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ARE YOU ONE of the
“Lost sheep of the House of Israel”?

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Are you one of “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” to whom Jesus Christ said he was sent? Why did Jesus Christ make the statement the way He did?

Matt 15:24 But He answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."[1]

Why didn't Jesus say He was sent to the Jews or to the people of Judah, Judea, or anyone who believed His Gospel? What does the phrase, “house of Israel” truly mean?

Does the above opening question penetrate your heart and excite your mind? Does this question give you feelings of a stirring - an awaking - an excitement within you? Are you an Israelite? Are you genetically, yet non-Jewish, a descendant of Jacob (Israel)? Are you a descendant of the HOUSE OF ISRAEL (Lost Ten Tribes of Israel) (Northern Kingdom of Israel) that was taken into captivity and exiled about 722 BC by the Assyrians? Do these seem like bazaar questions to you? The answer may be YES! You may be a direct genetic descendant of Jacob (Israel) if you are a Christian, but yet not of Jewish descent! What you discover below may totally change your understanding and the meaning of being a Christian.

Do you relate to and have an interest in the country of Israel? Do you have a heart for the Jewish people and their cause in the Middle East? Do you deep down wonder why you are so drawn to God, the Land of Israel, and Jerusalem? Isaiah prophesied in Is. 44:5 that at the end of times many would re-identify themselves as literal, physical descendants of Israel (Jacob) and would be proud and happy because of it. If you discovered that you were unknowingly an Israelite, would you feel honored?

Is 44:5 "This one will say, 'I am the Lord's'; And that one will call on the name of Jacob; And another will write on his hand, 'Belonging to the Lord,' And will name Israel's name with honor.

What follows will answer many of these questions for you. The answers may then help you understand your past, your present obligations before God, and your real potential as a child of God.

Yair Davidi, a resident of Jerusalem, Israel and an orthodox Jewish researcher (http://www.geocities.com/hiberi/), who has written two books [“Ephraim: the Gentile Children of Israel” (280 pages) & “Joseph: The Israelite Destiny of America” (264 pages)] on the subject, says that hundreds of millions of Christians in England, France, Scandinavia, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, etc. are the direct, genetic descendants of the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel (House of Israel) (Northern Kingdom of Israel) (Ephraim) (Joseph).

A very careful reading of the prophets in the Old Testament reveals that large concentrations of the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel remain together throughout history and achieve national greatness in the last days. Davidi developed his research results from Biblical, Talmudic, historical, linguistic, and archaeological reference sources as well as from folklore, mythology, national symbols, and national characteristics. Davidi says that historically, the exiled Israelites (House of Israel) have been identified with the Cimmerians, Scythians, and Goths. Davidi used seven criteria or characteristics of existing nations to determine where the Israelites (House of Israel) exit today. These criteria used were: Relative Lack of Anti-Semitism, Doing of Social Justice, Military Prowess, Intellectual Wisdom, Biblical Evidence, Economic & Physical Blessings, and Archeological Proofs.        

One reason the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel is now becoming and will continue to be an important issue to the present country of Israel is due to its emerging immigration problem. All across the globe many groups are claiming to be Jewish [Southern Kingdom of Judah (Judah, Benjamin, & Levi)] or Israelite (Northern Kingdom of Israel) (Lost Ten Tribes of Israel) decent. It is significant to note that there are roughly only 14 million Jews in the world today, but there are over 1.4 billion Christians – a thousand times more Christians than Jews! Most of the financially successful Jews in the world today, who are not already living in Israel, are apparently reluctant to immigrate because of the current Palestinian uprising, thus turmoil and bloodshed. Contradictorily, there is apparently a great number of Christians willing to immigrate NOW to Israel if the present government of Israel would legally allow it. The legal immigration of Christians (House of Israel) may be the only remedy to the country of Israel not becoming a Palestinian state and thus controlled by the religion of Islam.

In the final analysis, only God knows whose linage is of the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. 

House of Judah             House of Israel

                                               

What would an average Israelite from the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel look like today? Since the world fundamentally lost track of these peoples over 2700 years ago and since God’s specific purpose was for them to lose their identity to the world and to themselves, they could probably now be a member of any race and in any country in the world today. They would probably not be recognizable as a Jew. They are hidden as Gentiles amongst true Gentiles in all countries of the world today. These Israelites neither know themselves, nor do others know their true Jacobean identity and ancestry. The process of assimilation into the Gentiles may have taken place just hundreds of years ago or maybe even 2500 years ago. You may even stare at an Israelite, face to face, every morning in your mirror. The closest living Israelite to you today may be yourself! The scientific field of Genetics is progressing rapidly. Techniques of DNA analysis may one day soon make it possible to determine if you are an Israelite, but for now only God knows. But, then again He is the ONLY One Who needs to know to accomplish His plan.

Amos 9:7 ¶ "Are you not as the sons of Ethiopia to Me, O sons of Israel?" declares the Lord. "Have I not brought up Israel from the land of Egypt, And the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir?
Amos 9:8 "Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom, And I will destroy it from the face of the earth; Nevertheless, I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob," Declares the Lord.
Amos 9:9 "For behold, I am commanding, And I will shake the house of Israel among all nations As grain is shaken in a sieve, But not a kernel will fall to the ground.
Amos 9:11 ¶ "In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, And wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins And rebuild it as in the days of old;
Amos 9:14 "Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, And they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, And make gardens and eat their fruit.
 

These verses in Amos show that the Northern Kingdom of Israel is to be destroyed, scattered, but not lost (Amos 9:8-9), and in the “latter days” the “Tabernacle of David” will be restored (Amos 9:11) (also refer to Acts 15:16-18) as the exiled people of house of Israel are replanted back in the Land of Israel.

 Ezek 37:11 ¶ Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.'
Ezek 37:16 "And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it, 'For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions'; then take another stick and write on it, 'For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.'
Ezek 37:19 say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will put them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand."'
Ezek 37:21 "Say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God, "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;
Ezek 37:22 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.
      

In the verses of Ezekiel 37, it is clear they are discussing the “valley of dry bones” of “two” peoples, the joining together of “two” sticks (one named Ephraim and one named Judah), and the coming back together of “two” kingdoms. 

Is 11:1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
Is 11:2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
Is 11:10 ¶ Then in that day The nations will resort to the root of Jesse, Who will stand as a signal for the peoples; And His resting place will be glorious.
Is 11:11 ¶ Then it will happen on that day that the Lord Will again recover the second time with His hand The remnant of His people, who will remain, From Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, And from the islands of the sea.
Is 11:12 And He will lift up a standard for the nations And assemble the banished ones of Israel, And will gather the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth.
Is 11:13 Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart, And those who harass Judah will be cut off; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, And Judah will not harass Ephraim.
Is 11:16 And there will be a highway from Assyria For the remnant of His people who will be left, Just as there was for Israel In the day that they came up out of the land of Egypt.
         

In the verses of Isaiah 11, Jesus Christ and the recovery of His people for the “second” time are discussed. There are “two” distinct groups of people in this recovery process, Israel and Judah.   

Judaism and many Christians believe that the Jews (House of Judah) are God’s “chosen” people. But, there are many Christians in the world today who believe the false doctrine of “Replacement Theology” whereby the “Church” has taken the Jew’s (House of Judah) place as the “chosen” people of God because of the Jews non-acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Messiah. If in fact, the “Church” (Christians) are really the HOUSE OF ISRAEL (Lost Ten Tribes of Israel) (Northern Kingdom of Israel) then both the Jews and the Christians are collectively and literally God’s “chosen” people.   

As mentioned above, the Jews (Judah, Levi, and Benjamin) are the House of Judah (Southern Kingdom of Judah) with Jerusalem as their capital. Most of the Christians alive today and throughout history are the descendants of the House of Israel (Northern Kingdom of Israel). The definitive coming together in the last days of the Jews and the Christians will be the ultimate reunification of the 12 tribes of Israel.

Within the Nations are the Christians and within the Christians is the House of Israel (Lost Ten Tribes of Israel). Those within the House of Israel (Christians), which are being strongly drawn to Israel and the Jewish (House of Judah) people, could possibly be the physical manifestation of the 144,000 of Revelation 7 (12,000 from each of the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel = 120,000). The word in Greek that states the number 1,000 can also mean thousands or an indeterminate large number. The number 12 can mean a “perfect” amount. Thus, the Greek for 12,000 can also mean a “perfect indeterminate number.” Collectively, the Jews (House of Judah) and the Christians (House of Israel) (Lost Ten Tribes of Israel) together form the Israelite Hebrew nation.

 

Christian – Know Yourself

It is now time for Ephraim (House of Judah) (Christian) to “know himself.” Realize that you are not an “adopted,” forever second-class, “Gentile,” instead all who would be born from above must receive the “spirit of adoption,” for it belongs to the sons of Israel.    

Eph 2:11 ¶ Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision" by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by human hands--
Eph 2:12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,
Eph 2:15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace,
Eph 2:16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.
Eph 2:17 And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near;
Eph 2:18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.
Eph 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household,
Eph 2:20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,
 

Rom 8:15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"
Rom 8:16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
Rom 8:23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.  

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,

Now let Ephraim (House of Judah) (Christian) be set free from all Gentile ways.

Matt 6:7 ¶ "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.

Eph 4:17 ¶ So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,

To further understand what the Bible has to say about the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel click on the below CROSS of RED:


[1] All the Bible verses quoted in this article are from the NASB – Updated Bible (New American Standard Bible – Updated)