This is the chapter that is requiring more research as I write it than any other chapter I already have written or am yet to write. Chapter Nine required me to pause to study some, but this chapter is the one I've heard many things about but haven't studied in detail, at least not enough to write about. That's why I'm stuck.
But it's ok. I'm reading and learning quite a bit and will pick up the pace again once I feel ready.
That being said, here is the layout of the book:
Part One - "A Few Small Studies"
1. The Destruction of Tyre - Isaiah 23 & Ezekiel 26
2. Until Messiah the Prince - Daniel 9
3. By My Name Yahweh - Exodus 6
4. From There They Were Removed to Shechem - Acts 7
As the title of Part One suggests, I have a few chapters that deal with smaller studies I have done which aren't necessarily linked, at least not in the way the chapters of Part Two are.
Chapter One deals with the historical destruction of Tyre as prophesied by Isaiah and Ezekiel. At first glance, the two passages appear contradictory, but under closer consideration they correlate perfectly and give accurate predictions of the destruction of Tyre.
Chapter Two deals with the prophecy given to Daniel by the angel Gabriel in which the coming of the Messiah is predicted to the day. It shows how that prophecy came to pass with precise accuracy.
Chapter Three addresses the passage in which God tells Moses His name is Yahweh. However, it seems to contradict passages in Genesis. This chapter demonstrates why there is no contradiction.
Chapter Four is about one of the things Stephen said in Acts during his narration of the history of Israel. It also appears to be a contradiction, however the chapter shows it is not at all.
Part Two - "The Tribes of Israel"
5. Introduction to the Tribes of Israel
6. Beginning with Abram
7. Isaac to Jacob
8. Jacob to Joseph, Judah, and Their Brothers
9. From Egypt to the Wilderness
10. From the Wilderness to Canaan
There is no need to explain what each individual chapter is about, but I do want to explain the approach. The goal is to present the concise entirety of Israelite history, beginning with the promises made to Abram (later Abraham) up to modern times. It is my opinion that presenting it in chronological order helps to keep things simple and therefore easier to understand. Plus, it then reads more like a story and is thus more captivating. There is nothing worse than wanting to read a book because you know it has valuable information, but you fall asleep every page and a half.
Currently, I am writing Chapter Ten. The previous historical chapters were quite easy since Israel's numbers were few. But Egypt is where their population exploded so much that the Theban dynasty had to enslave them for fear of being turned upon and destroyed. The amount of Israelites who left Egypt with Moses exceeded two million when women and children were considered! Furthermore, it is silly to think the people of Israel just stayed in Goshen with their livestock waiting around for over one hundred years waiting for the native Egyptians to enslave them. No indeed! Joseph was vizier! After him there were some rather conspicuous names in the ruling northern dynasties which appeared to be pure Hebrew ones. With such power, resources, and freedom, one should expect them to have explored and exploited foreign lands and resources. This is exactly what happened. However, when I began writing this chapter, I had only hearsay of Israel's activities. I have since been studying and discovering much more than I bargained for. By the end of the chapter, Joshua will have led much of Israel over the Jordan into the Promised Land; but a nearly equal number of Israelites, if not greater, would be elsewhere establishing empires and making history. I look forward to sharing more on this at a later time.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
A Facebook Presentation
To give everyone a general idea of what my beliefs are concerning the lost tribes of Israel, I am posting a note from my Facebook page. After this post, I'll try my best not to copy and paste anything else and get into more specific updates in my research and progress on my book. Please feel free to add your own thoughts or ask questions. I'll do my best to respond. Without further ado, here is my Facebook note on the lost tribes of Israel:
The Lost Tribes of Israel
The purpose of this note is to give a very brief and concise presentation of what I believe happened to the lost tribes of Israel. There have been a lot of theories, and I believe this one is the most logical. Hopefully, you'll take this information and either study further and believe it or study further, find it to be false, disbelieve it, and tell me all about it.I'm posting this note now because the subject has arisen in conversation and on Facebook a lot recently.
Who Are the Lost Tribes of Israel?
An important question, because the first time I heard the term I figured people were trying to say that there were tribes that were omitted from the Bible. That's silly.
The answer is they are the northern kingdom of Israel in the Bible, the ten tribes of Israel: Ephraim, Manasseh, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Reuben, Gad, Naphtali, and Simeon. In the Bible, they are usually called the house of Israel, Israel, Ephraim, Samaria, Jacob, the house of Isaac, etc. This is in contrast with the kingdom of Judah, aka the house of Judah, Zion, Jerusalem, etc. Those were the three tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi.
The northern kingdom was exiled (completely! read your Bible!) by Assyria from the land. At that point, the Bible's narrative of their history ends, while its narrative of the history of Judah (the Jews) continues. Because it follows them no more, they are commonly called the lost tribes of Israel. Lost in the narrative sense, but the Bible tells us plenty about their future from that point.
Aren't They Among the Jews?
No.
The Jews are composed of the three tribes (Judah, Levi, and Benjamin) and very small contingents of the other tribes (most notably those that bordered Judah: Manasseh and Ephraim). The Bible speaks of the separation of Israel and Judah rather clearly after Solomon's death. Even during David's reign, there was an acknowledged difference between the two (e.g. II Samuel 20:2; Psalm 76:1, 114:2). The Bible never mentions a single thing about any reunion of Israel and Judah after either exile. In addition, the Bible says that they will separate until Jesus returns and reigns over them:
"...Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms." (Ezekiel 37:21-22)
The next few verses speak of David being king over them. So since he is resurrected, we know this is referring to the future. And if someone insists on taking David symbolically, they still can't explain why the Jews aren't divided into obvious camps and why they only have one nation (and barely that). Plus, if they really want to spiritualize David by saying Jesus is their King, the Jews don't follow Jesus and so this reunion clearly hasn't taken place, so we must expect Israel and Judah to be separate today.
Hosea also supports the fact that Israel and Judah reunite when Jesus returns and they all worship him and serve David their king: 1:11.
So we've established that Judah and Israel cannot be united now. Therefore, we should expect to find Israel as a people that is separate from the Jews (Judah).
But Didn't They Return to Canaan With Judah After Babylon?
No.
If you read Ezra and Nehemiah, they record who all went back to Jerusalem. You find that the only tribal names mentioned are Judah, Benjamin, and Levi; that is, the house and kingdom of Judah. The other tribes aren't mentioned because they did not return. Now both books refer to the men of the people of Israel (still a separation of Israel and Judah, even post-Babylon), but these are the Israelites that were living in Judah before the exile already. This isn't mere speculation, either, Nehemiah 7:6:
"These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his city."
So secular history is consistent with biblical history in saying that the tribes of Israel stayed in exile while the tribes of Judah returned. This is also consistent with Ezekiel 37, in that the stick of Judah says "for Judah and for the sons of Israel his companions," while Ephraim's stick says "for Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions." The house of Israel stayed in exile.
So What Happened to Them?
Well, Bible prophecy tells us quite a bit about what would happen to them, especially Ephraim and Manasseh, the birthright tribes (Gen. 48, I Chr. 5:2). So we'll begin with what the Bible says.
II Kings 17:5-6
"Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land and went up to Samaria and besieged it three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and settled them in Halah and Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes." (Where to find them: northern Assyrian Empire, between kingdom of Assyria and the kingdom of rival power Urartu [Ararat].)
II Kings 17:18
"So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from His sight; none was left except the tribe of Judah." (complete exile)
II Kings 17:23
"until the LORD removed Israel from His sight, as He spoke through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day." (What do the prophets say? Furthermore, whenever Kings and Chronicles were compiled [post-babylon, I believe], Israel was in exile.)
Therefore, those who partially quote Sargon's inscription about taking 27,290 captives from Samaria do a few things wrongly:
1. They contradict the Bible, which says that the exile was complete.
2. They act as if "Samaria" refers to the entire kingdom (instead of just the city, which is really just about all that Sargon did; Shalmaneser V and Tiglath-Pileser III did the rest).
3. They ignore the rest of the inscription which correlates with the Bible: the 27,290 prisoners referred to were those whom Sargon conscripted into his own army (Israelites were fierce warriors). The inscription goes on to say that he resettled the rest within the borders of Assyria (namely, Halah, Habor, the river Gozan, and the cities of the Medes).
Cam Rea did some good original research in The Assyrian Exile: Israel's Legacy in Captivity which demonstrates that those Median cities had been conquered and their inhabitants resettled elsewhere by the Assyrian king, so Israel wasn't mingling with anybody and certainly not conspiring to ally themselves against their new masters.
What Do the Prophets Say?
Hosea is the most direct concerning the fate of the northern kingdom. Read Hosea 1 and follow the progression of judgment.
- Jezreel ("God will scatter"): God will destroy the kingdom of Israel. This was effectively accomplished by the Assyrian kings with their invasions. Many Israelites died; many were taken captive; many fled to Judah, many to Armenia; many fled to Carthage (Kiriath-Hadasht: i.e. New City) and other Israelite settlements in Spain, Britain, even America (yeah).
- Lo-ruhamah ("No mercy"): Though God will preserve Judah from Assyrian exile (v. 7), Israel will have no more compassion but (KJV, which translates v. 6 more literally than NASB) "I will utterly take them away." That is consistent with what I wrote above, that Israel was COMPLETELY exiled, not just a small percentage as some foolishly claim.
- Lo-ammi ("Not My people"): After the kingdom being broken, after being exiled, the ten tribes will no longer even be God's people. Cut off, completely estranged. The Jews today consider the ten tribes Gentiles. They have lost their identity as God's people.
The following verses are key, though:
Yet the number of the sons of Israel
Will be like the sand of the sea,
Which cannot be measured or numbered;
And in the place
Where it is said to them,
"You are not My people,"
It will be said to them,
"You are the sons of the living God."
And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be gathered together,
And they will appoint for themselves one leader,
And they will go up from the land,
For great will be the day of Jezreel.
Verse 10 tells us that Israel wouldn't just fizzle out or intermarry into nothing. Nor would they be insignificant in number: indeed, they would have a huge population. In reference to that, Josephus wrote that the ten tribes were beyond the Euphrates River in numbers not worth counting. The Euphrates River, by the way, was the known border between Rome and Parthia in his day. Parthia was an Israelite empire.
Furthermore, even though they would be estranged by God, they would be exalted beyond what they were before and become SONS OF THE LIVING GOD. There is only one group of people on earth known as sons of the living God: Christians. Israel in exile would become a Christian people. While the western nations of the world have largely gone apostate in modern times (which is prophesied), they are historically Christian nations. So we should expect to find Israel among the Christian nations.
This cannot be said of the Jews, by the way.
This cannot be said of the Beni-Menashe of Afghanistan, nor of the Japanese or Lemba Jews.One other thing I forgot to mention about identification markers: we should not expect to find Israel practicing the customs of the Law. After all, they were exiled BECAUSE they forsook God and sought after the Baals and Asheroth and other strange gods and practices.Verse 11 speaks of the day of Jezreel (in this sense, "God will sow"): Israel and Judah are regathered and Jesus is their joint head. By both Ezekiel and Hosea, Israel and Judah remain separate.
Why Don't We See the Name "Israel" in History?
Because they weren't called Israel by the nations. They USED to be called Israel by Assyria (Sirila), but they began to call them the house of Omri. Why? Omri was the sixth king of Israel after they seceded from the house of David, and he built Samaria and it became the new capital of Israel (while Jerusalem remained the capital of Judah). He was powerful and internationally influential. Though he was a wicked king, the nations sure liked him. In fact, they liked him so much that they even called Israel the house of Omri even long after his dynasty had ended. In Akkadian, house of Omri is Bit-Khumri.
If you've never studied linguistics, it may seem odd that Omri and Khumri are the same. So here is a brief linguistics lesson for those who don't understand. In Hebrew (and really most all languages), every word has a root of consonants (and the vowels change often). The root for Omri is `MR. That first letter is `ayin, which is the same letter that begins Gaza and Gomorrah. In ancient Hebrew, Omri was pronounced Ghamri. The root of Khumri is KMR. K and G are the exact same sound, except that G is voiced and K is unvoiced. So Khumri and Omri are the same.The name Khumri followed Israel in exile with slight permutations: Khumri, Gamira, Gamera, Gimirraja, etc. The Greek form of that name was Kimmerioi. You might remember that name in world history class as Cimmerians (pronouned Kimmerians, not Simmerians): Israel became the Cimmerians. This should make sense, since Israel was exiled from the land 745-721 BC, which is the same period of time the Cimmerians appeared in history.
It doesn't end, though. The Israelites also called themselves other names. First were their tribe and clan names. Look at the old maps and you will find Israelite tribe and clan names littered throughout northern Assyria. Another name was the house of Isaac (Amos 7). This is recalled in the name Saka/Sacae, who also emerged at that time. Another name was Scythian (pronouned Skythian, derived from the Greek form of the name "Skuthai"). This was most likely due to them calling themselves exiles. The word "succoth" means "booths" or "tents" in Hebrew. It was the name of the Feast of Tabernacles (Succoth), a festival during which all Israel dwelt in booths at Jerusalem.
The link between the Cimmerians and the Sacae-Skythians is confirmed in the Behistun Inscription, which is a trilingual monument Darius had built. In one language the name Gimirai (Cimmerian) appears, while the other two have Saka.
Where Then Did They Go?
The simple answer is western Europe. The Cimmerians and Scythians were the the main bulk of the great western migrations. Also involved were the Sarmatians, who were not Israelites (they were Assyrians and Medes). From the Cimmerians and Scythians arose a lot of groups we are more familiar with, such as the Saxons (which comes from Saka), Normans, Vikings, Goths, etc. They became the majority populations of many modern nations of today. In short (and very simplified), this is the list:
Ephraim = United Kingdom and her daughters, such as Canada, Australia, South Africa, etc.
Manasseh = United States of America
Reuben = France
Dan = Denmark, Ireland
Simeon = Wales, Ireland
Zebulun = Holland
Asher = Scotland
Issachar = Switzerland
Gad = Sweden
Naphtali = Norway
Benjamin = Iceland, Normans
I mention Benjamin because many of them were exiled with the northern tribes, too. In fact, much of Judah was as well! That was Sennacherib's doing. So you also find Judahites among these migrations, mainly in England and Jutland (near Denmark).
How Did They Get There?
Over time.
The more important question is why they left the Middle East.
The answer is the fall of Parthia.
The Scythians and Cimmerians were perfectly happy wreaking havoc in Asia Minor, being hired mercenaries for whichever empire would pay the best, luring Persian kings into their territory to decimate them, etc.
But there was a branch of Scythians called Parthians that established their own empire by revolting against the Seleucid Greek Empire. They extended their borders and were Rome's only actual rival. Their general border with Rome was the Euphrates River. Rome occasionally advanced into Parthian territory and was driven back; Parthia occasionally advanced into Roman territory and was driven back. But there was one particular war they had with Rome that changed everything. Rome went to the Parthian capital Hecatompylus under the guise of peace through royal marriage, but then they became the barbarians they were once they entered the capital, massacring the people and desecrating the tombs of the Arsacid kings. At that, both empires mustered every province and met in battle. Parthia won and Rome paid tribute. However, Parthia was so wounded by the war that the Sassanian Persians were able to revolt and take over the empire. Now the Sassanians were Zoroasterians and had a fierce hatred for all things Semitic. So the people of Parthia fled into allied territories: Armenia, Cimmeria, and Scythia. This huge influx of population caused the Scythians and Cimmerians to migrate westward in search of more spacious lands. It was in these westward migrations that the "barbarians" arose who sacked Rome. Basically, the Parthians were fleeing for their lives with their wives, children, and possessions. That is why and how they went west.
What's the Point of All This?
First, it has nothing to do with making one race of people superior over another. Unfortunately, there have been some idiots out there with racist agendas who have abused this kind of information for their own evil purposes. I have nothing to do with that.
The point is the glory of God!
God promised much to ALL the tribes of Israel (especially Ephraim and Manasseh). Much of it went unfulfilled in the land of Canaan but was explicitly said to pertain to the end times, which we are living in now. Ephraim was promised a multitude of nations and Manasseh his own great nation (Genesis 48), which were fulfilled in the British Empire and American nation, respectively. Zebulun was told he would dwell on the seashore and be a haven for ships (Genesis 49:13). Though he was landlocked in Canaan, he is now in Holland which is 80% seashore and home to the Europort in Rotterdam, the largest seaport in the world.
The purpose is to show that God is faithful in ALL His promises, to demonstrate how many of them have been fulfilled. Always be ready to give a response as to why you hope in Jesus Christ. You trust in His word, and this study gives you empirical reason to trust.
That is it in a nutshell.
One final thing I have to say: this is NOT British Israelism. That holds with it theology I do not subscribe to, namely that the British Empire is the Stone Kingdom of Daniel 2. That is not accurate. The Stone Kingdom is the Millenial (and Eternal) Reign of Jesus Christ on Earth.
If you have any questions that haven't been answered here (I'm sure you do), please ask. I have good references.
The Lost Tribes of Israel
The purpose of this note is to give a very brief and concise presentation of what I believe happened to the lost tribes of Israel. There have been a lot of theories, and I believe this one is the most logical. Hopefully, you'll take this information and either study further and believe it or study further, find it to be false, disbelieve it, and tell me all about it.I'm posting this note now because the subject has arisen in conversation and on Facebook a lot recently.
Who Are the Lost Tribes of Israel?
An important question, because the first time I heard the term I figured people were trying to say that there were tribes that were omitted from the Bible. That's silly.
The answer is they are the northern kingdom of Israel in the Bible, the ten tribes of Israel: Ephraim, Manasseh, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Reuben, Gad, Naphtali, and Simeon. In the Bible, they are usually called the house of Israel, Israel, Ephraim, Samaria, Jacob, the house of Isaac, etc. This is in contrast with the kingdom of Judah, aka the house of Judah, Zion, Jerusalem, etc. Those were the three tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi.
The northern kingdom was exiled (completely! read your Bible!) by Assyria from the land. At that point, the Bible's narrative of their history ends, while its narrative of the history of Judah (the Jews) continues. Because it follows them no more, they are commonly called the lost tribes of Israel. Lost in the narrative sense, but the Bible tells us plenty about their future from that point.
Aren't They Among the Jews?
No.
The Jews are composed of the three tribes (Judah, Levi, and Benjamin) and very small contingents of the other tribes (most notably those that bordered Judah: Manasseh and Ephraim). The Bible speaks of the separation of Israel and Judah rather clearly after Solomon's death. Even during David's reign, there was an acknowledged difference between the two (e.g. II Samuel 20:2; Psalm 76:1, 114:2). The Bible never mentions a single thing about any reunion of Israel and Judah after either exile. In addition, the Bible says that they will separate until Jesus returns and reigns over them:
"...Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms." (Ezekiel 37:21-22)
The next few verses speak of David being king over them. So since he is resurrected, we know this is referring to the future. And if someone insists on taking David symbolically, they still can't explain why the Jews aren't divided into obvious camps and why they only have one nation (and barely that). Plus, if they really want to spiritualize David by saying Jesus is their King, the Jews don't follow Jesus and so this reunion clearly hasn't taken place, so we must expect Israel and Judah to be separate today.
Hosea also supports the fact that Israel and Judah reunite when Jesus returns and they all worship him and serve David their king: 1:11.
So we've established that Judah and Israel cannot be united now. Therefore, we should expect to find Israel as a people that is separate from the Jews (Judah).
But Didn't They Return to Canaan With Judah After Babylon?
No.
If you read Ezra and Nehemiah, they record who all went back to Jerusalem. You find that the only tribal names mentioned are Judah, Benjamin, and Levi; that is, the house and kingdom of Judah. The other tribes aren't mentioned because they did not return. Now both books refer to the men of the people of Israel (still a separation of Israel and Judah, even post-Babylon), but these are the Israelites that were living in Judah before the exile already. This isn't mere speculation, either, Nehemiah 7:6:
"These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his city."
So secular history is consistent with biblical history in saying that the tribes of Israel stayed in exile while the tribes of Judah returned. This is also consistent with Ezekiel 37, in that the stick of Judah says "for Judah and for the sons of Israel his companions," while Ephraim's stick says "for Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions." The house of Israel stayed in exile.
So What Happened to Them?
Well, Bible prophecy tells us quite a bit about what would happen to them, especially Ephraim and Manasseh, the birthright tribes (Gen. 48, I Chr. 5:2). So we'll begin with what the Bible says.
II Kings 17:5-6
"Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land and went up to Samaria and besieged it three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and settled them in Halah and Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes." (Where to find them: northern Assyrian Empire, between kingdom of Assyria and the kingdom of rival power Urartu [Ararat].)
II Kings 17:18
"So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from His sight; none was left except the tribe of Judah." (complete exile)
II Kings 17:23
"until the LORD removed Israel from His sight, as He spoke through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day." (What do the prophets say? Furthermore, whenever Kings and Chronicles were compiled [post-babylon, I believe], Israel was in exile.)
Therefore, those who partially quote Sargon's inscription about taking 27,290 captives from Samaria do a few things wrongly:
1. They contradict the Bible, which says that the exile was complete.
2. They act as if "Samaria" refers to the entire kingdom (instead of just the city, which is really just about all that Sargon did; Shalmaneser V and Tiglath-Pileser III did the rest).
3. They ignore the rest of the inscription which correlates with the Bible: the 27,290 prisoners referred to were those whom Sargon conscripted into his own army (Israelites were fierce warriors). The inscription goes on to say that he resettled the rest within the borders of Assyria (namely, Halah, Habor, the river Gozan, and the cities of the Medes).
Cam Rea did some good original research in The Assyrian Exile: Israel's Legacy in Captivity which demonstrates that those Median cities had been conquered and their inhabitants resettled elsewhere by the Assyrian king, so Israel wasn't mingling with anybody and certainly not conspiring to ally themselves against their new masters.
What Do the Prophets Say?
Hosea is the most direct concerning the fate of the northern kingdom. Read Hosea 1 and follow the progression of judgment.
- Jezreel ("God will scatter"): God will destroy the kingdom of Israel. This was effectively accomplished by the Assyrian kings with their invasions. Many Israelites died; many were taken captive; many fled to Judah, many to Armenia; many fled to Carthage (Kiriath-Hadasht: i.e. New City) and other Israelite settlements in Spain, Britain, even America (yeah).
- Lo-ruhamah ("No mercy"): Though God will preserve Judah from Assyrian exile (v. 7), Israel will have no more compassion but (KJV, which translates v. 6 more literally than NASB) "I will utterly take them away." That is consistent with what I wrote above, that Israel was COMPLETELY exiled, not just a small percentage as some foolishly claim.
- Lo-ammi ("Not My people"): After the kingdom being broken, after being exiled, the ten tribes will no longer even be God's people. Cut off, completely estranged. The Jews today consider the ten tribes Gentiles. They have lost their identity as God's people.
The following verses are key, though:
Yet the number of the sons of Israel
Will be like the sand of the sea,
Which cannot be measured or numbered;
And in the place
Where it is said to them,
"You are not My people,"
It will be said to them,
"You are the sons of the living God."
And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be gathered together,
And they will appoint for themselves one leader,
And they will go up from the land,
For great will be the day of Jezreel.
Verse 10 tells us that Israel wouldn't just fizzle out or intermarry into nothing. Nor would they be insignificant in number: indeed, they would have a huge population. In reference to that, Josephus wrote that the ten tribes were beyond the Euphrates River in numbers not worth counting. The Euphrates River, by the way, was the known border between Rome and Parthia in his day. Parthia was an Israelite empire.
Furthermore, even though they would be estranged by God, they would be exalted beyond what they were before and become SONS OF THE LIVING GOD. There is only one group of people on earth known as sons of the living God: Christians. Israel in exile would become a Christian people. While the western nations of the world have largely gone apostate in modern times (which is prophesied), they are historically Christian nations. So we should expect to find Israel among the Christian nations.
This cannot be said of the Jews, by the way.
This cannot be said of the Beni-Menashe of Afghanistan, nor of the Japanese or Lemba Jews.One other thing I forgot to mention about identification markers: we should not expect to find Israel practicing the customs of the Law. After all, they were exiled BECAUSE they forsook God and sought after the Baals and Asheroth and other strange gods and practices.Verse 11 speaks of the day of Jezreel (in this sense, "God will sow"): Israel and Judah are regathered and Jesus is their joint head. By both Ezekiel and Hosea, Israel and Judah remain separate.
Why Don't We See the Name "Israel" in History?
Because they weren't called Israel by the nations. They USED to be called Israel by Assyria (Sirila), but they began to call them the house of Omri. Why? Omri was the sixth king of Israel after they seceded from the house of David, and he built Samaria and it became the new capital of Israel (while Jerusalem remained the capital of Judah). He was powerful and internationally influential. Though he was a wicked king, the nations sure liked him. In fact, they liked him so much that they even called Israel the house of Omri even long after his dynasty had ended. In Akkadian, house of Omri is Bit-Khumri.
If you've never studied linguistics, it may seem odd that Omri and Khumri are the same. So here is a brief linguistics lesson for those who don't understand. In Hebrew (and really most all languages), every word has a root of consonants (and the vowels change often). The root for Omri is `MR. That first letter is `ayin, which is the same letter that begins Gaza and Gomorrah. In ancient Hebrew, Omri was pronounced Ghamri. The root of Khumri is KMR. K and G are the exact same sound, except that G is voiced and K is unvoiced. So Khumri and Omri are the same.The name Khumri followed Israel in exile with slight permutations: Khumri, Gamira, Gamera, Gimirraja, etc. The Greek form of that name was Kimmerioi. You might remember that name in world history class as Cimmerians (pronouned Kimmerians, not Simmerians): Israel became the Cimmerians. This should make sense, since Israel was exiled from the land 745-721 BC, which is the same period of time the Cimmerians appeared in history.
It doesn't end, though. The Israelites also called themselves other names. First were their tribe and clan names. Look at the old maps and you will find Israelite tribe and clan names littered throughout northern Assyria. Another name was the house of Isaac (Amos 7). This is recalled in the name Saka/Sacae, who also emerged at that time. Another name was Scythian (pronouned Skythian, derived from the Greek form of the name "Skuthai"). This was most likely due to them calling themselves exiles. The word "succoth" means "booths" or "tents" in Hebrew. It was the name of the Feast of Tabernacles (Succoth), a festival during which all Israel dwelt in booths at Jerusalem.
The link between the Cimmerians and the Sacae-Skythians is confirmed in the Behistun Inscription, which is a trilingual monument Darius had built. In one language the name Gimirai (Cimmerian) appears, while the other two have Saka.
Where Then Did They Go?
The simple answer is western Europe. The Cimmerians and Scythians were the the main bulk of the great western migrations. Also involved were the Sarmatians, who were not Israelites (they were Assyrians and Medes). From the Cimmerians and Scythians arose a lot of groups we are more familiar with, such as the Saxons (which comes from Saka), Normans, Vikings, Goths, etc. They became the majority populations of many modern nations of today. In short (and very simplified), this is the list:
Ephraim = United Kingdom and her daughters, such as Canada, Australia, South Africa, etc.
Manasseh = United States of America
Reuben = France
Dan = Denmark, Ireland
Simeon = Wales, Ireland
Zebulun = Holland
Asher = Scotland
Issachar = Switzerland
Gad = Sweden
Naphtali = Norway
Benjamin = Iceland, Normans
I mention Benjamin because many of them were exiled with the northern tribes, too. In fact, much of Judah was as well! That was Sennacherib's doing. So you also find Judahites among these migrations, mainly in England and Jutland (near Denmark).
How Did They Get There?
Over time.
The more important question is why they left the Middle East.
The answer is the fall of Parthia.
The Scythians and Cimmerians were perfectly happy wreaking havoc in Asia Minor, being hired mercenaries for whichever empire would pay the best, luring Persian kings into their territory to decimate them, etc.
But there was a branch of Scythians called Parthians that established their own empire by revolting against the Seleucid Greek Empire. They extended their borders and were Rome's only actual rival. Their general border with Rome was the Euphrates River. Rome occasionally advanced into Parthian territory and was driven back; Parthia occasionally advanced into Roman territory and was driven back. But there was one particular war they had with Rome that changed everything. Rome went to the Parthian capital Hecatompylus under the guise of peace through royal marriage, but then they became the barbarians they were once they entered the capital, massacring the people and desecrating the tombs of the Arsacid kings. At that, both empires mustered every province and met in battle. Parthia won and Rome paid tribute. However, Parthia was so wounded by the war that the Sassanian Persians were able to revolt and take over the empire. Now the Sassanians were Zoroasterians and had a fierce hatred for all things Semitic. So the people of Parthia fled into allied territories: Armenia, Cimmeria, and Scythia. This huge influx of population caused the Scythians and Cimmerians to migrate westward in search of more spacious lands. It was in these westward migrations that the "barbarians" arose who sacked Rome. Basically, the Parthians were fleeing for their lives with their wives, children, and possessions. That is why and how they went west.
What's the Point of All This?
First, it has nothing to do with making one race of people superior over another. Unfortunately, there have been some idiots out there with racist agendas who have abused this kind of information for their own evil purposes. I have nothing to do with that.
The point is the glory of God!
God promised much to ALL the tribes of Israel (especially Ephraim and Manasseh). Much of it went unfulfilled in the land of Canaan but was explicitly said to pertain to the end times, which we are living in now. Ephraim was promised a multitude of nations and Manasseh his own great nation (Genesis 48), which were fulfilled in the British Empire and American nation, respectively. Zebulun was told he would dwell on the seashore and be a haven for ships (Genesis 49:13). Though he was landlocked in Canaan, he is now in Holland which is 80% seashore and home to the Europort in Rotterdam, the largest seaport in the world.
The purpose is to show that God is faithful in ALL His promises, to demonstrate how many of them have been fulfilled. Always be ready to give a response as to why you hope in Jesus Christ. You trust in His word, and this study gives you empirical reason to trust.
That is it in a nutshell.
One final thing I have to say: this is NOT British Israelism. That holds with it theology I do not subscribe to, namely that the British Empire is the Stone Kingdom of Daniel 2. That is not accurate. The Stone Kingdom is the Millenial (and Eternal) Reign of Jesus Christ on Earth.
If you have any questions that haven't been answered here (I'm sure you do), please ask. I have good references.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Greetings!
To all who somehow discover my blog, the purpose is to share my knowledge and acquire others' knowledge of the lost tribes of Israel, not for the sake of knowledge itself, but in order to have a better understanding of the inerrancy of the Bible, God's Word. I have found that the more I know of the ancient and modern history of the tribes of Israel, the more the Bible is proven correct in everything it has ever said concerning them, both historically and prophetically. The end of all this understanding is a greater trust in God Himself and more passionate worship of Him.
A friend suggested I start this blog because I am currenly writing a book entitled Why Should You Believe in the Bible?, the majority of which deals with the lost tribes of Israel. I will be posting what I have learned concerning them, and I hope others will do the same. I also hope someone out there will think my cause worthy enough to sponsor and help publish.
More to come. God bless you all.
A friend suggested I start this blog because I am currenly writing a book entitled Why Should You Believe in the Bible?, the majority of which deals with the lost tribes of Israel. I will be posting what I have learned concerning them, and I hope others will do the same. I also hope someone out there will think my cause worthy enough to sponsor and help publish.
More to come. God bless you all.
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