What
does the Bible Reveal about the
To find out what the Bible reveals you will need a Bible, a concordance, and an atlas. Then:
· Study thoroughly 1 Kings 12 and 2 Kings 17 & 25 to firmly establish in your mind the differences between the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Lost Ten Tribes of Israel) and the Southern Kingdom of Judah centered in Jerusalem. These chapters definitively discuss the separate exiles of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (722 BC by Assyria) and then 136 years later the Southern Kingdom of Judah (586 BC by Babylon).
· Realize that throughout the writings of the prophets of the Old Testament that the two Kingdoms (Israel and Judah) are discussed and dealt with in entirely separate ways by God. The Northern Ten Tribes (Northern Kingdom) are most often collectively called Israel, Ephraim, Samaria, or Joseph. The Southern Kingdom is usually called Judah or Jerusalem. Refer to the designations in: Is. 7:1-8, 8:14, 11:12-13; Jer. 3:6–18; and Ez. 4:1-8, 37:15-23. Once you see the pattern, you will be able to work through the prophets of the Old Testament with a significantly clarified understanding of what God is doing to separate the Israelite peoples for His own purposes.
· The Jews of today are primarily from the Tribe of Judah (Southern Kingdom). The Northern Ten Tribes (Northern Kingdom) were prophesied to be scattered throughout the nations and to become as gentiles (“not my people”). Refer to Hosea 1-3.
· The primary theme of the Hebrew prophets is the restoration of ALL Israel back to the Land. This requires the recovery of the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel to both their identity and their destiny as Israelites. Refer to: Jeremiah 30-31, Ezekiel 37, Hosea 1-3, and Isaiah 11.
As you study and think through the above ask yourself:
Do the Scriptures make a clear distinction between the House of Judah and the House of Israel?
Do the Old Testament prophets say the Northern Tribes (Samaria) would be scattered to the ends of the earth (coastlines?) and lose their identity, effectively be as Gentiles?
Are the promises of the restoration of ALL the twelve tribes of Israel plain and unmistakable?
Do you believe and take seriously the prophecies of the Old Testament prophets about the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel?
God had a greater plan for the rebellious House of Israel than to just disappear. The Ten Tribes of Israel (Ephraim) (Joseph) where split off from the House of Judah by God to be as seed in the gentile world and ultimately were forgotten among the Gentiles and even themselves.
God, through a prophet, told the Kingdom of Judah after the death of Solomon this rebellion of the House of Israel was from Him. The Kingdom of Judah thus stopped from attacking the Kingdom of Israel upon hearing the below message from God.
1 Kings 12:24 'Thus says the Lord, "You must not go up and fight against your relatives the sons of Israel; return every man to his house, for this thing has come from Me.""' So they listened to the word of the Lord, and returned and went their way according to the word of the Lord.
JOSEPH
AND HIS SONS, EPHRAIM AND MANASSEH
Joseph the son of Jacob (Israel) had two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (Gen. 41:51&52), by his Egyptian wife, Asenath (Gen. 41:45). She was the daughter of a priest, of the city of Heriopolis, who worshiped the Egyptian sun god. Joseph’s Egyptian wife was by definition a Gentile.
The name Manasseh means, “one who causes to forget.” The name Ephraim means “fruitful.” Rachel, the wife of Jacob (Israel), was the mother of both Joseph and Benjamin.
It was only appropriate and God’s plan that Paul (Saul) (from the tribe of Benjamin) was the Apostle to the Gentiles. Paul thus went after his full brother, Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) for Jesus Christ.
Jacob married the two daughters of Laban (Jacob’s relative) (Gen. 29:15), Rachel and Leah (Gen. 29:16). Zilpah was given to Leah as a maid (Gen. 29:24) and Bilhah was given to Rachel as a maid (Gen. 29:29).
The sons of Jacob (Israel) and by his wives are:
Leah - Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun
(Gen. 29:32-35, 30:18-20)
Rachel – Joseph, Benjamin (Gen. 30:24, 35:18)
Zilpah - Gad, Asher (Gen. 30:11-13)
Bilhah - Dan, Naphtali (Gen. 30:6-8)
Most Christians are aware that Jesus Christ is of the linage of Judah as is David, but have lost track of the descendants of the other sons of Israel.
Jacob (Israel) adopted Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph, as his own sons (Gen. 48:5) and they ultimately replaced Joseph in the tribes of Israel. Thus, Ephraim and Manasseh became patriarchs of two mighty and blessed tribes of the 12 tribes of Israel.
Jacob (Israel) blessed Ephraim and Manasseh and proclaimed, “And may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.” (Gen. 48:16) Is today Joseph, the favorite son of Jacob (Israel), through Ephraim & Manasseh having grown “into a multitude in the midst of the earth” now beginning to “rise up” from around the world?
Gen 37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic.
From the above verse we see that Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons. Joseph was set apart from his brothers and ultimately for divine purposes. Joseph’s early life was filled with great difficulties, but ultimately great rewards and blessings.
1 Kin 11:31 He said to Jeroboam, "Take for yourself ten pieces; for
thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of
the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes
1 Kin 11:34 'Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his
hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My
servant David whom I chose, who observed My commandments and My statutes;
1 Kin 11:35 but I will take the kingdom from his son's hand and give it
to you, even ten tribes.
1 Kin 11:36 'But to his son I will give one
tribe, that My servant David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem,
the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name.
1 Kin 12:15 So the king did not listen to the people;
for it was a turn of events from the Lord, that He might establish His word,
which the Lord spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
The division of the 12 tribes of Israel was of the Lord.
1 Kin 12:19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
The House of David is the House of Judah. Therefore, Israel is the House of Israel (Ephraim) (Samaria).
1 Kin 12:20 ¶ It came about when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. None but the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.
Jeroboam (of the tribe of Ephraim) was made king over all Israel, which is the House of Israel. Only the tribe of Judah followed the House of David.
1 Kin 12:21 ¶ Now when Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem,
he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe
of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house
of Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.
1 Kin 12:22 But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
1 Kin 12:23 "Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah,
and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin
and to the rest of the people, saying,
1 Kin 12:24 'Thus says the Lord, "You must not go up and fight
against your relatives the sons of Israel; return
every man to his house, for this thing has come from Me.""' So they
listened to the word of the Lord, and returned and went their way according to
the word of the Lord.
Thus, about 3,000 years ago, God separated the 12 tribes of Israel into two separate kingdoms or houses, Ephraim (Israel) and Judah. Then God sent these “two witnesses” in different directions and with different objectives to accomplish His perfect PLAN for mankind. And, in the “last days” God will once again bring together these two houses and reunite them as Greater ISRAEL in the Land of Greater ISRAEL.
Why
did God divide the Twelve Tribes of Israel
into
the House of Israel and the House
of Judah?
Matt 21:28 ¶ "But what do you think? A man had two
sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son,
go work today in the vineyard.'
Could these “two sons” have been Ephraim and Judah? The “work” is spreading the good news about God. The “vineyard” is the world.
Matt 21:29 "And he answered, 'I
will not'; but afterward he regretted it and
went.
Matt 21:30 "The man came to the second and said the same thing; and
he answered, 'I
will, sir'; but he did not go.
Could
this have been Judah?
Matt 21:31 "Which of the two did the will of his father?" They
said, "The first." Jesus said to them,
"Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into
the kingdom of God before you.
Matt 22:1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying,
Matt 22:2 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave
a wedding feast for his son.
The King is the Father. The Son is Jesus.
Matt 22:3 "And he sent out his slaves to call those
who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they
were unwilling to come.
Matt 22:4 "Again he sent out other slaves saying, 'Tell those
who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my
fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the
wedding feast."'
Matt 22:5 "But they paid no
attention and went their way,
one to his own farm, another to his
business,
Matt 22:6 and the rest seized his slaves
and mistreated them and killed them.
Matt 22:7 "But the king was enraged, and he sent
his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire.
Matt 22:8 "Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but those
who were invited were not worthy.
Could
“those invited” have been the House of Judah
(Jews)?
Matt 22:9 'Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.'
John 8:17 "Even in your law it has been written that the testimony
of two men is
true.
John 10:16 "I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.
Matt 10:6 but rather go to the lost sheep
of the house of Israel.
Matt 15:24 But He answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep
of the house of Israel."
Matt 10:23 ¶ "But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.
Luke 1:16 "And he will turn many of the sons
of Israel back to the Lord their God.
Acts 2:36 "Therefore let all the house of
Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ--this
Jesus whom you
crucified."
Acts 5:31 "He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a
Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel,
and forgiveness of sins.
Acts 9:15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen
instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons
of Israel;
Acts 10:36 "The word which He sent to the sons
of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)--
Acts 13:23 "From the descendants of this man, according to promise,
God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus,
Rom 9:4 who are Israelites, to whom
belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of
the Law and the temple service and the promises,
Gal 3:29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise.
Heb 8:10 "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house
of Israel After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their
minds, And I will write them on their hearts. And
I will be their God, And they
shall be My people.
Is 8:14 "Then He shall become a sanctuary; But to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, And a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
God blinded the Jews (Southern Kingdom of Judah) and made Jesus Christ (Messiah Yeshua) for them a “rock to stumble over.” God also buried the heritage and the seed of the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel (Northern Kingdom of Israel) into the Gentile nations and made Jesus Christ for them a “stone to strike.” Thus, neither the Jews nor the Gentiles, who are Ephraim (Christians), are innocent of Jesus’ blood. But, His blood covers the sins of all, if they accept Him as their Saviour and Lord.
The Christians (Israel) were equally as guilty as the Jews (Judah) for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (Messiah Jeshua) for their sins collectively committed. The seed of Israel was potentially already in at least some of the Romans by the time of Jesus’ crucifixion because the seed of Israel was sown into the Gentile nations as of 722 BC when the House of Israel was initially exiled and vanished.
Christians (House of Israel), while reading the books of the Bible by the prophets of the Old Testament, can no longer think badly of or outright condemn the ancestors of the Jews (House of Judah) for turning their backs and disobeying God without also condemning the physical and real ancestors of the Christians (House of Israel) who did the same thing to God (rejected Him and His commandments, Feasts, & Sabbath). Actually, the people of the House of Israel, ancestors of most Christians, exiled by Assyria in 722 BC (never yet returning to the Land of Israel) were far more disobedient and idolatrous toward God and His commandments than the House of Judah (Jews), exiled by Babylon in 586 BC (some returning 70 years later to the Land of Israel).
Who
are Those Receptive to the Gospel of Jesus
Christ?
There were Gentiles whose ancestors were from the House of Israel (Lost Ten Tribes of Israel) during the time of Jesus Christ who were receptive to His Gospel:
A Roman centurion,
Matt 8:5 ¶ And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion
came to Him, imploring Him,
Matt 8:6 and saying, "Lord, my
servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented."
Matt 8:7 Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."
Matt 8:8 But the centurion said,
"Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under
my roof, but just say the word, and my
servant will be healed.
Matt 8:10 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who
were following, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with
anyone in Israel.
Matt 8:11 "I say to you that many
will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob in the kingdom of heaven;
Matt 8:12 but the sons of the kingdom
will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth."
Matt 8:13 And Jesus said to the centurion,
"Go; it shall be done for you as you
have believed." And the servant was healed that very moment.
A Canaanite woman:
Matt 15:22 And a Canaanite woman
from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, "Have mercy on me,
Lord, Son of David; my
daughter is cruelly demon-possessed."
Matt 15:23 But He did not answer her
a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, "Send her
away, because she keeps shouting at us."
Matt 15:24 But He answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost
sheep of the house of Israel."
Matt 15:25 But she came
and began to bow down before Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"
Matt 15:26 And He answered and said, "It is not good to take the
children's bread and throw it to the dogs."
Matt 15:27 But she said, "Yes, Lord;
but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall
from their masters' table."
Matt 15:28 Then Jesus said to her,
"O woman, your faith is great; it shall be
done for you as you
wish." And her daughter was healed at once.
Could these two people, the centurion and woman, actually have been “Israelites” descended from the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel?
Has the realization struck you yet, O House of Israel (Christians) that the House of Judah (Jews) is your physical, real ancestral brother? The Christians and the Jews are ALL Israelites, one family, and the physical descendants of Israel (Jacob).
If YOU dislike or hate the Jews, you actually dislike or hate your own distant relatives. Anti-Semitism has now been revealed to be hatred of your own distant relatives. If you fall into this category of sin, repent and start now to think and do kindly toward your brothers under God. We Christians and Jews are all the children of God. We need to love each other as God loves us. As it tells us in the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:12), we are to forgive others as God has forgiven us in all things.
Matt 6:12 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our
debtors.
Christian
Heritage Reconsidered after Witness by the Jew
As the House of Israel did thousands of years ago, most Christians of today still worship on the day of the Sun, Sunday, instead of as the Fourth Commandment states, the seventh day of the week (the Sabbath) (Saturday) (Ex. 20:8-11). As Christians (House of Israel), why does our heritage of man-made rules, instead of God ordained commandments, still plague us? One reason may still be our distant genetic heritage. The leading tribes of the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel were Ephraim and Manasseh. Their ancestral father was Joseph and their ancestral mother was an Egyptian (a Gentile). Her father was a priest of the Egyptian sun god.
Ex 20:8 ¶ "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Ex 20:9 "Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
Ex 20:10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it
you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your
female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.
Ex 20:11 "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth,
the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the
Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
Christians also still worship the false gods of self, money, success, prosperity, real estate & stock holdings, expensive houses & cars, and all the other “things” of materialism instead of the one true God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) of the universe. This is in violation of the First Commandment (Ex. 20:3).
Ex 20:3 ¶ "You shall have no other gods before Me.
The
Two Witnesses
Who are the “two witnesses” mentioned in Rev. 11:3?
Rev 11:3 "And I will grant authority to my two
witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve
hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth."
Num 26:65 For the Lord had said of them, "They
shall surely die in the wilderness." And not a man was left of them, except
Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.
Num 13:6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb
the son of Jephunneh;
Num 13:8 from the tribe of Ephraim,
Hoshea the son of Nun;
Num 13:16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the
land; but Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.
Is 43:7 Everyone who is called by My name,
And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have
made."
Is 43:10 "You are My witnesses,"
declares the Lord, "And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know
and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed,
And there will be none after Me.
Is 43:12 "It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, And
there was no strange god among you; So you are My
witnesses," declares the Lord, "And I am God.
Ezek 9:4 The Lord said to him, "Go
through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem,
and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the
abominations which are being committed in its midst."
The “mark” mentioned above in Ezek. 9:4, which indicated that
the person was to be spared from death, was the last letter of the Hebrew
alphabet, written in ancient Hebrew at the time of the prophecy as an “X” or
vertically as a “cross.”
Interestingly, the same verse number, 9:4, but in Revelation
talks about certain marked or “sealed” people to also be saved from death.
Rev 9:4 They were told not to hurt the grass
of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not
have the seal of God on their foreheads.
The above verse is referring back to those “sealed” in Rev.
7:4.
Rev 7:4 ¶ And I heard the number of those
who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every
tribe of the sons of
Israel:
Ten of the tribes that make up 120,000 or the 144,000 are from
the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel.
Since the above verse in the Bible has not yet come to pass, the descendants of
the Lost
Ten Tribes of Israel must still be here on planet Earth, today. God knows who they
are and is now slowly revealing them to themselves and to the world. Welcome Israelite (Christian) to your new understanding of who you
are and your new obligations before God!
The Christians
have literally always been Israel (House of Israel) (Samaria) (Joseph) (Ephraim) (Lost Ten
Tribes of Israel) and their “companions” (true Gentiles who have become
Christians) during the 2700 year journey of the seed of Israel being deeply
hidden in the Gentiles.
The Jews are Judah (House of Judah) (plus the tribes of Levi &
Benjamin) and their “companions” (Gentiles who have become Jews along the
way).
Maimonides (Jewish philosopher and physician born in Spain in the 12 century) writes:
“Awake you who slumber unaware, I herald a new dawn of
warfare, as ancient instruments of Jew and Gentile unite, ancient deceptions
will crumble. Summon the repentant and obedient troops. Tremble with
holy fear and heed the call, join the mighty army, sound the alarm. Our
God is coming so be warned, prepare for the last trumpet call.”"
Mic 5:2 "But as for
you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.
His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity."
Mic 5:3 Therefore He will give them up until the time When she who is in
labor has borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren Will return to the sons
of Israel.
Mic 5:4 And He will arise and shepherd His flock In the
strength of the Lord, In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God. And they
will remain, Because at that time He will be great To the ends of the earth.
Mic 5:6 They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the
sword, The land of Nimrod at its entrances; And He will deliver us from the
Assyrian When he attacks our land And when he tramples our territory.
Mic 5:7 ¶ Then the remnant of Jacob Will
be among many peoples Like dew from the Lord, Like showers on vegetation Which
do not wait for man Or delay for the sons of men.
Mic 5:8 The remnant of Jacob Will be
among the nations, Among many peoples Like a lion among the beasts of the
forest, Like a young lion among flocks of sheep, Which, if he passes through,
Tramples down and tears, And there is none to rescue.
Mic 5:9 Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries, And all
your enemies will be cut off.
Messianic
Israel
www.mim.net
Hebraic
Roots
www.hebroots.org
To see what Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Zechariah, the Psalms, and the New Testament (color coded for easy clarification & understanding) actually says about the House of Israel (Lost Ten Tribes of Israel) and the House of Judah click on the below CROSS of RED: