The Ten "Lost" Tribes are in Israel
Sep 15, 2019 21:22:12 #
Are There Really Ten Lost Tribes?
September 13, 2019
Everyone who is seeking to know God’s truth must look to God’s Word, for all that is essential for salvation and living one’s life in a way that is pleasing to Him, is there.
In addition, God has recorded the earth's future history in His prophecy.
God reveals Himself in the Scriptures as the God of prophecy, and Israel is His witness to that fact. God must be 100% accurate in all that He declares about future events, and if He’s not, then we must toss the Bible out, for we can’t take God seriously, and in effect, we have no hope.
Aren’t there stumbling blocks — haven’t people pointed out things, stumbling blocks to prophecy, such as the ten lost tribes of Israel? Doesn’t that situation create a major problem for prophecy being fulfilled, unless of course somehow they are found in the nick of time?
The people who talk about the ten lost tribes NEVER even consider that part of the situation, because Jesus apparently didn’t know that any tribes were lost. He said to His disciples, “You will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel,” not on two thrones judging two tribes of Israel. Paul talked about the twelve tribes scattered abroad — he said that to King Agrippa. And James wrote his epistle to the twelve tribes scattered abroad, so APPARENTLY, the Holy Spirit who inspired their words didn’t believe that ten of them were lost.
We have serious consequences if ten tribes are lost, because, as already mentioned, Israel is the major topic of prophecy, and the Bible is very clear. God promises hundreds of times, literally, that although these people are under His judgment because of their sin, and their rebellion, and He scattered them everywhere, and they’re being persecuted and hounded and killed — some still are to this day, He promised that He would preserve them, and in the last days would bring them back into their own land.
Where did this idea come from? …as we know, the kingdom of Israel was really divided after Solomon. Rehoboam his son just wouldn’t do, wouldn’t follow the good counsel that he was given, and God raised up Jeroboam, and Israel was split into the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom. The two tribes of the southern kingdom would be Judah and Benjamin, and then the ten of the northern kingdom—isn’t that really what it’s referring to? Their dispersion… that’s where we get the term “Samaritans". Those of Syria were intermingled with the Jews to some degree, and the Jews were taken out of that land, for the most part. So is not that where the idea began?
It was not God’s idea, and He did not divide them, man divided them. They are under His judgment now, and many are still scattered among the nations, however, He promised that He would preserve them, and in the last days would bring all of them back into their own land of Israel.
Jesus promised that His disciples would sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel, so if ten of them are lost, then the Bible isn’t true. God must be 100 percent true, so this is very serious for if ten tribes are really lost, then God’s a liar, and Jesus is a liar.
What does the Bible say? This is a myth, as it comes out of the idea that "there were ten tribes carried away by the Assyrians, therefore they never came back.” Of course they came back!
There is a teaching sometimes referred to as “British Israelism.” taught by the World Wide Church of God, and others that the white races are the Jews, - the ten lost tribes.
Now, of course, we’re not the ten lost tribes, obviously. If we are we have really exploded, and these ten tribes have practically taken over the world because the European — the caucasians/white people, go into Scandinavia, and elsewhere. It simply isn’t true.
They say they’re lost. They’re out there somewhere. If God is going to bring them back, just to think logically — they don’t even know who they are — but you’ve got a group, ten tribes. Somehow they must be living somewhere. They haven’t intermarried with all the rest of the world, so somewhere there must be the descendants of ten tribes. They don’t know who they are, so how would anybody else know who they are, but suddenly one day — Voila! Whoa, there’s the ten tribes we didn’t know! - We had better bring them back into the land, too. This is ridiculous, and it contradicts the Bible.
Go to 2 Chronicles 30, and it will tell you that not too many years after they were carried away into Assyria , they started coming back, and there are a lot of them. How are you going to keep these Jews out of their land? They’re not in irons, they’re not having their legs shackled, and so they returned.
Now, a few more chapters, 2 Chronicles 34 — the revival, the Passover, under Josiah—seven of the tribes are named as participating in this. They’re rebuilding the temple, they’re getting donations, offerings from all of these tribes, and out they go to these various tribes that are named. So they’re not lost! That myth has stuck around persistently - but that’s the way with many myths.
The people who talked about British Israelism want to say this is another part of the church that is Israel now. These people don’t call themselves Israelites, although some do, as do the Mormons.
Utah is the only state where Jews are called Gentiles, and the Gentiles are called Jews.
It simply isn’t true, and these are Israelites... but they are all called Jews today. Does not that mean this is just the tribe of Judah? Judah and Benjamin were the two. No, all Israelites, all descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they began to call them Jews. But if you went to Luke 2, — or 3, you find Anna the prophetess. It says she was of the tribe of Asher.
Obviously, she wasn’t lost! Could she be the only one that made her way back, or could her ancestors?
It is an important subject because we’re talking about "When Will Jesus Return" - and He said He would come again. If He didn’t know what He was talking about regarding the ten tribes, and if they really are lost and He didn’t know it, then how could we trust Him when He spoke about coming back again, for us, and we certainly could not trust Him about our salvation?
In moving on with prophecy, one of the subjects dealt with is the persecution of the Jews. Down through history, primarily because of the history of the Catholic Church with regard to Jews, and then Martin Luther, Christians have been blamed for this persecution.
Read a scripture from Jeremiah. This is Jeremiah, Jewish prophet, read Chapter 30:10,11. It says, “Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, [referring to Israel] saith the Lord; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid. For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.”
That’s Jeremiah:30:10,11. In chapter 31:10, it says, again, “Thus saith the Lord: Nations, you listen! Hear, O nations,” He says. “I the Lord have scattered my people, and I will re-gather them and I will keep them as a shepherd keeps his flock.” You’d better watch out what you try to do with these people.
God has made many promises, and in chapter 31:35, God says, “As long as the stars are in the sky, the sun and the moon are up there, Israel will not cease from being a nation.”
It makes quite a study through the Old Testament where He’s using the term “Israel” for all twelve tribes when He says, “Jacob, O Jacob….” All twelve tribes, and we can demonstrate that from the scriptures. For example, if we went back to Ezekiel 37 — , it is so amazing that anyone could think that the church has replaced Israel, or the ten tribes were lost. And, this is the prophecy of the valley full of dead bones, and they’re brought back together. “Speak to them.” Notice what God says to Ezekiel: “Son of man…” Ezekiel is called “son of man” more than 50 times. He claims that God is speaking through him. Then He (that is, God) says, “Son of man, these bones are the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin”? No! Rather, “These bones are the whole house of Israel.” Go back and trace that.
When God talks about the whole house of Israel, He’s talking about all of them. Go down to verse 19: “Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel and his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah,” okay.
When the Mormons, for example, claim they’re the ones that have been brought back, etc., that’s not true. They’re not Jews.
This can be proven linguistically, genetically, all the evidence is there.
“…and I will put them with the Jews. So I am going to make one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand,” So here again, we have all the tribes brought back together. Verse 22, God says, “I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; they shall no more be two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.”
So if God is going to do that, He must know who these 10 tribes are. They’re not lost out there somewhere; He doesn’t say He’s going to haul them in from somewhere. No, these are the Jews, and many of them know what tribe they’re from.
Now, we can prove the tribe of Levi. That’s interesting because there is a chromosome that comes only through the male ancestry, because you’ve got the priesthood from your father, not from your mother. They have checked the DNA, —they have checked it out with people today who are called Cohen or Levi who claim, “Oh, yes, we’re from that tribe.” The males all have this extra chromosome, so those people know they’re from the tribe of Levi, but there were Levites on both sides.
We can support it scientifically, we can support it historically, and Jesus will return. When we say, When Will Jesus Come? as we’ve mentioned in the past, what are we talking about? Come for whom? Come to do what? Is He coming for Israel? That’s in the midst of Armageddon, the rescue. - Or is He coming to take His bride out of here? We talk about each of these events.
One of the reasons to read Jeremiah 30, talking about the ten tribes, depending on whose perspective you take, that undoes prophecy, this removes prophecy from being valid. The major issue in dealing with this is that the holocaust is supernatural, and on the other hand, may also be diabolical. In Jeremiah 30, God said “Yet I will not make a full end of thee, but I will correct thee in measure and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.”
How the Jews have been treated and dealt with by the world has been both consistent and tragic, as historically the Jews have been persecuted like no other people on the face of the earth.
This is one of the great proofs, again, that the Bible is God’s Word, and that these are His people. It’s irrational. It’s satanic, obviously, because Satan must destroy these people. If he could destroy them, no Messiah! Well, the Messiah came! Now, if he could destroy, them there will be no Second Coming because there would no Jews for Christ to return to rule over. So God would be made a liar, and would have had the moral ground pulled from beneath Him so that He could not punish Satan for his lies either.
The anti-Israel actions betraying Israel by America, by Britain. Indeed, almost the whole world was guilty of the Holocaust. And furthermore, Hitler had identified— they went to trouble to do this — had identified eleven million Jews for extermination in Eastern and Western Europe. As they invaded Russia, they’re rounding up Jews, slaughtering them. This was their diabolical purpose.
Then we have Haj Amin al-Husseini, the great-uncle of Arafat, what an evil man he was! Yet the British made him Grand Mufti of Jerusalem in the 1920s, and he was a partner with Hitler. Hitler financed him, and Hitler was going to help him exterminate the Jews in North Africa, or so-called Palestine.
God says, “Though I make a full end of all the nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee.” He is going to make an end of these and really punish these nations for what they’ve done.
God says, “If you bless Israel, I will bless you. If you curse Israel, I will curse you.” It’s very simple, God said it and we see it.
We must deal with Israel in order to be able to deal with the church. The church did not replace Israel. Christ is building His church, one believer at a time. He said. "On this rock," - the confession of Christ as Lord and Savior, believing Jews and Gentiles have been made one — one body which is the church, the bride of Christ.
However, Israel has not ceased to exist, and never will cease to exist, and they are God's earthly people. God has promised them this physical land, and it is by an everlasting covenant, with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Scriptures say very clearly in Genesis 17, where God says, “I make an everlasting covenant with you and with your seed after you, to be a God unto them.”
They don't accept Him now, but the day is coming when they will, and they have been given possession of the land of Israel, the former land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, God has decreed.
So the Jews have their promised land, while the Christians promised home is in heaven, the church, the bride of Christ. Jesus said, “I’m going to go away to prepare a place for you. And if I go away to my Father’s house of many mansions,” He said, “I will return and I’ll come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there you may be also.”
Both Jews and Gentiles who are in the body of Christ, which is the church, are taken in the Rapture to be with Christ.
There are many Jews not yet believers in Christ, who will remain on this earth, who are God's earthly people and Christ will return to rule over them on the throne of David, in fulfillment of the promise made to David.
All those who have faith in Jesus, both Jews and Gentiles, in our resurrected, glorified bodies, will reign with Christ.
Excerpt from "When Will Jesus Come? Compelling Evidence for the Soon Return of Christ," by Dave Hunt
September 13, 2019
Everyone who is seeking to know God’s truth must look to God’s Word, for all that is essential for salvation and living one’s life in a way that is pleasing to Him, is there.
In addition, God has recorded the earth's future history in His prophecy.
God reveals Himself in the Scriptures as the God of prophecy, and Israel is His witness to that fact. God must be 100% accurate in all that He declares about future events, and if He’s not, then we must toss the Bible out, for we can’t take God seriously, and in effect, we have no hope.
Aren’t there stumbling blocks — haven’t people pointed out things, stumbling blocks to prophecy, such as the ten lost tribes of Israel? Doesn’t that situation create a major problem for prophecy being fulfilled, unless of course somehow they are found in the nick of time?
The people who talk about the ten lost tribes NEVER even consider that part of the situation, because Jesus apparently didn’t know that any tribes were lost. He said to His disciples, “You will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel,” not on two thrones judging two tribes of Israel. Paul talked about the twelve tribes scattered abroad — he said that to King Agrippa. And James wrote his epistle to the twelve tribes scattered abroad, so APPARENTLY, the Holy Spirit who inspired their words didn’t believe that ten of them were lost.
We have serious consequences if ten tribes are lost, because, as already mentioned, Israel is the major topic of prophecy, and the Bible is very clear. God promises hundreds of times, literally, that although these people are under His judgment because of their sin, and their rebellion, and He scattered them everywhere, and they’re being persecuted and hounded and killed — some still are to this day, He promised that He would preserve them, and in the last days would bring them back into their own land.
Where did this idea come from? …as we know, the kingdom of Israel was really divided after Solomon. Rehoboam his son just wouldn’t do, wouldn’t follow the good counsel that he was given, and God raised up Jeroboam, and Israel was split into the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom. The two tribes of the southern kingdom would be Judah and Benjamin, and then the ten of the northern kingdom—isn’t that really what it’s referring to? Their dispersion… that’s where we get the term “Samaritans". Those of Syria were intermingled with the Jews to some degree, and the Jews were taken out of that land, for the most part. So is not that where the idea began?
It was not God’s idea, and He did not divide them, man divided them. They are under His judgment now, and many are still scattered among the nations, however, He promised that He would preserve them, and in the last days would bring all of them back into their own land of Israel.
Jesus promised that His disciples would sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel, so if ten of them are lost, then the Bible isn’t true. God must be 100 percent true, so this is very serious for if ten tribes are really lost, then God’s a liar, and Jesus is a liar.
What does the Bible say? This is a myth, as it comes out of the idea that "there were ten tribes carried away by the Assyrians, therefore they never came back.” Of course they came back!
There is a teaching sometimes referred to as “British Israelism.” taught by the World Wide Church of God, and others that the white races are the Jews, - the ten lost tribes.
Now, of course, we’re not the ten lost tribes, obviously. If we are we have really exploded, and these ten tribes have practically taken over the world because the European — the caucasians/white people, go into Scandinavia, and elsewhere. It simply isn’t true.
They say they’re lost. They’re out there somewhere. If God is going to bring them back, just to think logically — they don’t even know who they are — but you’ve got a group, ten tribes. Somehow they must be living somewhere. They haven’t intermarried with all the rest of the world, so somewhere there must be the descendants of ten tribes. They don’t know who they are, so how would anybody else know who they are, but suddenly one day — Voila! Whoa, there’s the ten tribes we didn’t know! - We had better bring them back into the land, too. This is ridiculous, and it contradicts the Bible.
Go to 2 Chronicles 30, and it will tell you that not too many years after they were carried away into Assyria , they started coming back, and there are a lot of them. How are you going to keep these Jews out of their land? They’re not in irons, they’re not having their legs shackled, and so they returned.
Now, a few more chapters, 2 Chronicles 34 — the revival, the Passover, under Josiah—seven of the tribes are named as participating in this. They’re rebuilding the temple, they’re getting donations, offerings from all of these tribes, and out they go to these various tribes that are named. So they’re not lost! That myth has stuck around persistently - but that’s the way with many myths.
The people who talked about British Israelism want to say this is another part of the church that is Israel now. These people don’t call themselves Israelites, although some do, as do the Mormons.
Utah is the only state where Jews are called Gentiles, and the Gentiles are called Jews.
It simply isn’t true, and these are Israelites... but they are all called Jews today. Does not that mean this is just the tribe of Judah? Judah and Benjamin were the two. No, all Israelites, all descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they began to call them Jews. But if you went to Luke 2, — or 3, you find Anna the prophetess. It says she was of the tribe of Asher.
Obviously, she wasn’t lost! Could she be the only one that made her way back, or could her ancestors?
It is an important subject because we’re talking about "When Will Jesus Return" - and He said He would come again. If He didn’t know what He was talking about regarding the ten tribes, and if they really are lost and He didn’t know it, then how could we trust Him when He spoke about coming back again, for us, and we certainly could not trust Him about our salvation?
In moving on with prophecy, one of the subjects dealt with is the persecution of the Jews. Down through history, primarily because of the history of the Catholic Church with regard to Jews, and then Martin Luther, Christians have been blamed for this persecution.
Read a scripture from Jeremiah. This is Jeremiah, Jewish prophet, read Chapter 30:10,11. It says, “Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, [referring to Israel] saith the Lord; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid. For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.”
That’s Jeremiah:30:10,11. In chapter 31:10, it says, again, “Thus saith the Lord: Nations, you listen! Hear, O nations,” He says. “I the Lord have scattered my people, and I will re-gather them and I will keep them as a shepherd keeps his flock.” You’d better watch out what you try to do with these people.
God has made many promises, and in chapter 31:35, God says, “As long as the stars are in the sky, the sun and the moon are up there, Israel will not cease from being a nation.”
It makes quite a study through the Old Testament where He’s using the term “Israel” for all twelve tribes when He says, “Jacob, O Jacob….” All twelve tribes, and we can demonstrate that from the scriptures. For example, if we went back to Ezekiel 37 — , it is so amazing that anyone could think that the church has replaced Israel, or the ten tribes were lost. And, this is the prophecy of the valley full of dead bones, and they’re brought back together. “Speak to them.” Notice what God says to Ezekiel: “Son of man…” Ezekiel is called “son of man” more than 50 times. He claims that God is speaking through him. Then He (that is, God) says, “Son of man, these bones are the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin”? No! Rather, “These bones are the whole house of Israel.” Go back and trace that.
When God talks about the whole house of Israel, He’s talking about all of them. Go down to verse 19: “Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel and his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah,” okay.
When the Mormons, for example, claim they’re the ones that have been brought back, etc., that’s not true. They’re not Jews.
This can be proven linguistically, genetically, all the evidence is there.
“…and I will put them with the Jews. So I am going to make one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand,” So here again, we have all the tribes brought back together. Verse 22, God says, “I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; they shall no more be two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.”
So if God is going to do that, He must know who these 10 tribes are. They’re not lost out there somewhere; He doesn’t say He’s going to haul them in from somewhere. No, these are the Jews, and many of them know what tribe they’re from.
Now, we can prove the tribe of Levi. That’s interesting because there is a chromosome that comes only through the male ancestry, because you’ve got the priesthood from your father, not from your mother. They have checked the DNA, —they have checked it out with people today who are called Cohen or Levi who claim, “Oh, yes, we’re from that tribe.” The males all have this extra chromosome, so those people know they’re from the tribe of Levi, but there were Levites on both sides.
We can support it scientifically, we can support it historically, and Jesus will return. When we say, When Will Jesus Come? as we’ve mentioned in the past, what are we talking about? Come for whom? Come to do what? Is He coming for Israel? That’s in the midst of Armageddon, the rescue. - Or is He coming to take His bride out of here? We talk about each of these events.
One of the reasons to read Jeremiah 30, talking about the ten tribes, depending on whose perspective you take, that undoes prophecy, this removes prophecy from being valid. The major issue in dealing with this is that the holocaust is supernatural, and on the other hand, may also be diabolical. In Jeremiah 30, God said “Yet I will not make a full end of thee, but I will correct thee in measure and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.”
How the Jews have been treated and dealt with by the world has been both consistent and tragic, as historically the Jews have been persecuted like no other people on the face of the earth.
This is one of the great proofs, again, that the Bible is God’s Word, and that these are His people. It’s irrational. It’s satanic, obviously, because Satan must destroy these people. If he could destroy them, no Messiah! Well, the Messiah came! Now, if he could destroy, them there will be no Second Coming because there would no Jews for Christ to return to rule over. So God would be made a liar, and would have had the moral ground pulled from beneath Him so that He could not punish Satan for his lies either.
The anti-Israel actions betraying Israel by America, by Britain. Indeed, almost the whole world was guilty of the Holocaust. And furthermore, Hitler had identified— they went to trouble to do this — had identified eleven million Jews for extermination in Eastern and Western Europe. As they invaded Russia, they’re rounding up Jews, slaughtering them. This was their diabolical purpose.
Then we have Haj Amin al-Husseini, the great-uncle of Arafat, what an evil man he was! Yet the British made him Grand Mufti of Jerusalem in the 1920s, and he was a partner with Hitler. Hitler financed him, and Hitler was going to help him exterminate the Jews in North Africa, or so-called Palestine.
God says, “Though I make a full end of all the nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee.” He is going to make an end of these and really punish these nations for what they’ve done.
God says, “If you bless Israel, I will bless you. If you curse Israel, I will curse you.” It’s very simple, God said it and we see it.
We must deal with Israel in order to be able to deal with the church. The church did not replace Israel. Christ is building His church, one believer at a time. He said. "On this rock," - the confession of Christ as Lord and Savior, believing Jews and Gentiles have been made one — one body which is the church, the bride of Christ.
However, Israel has not ceased to exist, and never will cease to exist, and they are God's earthly people. God has promised them this physical land, and it is by an everlasting covenant, with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Scriptures say very clearly in Genesis 17, where God says, “I make an everlasting covenant with you and with your seed after you, to be a God unto them.”
They don't accept Him now, but the day is coming when they will, and they have been given possession of the land of Israel, the former land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, God has decreed.
So the Jews have their promised land, while the Christians promised home is in heaven, the church, the bride of Christ. Jesus said, “I’m going to go away to prepare a place for you. And if I go away to my Father’s house of many mansions,” He said, “I will return and I’ll come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there you may be also.”
Both Jews and Gentiles who are in the body of Christ, which is the church, are taken in the Rapture to be with Christ.
There are many Jews not yet believers in Christ, who will remain on this earth, who are God's earthly people and Christ will return to rule over them on the throne of David, in fulfillment of the promise made to David.
All those who have faith in Jesus, both Jews and Gentiles, in our resurrected, glorified bodies, will reign with Christ.
Excerpt from "When Will Jesus Come? Compelling Evidence for the Soon Return of Christ," by Dave Hunt
Sep 16, 2019 08:12:22 #
I've always heard that the 10 lost tribes crossed the Caucauses Mountains, hence being named caucasians and made their way to Europe and England. Weren't the offsprings of Joseph, Manasses, and Ephrim the patriarch's of the US and England respectively? It seems from the blessings that Jacob gave to each son, that prophecy is being fulfilled even today.
Sep 16, 2019 10:59:26 #
Sep 16, 2019 21:23:04 #
Hi Walt,
Interesting that "you've always heard this," but please quote a source from where or whom you heard it for verification, and their documentation with a point of connection between Scripture and historical fact?
Prophecy is indeed being fulfilled today, but unless you can quote a Bible passage, i.e., verses, and how and where they are being fulfilled in today's world, it's a mute point.
Interesting that "you've always heard this," but please quote a source from where or whom you heard it for verification, and their documentation with a point of connection between Scripture and historical fact?
Prophecy is indeed being fulfilled today, but unless you can quote a Bible passage, i.e., verses, and how and where they are being fulfilled in today's world, it's a mute point.
waltmoreno wrote:
I've always heard that the 10 lost tribes crossed the Caucauses Mountains, hence being named caucasians and made their way to Europe and England. Weren't the offsprings of Joseph, Manasses, and Ephrim the patriarch's of the US and England respectively? It seems from the blessings that Jacob gave to each son, that prophecy is being fulfilled even today.
Sep 17, 2019 07:05:31 #
Ephraim and Manasseh were Joseph's sons, Jacob's grandsons. They were Jewish and their Biblical heritage was in Israel, formerly Canaan.
EPHRAIM ē’ frĭ əm (אֶפְרָ֑יִם, LXX Εφραιμ; meaning doubly fruitful), the younger of two sons born to Joseph in Egypt. The name of the older son was Manasseh. The mother of these sons of Joseph was Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On (Gen 41:50-52).
Ephraim was born during the seven years of plenty so that his boyhood years overlapped with the last seventeen years of Jacob who had migrated to Egypt during the years of plenty. In this way Ephraim had opportunity to learn of the patriarchal promises and blessings directly from Jacob.
After Jacob exacted an oath from Joseph that he would bury him in Canaan (47:27-31), Jacob adopted the two sons of Joseph as his own. Jacob’s favorite wife had been Rachel whose son Joseph had been favored above all other sons until he was sold as a slave to Potiphar in Egypt. By adopting Manasseh and Ephraim as his own sons there were three tribal representatives of Rachel—Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. Joseph, who had been considered dead by Jacob, now had a double representation.
Ephraim was chosen by Jacob for the greater blessing even though he was not the first-born son of Joseph. Overruling Joseph’s objections Jacob placed his right hand on Ephraim and alloted to him a greater blessing and prosperity than he did to Manasseh.
Ephraim, with Manasseh and Joseph, had imparted to him verbally the essence of the revelation God had made to the patriarchs, especially to Jacob. To Jacob there had been confirmed by divine revelation the promise that his descendants would be multiplied and that they would inherit the land of Canaan. Jacob gave the blessing in the name of the God before whom Abraham and Isaac walked, and the God who had shepherded Jacob throughout his whole lifetime. Although Jacob was about to die in Egypt, he expressed before Ephraim the firm belief that future generations would realize and experience the fulfillment of the promises to possess the land of Canaan.
Ephraim and Manasseh were allotted a particular plot of real estate in Canaan which is described as “one portion (shekem, shoulder)...which I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow” (48:22). This could hardly refer to the involvement of Simeon and Levi with Shechem which displeased Jacob exceedingly (ch. 34). Jacob did purchase some land from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father (33:19). Abraham may have previously purchased some land at this place when he erected an altar at Shechem after arriving in Canaan (12:7, 8). If so this may have been referred to by Stephen (Acts 7:16). Since Jacob identifies this portion or ridge of land as being obtained by conquest, the possibility exists that this adventure by Jacob is noted only here in the Biblical account. Joseph was ultimately buried in the vicinity of Shechem (Josh 24:32). In John 4:5, 6 the tract of land which Jacob presented to Joseph’s descendants is identified as being near Sychar. Four centuries later the tombs of the twelve patriarchs were known to be at Shechem according to Jerome. This would have included Ephraim since his tribe was so prominent in Israelite history. It may have been this Samaritan tradition that Stephen had in mind when he ascribed the burial of the “fathers” to Shechem (Acts 7:15, 16).
Numbers 34:14
14 because the families of the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance [in Israel].
In subsequent history the tribe of Ephraim had a very prominent position. In Israel’s encampment around the Tabernacle, Ephraim was the leader of the western camp supported by the tribes of Manasseh and Benjamin (Num 2:18-24). Among the twelve spies sent into Canaan Joshua represented the tribe of Ephraim (Num 13:8), and later was appointed as the successor of Moses (Deut 31:7). Joshua and Eleazar the high priest had the responsibility to divide the land of Canaan among the tribes of Israel.
The Ephraimites received an allotment of land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea with the tribes of Benjamin and Dan to the S and one half of the tribe of Manasseh to the N (Josh 16:5-9). The southern boundary extended from the Jordan and Jericho westward approximately ten m. N of Jerusalem, but included Upper and Lower Beth-horons as it continued to the sea. On the N, Ephraim was bounded by the brook Kanah, the cities of Shechem and Taanath-shiloh where the boundary turned southward to Ataroth and passed near Jericho on to the Jordan.
The religious center for Israel during the era of Joshua and the Judges was Shiloh in the territory of Ephraim (Josh 18:1; 22:12; Judg 18:31; 21:19; 1 Sam 1:3, 9, 24; 2:14; 3:21). The Tabernacle was erected in Shiloh by Joshua and remained there until the Ark of the Covenant was taken by the Philistines after the sons of Eli took it into the battlefield (1 Sam 4:1-11). Scholars are of the opinion that the city of Shiloh was destroyed at this time (cf. Jer 7:12). There is no indication that the Ark was returned to Shiloh.
The Ephraimites were involved in civil strife in the days of Gideon (Judg 8:1-3), and in the period of Jephthah’s leadership (12:1-6). During the Davidic and Solomonic era the tribe of Judah with its leading city Jerusalem emerged as the leading tribe, but at Solomon’s death a secession was led by Jeroboam I of the tribe of Ephraim who became the first king of the northern kingdom. During the two centuries that this kingdom existed it was frequently identified as Ephraim, reflecting the fact that this was the most powerful tribe in opposition to Judah. In the books of Chronicles, Isaiah, Hosea and other prophets, the name Ephraim is commonly used for the northern kingdom of Israel.
Ephraim (northern kingdom of Israel) is to be reunited with Judah (southern kingdom of Israel) in the Messianic kingdom. The schism introduced by Jeroboam I is to be healed when the Messiah, Jesus Christ, ruler of the Davidic family will rule over both Judah and Ephraim according to the prophet Ezekiel in his message concerning the final kingdom (ch. 37).
Encyclopedia of The Bible – Ephraim
EPHRAIM ē’ frĭ əm (אֶפְרָ֑יִם, LXX Εφραιμ; meaning doubly fruitful), the younger of two sons born to Joseph in Egypt. The name of the older son was Manasseh. The mother of these sons of Joseph was Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On (Gen 41:50-52).
Ephraim was born during the seven years of plenty so that his boyhood years overlapped with the last seventeen years of Jacob who had migrated to Egypt during the years of plenty. In this way Ephraim had opportunity to learn of the patriarchal promises and blessings directly from Jacob.
After Jacob exacted an oath from Joseph that he would bury him in Canaan (47:27-31), Jacob adopted the two sons of Joseph as his own. Jacob’s favorite wife had been Rachel whose son Joseph had been favored above all other sons until he was sold as a slave to Potiphar in Egypt. By adopting Manasseh and Ephraim as his own sons there were three tribal representatives of Rachel—Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. Joseph, who had been considered dead by Jacob, now had a double representation.
Ephraim was chosen by Jacob for the greater blessing even though he was not the first-born son of Joseph. Overruling Joseph’s objections Jacob placed his right hand on Ephraim and alloted to him a greater blessing and prosperity than he did to Manasseh.
Ephraim, with Manasseh and Joseph, had imparted to him verbally the essence of the revelation God had made to the patriarchs, especially to Jacob. To Jacob there had been confirmed by divine revelation the promise that his descendants would be multiplied and that they would inherit the land of Canaan. Jacob gave the blessing in the name of the God before whom Abraham and Isaac walked, and the God who had shepherded Jacob throughout his whole lifetime. Although Jacob was about to die in Egypt, he expressed before Ephraim the firm belief that future generations would realize and experience the fulfillment of the promises to possess the land of Canaan.
Ephraim and Manasseh were allotted a particular plot of real estate in Canaan which is described as “one portion (shekem, shoulder)...which I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow” (48:22). This could hardly refer to the involvement of Simeon and Levi with Shechem which displeased Jacob exceedingly (ch. 34). Jacob did purchase some land from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father (33:19). Abraham may have previously purchased some land at this place when he erected an altar at Shechem after arriving in Canaan (12:7, 8). If so this may have been referred to by Stephen (Acts 7:16). Since Jacob identifies this portion or ridge of land as being obtained by conquest, the possibility exists that this adventure by Jacob is noted only here in the Biblical account. Joseph was ultimately buried in the vicinity of Shechem (Josh 24:32). In John 4:5, 6 the tract of land which Jacob presented to Joseph’s descendants is identified as being near Sychar. Four centuries later the tombs of the twelve patriarchs were known to be at Shechem according to Jerome. This would have included Ephraim since his tribe was so prominent in Israelite history. It may have been this Samaritan tradition that Stephen had in mind when he ascribed the burial of the “fathers” to Shechem (Acts 7:15, 16).
Numbers 34:14
14 because the families of the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance [in Israel].
In subsequent history the tribe of Ephraim had a very prominent position. In Israel’s encampment around the Tabernacle, Ephraim was the leader of the western camp supported by the tribes of Manasseh and Benjamin (Num 2:18-24). Among the twelve spies sent into Canaan Joshua represented the tribe of Ephraim (Num 13:8), and later was appointed as the successor of Moses (Deut 31:7). Joshua and Eleazar the high priest had the responsibility to divide the land of Canaan among the tribes of Israel.
The Ephraimites received an allotment of land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea with the tribes of Benjamin and Dan to the S and one half of the tribe of Manasseh to the N (Josh 16:5-9). The southern boundary extended from the Jordan and Jericho westward approximately ten m. N of Jerusalem, but included Upper and Lower Beth-horons as it continued to the sea. On the N, Ephraim was bounded by the brook Kanah, the cities of Shechem and Taanath-shiloh where the boundary turned southward to Ataroth and passed near Jericho on to the Jordan.
The religious center for Israel during the era of Joshua and the Judges was Shiloh in the territory of Ephraim (Josh 18:1; 22:12; Judg 18:31; 21:19; 1 Sam 1:3, 9, 24; 2:14; 3:21). The Tabernacle was erected in Shiloh by Joshua and remained there until the Ark of the Covenant was taken by the Philistines after the sons of Eli took it into the battlefield (1 Sam 4:1-11). Scholars are of the opinion that the city of Shiloh was destroyed at this time (cf. Jer 7:12). There is no indication that the Ark was returned to Shiloh.
The Ephraimites were involved in civil strife in the days of Gideon (Judg 8:1-3), and in the period of Jephthah’s leadership (12:1-6). During the Davidic and Solomonic era the tribe of Judah with its leading city Jerusalem emerged as the leading tribe, but at Solomon’s death a secession was led by Jeroboam I of the tribe of Ephraim who became the first king of the northern kingdom. During the two centuries that this kingdom existed it was frequently identified as Ephraim, reflecting the fact that this was the most powerful tribe in opposition to Judah. In the books of Chronicles, Isaiah, Hosea and other prophets, the name Ephraim is commonly used for the northern kingdom of Israel.
Ephraim (northern kingdom of Israel) is to be reunited with Judah (southern kingdom of Israel) in the Messianic kingdom. The schism introduced by Jeroboam I is to be healed when the Messiah, Jesus Christ, ruler of the Davidic family will rule over both Judah and Ephraim according to the prophet Ezekiel in his message concerning the final kingdom (ch. 37).
Encyclopedia of The Bible – Ephraim
waltmoreno wrote:
I've always heard that the 10 lost tribes crossed the Caucauses Mountains, hence being named caucasians and made their way to Europe and England. Weren't the offsprings of Joseph, Manasses, and Ephrim the patriarch's of the US and England respectively? It seems from the blessings that Jacob gave to each son, that prophecy is being fulfilled even today.
Sep 17, 2019 09:04:13 #
Thanks for your encouragement, bahmer.
bahmer wrote:
Amen and Amen a very good article thanks for posting Zemirah an excellent read. 
Sep 17, 2019 10:34:15 #
Zemirah wrote:
Thanks for your encouragement, bahmer.
I hope and pray that your healing is progressing nicely.
Sep 17, 2019 16:03:04 #
Sep 17, 2019 16:36:00 #
Sep 17, 2019 20:08:20 #
Thanks, Rose42,
Knowing our destiny, and that of the world before the hour arrives is such a blessing.
Knowing our destiny, and that of the world before the hour arrives is such a blessing.
Rose42 wrote:
I second the good read Zemirah.
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.