Posted on 07/17/2008 4:35:12 AM PDT by John Leland 1789
THE "LOST" TEN TRIBES
In a recent discussion of the subject, by P. Asmussim, in a German periodical, the writer shows that the ten tribes never were "lost." Both in the Books of Kings and in the Assyrian inscriptions we have records of the deportations of the inhabitants of the Northern Kingdom, and in leading particulars the accounts agree.
In 734 Tiglath-Pileser led into captivity the people of Gilead and of Galilee, and the districts of Issachar, Zebulon, Asher, Naphtali, Northern Dan, Eastern Manasseh and Gad were incorporated into the Assyrian monarchy. The last king of Israel accordingly ruled over nothing but what was afterwards called Samaria, i.e. the territory of Ephraim, West Manasseh, and the remnants of Benjamin. (Benjamin had not been joined to Judah, as is generally supposed; but Judah had extended her boundaries in the north at the expense of Benjamin as early as the reigns of David and Solomon. The district of Reuben had disappeared during the time of the Kings.)
From this limited territory, Sargon, in 722, according to his own report, led into captivity 27,280 persons, and later on until 711 some few more. In both deportations from all ten tribes the entire number of captives could not have numbered more than 50,000, including women and children.
The system of deportation then practiced by the despots never sent the entire population of a land into exile, and only those influential families who might stir up rebellion against the conqueror, and the artisans who made weapons. These captives formed a small minority in the communities where they settled, and being not very zealous Jews, religiously, they underwent a religious and social amalgamation with the foreign people. (It was different with Babylonian exiles of a century and a half later; they were zealous Jehovists, and were promised a return, so that they adhered to Judaism, lived together in Babylon, the prophetic activity continued, and some of them later returned to Jerusalem as a congregation.)
Those who were deported from the Northern kingdom were an insignificant number compared with the masses that remained, perhaps one-tenth. They were not tribes or large parts of tribes, but only individuals, or at most families. These persons were "lost" to be sure, but the tribes as such remained in Canaan, and absorbed the heathen settlers that were sent in. In later times the division into tribes signified little or nothing, the division into tribal territory was not regarded. In general, the Jew of the New Testament era knew as little from what tribe he came as does the modern Jew. Among modern Jews all these tribes, without any doubt, are their descendents. In other words, the "lost" tribes never have been and are not now "lost."
[Note: All Twelve Tribes were represented in Jerusalem at Pentecost in Acts chapter 2.]
Assyria carried the House of Israel out of there land and scattered them throughout the Assyrian empire in 721 BC.
2Kings was written around 550 BC, approximately 170 yrs. later. Let’s let SCRIPTURE answer your question.
(2 Ki 17:21 KJV) For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the LORD, and made them sin a great sin.
(2 Ki 17:22 KJV) For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them;
(2 Ki 17:23 KJV) Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.
Yup....you’re correct. That should be [II kings 17:23] not 24 like I posted before you.
If you want to take it one step further we can go to
(Mat 15:24 KJV) But he (Yahshua) answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Look at James 1:1 To the 12 Tribes scattered abroad!!!!
The prophets tell that the lost tribes aka the House of Israel will be united with the House of Judah (Jews) to restore the Kingdom of Israel. That is in our future. Hmm...I wonder who the House of Israel is?
“Poppycock! [II Kings 17:7] Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.”
Not “Poppycock.” There were no tribes left but Judah only.
That there was a remnant of individuals and families used by the Assyrians in the land would not negate that.
“Look at James 1:1 To the 12 Tribes scattered abroad!!!!”
Scattered, not lost.
That he agrees with Dallas Theo. with regard to Israel is certainly not a discomfort to Dr. Ruckman, I'm sure. He agrees, with grace, with many on many Biblical subjects, who don't agree with him on others. Such is the case with most of us. I use books to develop teaching materials from which I must scrub some sections from my consideration, like any teacher does. Dr. Ruckman would do the same. His bookstore has a wide range of books (probably even some from Dallas), and carrying them does not suggest that he endorses every expression of teaching in every book.
There are a couple of areas of teaching on which I would not jee-haw with Dr. Ruckman at all. I labor with some graduates of his institute who didn't either swallow everything he taught. They are good strong men and good servants of the Lord, I'll say that. I still recommend his books to discriminating readers for their general value.
I am in general fellowship with preachers who would never have Dr. Ruckman in their pulpits, but many of them have his books in their libraries — and use them.
I am using a Theology (book) even now that is chock full of quotes from Louis Chafer (Dallas), to develop a three-year theology course for Chinese men. I dare say that Dr. Ruckman has read it and could probably tell us what is on most of the pages from memory. I will leave most of the quotes from Dr. Chafer in tact in the lessons, ‘cause they are right and good.
I'm also using some material from Dr. Ruckman and a dozen other sources as well.
I have been in some question-answer sessions where Dr. Ruckman was the one answering the questions. I have seen antagonists go after him on many issues. What impressed me is that he always responded with grace and with reserve. They were unusual and surprising sessions.
Since James wrote to the TWELVE scattered tribes (not just ten), he probably expected his letter to be read by people of ALL Twelve tribes, and probably didn’t think that “scattered” is synonymous with “lost.”
If you take the old 52 card deck, and try to shuffle, and they get away from you, they will “scatter” without necessarily being “lost.”
Some of those 52 might land at your feet, while most will go flying elsewhere. The ones that land at your feet will be as scattered from the rest, as the rest are from the ones at your feet.
Some Israeli individuals and families who were kept in the land of the northern tribes by the Assyrians (maybe to keep the land tilled; maybe as slaves) were as scattered from the majority who were driven out and carried off, as the ones who were carried off were from those who were kept locally by the Assyrians.
ALL were scattered!
Hard to say....really, but according to [Amos 9:9] you might have some living next door to you.....and they ain't Jewish! [For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.]
and, many of the exiles would have stayed on in Iraq and become part of the population — just like how you had significant Jewish tribes in Mecca and Medina, so many present day Iraqis and Najaf Saudis would have partial descent from Judeans
Quite right — the other tribes were absorbed into Judea, creating ONE tribe
You are probably very right but only partially correct. You see as was stated in another post Amos said that Israel would be sifted into ALL the nations. Now in Jer 31:31, I encourage you to look up it says:
(Jer 31:31 KJV) Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Now this New Covenant is made with only TWO groups of people, the house of Israel and the house of Judah. We know that Judah is the Jews so who else today are NEW COVENANT BELIEVERS IN THE GOD OF ISRAEL? and when the New Jerusalem comes down with 12 gates and over each gate is the name of a Tribe, which gate are you going to enter through? don’t see no church gate :0 Come let us reason together :)
If you are going to be pedantic, then the house of Judah also probably includes you and me (and I don’t have any known Jewish blood) — why? Because in the 3 millenia since there were Jews, they have migrated to Europe, to India, to Ethiopia, to the US, even to Central Asia, Arabia and China. The Israelites probably spread their blood even further. So, technically speaking, nearly all of us, except those from remote tribes in the Amazon, the ANdaman islands, Papua New Guinea etc. probably have some trace of Jewish and non-Judean Israelite blood. I would guess that Everyone — including Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists etc. due to inter-breeding is, to some extent Jewish
Yes, this is correct. They were still there a century ago, and are Christian, almost all.
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