those same ten “lost” tribes
Faulty Premise #1
THE TEN TRIBES WERE NEVER GEOGRAPHICALLY LOST.
Ezekiel 37:16-17
"Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:
And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand."
The prophesy is clear, both Judah and Israel would be joined again as one. So where are these 10 tribes now? In reading Theological material you are likely to come upon every myth concerning the 10 'alleged' lost tribes of Israel that you can imagine. They are purported to be everyone from the British, the Japanese, the Scots, the American Indians, to the Mormons. But the claim that the tribes of Israel are now literally some other race is ludicrous. Biblically as well as rationally, for Jews are Jews. What happened to these 10 tribes is a matter of biblical record. What does the Bible have to say concerning Israel and Judah.
Jeremiah 50:4-6
"In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God.
They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.
My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace."
Clearly, God at the fall of babylon prophesies of both Israel and Judah returning as lost sheep to the fold (a type, prefiguring Christ's gathering the children out of bondage at His coming). It is clear that both Houses were restored, and for any theologian to argue that only Judah was restored is to make a mockery of the plain text of Scripture. God is letting us know that all the tribes of Israel (without loss) is represented here. The Remnant as prophesied, not the whole body 'as imagined.' As also Ezra clearly illustrates.
Ezra 6:17
"And offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel."
Ezra 8:35
"Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the LORD."
This was not a split israel, sacrifice was offered for all of Israel that were there. Twelve bullocks, one for each tribe of the 'children of those who were carried away,' They have come out of captivity. After the Babylonian captivity the terms "Jew" and "Israelite" are used interchangeably. That is not rhetoric, that is a biblically illustrated fact! This was a shadow of Christ's coming to deliver Israel from bondage in freeing the captivity. To seek and to gather the lost sheep of the House of Israel.
The type Prefigured the True which was to Come
One of the primary questions is, why is it important to know what happened to the 10 northern tribes of Israel? Well, there are many reasons, not the least of which is that the lost tribes of Israel prefigures the lost sheep of Israel, who when Jesus Christ (the greater Cyrus) would come, would seek and return them to the restored kingdom, fulfilling the prophesy of the throne of David.
Acts 1:6
"When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?"
They were asking Jesus when Israel would again become a restored Kingdom. Unlike man today, they understood the literal Israel was not lost. And Indeed Christ had promised the 12 Apostles that they would sit judging the 12 tribes of Israel in the regeneration. They could hardly sit judging these tribes of Israel, if the 12 tribes were lost or not accounted for.
Matthew 19:28
"And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
It is pretty clear Jesus is declaring that when He sits to rule on the throne of His Glory, the apostles would also sit as Kings and priests unto God to rule. And Christ clearly identifies the time of His sitting to rule in His Glory as, "in the regeneration." The question then is, biblically speaking, when is the regeneration? ..when does Christ reign in His Glory?
Titus 3:5
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he Saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;"
John 17:4-5
"I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."
1st Corinthians 15:25
"For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet."
This is when "the regeneration" occurs, according to God! What is the Regeneration? This is the Greek word [paliggenesia] taken from the root words [palin] meaning again or repeat, and [genesis] meaning a birth or nativity. In other words, to be born again. A spiritual nativity where they are made new by the Holy ghost. This is 'when' these apostles would reign as they sit on thrones to rule Israel. It is in the regeneration, or after being born again from the dead! Did they become kings and Priests unto God to sit and rule with Him when they were raised up with Christ by the Holy Ghost? The answer (according to scripture) is obvious.
Ephesians 2:6
"And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:"
When the apostles were regenerated, born again from above, they were raised up in Christ to sit and rule with Him on His throne in heaven. When Jesus Christ ascended to the throne of David to rule the kingdom, this fulfilled the prophesy of the restoration of the Kingdom of David, and Christ sitting on that throne of Glory. As is clearly illustrated in Acts:
Acts 2:29-31
"Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption."
The Prophesy spake not of an earthly reign on the throne of David, but spake of the resurrection of Christ to sit in on His throne in heaven, and the apostles raised up with Him to sit in heavenly places to rule. The gathering of 'the remnant' of the tribes of Israel. The Old Testament restoring of the twelve tribes to the land of their fathers was the "type" which the Greater Cyrus fulfilled. The Restoration of the Kingdom of God which the Apostles asked about, was accomplished in Christ being the seed of David who reconciled the dispersed to God in one body 'one Israel,' united by the Lion of the tribe of Judah. This was accomplished by His death, resurrection, and ascension to the throne. The regeneration has the 12 sit to rule with Christ, this anti-type of the type is made clear in such verses as Matthew chapter 15:
Matthew 15:24
"But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
A very open testimony to the fulfillment that this was the Messiah, and He came to fulfill the prophesy of restoring the Kingdom of Israel. Not in literal Israelites lost in some foreign land, but Spiritual Israel lost in a foreign land, which the lost northern tribes merely prefigured. Some 'cut off,' but a remnant returning. This also seen in the angel speaking to Mary of His purpose and His reign.
Luke 1:31-33
"And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."
Just as Acts 2 said that this prophesy spake of the resurrection of Christ to Heaven to sit on the throne of David. And note, the reign is not a 1000 year earthly reign, but was prophesied to be a reign forever over the house of Jacob. Only a reign in the regeneration, in Glory, on the throne of God, qualifies! This is the 'only' kingdom of which there shall be no end. The fulfillment of the prophecy.
cont.....