by the prophets, but Northern Israel fell
first and was deported by the Assyrians approximately 130 years
before Judah was conquered by the Babylonians and the Temple
destroyed (2 Kgs. 17).
After 70 years, a small number of Jews returned and restored
Jerusalem and built the Temple. The Jews had been deported to
Babylon and were from the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The
Northern Israelites had been taken captive earlier to other
areas (2 Kgs. 17:6) and have never returned. If you check the
records of those who returned from the Babylonian exile it
becomes clear that only those from the Southern tribes of
Benjamin, Levi and Judah returned. Some carelessly assume that
just because they're sometimes referred to as sons or children
of Israel that it means they were from the Northern Kingdom of
Israel. However, Jacob-Israel had twelve sons who were the
patriarchs of the twelve tribes. Every Jew is an Israelite, an
ethnic descendant of Jacob-Israel, but not every Israelite is a
Jew!
It is historically and biblically important to make this
distinction between Jews and Israelites and to be careful not to
blur their identities (Ezek. 44:23). After all, God has devoted
four books of the Bible to do just that!
But did God intend for Northern Israel to remain lost? Since we
acted like pagan Gentiles God let us lose our spiritual minds
and think we're Gentiles, but was the punishment for our
religious sins supposed to last forever? Didn't God promise that
He would preserve Israel's unique identity even though they were
scattered throughout and among many nations? Clearly God has
never lost sight of who the "Lost Tribes" really are and where
they're located today: "For, lo, I will command, and I will sift
the House of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in
a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth"
(Amos 9:9).
If God's aware of a sparrow's condition, certainly He's more
concerned with collective Israel's affairs, especially since
we're beloved for the fathers' (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) sakes.
Yet we see grief-stricken Israel feeling helpless and hopeless,
dead to history, cut off from their roots, having given up any
hope of being restored to national life, being reassured by God
Almighty that He will restore their physical identity!
Once God begins the healing process, the life-giving spirit of
reconciliation between Judah and Israel will result in our
restoration as a United Kingdom, One Nation under God! God will
restore us to our ancient homeland and revive the Davidic
monarchy to rule with but under Messiah. God's Sanctuary will
again be found in Jerusalem, and shine as a sign to the whole
world, since He'll return home with the exiles (Ezek. 36).
Israel was only to remain lost until just before Messiah comes.
That's when we would begin to fulfill our tribal destinies as
prophesied by Jacob and Moses (Gen. 49; Deut. 33). The sons of
Joseph, the Anglo-Saxons, have fulfilled the prophecies like no
other "claimants" to Israel's inheritance can: Manasseh has
become the single great nation of the United States, and his
brother Ephraim has become the British Commonwealth of Nations
(Gen. 48:19), as clearly brought out in The United
States and Britain in Bible Prophecy, influenced by
Herbert W. Armstrong, one of the greatest proponents of this
biblical truth.
After our prophesied 2520 years of exile, Israel began to grow
and multiply and be blessed around 1800-1803. A
Jewish Homeland reveals how our Jewish brethren also
came into their own after the time of their punishment came to a
close, and boldly declared their statehood in 1948, holding the
Promised Land in trust for all Twelve Tribes (Rom. 3:2).
Joseph and Judah are the top two leaders of the twelve tribes
of Israel. It was around the ordained time that God began to
bestow Joseph's Birthright that He began to restore Israel's
identity among both the Anglo-Saxons and Jews (I Chron. 5:2).
Some have embraced this wonderful truth and consequently have
drawn closer to each other as brethren, but others have
foolishly allowed Satan to create enmity and alienate us. Soon
such "sibling rivalry" will be a thing of the past (Isa. 11:13).
Some rabbis/ministers have stubbornly refused to search for the
"Lost Ten Tribes" and have left them to wander in their pagan
Gentile ways and days! GOD HOLDS MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR NOT
HELPING TO RESTORE ISRAEL'S ROOTS AND RESPONSIBILITY! (Ezek.
34:4). He'll personally cut them off from the pulpit and strip
them of their duties! They've proven themselves unworthy of
shepherding God's people Israel and have forfeited their future
as leaders.(Ezek. 34:10; Matt. 12:30). Nevertheless, God has
raised up others to accomplish this urgent "search and rescue"
mission (Ezek. 34:16).
Surely God wouldn't leave His Church in the dark about Israel's
identity, especially since the Gospel should go first to
Israelites and then to Gentiles. And the Gospel is ONE BIG
PROPHECY! .
Thankfully, there are a growing number of groups and
organizations, books and articles, both Christian and Jewish,
that are assisting this GREAT WORK OF ISRAELITE IDENTIFICATION.
They are helping to proclaim: "I am Joseph your brother" (Gen.
45:4). The Jerusalem-based Brit-Am Israel
organization (founded by Israeli Orthodox Jew Yair Davidiy) is a
pioneer among our Jewish brethren.
God reveals our Israelite identity and expects us to help
restore our brethren to their biblical senses (Isa. 42:22;
51:1-2). Those ministers who fail to respond to God's call to
search and rescue Israel have robbed them of a right
relationship with God and our forefathers, substituting pagan
hollow days for God's holy days (Isa. 63:16; Hos. 5:7; Malachi
4:4-6). They've stubbornly put their idolatrous traditions above
God's commands, preferring doctrinal darkness and captivity over
Messiah's spiritual light and freedom.
Nevertheless, a number have been called from the womb to help
restore Israel's identity and religion (Isa. 49:5-6), blasting
Babylon and clearing away the stumbling blocks of religious
confusion (Isa. 57:14; 58:1, 12). Even if our people as a whole
reject the plain truth for popular error (2 Chron. 30:5-11), a
precious few will always respond to God's call to forsake
Babylon (traditional Christianity/Jewish myths) and return to
our biblical roots and responsibility (I Kgs. 18:21, 36-37; Rev.
18:4).
It's vital to know who Israel is so they can return to the
biblical faith once delivered. Why? To enable them to be spared
from "the Time of Jacob's Trouble," the "Great Tribulation" that
is prophesied to fall especially hard upon our heads. God
expects us to work together to remember our Hebrew roots and
responsibility, and to lead and direct our Israelite nations in
the right direction (Jer. 31:21).
In order to warn Israel about the many prophecies that preview
our coming captivity (due to our idolatry and immorality), it
was first necessary for God to restore our identity. God has now
restored our identity, He's again warning our nations, and it's
up to us what will happen next.
May we take God's Word to heart, return to the God of our
fathers, and have hope: "If my people, which are called by my
name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and
turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from Heaven, and
will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (2 Chron.
7:14).