Where are the lost Tribes of Israel?

 

The LOST TEN TRIBES in Prophecy: Part Two.

Identifying Characteristics in Prophecy (By Yair Davidi)

"But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine." (Isaiah 43:1 KJV unless noted)

Here "Jacob" meaning Israel is being addressed.

"For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place." (Isaiah 43:3 NAS)

Egypt, Cush and Saba are being given for you or in Hebrew ("tachtecha") placed underneath you, subjected to you.

"Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;" (Isaiah 43:5)

"I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;" (Isaiah 43:6)

Your Seed (offspring) from the north, south, west, and east means the seed of Israel. The above verses are referring to the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel at the "ends of the earth."

"ENDS OF THE EARTH" in the time of Isaiah was an expression used by the Hebrews, Egyptians, and Babylonians to describe the most northern areas of Europe (Spanuth p.28). Literally (and in our time) it means the geographical extremities of the world when the Land of Israel is taken as the center: Scandinavia, Holland, Britain, North America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Isaiah above mentions "Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba" in connection with Israel.

"Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen:" (Isaiah 44:1)

Israel is the servant of God. God has chosen Israel despite its faults and despite its sins Israel remains the chosen people.

"Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen." (Isaiah 44:2)

"One shall say, I am the LORD’S; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, and surname himself by the name of Israel." (Isaiah 44:5)

Here, Isaiah predicts that towards the Last Days many will re-identify themselves as descendants of Israel. They will be proud of it and happy because of it. This will happen in the End Times.

"Thus saith the LORD, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God." (Isaiah 45:14)

We have proven that this is referring to Israel.

We already saw above Isaiah 43;3 concerning Israel that "Egypt (will be) for your ransom, Cush and Seba for (placed underneath) you." Isaiah 45:14. Again, "The labor of Egypt, and merchandise of Cush and of the Sabeans" Isaiah 43:14 is given to Israel.

The Prophet (Isaiah 43:3 and 45:14 and the verses around them) is predicting that the Lost Ten Tribes would rule over India, Egypt and much of Black Africa. The trade with India would be theirs, the recompense arriving (via the Suez Canal) at Egypt would be theirs, and they would transport Africans across the seas in chains. Many of these Africans were large-bodied: They are called Sabaeans since the Negro race originated in Saba of the Sudan. Isaiah describes them as SABEANS, MEN OF STATURE, SHALL COME OVER UNTO YOU, AND THEY SHALL BE YOURS; THEY SHALL COME AFTER YOU; IN CHAINS THEY SHALL COME OVER. We are not moralizing here; just stating historical facts that were described by Isaiah the Prophet. This passage refers to Israel and it was fulfilled by Britain and North America. The British ruled India. Economically they gained very much from trade with India, they ruled Egypt and controlled the Suez Canal linking the Mediterranean Sea with the East. They also controlled much of Africa and Negro slaves in chains were sent by them and others acting on their behalf across the Sea to North America and to the West Indies. This is what they did and this is what Isaiah describes the Lost Tribes of Israel as doing.

In this talk we are touching on a few highlights concerning the Identification of the Lost Ten Tribes in Prophecy. We said that there were two sections that we may very roughly distinguish in Prophecies about the Lost Ten Tribes: One Section is The Blessings. These are mostly found in the Book of Genesis and which we will discuss separately in another talk. The second aspect is a description of the Lost Ten Tribes in their places of Exile and characteristics that can identify them. Some of the characteristics described by the Prophets of the Lost Ten Tribes in their places of exile are also those of the blessings. For instance the Blessings were that the Lost Ten Tribes would be great and numerous, relatively very rich and very powerful, and the Prophets also describe them in this way. The Prophets confirm our interpretation of the Blessings. We said that at least part of the Blessings were unconditional and had to be fulfilled at some time. It is true that the Blessings that were given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will only be completely fulfilled in the Messianic era. Even so, Scripture indicates that even before the Messianic era, in the time of Exile, many of the Blessings would come into effect. The Prophets confirm this identification of ours. The Prophets also describe the Lost Ten Tribes in the time of Exile as fulfilling the Prophesied Blessings from the Book of Genesis. The Prophets describe the Exiled Israelites as being exceedingly numerous, possessing great resources, and as being rich and powerful.

The Prophet Hosea speaks of the Lost Ten Tribes in their places of exile. Hosea himself was from the Tribe of Reuben. He was descended from Beeri, a Prince of Reuben.

In the beginning of the Book of Hosea it says:

"The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD." (Hosea 1:2)

He was told to go and take a loose woman and to have children from her. The woman was called Gomer.

Hosea is speaking expressly about the northern Kingdom of Israel whose people were exiled by the Assyrians. These people became the Lost Ten Tribes. We know that Hosea is speaking about the Lost Tribes and not about Judah since Hosea says further down "BUT I WILL HAVE MERCY UPON THE HOUSE OF JUDAH..." (Hosea 1:7 emphasis added). Judah is therefore excluded in this passage by Hosea from the predictions about the rest of Israel.

Hosea is told to take a woman to be his wife and to have children by her. God says that these children that Hosea will beget by his wife represent the Northern Israelites in their places of Exile.

The woman Hosea takes to wife is called Gomer.

"So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son." (Hosea 1:3)

The name Gomer was also the name given to the Cimmerians. The Cimmerians were a people who first appeared on the fringes of the Assyrian Empire shortly after the Israelites were exiled. From the Cimmerians emerged other peoples named the Scythians and Goths. Peoples associated with Gomer often had tribal names, cultural features, and characteristics that link them to the ancient Israelites. They also carried out actions in accordance with what the Prophets described the Israelites as doing in their place of exile. This name "Gomer" was also the name of a son of Japhet son of Noah. Gomer was the father of Ashkenaz, Riphat, and Togarmah. Genesis 10.

Hosea in chapter one and two goes on at great length telling us how he had children from the woman named Gomer. He was told to give the children names that would describe the relationship of God to the Lost Ten Tribes in their places of Exile.

We believe that there was a link between peoples descended from Gomer son of Japhet and the Ten Tribes in their place of Exile. This explains why the woman whose children, in the Book of Hosea, would represent the Ten Tribes in their places of Exile was named Gomer.

Gomer was identified with the Cimmerians.

In Welsh tradition, the Welsh were known as Cyrmy (i.e. Cimmerians) and call themselves Gomer (or Gomerag). The Welsh said that they together with most of the original British Celts were led by a great man named "Hu" from Drephrobane opposite Byzantium across the sea to Defene in Wales. Byzantium is now called Istanbul. It is in the European section of Turkey where Europe links up with Asia. Drephrobane was also known as Daphne and was connected in tradition with the Lost Ten Tribes.

From the union of Hosea emerge three children who are shown to represent the Lost Ten Tribes.

Hosea is described as having three children from Gomer. Each one of these children represents a different aspect of the Lost Ten Tribes. The first child is called Jezreel (1:4) whose name means "God will scatter", the second child is called LORUHAMAH (1:6) meaning "Not have mercy" since God will not have mercy on Israel, the third child is called "LOAMMI: meaning "Not my people" (1:9) for God says to the Northern Israelites: "FOR YE ARE NOT MY PEOPLE, AND I WILL NOT BE YOUR GOD". Later reconciliation takes place between God and the Ten Tribes.

" the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God." (Hosea 1:10)

Hosea says that the children of Israel will be as the Sand of the sea and that they would be called by God "My People".

Vast Numbers:

Genesis 13;14-16: "And the LORD said unto Abram ...

"And I will make your seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall your seed also be numbered.

In Genesis 15: 5: " And he took him outside, and said, Look now, and tell the stars, if you are able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall your seed be".

Hosea in speaking of the woman he married, who represents the Exiled Northern Israelites, says:

"For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal." (Hosea 2:8)

"For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name." (Hosea 2:17)

Hosea says that Exiled Israel would be extremely rich and give their riches to Baal. This shows that they would receive their riches while still in their places of Exile.

The exiles will have possessed great material prosperity: corn, wine, oil, multiplied silver and gold.

The Celts in Britain (if not elsewhere also) worshipped "Bel" which is an alternate Middle Eastern form for "Baal." Most people of British stock have some Celtic ancestry.

The Prophet Hosea as we mentioned already says that Ephraim (representing the Ten Tribes) will be in the West:

"They shall walk after the LORD: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west." (Hosea 11:10)

In the Aramaic translation it says that this represents the Exiles returning.

"Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind: he daily increaseth lies and desolation; and they do make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried into Egypt." (Hosea 12:1)

Ephraim is here described as following an east wind. An east one blows towards the west. We have described in our book "Ephraim" how early Arab tradition said that the brother of Hod (meaning in their terminology) the Lost Ten Tribes had been blown away by a west wind because of their sins. They had gone (said the legend) to the Holy Islands in the west. This tradition was originally derived from early Jewish sources.

Hosea also describes Ephraim as a deceitful merchant.

"He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress." (Hosea 12:7)

"And Ephraim said, Yet I am become rich, I have found me out substance: in all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin." (Hosea 12:8)

The French described the British as Perfidious Albion. Napoleon said the English were a nation of shopkeepers. Hosea says the same. Hosea says that Ephraim is in the west and is a deceitful merchant. Isaiah 42:10 described the LTTs as sea-goers living in Islands and in the Ends of the Earth:

"Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof." (Isaiah 42:10)

Amos says that everything that would happen to Israel in the Last Days was revealed to the Prophets:

"Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7)

Amos speaks of the Exile of the northern tribes of Israel.

"Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord GOD, the God of hosts, That in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him I will also visit the altars of Bethel: and the horns of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground. And I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the LORD." (Amos 3:13-15)

"AND THE HOUSES OF IVORY": Archaeologists have discovered in the excavations of Samaria in Northern Israel evidence that local Israelite craftsmen from Samaria produced ivory carvings of a very high standard.

"Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink." (Amos 4:1)

"Samaria" means northern Israel where the Ten Tribes were. BASHAN was east of the Jordan in present-day Syria but it once was part of the northern kingdom of Israel. Bashan was also known as "Basilia". The name "Basilia" was later applied to Scandinavia. Scandinavia was later settled by the Goths from Gad together with other Israelites. The Tribe of Gad in Biblical times together with the half-tribe of Menasseh and Reuben had once dwelt in Bashan, or in "Basilia".

"The Lord GOD hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks." (Amos 4:2)

That is how it is translated in the King James BUT The word translated as "HOOKS" in Hebrew is "Tzinot" meaning fleets of ships or "great ships" and the word translated as FISHHOOKS in Hebrew is "Sirot-dugah" meaning "fishing-boats".

Amos is saying that part of the Israelites will be taken away in fleets of ships and in fishing boats.

"And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her; and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the LORD." (Amos 4:3)

The word translated as "INTO THE PALACE": "Harmonah" in Hebrew meaning to the Mountains of Mannae which was in Armenia. This is how it is explained in the Aramaic (Talmudically-affirmed) translation of Yehonathan.

Amos therefore says that part of the exiles will be taken overseas and another part taken to the region of Armenia.

In Isaiah 11:11 he speaks of different places of exile:

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea." (Isaiah 11:11)

"Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations." (Isaiah 9:1)

This verse can also be rendered as saying: "For the oppression will not be lightened; It will be more burdensome than the relatively easier exile that the Land of Zebulon and the Land of Naphtali experienced. The last exile WILL BE more burdensome. It will be by WAY OF THE SEA, across the Jordan, the highlands of the nations."

However you translate this verse it is definitely linking a portion of the Exile to the Way of the Sea.

We know that not only did the Assyrians conquer northern Israel but they also conquered the Phoenicians and Philistines. The Assyrians used the sea-going facilities and the ships of the Phoenicians and Philistines to transport Israelites overseas.

Amos 1:6 speaks of the Philistines in Gaza assisting in exiling the Israelites:

"Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they carried away captive the whole captivity, to deliver them up to Edom:" (Amos 1:6)

Amos also says something similar about the Phoenicians whose major city was Tyre:

"Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Tyrus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant:" (Amos 1:9)

Edom in the north was linked with Assyria.

Tyre was the major Phoenician city. The destruction of Ephraim is also linked with Tyre in Hosea.

"Ephraim, as I saw Tyrus, is planted in a pleasant place: but Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the murderer." (Hosea 9:13)

We see from these verses that part of the Israelites was to be exiled by way of the sea and that the Phoenicians were to participate in this exile. Archaeological and historical evidence shows that just after the Israelites were exiled there appeared in the south and southeast of Spain, in the region of Tarshish, a new settlement of people. These people had an Israelite-Phoenician type of culture and they had Hebrew tribal names such as Menasseh. After about 200 years, from the south of Spain these people moved to the northwest of Spain. Then they moved northward into France (Gaul) and overseas to Ireland and Britain. They called themselves Hiberi that means Hebrews. Irish and British legends and customs prove that these people were of Israelite descent.

The Prophets also spoke of the Israelites being exiled overland, to areas in the north. Amos said they would go to Armenia.

" … king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes." (2 Kings 17:6)

"And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day." (1 Chronicles 5:26)

All the places of exile mentioned were on the northern edges of the Assyrian Empire. The Israelites in their places of Exile became identified with the Cimmerians, Scythians, and Goths. They moved to the north and later in several stages they moved into Western Europe. A small portion of these people stayed behind in southern Russia and became known as the Khazars. Part of the Khazars later moved to Scotland where they became known as the Picts whereas another part stayed in southern Russia and founded a mighty kingdom of their own. They later converted to Judaism and, we assume, became part of the Jewish people.

From the above verses, we see how the Prophets also described historical events that assist us in identifying the Israelites in their places of exile.

OBADIAH The Prophet Obadiah speaks of Esau who is also called Edom. Esau was the brother of Jacob. The Book of Obadiah condemns Esau for betraying his brother Israel.

Obadiah says that in the Last Days:

"And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it." (Obadiah 1:18)

He says that the House of Joseph shall destroy the House of Esau. Rabbinical sources (Megilla 6) identified Esau with Rome and with Germany and sometimes with Europe in general. The Talmud says that only Joseph is capable of defeating Esau (Talmud, Baba Batra 123;b). The sources do not say that all the Germans are from Esau. The same sources also say that the Germans are descended from Canaanites, from Gomer, from Togarmah, from Ashkenaz, and so on. There was a tradition however that the ruling elements of Rome and Germany were descended from Esau. We must look for a nation that has proven itself capable of defeating Germany and Europe in general and this is what Britain and the USA did do in the Second World War.

"And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south." (Obadiah 1:20)

The words translated as "AND THE CAPTIVITY OF THIS HOST" can also be translated from the Hebrew as meaning: "This first Exile". The first Exile of Israelites was the Exile of the Ten Tribes by the Assyrians.

The great Commentator Rashi (Rabbi Solomon ben Isaac, 10401105, Champagne, France): explains this verse as referring to (in his own words):

<<The first exile of the children of Israel who were exiled from the Ten Tribes to the land of Canaanites unto Zarephath...The commentators say that Zarephath means the Kingdom called "France" in common language.>> So says Rashi.

Rashi identifies Zarephath with France. He says the Ten Tribes went there.

Nachmanides also said that " the house of Joseph refers to the Ten Tribes", that they went to Zarephath, and were still there in his time, in the farthest north. Nachmanides lived in Spain in the 1200s.

Ramban (Nachmanides, Rabbi Mosheh ben Nachman, 1194-1270, Spain; from "The Book of Redemption", chapter 1.):

The Commentator Abarbanel who lived in Spain in the 1400s (1437-1508) said that by Zarephath the intention was to both France and the Isle of England. We see here that the Commentators understood the Bible to say that the Lost Ten Tribes were in Western Europe.

JONAH

The Book of Jonah tells how God told Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and tell the people there to repent. If they did not repent they would be destroyed. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. Assyria was the enemy of Israel. Jonah did not want the Assyrians to repent and avoid destruction. Jonah tried to run away. He went aboard a foreign ship sailing to Tarshish in the west. A storm in the sea blew up. It looked like the ship would be sunk. The sailors could tell that the storm was supernatural so they took lots and decided that it was because of Jonah.

"And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land." (Jonah 1:7-9)

He said: <<I AM AN HEBREW; AND I FEAR THE LORD>>

Jonah called himself a Hebrew.

Jonah was a Hebrew going to Tarshish in Spain. The exiled Israelites were also called Hebrews. They were destined to move from Tarshish in Spain into France, Ireland, and the British Isles. The Celtic inhabitants of Britain called themselves Hiberi, or Iberni, or Hiberni. These are all forms of the same word meaning Hebrew. They called themselves Hebrews.

"Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD." (Amos 9:8)

Amos refers to the Exiled Israelites as "THE HOUSE OF JACOB". AS we mentioned, Isaiah called them "Tribes of Jacob". The Name Jacob is also found in the name for the flag of Britain, which is called "The Union Jack". "Jack" is short for Jacob. The name Jacob is also found in the term "Yank". "Yank in Yiddish and dialectical Hebrew could be considered a form of the name Jacob. A "Yank" is a slang term for someone from the USA.

Jeremiah also speaks frequently about the Lost Ten Tribes in Exile.

"I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God." (Jeremiah 31:18)

Jeremiah calls Ephraim a "bullock" meaning a young bull. England is nicknamed "John Bull". "John Bull" is a nickname for England. In Hebrew the word used by Jeremiah for "young bull" is "aegel". The Commentator Rashi says that young bull or "aegel" in Hebrew was a nickname for Ephraim. England received its name from the Angles. The Angles and Saxons conquered England from the Celts. England means "Angle-land." In Ancient times another form of the name Angle on the Continent of Europe was Aegel which means young bull in Hebrew. England is named after the Aegles whose name in Hebrew means Young Bull which was a nickname for Ephraim.

The whole of chapter 31 in Jeremiah is talking about the Lost Ten Tribes:

"Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD. Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps: set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities." (Jeremiah 31:20-21)

In these verses God is calling upon Ephraim (the Lost Ten Tribes) to repent. They are told to set up high heaps and way marks so that they may remember where they came from and how to get back to the cities in Israel they came out of. The words in Hebrew (as explained by the Radak in the 1200s; Rabbi David Kimchi, 1157-1236) of Narbonne, France ) for high heaps and waymarks (Tzionim, tamrurim) actually mean stone monuments such as dolmens. Dolmens are a type of stone monument used in ancient times. They are found in the land of Israel and in Spain, France, Britain, Ireland, Holland, Denmark, and Sweden. The dolmens describe a migrating path of people from the Land of Israel to the west. Jeremiah predicted that they would set up this path and by tracing this path we can prove that the Israelites went to the north and west, as the Prophets said they would.

The paths of the stone monuments show us how the Lost Ten Tribes left their land and where they went. Jeremiah the Prophet transmits the command of God telling us to take heed of the paths we went in, the monuments we set up, and the way leading back to the cities of our forefathers in the Land of Israel.

End Part Two.
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