The Ten Lost Tribes of Israel
Not all Israelites are Jews!
The patriarch Jacob had twelve sons.... one son, Judah was progenitor of the jewish people. What happened to the descendants of his other sons?
When the twelve tribes returned from thier captivity from Egypt into the Promised Land, each settled into a different region. Eventually the tribes settled into two kingdoms. The southern kingdom was called Judah, and was comprised of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and most of the Levites. The remaining ten formed the northern kingdom of Israel.
In 721 bc, after a three year seige, the Assyrians conquered Samaria, Israels capital. They began a systematic deportation of all Israelites to an area north of the Euphrates river, in the area between the Black and Caspian seas. (2 Kings 17)
After swallowing Israel, the Assyrians later advanced into Judah. King Hezekiah, on the throne in Jerusalem, cried out to God, and God intervened, sending an angel to destroy the Assyrian army of King Sennacherib in 701bc. Thus spared, Judah continued on for about a century before her independence was again threatened.
In 604 bc, the Babylonians, led by King Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah and began an advance on Jerusalem. Judah was made a tributary state within the Babylonian empire. In 587 bc, Jerusalem was completely destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, their temple destroyed and the Jews taken into captivity in Babylon.
In 539 bc, Babylon fell to the Persian armies of Cyrus the Great, and the jews were allowed to return and rebuild their temple under the leadership of Zerubbabel.
However, the northern ten tribes never returned from thier captivity! Settled in an area hundreds of miles from where the Jews were taken more than a century later, the ten tribes remained seperate and distinct from the Jews.
The knowledge of the identity and location of the descendants of ancient Israel is revealed by close examination of scripture along with the records of secular history.
God made many promises to the children of Israel, but the most important of these are those made to Abraham, confirmed for Isaac.
(see Genesis 26:3-5) Mainly, that they would number as the dust of the earth, they would become a great assembly of nations, that they would control the gates of their enemies. (28:3-4, and 28:13-14)
These promises were then divided between two of Jacob's (Israel's) sons, Judah and Joseph. (1 Chronicles 5:1-2)
In Genisis 48:5, Israel tells Joseph that he adopted Ephraim and Manasseh, that they would be counted among the tribes of Israel, giving Joseph a double portion as his sons. After a special ceremony, Israel explains that Manasseh would become a great people, but Ephraim would become a great multitude of nations.
These promises, however were not fulfilled before they went into captivity, and were subsequently lost from the Bible and the pages of secular history.
Next time, we will endeavor to find the ten lost tribes of Israel.
Your weekly dissertation.....
Moderator: Fist and Faith
Your weekly dissertation.....
"Fortunate circumstances do not equate to high ideals."
"Mostly muffins sir."- My answer in response to the question posed by the officer, "Son, do you have anything on you I should know about?"
His response: "Holy $&!^. He's not kidding! Look at all these muffins!"
"Mostly muffins sir."- My answer in response to the question posed by the officer, "Son, do you have anything on you I should know about?"
His response: "Holy $&!^. He's not kidding! Look at all these muffins!"
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Fist and Faith
- Magister Vitae
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Wow! I wonder how many times I'll have to read this before I can really follow it. It's all new to me. Thanks for the post!(And is there a specific reason for the name of Morpheus' ship in the Matrix movies?
)All lies and jest
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest -Paul Simon
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest -Paul Simon
In Leviticus 26, God made it plain that if Israel began to worship idols and break his Sabbaths, He would work through punishments to get thier attention. Fulfillment of this prophecy is seen in the book of Judges as Israel lapses into sin and God allows terrorist attacks by surrounding nations to disrupt thier peace and economy. This cycle continues for more than three centuries!
After the death of King Solomon, the kingdom of Israel splits into two seperate nations. The northern ten tribes choose Jeroboam the son of Nebat as thier king, while Judah remained loyal to Rehoboam, Solomon's son. Shortly after this division, Jeroboam made a decision that affected the northern ten tribes for the remainder of thier history.
This story is found in 1 Kings 12. Jeroboam began to fear that the ten tribes would wish to reunite with Judah, as his people worshipped at Jerusalem each year with the Jews, and this might make them nostalgic for the old ways, causing them to displace him or his descendants.
Calling the people together, he announced some changes. He established new sites of worship in Dan and Bethel. At each site, a golden calf would be the object of worship. In addition, the Levitical priesthood was replaced by men loyal to him and his new religion, these priests were the lowest of people (verse 31), he even went so far as to change the timing of God's rituals!
Many dynasties came and went, but we are told time and again that, "he departed not from the sin of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who taught Israel to sin" (cf. 1 Kings 15:34, 16:19, 2 Kings 3:3, 10:29, 13:2, 6, 11, 14:24, 15:18, 24, 28, 17:22)
The consequences were inevitable. In the mid-eighth century, the Assyrian Empire invaded Israel. (You will note, that throughout your Bible that God almost ALWAYS uses the Assyrians to punish Israel) (Interesting side note; the Germans are descended from the Assyrians)
After a final siege on Samaria, the Assyrians began to deport the ten tribes en masse. This took many years to accomplish. Before it progressed very far, a righteous king came to the throne in Judah, the southern kingdom, by the name of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was a righteous man who sought with his whole heart to follow God. He began a revival in Jerusalem, and called upon the people to repent and rededicate themselves to God.
He told the people: "For our fathers have trespassed and done evil in the eyes of the Lord our God; they have forsaken Him, have turned thier faces away from the habitation of the Lord, and turned thier backs on Him... Therefore the wrath of the Lord fell upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he has given them up to trouble, to astonishment, and to jeering.... because of this our fathers have fallen by the sword and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity. (2 Chronicles 29:6-10)
However the northern ten tribes: "laughed them to scorn and mocked them." By and large Israel ignored the king's warning- the last warning they were to recieve. In the years immediately following, the Assyrians completely depopulated northern Israel and brought in people of Babylonian stock to resettle there. These newcomers were known as Samaritans, taking thier name from Israels capital city.
2,520 years would pass in punishment before the descendants of Israel would recieve the birthright promises given to thier ancestors.
Next time we will examine how Judah's keeping of the Sabbath kept them whole as a national identity, and how this lack changed the "lost ten tribes" forever.
After the death of King Solomon, the kingdom of Israel splits into two seperate nations. The northern ten tribes choose Jeroboam the son of Nebat as thier king, while Judah remained loyal to Rehoboam, Solomon's son. Shortly after this division, Jeroboam made a decision that affected the northern ten tribes for the remainder of thier history.
This story is found in 1 Kings 12. Jeroboam began to fear that the ten tribes would wish to reunite with Judah, as his people worshipped at Jerusalem each year with the Jews, and this might make them nostalgic for the old ways, causing them to displace him or his descendants.
Calling the people together, he announced some changes. He established new sites of worship in Dan and Bethel. At each site, a golden calf would be the object of worship. In addition, the Levitical priesthood was replaced by men loyal to him and his new religion, these priests were the lowest of people (verse 31), he even went so far as to change the timing of God's rituals!
Many dynasties came and went, but we are told time and again that, "he departed not from the sin of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who taught Israel to sin" (cf. 1 Kings 15:34, 16:19, 2 Kings 3:3, 10:29, 13:2, 6, 11, 14:24, 15:18, 24, 28, 17:22)
The consequences were inevitable. In the mid-eighth century, the Assyrian Empire invaded Israel. (You will note, that throughout your Bible that God almost ALWAYS uses the Assyrians to punish Israel) (Interesting side note; the Germans are descended from the Assyrians)
After a final siege on Samaria, the Assyrians began to deport the ten tribes en masse. This took many years to accomplish. Before it progressed very far, a righteous king came to the throne in Judah, the southern kingdom, by the name of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was a righteous man who sought with his whole heart to follow God. He began a revival in Jerusalem, and called upon the people to repent and rededicate themselves to God.
He told the people: "For our fathers have trespassed and done evil in the eyes of the Lord our God; they have forsaken Him, have turned thier faces away from the habitation of the Lord, and turned thier backs on Him... Therefore the wrath of the Lord fell upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he has given them up to trouble, to astonishment, and to jeering.... because of this our fathers have fallen by the sword and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity. (2 Chronicles 29:6-10)
However the northern ten tribes: "laughed them to scorn and mocked them." By and large Israel ignored the king's warning- the last warning they were to recieve. In the years immediately following, the Assyrians completely depopulated northern Israel and brought in people of Babylonian stock to resettle there. These newcomers were known as Samaritans, taking thier name from Israels capital city.
2,520 years would pass in punishment before the descendants of Israel would recieve the birthright promises given to thier ancestors.
Next time we will examine how Judah's keeping of the Sabbath kept them whole as a national identity, and how this lack changed the "lost ten tribes" forever.
"Fortunate circumstances do not equate to high ideals."
"Mostly muffins sir."- My answer in response to the question posed by the officer, "Son, do you have anything on you I should know about?"
His response: "Holy $&!^. He's not kidding! Look at all these muffins!"
"Mostly muffins sir."- My answer in response to the question posed by the officer, "Son, do you have anything on you I should know about?"
His response: "Holy $&!^. He's not kidding! Look at all these muffins!"
In Exodus 31:12-17, God instructed Moses that his Sabbaths would be a distinction between him and Israel forever, a reminder of who God is and who his people are. As long as Israel kept the Sabbaths, the would maintain thier identity. To this day, the Jews (sons of Judah) have maintained thier identity, no matter what far-flung corner of the world the lived in. They have retained the Sabbaths and their identity, never losing sight of who they are.
Israel, on the other hand, from the time of King Jeroboam have abandoned God's Sabbaths and substituted its own days of worship. As a result, captive Israel stood out in no way from its neighbors. Those whom they met did not associate them with the Jews, and eventually most Israelites forgot thier true origins.
Many of the customs that Israel carried into captivity were borrowed from the pagan nations around them. At the time of Israel's Assyrian captivity, the prophet Micah was in Judah. He warned Israel of their impending punishment, and why it would come. "For the statutes of Omri are kept; all the works of Ahab's house are done; and you walk in thier counsels, that I may make you a desolation, and your inhabitants a hissing. Therefore you shall bear the reproach of my people" (Micah 6:16)
In captivity, Israel lost even its national name. Though lost to secular history, they were not lost to God. Note the message he inspired the prophet Amos to record prior to Israel's captivity. "Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth; yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, for surely I will command, and will sift the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a seive, yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground" (Amos 9:8-9)
Who was Omri? In 1 Kings 16, we read of Omri and his rise to power. Overthrowing his predecessor, he established a powerful dynasty. Though he only reigned 12 years, he established the capital of Samaria, and put laws in place that would guide the nation for the rest of its history.
His role of lawgiver was so established that 150 years and several dynasties later, that the prophet Micah refers to them.
Since Omri "did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all who were before him" it can be assumed his statutes included pagan practices, as his son Ahab was married to Jezebel, daughter of of a priest-king of Baal, of the Sidonians. Though the outward trappings of Baal worship were eliminated by a new king, Jehu, Israel never really returned to God.
Note the comments of Langers Encyclopedia of World History regarding Omri's influence: "Omri established a long lived dynasty. He built a new capital at Samaria.... The Assyrians called Israel after his name, Bit Omri (Khumri)" (1968 edition, p.44)
The Assyrians, in thier monuments, did not use the name Israel, but rather referred to the 'Khumri'. This is the name by which Israel was known in its captivity.
Next time we will follow the 'Khumri', and where thier migration took them, ultimately finding the ten lost tribes of Israel.
Israel, on the other hand, from the time of King Jeroboam have abandoned God's Sabbaths and substituted its own days of worship. As a result, captive Israel stood out in no way from its neighbors. Those whom they met did not associate them with the Jews, and eventually most Israelites forgot thier true origins.
Many of the customs that Israel carried into captivity were borrowed from the pagan nations around them. At the time of Israel's Assyrian captivity, the prophet Micah was in Judah. He warned Israel of their impending punishment, and why it would come. "For the statutes of Omri are kept; all the works of Ahab's house are done; and you walk in thier counsels, that I may make you a desolation, and your inhabitants a hissing. Therefore you shall bear the reproach of my people" (Micah 6:16)
In captivity, Israel lost even its national name. Though lost to secular history, they were not lost to God. Note the message he inspired the prophet Amos to record prior to Israel's captivity. "Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth; yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, for surely I will command, and will sift the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a seive, yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground" (Amos 9:8-9)
Who was Omri? In 1 Kings 16, we read of Omri and his rise to power. Overthrowing his predecessor, he established a powerful dynasty. Though he only reigned 12 years, he established the capital of Samaria, and put laws in place that would guide the nation for the rest of its history.
His role of lawgiver was so established that 150 years and several dynasties later, that the prophet Micah refers to them.
Since Omri "did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all who were before him" it can be assumed his statutes included pagan practices, as his son Ahab was married to Jezebel, daughter of of a priest-king of Baal, of the Sidonians. Though the outward trappings of Baal worship were eliminated by a new king, Jehu, Israel never really returned to God.
Note the comments of Langers Encyclopedia of World History regarding Omri's influence: "Omri established a long lived dynasty. He built a new capital at Samaria.... The Assyrians called Israel after his name, Bit Omri (Khumri)" (1968 edition, p.44)
The Assyrians, in thier monuments, did not use the name Israel, but rather referred to the 'Khumri'. This is the name by which Israel was known in its captivity.
Next time we will follow the 'Khumri', and where thier migration took them, ultimately finding the ten lost tribes of Israel.
"Fortunate circumstances do not equate to high ideals."
"Mostly muffins sir."- My answer in response to the question posed by the officer, "Son, do you have anything on you I should know about?"
His response: "Holy $&!^. He's not kidding! Look at all these muffins!"
"Mostly muffins sir."- My answer in response to the question posed by the officer, "Son, do you have anything on you I should know about?"
His response: "Holy $&!^. He's not kidding! Look at all these muffins!"
The Khumri were known by other names as well. The people identified on Assyrian monuments as the Khumri were called in the Babylonian tongue as Gimmirra (or Gimiri). The Greek geographers such as Herodotus called them Cimmerians. The names by which captive Israel is identified in secular history are those names by which thier neighbors identified them, with spelling and punctuation varying to the language of the writer.
What happened to the Israelites taken captive by the Assyrians? The Bible tells us they were settled near the River Gozan and in the city of Medes. Gozan was a tributary of the northern Euphrates river. The cities of the Medes were in the area just south of Armenia, between the Black and Caspian Seas.
They then headed northward through the narrow mountain passes of the headwaters of the Euphrates, north of the Caucasus Mts. and onto the northern shore of the Black sea. This is exactly where history places the Cimmerians, who later traveled up the Danube and Rhine River basins into northwestern Europe.
What can this mean? Where are the lost tribes now? Next time we will look into how the Cimmerians invaded parts of Europe and Asia, and perhaps some hints as to where they are right now.
What happened to the Israelites taken captive by the Assyrians? The Bible tells us they were settled near the River Gozan and in the city of Medes. Gozan was a tributary of the northern Euphrates river. The cities of the Medes were in the area just south of Armenia, between the Black and Caspian Seas.
They then headed northward through the narrow mountain passes of the headwaters of the Euphrates, north of the Caucasus Mts. and onto the northern shore of the Black sea. This is exactly where history places the Cimmerians, who later traveled up the Danube and Rhine River basins into northwestern Europe.
What can this mean? Where are the lost tribes now? Next time we will look into how the Cimmerians invaded parts of Europe and Asia, and perhaps some hints as to where they are right now.
"Fortunate circumstances do not equate to high ideals."
"Mostly muffins sir."- My answer in response to the question posed by the officer, "Son, do you have anything on you I should know about?"
His response: "Holy $&!^. He's not kidding! Look at all these muffins!"
"Mostly muffins sir."- My answer in response to the question posed by the officer, "Son, do you have anything on you I should know about?"
His response: "Holy $&!^. He's not kidding! Look at all these muffins!"
Hmmm, I havent updated this for a long time. Well, lets just cut to the chase. If you are an anglo-saxon (English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh etc etc)
this would mean that you are at least descended from the ancient Israelites, and are entitled to the promises of God.....
Ah, crap, just go read a Bible.
Yes, you American folks are actually RELATED to the ancient Jews!!!!
Kinda cool, huh?
Oh, and for those Apocalypse readers, Britains and Americans are descended from Jacob, do the math.....
it means when the end comes, we are SCREWED.
If you disagree with my theory, or want to know how I came up with it please PM me.....
I'll be happy to explain.
this would mean that you are at least descended from the ancient Israelites, and are entitled to the promises of God.....
Ah, crap, just go read a Bible.
Yes, you American folks are actually RELATED to the ancient Jews!!!!
Kinda cool, huh?
Oh, and for those Apocalypse readers, Britains and Americans are descended from Jacob, do the math.....
it means when the end comes, we are SCREWED.
If you disagree with my theory, or want to know how I came up with it please PM me.....
I'll be happy to explain.
"Fortunate circumstances do not equate to high ideals."
"Mostly muffins sir."- My answer in response to the question posed by the officer, "Son, do you have anything on you I should know about?"
His response: "Holy $&!^. He's not kidding! Look at all these muffins!"
"Mostly muffins sir."- My answer in response to the question posed by the officer, "Son, do you have anything on you I should know about?"
His response: "Holy $&!^. He's not kidding! Look at all these muffins!"
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Worm of Despite
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