The 12 Tribes of Israel in History and Prophecy

by David Treybig

Who were the 12 tribes of Israel, and why are they so important in
biblical history and prophecy? What do you need to know about the
12 tribes?

"...the seed shall be prosperous..."

The Bible lists 12 sons of the patriarch Israel who each became the father of a tribe of
the ancient nation of Israel. Here is a list of the 12 tribes of Israel from Genesis49:

Reuben.

Simeon.

Levi (this priestly tribe did not receive a territory, and sometimes is not listed when
the tribe of Joseph is listed as two separate tribes).

Judah.

Zebulun.

Issachar.

Dan.

Gad.

Asher.

Naphtali.

Joseph (often listed as two tribes named for his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh).

Benjamin.

Lets look at what the Bible tells us about the history and the future of the 12 tribes of
Israel.

Promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

God promised Abraham that his descendants would be numerous (Genesis
13:16; 17:2; 22:17) and that his descendants would eventually constitute many
nations (Genesis 17:4-5). He also promised Abraham that his descendants would
possess the gate of their enemies (Genesis 22:17) and be blessed mightily by God
(verses 16-18).
God also said that his descendants would be identified throughout history by the name of
Abrahams son, Isaac (Genesis 21:12). The blessings given to Abraham and Isaac were
called the birthright blessings because they were passed on to successive
generations as a right of their birth.
The birthright blessings given to Abraham were passed on to Isaac, who married
Rebekah. Millions of people would descend from Isaac and Rebekah over time. In fact,
they would number in the billionsthroughout the generations of humanity on the earth.
The blessing of numerous descendants who would possess the gates of their enemies
was a continuation of the blessing God had promised Abraham that He would fulfill in
Isaac (Genesis 17:17-19, 21). However, Abraham had a previous son, Ishmael, by Hagar,
and Ishmaels descendants were also prophesied to become numerous and constitute a
great nation that would feature twelve princes (verse 20).
The great nation of Ishmaels descendants today is the Arab world. The Arabs know
that they are descended from Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar.
If the descendants of Ishmael constitute the Arabs, the peoples who make up most of the
nations in the modern Middle East, then which nations descended from Isaac? If the Bible
is true, Isaacs descendants should constitute nations more numerous, prosperous and
powerful than the Arabs. The Bible is Gods truth (John 17:17)! Obviously, Isaacs
descendants in the modern world must consist of far more than just the Jews. Genesis
24:60 prophesied that Isaacs descendants would number in the multiple millions over
time.
Isaac passed his birthright blessings on to his son, Jacob, even though the oldest son,
Esau, would normally have received them. Genesis 25:30-34 informs us that Esau sold
his birthright to Jacob for some red stew. Then when their father, Isaac, officially passed
on the birthright, Jacob deceived his father into believing he was his brother. In essence,
Jacob stole the birthright through deception (Genesis 27).

One of the blessings Jacob received from Isaac was that other nations would bow down
to the nations that would descend from Jacob (Genesis 27:29). Clearly, for this prophecy
to be fulfilled, Jacobs descendants would have to become great nations and empires.
This same blessing also promised that God would bless the nations that blessed Jacobs
descendants and would curse the nations that cursed Jacobs descendants.
God reiterated Abrahams blessings to Jacob in Genesis 28:10-15 by saying Jacobs
descendants would be as numerous as the dust of the earth and they would eventually
spread to all four corners of the earth from the region of the Promised Land. Jacobs
name was later changed to Israel (Genesis 32:28), and he had 12 sons who became
the 12 tribes of Israel.

The 12 tribes of Israel established

Before Jacob (Israel) died, he passed on the birthright blessings to his grandsons, who
were named Ephraim and Manasseh. Israel gave prophetic blessings that were to be
fulfilled in a time called the last days to all 12 of his sons (Genesis 49:1).
In Genesis 48:16, Israel blessed both Ephraim and Manasseh simultaneously with the
words let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. Israel decreed that his own
name, Israel, and the name of his own father, Isaac, would be placed upon the
descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh, the two sons of Joseph, who were to each
become a distinct tribe among Israels sons (Genesis 48:5). In doing this, Israel was
giving Joseph a double portion among the 12 tribes of Israel.
Israel foretold in Genesis 48:19 that while the descendants of Manasseh would become a
great people (or nation), the descendants of Ephraim would become a multitude of
nations. Since Joseph was expanded into two tribes, this meant that there would now be
13 tribes of Israel, although they were often still known as the 12 tribes of Israel
because the priestly tribe, the Levites, did not receive a territorial inheritance in the
Promised Land.
In the blessings recorded in Genesis 49, Israel gave prophecies for each of the tribes
named after his 12 sons. The 12 sons of Israel are Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulon,
Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph and Benjamin. The tribe most recognized by
modern readers is Judah. Judahs descendants have long been called Jews. However,
Judah is just one of the sons of Israel. The vast majority of Israels descendants came
from the other sons who were not called Jews.

The rise and fall of the 12 tribes of Israel

When the 12 tribes of Israel entered the Promised Land, they eventually formed the
nation of Israel under David and Solomon. Soon after Solomons death, this empire was
torn apart by a great civil war. The northern 10 tribes formed the kingdom of Israel, while
the southern two tribes, Judah and Benjamin (joined by the priestly tribe of Levi), formed
the southern kingdom of Judah. The northern kingdom of Israel was called Israel
because it was led by the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh who bore the name of Israel
(Genesis 48:16). The southern kingdom was led by the tribe of Judah.

The kingdoms of Israel and Judah became enemies and often fought bloody wars.
Though they have not reunited, they are prophesied to do so in the future. See Israel
and Judah: When Will They Be Reunited?
The northern kingdom of Israel went into captivity in 722 B.C. because of sin and
rebellion toward God. Judah was taken into captivity by the Babylonians between 604
and 586 B.C.
Just before the fall of Israel, the prophet Amos noted that the northern 10 tribes were
known by the name house of Isaac (Amos 7:16)just as the prophecies of Genesis
21:12 and 48:16 had predicted. The name of Isaac followed the 10 tribes wherever
they went in their exile and later migrations.
In Jeremiah 51:5, we find a prophecy, given over a century after the 10 tribes went into
captivity, that they would not be forsaken by God. Though sometimes called the 10 Lost
Tribes of Israel, these peoples are not lost to God or to students of the Bible who
understand how to trace their history. To understand who some of these peoples are
today, see 12 Tribes of Israel Today: Who Are They? and Who Are the United States
and Britain in Prophecy?

Modern significance of the 12 tribes of Israel

The 12 tribes of Israel eventually grew into great nations and empires just as God had
predicted. Identifying these nations today helps us understand what will occur before
Christs return.
Some people mistakenly think that, since the establishment of the New Testament
Church, the identities of these people no longer serve any purpose. The truth is that God
has many more plans for the peoples who have descended from the 12 tribes of Israel
after Christ returns. For additional information, be sure to read the related articles on this
site.
12 Tribes of Israel Today: Who Are They?

by David Treybig
God made many promises to Abraham and his descendants, but many of his descendants disappeared from
history. Where are the 12 tribes of Israel today?

The famous Black Obelisk in the British Museum includes a pictorial etching of King Jehu
of Israel paying tribute to King Shalmaneser of Assyria. After the Assyrian captivity,
where are the 12 tribes of Israel today?
When God called Abraham, He promised him that because of his obedience, his
descendants would become a great nation and that in him all nations of the earth would
be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3). The physical blessings God gave Abraham would continue
through his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob, also called Israel, whose 12 sons were the
progenitors of the 12 tribes of Israel. There was also a spiritual promise that all nations
would be blessed through Jesus Christ, who was a descendant of Abraham (Matthew 1:116; Luke 3:23-34).
Many have wondered where some of the peoples who came from Abraham went. Who
are the 12 tribes of Israel today? Although the Bible does not specifically name the
modern nations representing all of these people, there is biblical, historical and
archaeological evidence that make it possible for us to positively identify the United
States, Britain and many of the nations of Western Europe as the nations where
descendants of the 12 tribes of Israel largely reside today. While this historical
knowledge is not critical for salvation, it does help one understand end-time prophecy.
Two kingdoms

After they spent time as slaves in Egypt, God delivered Abrahams descendants and
allowed them to form the ancient nation of Israel. Over time, 10 of the tribes formed the
northern kingdom of Israel and two of the tribes formed the southern kingdom of Judah.
Due to their breaking of His laws, God allowed the northern kingdom to be taken captive
by the Assyrians and, later, the southern kingdom to be taken by the Babylonians.
After 70 years, many of the captives of Judah returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the city.
Because of this and their renewed diligence in keeping Gods Sabbath, their history

continued. However, the northern 10 tribes largely disappeared from history. As a result,
they are sometimes referred to as the lost 10 tribes of Israel. But while their nation
disappeared, the descendants of these people continued to exist.
Israel to be sifted among the nations

In fact, God had promised that even though He would punish the people of ancient Israel
for their sins, He would not completely destroy them. Instead, God said He would
preserve them as He scattered them among the nations.
Speaking through the prophet Amos, God said: Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are on
the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth; yet I will not utterly
destroy the house of Jacob, says the LORD. For surely I will command, and will sift the
house of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a sieve; yet not the smallest grain
shall fall to the ground (Amos 9:8-9).
Gods faithfulness in blessing the descendants of the ancient Israelites will continue after
Christs return and the establishment of the Kingdom of God here on earth. As Jesus
explained to His apostles: Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son
of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28). Even New Jerusalem will
have 12 gates named after the 12 tribes of Israel (Revelation 21:12).
Josephus, a Jewish historian of the first century, stated that the entire body of the
people of Israel remained in that country [Media]; wherefore there are but two tribes
[Judah and Benjamin] in Asia and Europe subject to the Romans, while the ten tribes are
beyond Euphrates till now, and are an immense multitude, and not to be estimated by
numbers (Antiquities of the Jews, 11.5.2, Complete Works of Flavius Josephus, combined
translations of William Whiston, 1867, and the Standard Edition, 1960).
The introduction to the book of James says, To the twelve tribes which are scattered
abroad, which confirms that some in the early New Testament Church knew where at
least some of the descendants of the 12 tribes of Israel were located.
Following the clues

To follow the history of the 12 tribes of Israel after the fall of their nation to the Assyrians
in 721 B.C., we must recognize the path of their deportation and identify them by the
names given them by their conquerors. Various websites and books have a great deal of
information connecting the 12 tribes of Israel to the nations of Western Europe and the
United States today, and it would be impossible to cover all this material in this answer.
But here is some of the documentation.
When the Assyrians conquered Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom, they
transported many of the Israelites to Assyria, and placed them in Halah and by the
Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes (2 Kings 17:6). Shortly after

the Israelites came into these lands, scholars note the appearance of peoples in this area
called Cimmerians and Scythians. The Assyrians also called them Khumri, Ghomri, Gimiri
(derivatives of King Omri of Israel) and Iskuza (derivative of Isaac).
The famous Black Obelisk in the British Museum includes a pictorial etching of King Jehu
of Israel bowing and paying tribute to King Shalmaneser of Assyria. The text speaks of
Jehu, son (really a successor) of Omri, giving the Assyrian king silver, gold, a golden
bowl, a golden vase, golden tumblers, golden buckets, tin, a staff and spears. This was
the time during which Israel paid tribute to Assyria as a vassal nation prior to rebelling
and being destroyed by Assyria.
Historian Tamara Rice writes: The Scythians did not become a recognizable national
entity much before the eighth century B.C. ... By the seventh century B.C. they had
established themselves firmly in southern Russia. ... And analogous tribes, possibly even
related clans, though politically entirely distinct and independent, were also centred on
the Altai [Mountains of southern Russia and Mongolia]. ... Assyrian documents place their
appearance there in the time of King Sargon (722-705 B.C.), a date which closely
corresponds with that of the establishment of the first group of Scythians in southern
Russia (The Scythians, 1961, pp. 19-20, 44).
Boris Piotrovsky in his book From the Lands of the Scythians notes, Two groups,
Cimmerians and Scythians, seem to be referred to in Urartean and Assyrian texts, but it
is not always clear whether the terms indicate two distinct peoples or simply mounted
nomads. ... Beginning in the second half of the eighth century B.C., Assyrian sources
refer to nomads identified as the Cimmerians; other Assyrian sources say these people
were present in the land of the Mannai and in Cappadocia for a hundred years, and
record their advances into Asia Minor and Egypt.
The Assyrians used Cimmerians in their army as mercenaries; a legal document of 679
B.C. refers to an Assyrian commander of the Cimmerian regiment; but in other Assyrian
documents they are calledthe seed of runaways who know neither vows to the gods nor
oaths (1975, pp. 15, 18).
The Bible likewise indicates that the ancient Israelites would eventually migrate in a
northwesterly direction away from Jerusalem. According to a prophecy yet to be fulfilled,
Gods Servant will restore the preserved ones of Israel (Isaiah 49:6), and these peoples
will come from the north and the west back to Jerusalem (verse 12).While it is certainly
clear that displaced Israelites were among these peoples, we should also note that not
all Scythians or Cimmerians were Israelites. Scythian does not necessarily refer to a
specific ethnic group. But it did include Israelites, who later moved in a northwesterly
direction into Europe following their collapse as a nation.
Historians link the Cimmerians with the Gauls or Celts of northwest Europe

Historian Samuel Lysons linked some of the people who populated northwest Europe with
these Cimmerians. As he put it, the Cimmerians seemed to be the same people with the

Gauls or Celts under a different name (Our British Ancestors: Who and What Were
They? 1865, p. 23).
English historian and scholar George Rawlinson wrote: We have reasonable grounds for
regarding the Gimirri, or Cimmerians, who first appeared on the confines of Assyria and
Media in the seventh century B.C., and the Sacae of the Behistun Rock, nearly two
centuries later, as identical with the Beth-Khumree of Samaria, or the Ten Tribes of the
House of Israel (noted in his translation of History of Herodotus, Book VII, p. 378).
Danish linguistic scholar Anne Kristensen concurs, stating: There is scarcely reason, any
longer, to doubt the exciting and verily astonishing assertion propounded by the
students of the Ten Tribes that the Israelites deported from Bit Humria, of the House of
Omri, are identical with the Gimirraja of the Assyrian sources. Everything indicates that
Israelite deportees did not vanish from the picture but that, abroad, under new
conditions, they continued to leave their mark on history (Who Were the Cimmerians,
and Where Did They Come From? Sargon II, the Cimmerians, and Rusa I, translated from
the Danish by Jrgen Lsse, The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, No.
57, 1988, pp. 126-127).
The Bible likewise indicates that the ancient Israelites would eventually migrate in a
northwesterly direction away from Jerusalem. According to a prophecy yet to be fulfilled,
Gods Servant will restore the preserved ones of Israel (Isaiah 49:6), and these peoples
will come from the north and the west back to Jerusalem (verse 12).

Archaeological evidence

In addition to historical evidence, Scythian burial grounds have indicated a connection

between these peoples and those of Nordic ancestry. For many years, scholars believed
the Scythians were Mongols because groups of these nomadic people moved east, but
the discovery of art and even a frozen corpse of a Scythian warrior indicate otherwise.
In July 2006 in the Altai Mountains of Mongolia near China and Russia, scientists made a
rare find. German scientists who were part of the discovery team reported that the
extremely well-preserved mummy of a Scythian warrior was that of a 30-to-40 year-old
man with blond hair (Ancient Mummy Found in Mongolia, Spiegel Online International,
Aug. 25, 2006). Blond hair, of course, is a characteristic of Europeans not Mongols.
Prior to the discovery of this mummy, art obtained from numerous Scythian burial
grounds had likewise indicated that these peoples were related to Europeans rather than
Mongols. Because Scythian chiefs were buried with all their collected wealth, including
wives, horses and art, detailed images of Scythians, their clothes and weapons have
been uncovered. These discoveries depict their men with long, flowing locks, facial hair
and Caucasian features.

In conclusion, biblical, historical and archaeological evidence indicates that descendants

of the so-called 10 lost tribes of ancient Israel migrated to northwestern Europe. It is
more commonly understood that many peoples from these nations also settled in the
United States. For the above noted reasons, we believe that the peoples who settled in
northwestern Europe and the United Statesare largely the descendants of the 12 tribes
of Israel today.

The 12 Tribes of Israel

Throughout the early chapters of Genesis, God deals with mankind through individuals. He created Adam,
He walked with Enoch , He saved Noah, and He called Abraham.
In the case of Abraham, God had taken one man, uprooted him from home and family, moved him
hundreds of miles away into a foreign and dangerous land, and established him in the land of Canaan.

The death of Abraham in Genesis 25:8 signaled a change in the course of direction God would take with
His people.
The Bible next turns to Abraham's son, Isaac. From Isaac comes Jacob. Jacob produces twelve sons, and
the 12 tribes of Israel begin to emerge and take shape. God was moving in stages, and one must keep in
mind the formation of these tribes took place over the course of hundreds of years.
Jacob and Esau : The story of Jacob and Esau has fascinated and puzzled scholars for centuries. The
struggle between Jacob and Esau would later manifest itself in the struggle between their respective
countries; Israel and Edom.
Jacob & The Tribes of Israel : The triumphs and tragedies of Jacob and his son's in Canaan would lay the
foundation for the development of the tribes of Israel. The land of Canaan was new to them, as all but one
of Jacob's sons were born in Haran.
Organization of the Twelve Tribes of Israel : The twelve tribes of Israel fled Egypt in haste. They possessed
no means of settling disputes, maintaining law and order, or set chain of command. God, however, would
use the time in the wilderness to establish an organized and efficient government.
The Tribe of Manasseh: The Tribe of Manasseh was the only of the 12 Tribes of Israel to inherit land on
both sides of the Jordan River. This was a manifestation of the double-portion still being given to
Manasseh, the eldest of Joseph.
The Tribe of Reuben : The tribe of Reuben descended from the firstborn son of Jacob and Leah, Reuben.
As the firstborn son, Reuben played a prominent role in the early accounts. However, his role as a tribe
would diminish significantly as a consequence of transgressions.
The Tribe of Simeon : The tribe of Simeon was descended from the second born son of Jacob and Leah,
Simeon. This tribe dwelt in relative obscurity, and had very little impact on the history of Israel.
The Tribe of Levi : The tribe of Levi was descended from Levi, the third son of Jacob and Leah. Through an
act of faithfulness in the wilderness, this tribe would become set apart by God.
The Tribe of Judah : The tribe of Judah became one of the most prominent tribes in all of Israel. The
Davidic Dynasty emerged from this tribe, a lineage which culminated in Jesus Christ in the New
Testament.
The Tribe of Dan : The tribe of Dan is perhaps the most enigmatic of the twelve tribes of Israel. The
Danites failed to drive out their Philistine and Canaanite neighbors. As a result, they migrated to another
land, in the northernmost limits of Canaan.
The Tribe of Naphtali : Naphtali was the sixth son of Jacob, and the second produced by Bilhah. Naphtali
was blessed by Jacob on his deathbed. The tribe of Naphtali was a tribe of great warriors, and took part in
some of the Old Testament's most important battles.
The Tribe of Gad : Gad was the seventh son of Jacob and Zilpah, Leah's maiden. Gad became the Marines
of the 12 tribes of Israel. They were fierce, athletic, and skillful on the battle field. They played lead roles

in the conquest of Sihon and Og, then led the Israelites across the Jordan to Jericho and beyond.
The Tribe of Asher : The tribe of Asher proved to be a tribe of contradictions and vagaries. Influenced by
the pagan religion of Phoenicia and chastised by Deborah, the tribe also came to the aid of Gideon, and
supplied king David with one-third of his army in Hebron.

The Tribe of Issachar : The tribe of Issachar earned a reputation as a tribe of students of the law. They
were wise men, well respected. Scripture calls them princes. However, the infamous King Baasha and son
were descended from this tribe.
The Tribe of Zebulun : The tenth son of Jacob, Zebulun would prove one faithful throughout much of the
Old Testament. The tribe fought bravely with Deborah and Barak. They were mentioned in conjunction
with Gideon. The tribe took part in a prophecy of Isaiah's which Christ fulfilled.
The Tribe of Ephraim (part 1) : Perhaps no tribe symbolizes man's struggle with God more than the tribe
of Ephraim. At once rebuked, then praised, Ephraim was always under the watchful eye of God. The name
would come to represent the entire northern kingdom of Israel.
The Ephraimites (part 2) : The Ephraimites participated in many of Israel's engagements throughout the
period of the Judges. They played a significant role in both the United and Divided Monarchies.
The Tribe of Benjamin: Of the 12 tribes of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin is one of only two to appear
throughout the entire Bible. They are the only tribe to have belonged to both the north and the south.
The Benjamites (part 2): The tribe of Benjamin played integral roles in a number of events from the
Judges through Ezra. Benjamites such as king Saul and the great prophet Samuel significantly shaped the
history of Israel.
Queen Esther of the Bible: Esther was a descendant of the tribe of Benjamin. The Tribe of Benjamin, thus,
produced not only a king, but also a queen. Esther would rise to become Queen of Persia.

THE 12 TRIBES OF ISRAEL

Modern day scholarship dismisses the notion that the 12 tribes of Israel are divisions of a larger group, the
nation of Israel. They also deny the Biblical account of these tribes all developing naturally, over an
extended period of time, from the patriarchal origins.
Many scholars feel the 12 tribes of Israel were joined together out of a joint historical need, whether the
threat of invasion, famine, or some other happening.
The Habiru formed just out of such circumstances.
Some claim the tribes were formed once they were inside of Canaan, toward the end of the Judges, and
the beginning of Saul's reign. Still others claim the 12 tribes of Israel "may", in fact, have been formed in
some sort of desert wandering. However, Canaan was certainly not conquered simultaneously by these
twelve tribes. This school believes the conquest of Canaan took place over the course of multiple, smaller
infiltrations, rather than one large invasion.
These differing schools of thought, however, cannot agree on when these tribes formed, or, when these
tribes united. They are unable to provide an explanation which accounts for the formation of the 12 tribes
of Israel at their earliest stages. The Torah, on the other hand, provides just that.
The root origin of the 12 tribes of Israel rests in the emphasis placed on genealogical records throughout
all of the Old Testament. Scholars simply dismiss the notion of detailed family records being kept
in ancient Israelwhen assessing the validity of Scripture. The ancient Hebrews /Israelites maintained
family records with excruciating detail. It is within these genealogies the birth of the 12 tribes of Israel
may be found.
The Tribe
The fundamental social and familial unit of the ancient world was the tribe. Tribes of the ancient world
were composed of a number of different elements.
Tribes consisted of families, typically extended families, and individuals not of blood relation. Oftentimes
tribes would intermarry, and thus larger tribes, over years, may absorb lesser tribes.
Tribes were more defined by geographical regions, and territories, than by social position, or blood. Tribes
served to unite diverse families and members of society from all stratas. The tribe was the social,
religious, political, and military backbone of Canaanite society.
Abraham, however, strayed from this tribal pattern. He refused to intermarry and intermingle. He obtained
a wife for Isaac from their own people, maintaining the integrity and purity God demanded.

The Hebrew tribe, thus, was founded upon pure blood relation. It would maintain its own autonomy and
individuality. This distinguished Abraham from his Canaanite neighbors.

However, Abraham also possessed a number of servants, perhaps slaves, and fighting men in his
household. It is more than likely all of these were not of Hebrew descent, and probably some were even
non-Semitic. Thus, in this aspect, the tribe, or household of Abraham was composed of many different
elements as well.
Isaac produces two twin boys; Esau, the oldest, and Jacob, the youngest. It is through the youngest son,
Jacob, and his twelve sons, that the Bible begins to deal with twelve distinct tribes.
The birth of the 12 tribes of Israel begins with the birth of the twelve sons of Jacob: Reuben, Simeon,
Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.
From Joseph would come two tribes, each descended from one of his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.
This will account for much of the inconsistency when dealing with the Biblical lists of the 12 tribes.
The Levites were a particular tribe, set aside for God, thus did not receive any allotment of land, only
cities throughout the whole of the land. In lists of the 12 tribes of Israel which omit Levi, the tribes of
Ephraim and Manasseh are mentioned to keep the number twelve intact.
It quickly becomes evident throughout the Old Testament the 12 tribes of Israel were seldom unified
throughout much of the history of Israel. Though unified under Saul and then David, factions existed
within certain tribes which always fought against common opinion. Intense and deep rivalries existed
between tribes, in some cases leading to civil war.
The situation is much the same today, within the country of Israel. Many divisions exist within the Jewish
people of Israel, indeed throughout much of the Jewish population worldwide. Though these divisions are
real, in times of need, much like the tribes of the Old Testament, the Jewish people rally and unite,
fighting off threat and war.
However, the prophet Ezekiel foresaw a time when such divisions would never exist within God's people.
He spoke of such a time in Ezekiel 37.
"And when the sons of your people speak to you saying, 'Will you not declare to us what you
mean by these?' 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."

Ancient Jewish History:

The Twelve Tribes of Israel

The Tribes of Israel are the traditional

of
the
Twelve
Tribes
divisions of the ancient Jewish people. Map
Biblical tradition holds that the twleve
tribes of Israel are descended from the
sons and grandsons of the Jewish
forefather Jacob and are called "Israel"
from Jacob's name given to him by God.
The
twelve
tribes
are
as
follows: Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Issacha
r, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Ga
d,Asher, Ephraim and Manasseh.
The story of the twelve tribes begins
when Jacob and his family went down
to Egypt as "70 souls" In Egypt "the
Israelites were fertile and prolific; they
multiplied and increased very greatly,"
and
there
they
became
the
"Israelite people." Following the death
of Joseph - one of Jacob's sons who had
become
viceroy
of
Egypt
-Pharoah oppressed the Israelites by
placing upon them burdensome labor.
God
"remembered His
covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and
with Jacob," made Himself known
to Moses and rescued the Israelites from
Egypt. By this time the nation numbered
"600,000 men on foot" which is usually
understood to be military-aged men
excluding women and children.
At Mount Sinai, the Israelite nation is
given its laws and regulations the Torah - and affirms their covenant
with God. After wandering for 40 years
in the desert under the leadership
of Moses, the twelve tribes enter the land of Canaan with Joshua in command.
After conquering the land, each tribe was allotted an individual territory to settle. During this
period of settlement, and the subsequent period of the Judges, there was no predetermined pattern
of leadership among the tribes though various crises forced the tribes into cooperative action
against enemies.
Shiloh served as a sacral center for all the tribes, housing the Ark of the Covenant under the priestly
family of Eli. Under the impact of military pressures, the Israelites felt compelled to turn
toSamuel with the request that he establish a monarchy, and Saul was crowned to rule over all the
tribes of Israel.

Upon his death, Saul's son was accepted by all the tribes as the new king,
save Judah and Simeon who preferred David. David's struggle with the house of Saul ended in
victory for him and all the elders turned to David for royal leadership. He ruled fromHebron and
later Jerusalem over all the tribes of Israel and following his death was succeeded by his
son, Solomon. After the death of Solomon, the tribes once again split along territorial and political
lines, with Judah and Benjamin in the south loyal to the Davidic house and the rest of the tribes in
the north ruled by a succession of dynasties.
Modern scholarship does not generally accept the biblical notion that the twelve tribes are simply
divisions of a larger unit which developed naturally from patriarchal roots. This simplistic scheme,
it is felt, actually stems from later genealogical speculations which attempted to explain the history
of the tribes in terms of familial relationships. The alliance of the twelve tribes is believed to have
grown from the organization of independent tribes, or groups of tribes, forced together for
historical reasons. Scholars differ as to when this union of twelve took place and when the tribes of
Israel became one nation.
One school of thought holds that the confederation took place inside the country toward the end of
the period of the Judges and the beginnings of the Monarchy. All of the traditions which see the
twelve tribes as one nation as early as the enslavement in Egypt or the wanderings in the desert are
regarded as having no basis in fact. This school recognizes in the names of some of the tribes the
names of ancient sites in Canaan, such as the mountains of Naphtali, Ephraim, and Judah, the desert
of Judah, and Gilead. With the passage of time, those who dwelt in these areas assumed the names
of the localities.
Others
feel
that
the
tribes
descended
from
the
matriarch Leah namely Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulunand Issachar - existed at an earlier stage as a
confederation of six tribes whose boundaries in Canaan were contiguous. Only at a later stage did
other tribes penetrate the area, eventually expanding the confederation to twelve.
A second school grants that the union of twelve existed during the period of wanderings in the
desert, but that Canaan was not conquered by an alliance of these at any one time. Rather, there
were individual incursions into the land at widely separated periods. However, the covenant among
the twelve tribes and their awareness of national unity flowing from ethnic kinship and common
history, faith, and sacral practices had their source in the period prior to the conquest of the land.
The number twelve is neither fictitious nor the result of an actual genealogical development in
patriarchal history. It is an institutionalized and conventionalized figure which is found among
other tribes as well, such as the sons of Ishmael, of Nahor, of Joktan, and Esau. Similar
organizational patterns built about groups of twelve, or even six, tribes, are known from Asia
Minor, Greece and Italy. In Greece, such groupings were called amphictyony, meaning "to dwell
about" a central sanctuary. Each tribe was assigned a prearranged turn in the provision and
maintenance of the shrine. The amphictyonic members would make pilgrimages to the common
religious center on festive occasions. The exact measure of correspondence between the
amphictyony of the Hellenic world and the duodecimal structure of the tribes of Israel may be the
subject of scholarly controversy, but there can be little doubt that this pattern of twelve attributed to
the Hebrew tribes is very real and historically rooted. Thus, if one tribe were to withdraw from the
union or to be absorbed into another, the number twelve would be preserved, either by splitting one
of the remaining tribes into two or by accepting a new tribe into the union. For example, when the
tribe of Levi is considered among the twelve tribes, the Joseph tribes are counted as one. However,
when Levi is not mentioned, the Joseph tribes are counted separately asManasseh and Ephraim. For
the same duodecimal considerations, Simeon is counted as a tribe even after having been absorbed

into Judah, and Manasseh even after having split in tw, is considered one.
The confederation of the twelve tribes was primarily religious, based upon belief in the one "God
of Israel" with whom the tribes had made a covenant and whom they worshiped at a common
sacral center as the "people of the Lord." The Tent of Meeting and the Ark of the Covenant were
the most sacred objects of the tribal union and biblical tradition shows that many places served as
religious centers in various periods. During the desert wanderings, "the mountain of God," that is,
Sinai or Horeb, served as such a place, as did the great oasis at Kadesh-Barnea where the tribes
remained for some time and from where the tribes attempted a conquest of the land. Many sites in
Canaan are mentioned as having sacred associations or as being centers of pilgrimage. Some of
these, such as Penuel, where Jacob received the name Israel, Beth-El, where the Arkrested,
and Beer-Sheba, go back to patriarchal times. Jacob built an altar at Shechem and the tribes
gathered there "before the Lord" and made a covenant with Him in Joshua's time. Shiloh enjoyed
special importance as a central site for the tribes. There they gathered under Joshua to divide up the
land by lot, and it was there that they placed the Tent of Meeting and the Ark of the Covenant. Eli's
family, which traced its descent fromAaron, the high priest, served at Shiloh, and it was
to Shiloh that the Israelites turned for festivals and sacrifices.
The multiplicity of cultic places raises the question of whether all twelve tribes were actually
centered about one amphictyonic site. It may be that as a tribe's connections with the amphictyony
were weakened for various reasons, the tribe began to worship at one or another of the sites.
Possibly, different sites served the several subgroups among the tribes. Beer-Sheba and Hebron, for
example, served the southern groups of tribes;Shechem, Shiloh, and Gilgal were revered by the
tribes in the center of the country; and the shrine at Dan served the northern tribes. The likelihood
of a multiplicity of shrines is strengthened by the fact that clusters of Canaanite settlements
separated the southern and central tribes and divided the central tribes from those inGalilee. It is
possible that various shrines served different tribes simultaneously, while the sanctuary which held
the Ark of the Lord was revered as central to all twelve.
The changes which occurred in the structure of the twelve tribes and in their relative strengths, find
expression in the biblical genealogies. The tribes are descended from four matriarchs, eight of them
from the wives Leahand Rachel, and four from the handmaids Bilhah and Zilpah. It is a widely held
view that attribution to the two wives is indicative of an early stage of tribal organization, the
"tribes of Leah" and the "tribes of Rachel." The attribution of four tribes to handmaids may indicate
either a lowered status or late entry into the confederation. In the list of the twelve tribes, Reuben is
prominent as the firstborn, followed by Simeon, Levi, and Judah, the sons of Leah, who occupy
primary positions.
Reuben stood at the head of a tribal league and had a position of central importance among his
confederates prior to the conquest of the land. On the other hand, the same tribe is inactive during
the period of the Judges - it did not provide any of the judges and during Deborah's war
against Sisera, Reuben "sat among the sheepfolds" and did not render any aid. Possibly, because
this tribe dwelt on the fringes of the land, its links with the others were weakened and its continued
existence as one of the tribes of Israel was in jeopardy.
Simeon was absorbed by Judah. Levi spread throughout Israel as a result of its sacral
duties. Judah was cut off from the rest of the tribes by a Canaanite land strip that separated the
mountains of Judah and Ephraim. Reuben's place as head of the twelve tribes was taken by the
house of Joseph which played a decisive and historic role during the periods of the settlement and
the Judges. Joshua came from the tribe of Ephraim. Shechem and Shiloh were within the borders of
the house of Joseph. Samuel came from the hill country of Ephraim. Ephraim led the tribes in the

war against Benjamin over the incident of the concubine in Gibeah. At the beginning of the
Monarchy, the leadership passed to Judah . The passage in I Chronicles 5:12 illustrates well how
the dominant position among the tribes passed from Reuben to Ephraim and from Ephraim to
Judah.
Each of the twelve tribes enjoyed a good deal of autonomy, ordering its own affairs after the
patriarchal-tribal pattern. No doubt there were administrative institutions common to all the tribes,
situated beside the central shrines, though information about them is exceedingly scanty. During
the desert wanderings, leadership of the people was vested in the princes of each of the tribes and
the elders who assisted Moses. They met and legislated for the entire people. There are references
to meetings of tribal leaders and elders during the periods of the settlement and the Judges. "The
princes of the congregation, the heads of the thousands of Israel" along with Phinehas the priest,
conducted negotiations with the Transjordanian tribes, in the name of the entire nation. Joshua
summoned "the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel" to make a covenant in
Shechem. The elders of Israel, speaking for the entire nation, requested Samuel to appoint a king.
The incidents of the concubine in Gibeah and Saul's battle with Nahash the Ammonite are classic
examples of joint action taken by the league of twelve tribes acting "as one man, from Dan even to
Beer-Sheba, with the land of Gilead". In the one case, unified action was taken by the tribes against
one of their members, Benjamin, for a breach of the terms of the covenant. The war against Nahash
the Ammonite proves that the tribes were required to come to the aid of any one of the league that
found itself in difficulty. Because of the sacral nature of the league, the wars of the tribes were
considered "wars of the Lord". Nevertheless, the narratives in the Book of Judges regarding the
battles which Israel waged against its enemies make it clear that the league must have been rather
weak in those days.
The consciousness of national and religious unity had not yet led to a solid politico-military
confederation. The Song of Deborah gives clear expression to the lack of solidarity among
the tribes, for some of them did not come to the aid of the Galilean tribes. It is impossible to
designate even one war against external enemies during the period of the Judges in which all the
tribes acted in concert. Indeed, there are indications of intertribal quarrels and disputes. In this
connection, there are scholars who hold that the judge-deliverers were not pantribal national
leaders, but headed only individual tribes, or groups of them. It was only toward the end of the
period of the Judges when the Philistine pressure on the Israelite tribes increased in the west and
that of the Transjordanian peoples in the east, that the religionational tribal confederation assumed
political and military dimensions. The Israelite tribes then consolidated as a crystallized nationalterritorial entity within the framework of a monarchical regime. David, Solomon, and afterward the
kings of Israel and Judah tended to weaken tribal consciousness in favor of the territorial and
monarchical organization. It is apparent, however, from Ezekiel's eschatological vision that the
awareness of Israel as a people composed of twelve tribes had not, even then, become effaced.

The Tribes of Israel

A Historical Background
Over the years, I have heard a lot of
various
strange,
unscriptural
teachings regarding the
ten northern tribes of Israel, and I
have received many questions about
them. The purpose of this article is to
explain what we know from the
scriptures about the ten northern
tribes. We will begin by studying the
ancient history of the tribes of Israel
as it is chronicled in the Old
Testament. Then we will examine the
Biblical prophecies that God has
given regarding the tribes. Next, we
will discuss some of the more recent
history of Israel over the last one
hundred plus years. Then after we
have reviewed this background
knowledge, we will look at some
common false doctrines that are
sometimes taught regarding the
tribes of Israel.

Map of the Twelve Tribes

Ancient History of the Tribes

To begin, it is helpful to know some
of the ancient history of the tribes of
Israel. Abraham's grandson, Jacob
(Israel) had twelve sons, born in the
years around 1750 BC. Listed in
order of age, they are Reuben,
Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali,
Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun,
Joseph, and Benjamin (Genesis
29:32 - 30:24 and Genesis 35:18).
However, their father, Israel, gave
Joseph a double portion, so that each of his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, became a
tribe rather than just one tribe of Joseph (Genesis 48:5). So that made the total thirteen
tribes, but the tribe of Levi received no contiguous region of land like the other tribes.
Instead, the Levites were given certain cities, including the cities' suburbs, scattered about
the lands of the other tribes (Numbers 35:1-8). Levi was the tribe of the priesthood that
received tithes of the other twelve tribes who each had land. So there are twelve sons of
Jacob, and twelve tribes that had contiguous regions of land, but thirteen tribes overall, if
you are counting Ephraim and Manasseh separately.

After the reign of King Solomon, around 980 BC, the kingdom of Israel split. The ten
northern tribes rebelled against King Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, the son of David, of
the tribe of Judah. It should be noted that one of the ten tribes that rebelled, Simeon, was
actually south of Judah and Benjamin, but more distant from Jerusalem. Judah, along with
Benjamin, were the two southern tribes that remained loyal to Rehoboam, who reigned
from the capital city of Jerusalem. Like Judah, the lands of Benjamin were near
Jerusalem. The ten northern tribes (including Simeon) made Jeroboam, a son of one of
Solomon's servants, their king instead of Rehoboam.
The split of the kingdom of Israel occurred when the new King Rehoboam told Israel that
he would make their burdens heavier, rather that lighter, than his father Solomon had
done. Rehoboam told Israel in 1 Kings 12:14, "... My father made your yoke heavy, and
I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise
you with scorpions." These words provoked rebellion by the northern tribes, but 1 Kings
12:15 tells us that "... the cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his saying,
which the LORD spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam ...." This was as prophesied
near the end of Solomon's reign, in 1 Kings 11:31, when the prophet Ahijah said to
Jeroboam, "... thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom
out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee (Jeroboam) ...." In 1 Kings
11:33 the prophet gives God's reason, "Because that they have forsaken me, and have
worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites,
and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that
which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David
his (Solomon's) father." Then in 1 Kings 11:34-35 we see that the split would actually
occur during Rehoboam's reign, not during Solomon's lifetime. "Howbeit I will not take the
whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him (Solomon) prince all the days of his
life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments
and my statutes: But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand (Rehoboam's hand),
and will give it unto thee (Jeroboam), even ten tribes." So, the ten tribes were not
removed from the royal line of David and Solomon until after Solomon had died.
Once the split occurred, it was maintained and deepened by the wicked actions of
Jeroboam in 1 Kings 12:26-31, who set up false gods to be worshipped by the northern
tribes. "... Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of
David: If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem,
then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam
king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is
too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought
thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in
Dan. And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even
unto Dan. And he made a house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the
people, which were not of the sons of Levi." The term "Israel" usually refers to the
entire nation, all of the tribes, but sometimes in the Old Testament, it refers just to the
northern kingdom of ten tribes, as is the case in the passage above. The ten are Reuben,
Simeon, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Ephraim, and Manasseh.
The southern tribes were Judah and Benjamin. Since Judah was the larger tribe, and the
line of kings came through them, the southern kingdom became known as the kingdom of

Judah. Since the temple was in Jerusalem in the south, much of the priestly tribe of Levi
remained in the south. It should be noted that since Ephraim was the largest of the tribes
in the north, God sometimes refers to the northern kingdom as "Ephraim". The two split
kingdoms never reunited, and occasionally even warred against one another. They will not
reunite until Jesus Christ returns.
One such war took place sometime around 730 BC, when 2 Kings 16:5 says, "Then Rezin
king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war:
and they besieged Ahaz (king of Judah) ...." So we see this strange alliance of Syria and
Israel against Judah. But the alliances get even stranger. For we see in 2 Kings 16:7-8,
"So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant
and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of
the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me. And Ahaz took the silver and
gold that was found in the house of the LORD (the temple), and in the treasures of the
king's house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria." Now one might think that if
there were alliances, it would have been between Judah and Israel against Syria and
Assyria. But no, this is Judah and Assyria against Israel and Syria. "And the king of
Assyria hearkened unto him: for the king of Assyria went up against
Damascus (Syria's capital), and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and
slew Rezin ..." (2 Kings 16:9). So Assyria was persuaded by the lavish gifts and kind
words and came to the aid of Judah. From 2 Kings 16:1-9 and 2 Kings 17:1-6 it is clear
that this took place no more than about 20 years before Israel was taken captive by
Assyria.
Around 718 BC or so, Judah's King Hezekiah sent letters to the northern kingdom, asking
them to come to Jerusalem to keep the passover feast and worship Jehovah, the God of
Israel, as they had done in the days of old. For the most part, the northern tribes refused
and mocked the idea. But there were exceptions, as recorded in 2 Chronicles 30:11,
"Nevertheless divers of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves, and
came to Jerusalem. In 2 Chronicles 30:18, many of Ephraim and Issachar, are also
mentioned as having participated.
But just a few years later, in about 712 BC, the Assyrians invaded the northern kingdom
and took the ten tribes captive (2 Kings 17:6). Some might wonder why Assyria did not
take the southern kingdom (Judah) captive as well. Of course, it was because it was not
the Lord's will at that time, and the Lord works these things after His own will. But God
often uses the men, and their motivations, to accomplish His will. One factor may have
been that Hezekiah, the king of Judah at the time Israel was taken captive, was a good
king who, "... did that which was right in the sight of the Lord ..." (2 Kings 18:3). Also,
perhaps Assyria refrained from attacking Judah, remembering their alliance with King
Hezekiah's wicked father, King Ahaz, a few years earlier.
In about 606 BC, the Babylonians invaded the southern kingdom and took the tribes of the
kingdom of Judah captive. After the Babylonian kingdom fell to the Medes and Persians
seventy years later, the tribes of the former kingdom of Judah were permitted to return to
the land of Israel. But only a small percentage of the Jews, less than 50,000, chose to
return (Ezra 2:64), with the majority choosing to remain in Babylonia. Although the Jews
were now free once again, the kingdom of Judah was not reestablished when they
returned to the land of Israel. They remained under the rule of the Medes and Persians.
Later the Jews would be ruled by the Macedonians (often referred to as the Greek

Empire) who conquered the Medes and Persians. Still later, the Jews would be ruled by
the Romans who conquered the Macedonians. The Romans were in control at the time of
Christ's earthly ministry.
In the portion of scripture referred to as the New Testament, the tribes of various
individuals are not mentioned very often. But on occasion, the tribes are given. For
example, Jesus Christ and His earthly parents, Joseph and Mary, were all from the tribe
of Judah (Matthew 1 and Luke 3). The apostle Paul was from the tribe
of Benjamin (Philippians 3:5). Barnabas was from the tribe of Levi (Acts 4:36).
After the ten northern tribes were taken captive by the Assyrians in 712 BC, the record of
what became of them is not as clear as it is for the southern tribes. There is no specific
scriptural record of the ten northern tribes being released to return to their homeland. But
the Bible does tell us where some of those from the northern tribes wound up.
Some individuals and families rejoined tribes of the south. We see evidence of this
shortly after the birth of Jesus, where Luke 2:36 says,"... there was one Anna, a
prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age ...." So
Anna was of the tribe of Asher, one of the ten northern tribes. Yet there she was, in
Jerusalem, more than 700 years after the Assyrian invasion.
Others returned to their homeland in Samaria. In John 4:20, a woman of Samaria said
to Jesus, "Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is
the place where men ought to worship. The Samaritans were descendants of the
northern tribes of Israel. Later in the chapter, the woman told the Samaritans of her city
about Jesus, "And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of
the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were
come unto him, they besought him that he would carry with them: and he abode there two
days ..." (John 4:39-40). Also, we see from Acts 2 and from Paul's journeys that Jews had
been scattered all over the Roman Empire and beyond. Paul found a Jewish synagogue in
almost every new country and city to which he traveled.
Just a few years later in 70 AD, the Roman Empire destroyed Jerusalem and the temple,
killing more than one million Jews in the process (Flavius Josephus, Wars of the Jews,
6.9.3). This further scattered the remnant of Jews and ended any remaining vestige of
national authority that Israel had.

Future of the Tribes - Biblical Prophecy

Now that we have a basic historical background of the tribes from the scriptures, let us
look at some of the prophecies about the tribes. Some of these prophecies have already
been fulfilled, and some are yet to be fulfilled in the future. Some of the prophecies were
given long before the tribes were scattered. But it is also interesting to note that even well
after the northern tribes had been taken captive by the Assyrians, God still speaks of
specific prophecies concerning those tribes. This shows that God knows where they are
and who they are, whether we do or not. We will be pointing out some of these "post-exile"
prophecies involving the northern tribes as we continue.
God had given prophecies about the scattering and regathering of Israel. In the Old
Testament, God foretold that He would remove the nation of Israel from their land, which
He had given them and would scatter them into all nations, and that Israel would be
greatly persecuted and live in fear.

Deuteronomy 28:63-67 says, "And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over
you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you,
and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to
possess it. And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of
the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou
nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. And among these nations shalt thou
find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee
there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: And thy life shall hang
in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none
assurance of thy life: In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! And at
even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! For the fear of thine heart wherewith
thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see."
Thousands of years of history have proven this to be true. About six million Jews were
killed in Germany by the Nazis. As terrible as that was, it is but one piece of the great
persecution that the Jews have faced from nation to nation over the centuries. Many
times, they have been banished from one country and forced to flee to another. But God
also said that one day He would gather them back to the land of Israel.
Deuteronomy 30:1-3 says, "And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come
upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call
them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, And
shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I
command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;
That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee,
and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath
scattered thee."
Many other Bible passages prophesied Israel's scattering and regathering as well. Hosea
3:4-5 says, "For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and
without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod,
and without seraphim: Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD
their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter
days."
Amos 9:9 says, "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.
Isaiah 11:11-12 says, "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. And he
shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel,
and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth."
Jeremiah 30:3 says, "For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the
captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to
return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it." We know the
context is the future tribulation period because verse 30:7 says "Alas! For that day is
great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved
out of it." Then in verses 10-11 we see, "Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob,
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 ...."
God said in Ezekiel 11:16-17, "... Although I have cast them far off among the heathen,
and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little
sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. Therefore say, thus saith the Lord
GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries
where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel."
Ezekiel 36:22-24 says, "... Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O
house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the
heathen, whither ye went. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among
the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know
that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their
eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all
countries, and will bring you into your own land." So it is not that Israel behaved
righteously among the Gentiles and is being rewarded by being brought back to their land.
No, God will bring them back in spite of their unrighteousness, not for their sakes, but for
His holy name's sake.
The book of Ezekiel was written after 600 BC, more than 100 years after the northern
tribes had been taken captive by Assyria. Never the less, Ezekiel 48 describes a specific
portion of land that will be given to each tribe of Israel.
Ezekiel 48:1-7 says, "Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the
coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazarenan, the border of
Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west; a
portion for Dan. And by the border of Dan, from the east side unto the west side, a
portion for Asher. And by the border of Asher, from the east side even unto the west
side, a portion for Naphtali. And by the border of Naphtali, from the east side unto the
west side, a portion for Manasseh. And by the border of Manasseh, from the east side
unto the west side, a portion for Ephraim. And by the border of Ephraim, from the east
side even unto the west side, a portion for Reuben. And by the border of Reuben, from
the east side unto the west side, a portion for Judah."
Continuing in Ezekiel 48:22-29, "Moreover from the possession of the Levites, and from
the possession of the city, being in the midst of that which is the prince's, between the
border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, shall be for the prince. As for the rest of the
tribes, from the east side unto the west side, Benjamin shall have a portion. And by the
border of Benjamin, from the east side unto the west side, Simeon shall have a portion.
And by the border of Simeon, from the east side unto the west side, Issachar a portion.
And by the border of Issachar, from the east side unto the west side, Zebulun a portion.
And by the border of Zebulun, from the east side unto the west side, Gad a portion. And
by the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar
unto the waters of strife in Kadesh, and to the river toward the great sea. This is the land
which ye shall divide by lot unto the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are
their portions, saith the Lord GOD."
Now think about it. If this were just a parable or symbolic passage, would there be any
point in enumerating every individual tribe? No. If this were just a parable or symbolic

passage, would there be any point in providing a geographic description of the plot of land
given to each individual tribe including the length, width, and location? No. It should be
painfully obvious this is a real, literal, physical, geographic description of the land
given to the real, literal, biological descendants of each of these sons of Israel.
Ezekiel 48:31-34 also specifies a gate to the city of Jerusalem for each tribe. "And the
gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel: three gates
northward; one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi. And at the east
side four thousand and five hundred: and three gates; and one gate of Joseph, one gate
of Benjamin, one gate of Dan. And at the south side four thousand and five hundred
measures: and three gates; one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate
of Zebulun. At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three gates; one
gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali."
These same gates are also mentioned in Revelation 21:12-13, in the middle of the
description of the New Jerusalem after the future 1000-year kingdom. "... had a wall great
and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written
thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the
east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three
gates."
The book of Zechariah was written after Jews return from Babylon, around 500 BC.
Zechariah 9:1 says, "The burden of the word of the LORD in the land of Hadrach, and
Damascus shall be the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel,
shall be toward the LORD." (See also verse 10 and 13, which mentions Ephraim.) In the
next chapter, Zechariah 10:6-7 says, "And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will
save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy
upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the LORD their
God, and will hear them. And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart
shall rejoice as through wine: yea, their children shall see it, and be glad; their heart shall
rejoice in the LORD." Note that this book was written more than two hundred years after
the Assyrians took the northern tribes captive. If those tribes were gone forever, God
would not have been making prophecies about the future of "Joseph" and "Ephraim" and
"all the tribes of Israel".
God also spoke in Zechariah 2:4-8 of the tribes returning from the land of the north and
from Babylon. "... Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude
of men and cattle therein: For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about,
and will be the glory in the midst of her. Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of
the north, saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the
heaven, saith the LORD. Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter
of Babylon. For thus saith the LORD of hosts; after the glory hath he sent me unto
the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye."
Jeremiah 16:14-15 says, "Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it
shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of
the land of Egypt; But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from
the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will
bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers." This prophecy was
given around 600 BC, more than 100 years after the Assyrians to the northern tribes
captive.

Ezekiel 34:12-13 says, "As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among
his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of
all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring
them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them
to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the
inhabited places of the country."
God returning Israel to their land is the subject of Ezekiel's prophecy of the dry bones.
Ezekiel 37:1-2 says, "The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit
of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And
caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open
valley; and, lo, they were very dry."
In Ezekiel 37:5-8, the vision continues to show the bones resurrection with a complete
body, but still with no life. "Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause
breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up
flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye
shall know that I am the LORD. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I
prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together,
bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them,
and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them." This condition of
being resurrected, but still with no breath may be in reference to the way Israel will be
brought back to the land, but for a few years, they will still be without the indwelling Holy
Spirit.
But they receive their breath in Ezekiel 37 verses 9-10, "Then said he unto me, Prophesy
unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So
I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived,
and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army."
Ezekiel 37:11-14 tells of how God would one day bring the people of Israel back to their
land. "Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel:
behold, they say, our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our
parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my
people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and
bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have
opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put
my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall
ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD." Notice how
Israel being forced out of their land is likened to their bones being dried out. But by stark
contrast, Israel being returned to their land is compared to them coming out of their
graves.
This passage is directly followed by another key passage, the sign of the two sticks.
Ezekiel 37:15-17 says, "The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 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." Notice here that we
have all the tribes of Israel, not just the southern kingdom, even though the northern

kingdom had long since been carried away into captivity. We see the southern kingdom on
one stick, the northern kingdom on the other, and the two sticks become one stick.
Then in the following verses, God provides the explanation of this sign. Ezekiel 37:18-22
says, "And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not
shew us what thou meanest by these? 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 his
fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick,
and they shall be one in mine hand. And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine
hand before their eyes. And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take
the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather
them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one
nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them
all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two
kingdoms any more at all." That is about as clear as it can be stated. All the tribes of
Israel will be brought back to the land of Israel from all the Gentile nations and made into
one kingdom under one King.
Ezekiel 37:23-24 tells how they will turn to the Lord once again and follow His will.
"Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their
detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all
their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they
be my people, and I will be their God. And David my servant shall be king over them; and
they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe
my statutes, and do them."
Ezekiel 37:25-26, "And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my
servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their
children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their
prince forever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be
an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set
my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore." What kind of covenant? An
"everlasting covenant", not for a few years, not until they mess up, but "for evermore".
Continuing in verses 27-28, "My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their
God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do
sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore." So
all the heathen that have any doubt about what God is going to do with the tribes of Israel
in the future should understand this passage. God is making it abundantly clear right here.
We see further prophecies about the specific tribes of Israel in the seventh chapter of the
book of Revelation. Revelation 7:1-3 says, "And after these things I saw four angels
standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind
should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel
ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice
to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not
the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God
in their foreheads."
Revelation 7:4-8 tells who these servants of God will be. "And I heard the number of them
which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousands of
all the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand.

Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed
twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe
of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve
thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were
sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the
tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve
thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand."
We see that Joseph still has two portions of the 144,000, listed as Manasses and Joseph.
Since Manasses and Ephraim were the sons of Joseph, by process of elimination, the
tribe of Joseph in Revelation 7 must be the tribe of Ephraim. But Levi is also listed among
the twelve tribes in Revelation 7. So one tribe was left out, the tribe of Dan. I do not know
if there is enough information available in the scripture for us to know with certainty just
why the tribe of Dan was not included in Revelation 7. Perhaps it is due to Dan having
been instrumental in leading Israel into idolatry in their ancient past. Also, Genesis 49:17
says, "Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder (a type of snake) in the path that biteth
the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward." Perhaps these are reasons why the
Dan is not listed with the tribes in Revelation 7. But whatever the reason, we know they
still have their place in the kingdom due to prophecies such as Ezekiel 48:1, which we saw
above.
The prophecies in the book of Revelation were given well after the crucifixion of our Lord
Jesus Christ, and after most, if not all of the rest of the Bible was written. I believe the
book of Revelation was written shortly before 70 AD, which would be about 780 years
after the northern tribes had been taken captive by Assyria. (For a study of when the book
of Revelation was written, see the article, The Seven Churches of Revelation.)
So the prophetic scriptural evidence is very clear. God will bring all the tribes back to the
land of Israel, and He will make them one kingdom once again.

Recent History of the Tribes

Now that we have looked at Israel's ancient history and many of the Biblical prophecies
about Israel, let us move forward in time to some more recent events. As we saw earlier,
the Roman Empire destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD. Over the next 1800
years or so, many wars were fought in the land of Israel. Control of the land changed
hands many times between the Romans, the Arabs, the Crusaders, and the Turks. But the
land was in pretty sorry shape.
In Leviticus 26:32-33 God warned Israel, "And I will bring the land into desolation: and
your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it. And I will scatter you among
the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and
your cities waste."
In the 1869, Mark Twain published a book titled The Innocents Abroad documenting his
traveling of the world, which included a detailed account of his tour of Israel and
considerable commentary on the condition of the land.
In chapter 46, Twain described the area north of Galilee south of the headwaters of the
Jordan River as, "... this blistering, naked, treeless land. Traveling southward toward
the Sea of Galilee, he wrote of the valley that, "There is not a solitary village
throughout its whole extent, not for thirty miles in either direction. Still traveling

southward, in chapter 47 he comes within sight of the Sea of Galilee, "... a few miles
before us, with not a tree or shrub to interrupt the view ... the sacred Sea of Galilee!"
In recounting the journey from the direction of the Sea of Galilee toward Mount Tabor in
northern Israel, he wrote in chapter 49, "A desolation is here that not even imagination
can grace with the pomp of life and action. We reached Tabor safely.... We never saw a
human being on the whole route ...."
In describing the portion of the journey from Bethel southward to Jerusalem, he wrote in
chapter 52, "The further we went the hotter the sun got, and the more rocky and bare,
repulsive and dreary the landscape became. There could not have been more fragments
of stone strewn broadcast over this part of the world, if every ten square feet of the land
had been occupied by a separate and distinct stonecutter's establishment for an age.
There was hardly a tree or a shrub anywhere. Even the olive tree and the cactus, those
fast friends of a worthless soil, had almost deserted the country. No landscape exists
that is more tiresome to the eye than that which bounds the approaches to
Jerusalem. The only difference between the roads and the surrounding country, perhaps,
is that there are rather more rocks in the roads than in the surrounding country."
Later in chapter 52, he describes the size of Jerusalem, "So small! Why, it was no larger
than an American village of four thousand inhabitants.... Jerusalem numbers only
fourteen thousand people."
In chapter 53, after telling of the wretched poverty and disease in Jerusalem, he wrote,
"Jerusalem is mournful and dreary and lifeless. I would not desire to live here."
Twain describes the countryside very near Bethlehem in chapter 55. "The Plain of the
Shepherds is a desert paved with loose stones, void of vegetation, glaring in the fierce
sun."
Finally, after Twain completes his tour, he provides an overall description of the land of
Israel, which he calls "Palestine", in chapter 56, which includes each of the following
statements:
"Of all the lands there are for dismal scenery, I think Palestine must be the prince.
The hills are barren, they are dull of color, and they are unpicturesque in shape. The
valleys are unsightly deserts fringed with feeble vegetation that has an expression
about it of being sorrowful and despondent."
"It is a hopeless, dreary, heart-broken land."
"Palestine sits in sackcloth and ashes. Over it broods the spell of a curse that has
withered its fields and fettered its energies."
"The noted Sea of Galilee, where Roman fleets once rode at anchor and the disciples of
the Saviour sailed in their ships, was long ago deserted by the devotees of war and
commerce, and its borders are a silent wilderness; Capernaum is a shapeless
ruin ... Bethsaida and Chorazin have vanished from the earth, and the "desert places"
round about them ... sleep in the hush solitude that is inhabited only by birds of prey and
skulking foxes. Palestine is desolate and unlovely. And why should it be otherwise? Can
the curse of the Deity beautify a land?"
God had indeed done as He had said in Leviticus 26:32-33, "... I will bring the land into
desolation ... and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste."
Just a few years later, beginning in about 1880, substantial numbers for Jews began to
leave foreign countries and return to Israel. The history of the Jews return to Israel and the
wars between Israel and their neighbors is available from sources such as Israel's Ministry

of Foreign Affairs and Wikipedia's article on Israel and many others. A brief summary of
the key events in Israel's history since then is described below.
In the years from 1880 to 1914, about 75,000 Jews immigrated to the land of Israel,
mostly from Russia, Eastern Europe, and Yemen. A great deal of this immigration was
sparked by heavy persecution and violence against Jews in Russia. The Jews set up
agricultural communities and revived the Hebrew language during this period. During this
time, the land of Israel was still under the control of the Ottoman Empire (sometimes
referred to as the Turkish Empire).
In World War I, the Ottoman Empire sided with Germany, and was defeated by the allies
who divided up the empire. On November 2, 1917, the British Balfour Declaration called
for the land of Israel to become a national homeland for the Jews and for the British
government to help facilitate that effort. On July 24, 1922, on the authority of a mandate
by the League of Nations, the British took administrative control of the land of that is today
the countries of Israel and Jordan. In the years following World War I, the immigration of
Jews, mainly from eastern Europe continued, until the population of Jews in the land of
Israel reached about 100,000 by the mid 1920's. During this time, the Jews drained
considerable marshland in Israel, making it available for farming. This also helped curb
malaria and other diseases by controlling mosquitoes.
Then in the 1930's, with the rise of the Nazis in Germany, there was a very large migration
of some 250,000 Jews from Eastern Europe to the land of Israel. Many of these Jews
were educated and brought a great diversity of skills and technical abilities to the country.
Further immigration continued during World War II, despite British efforts to restrict it.
On November 29, 1947, the United Nations passed a resolution to partition the portion a
what they called "Palestine" west of the Jordan River, into Jewish and Arab areas. Not
long afterward, the British proclaimed that their mandate over the territory would end
effective at midnight on May 14, 1948. When the mandate expired at midnight on May
14, 1948, Israel declared itself to be an independent nation. Israel was immediately
recognized by the United States by President Harry Truman. For the first time since
Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, conquered Israel more than 2500 years earlier, Israel
was an independent nation. Israel was promptly attacked from all sides by their neighbors.
The attacking coalition was led by Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, with smaller troop
contributions from Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Sudan. Amazingly, the tiny
nation of Israel survived the attack and remained independent.
Over the next three years, the population of Jews more than doubled, with the help of new
laws, which encouraged massive immigration of Jews. Included in this were about 50,000
Jews from Yemen and more than 100,000 from Iraq. From the mid 1950 to early 1960,
more than 200,000 Jews immigrated from northern Africa. In the following decades, there
were periods of heavy immigration and periods of light immigration, often dependent upon
the level of persecution that Jews faced in other countries. Israel also survived three more
wars with their Arab neighbors in 1956, 1967, 1973, regaining control of Jerusalem in
1967, for the first time about 1900 years. The largest period of immigration came with the
fall of the Soviet Union, resulting in about 700,000 Jews coming from the former Soviet
republics in the early to mid-1990's. In all, about three million Jews have immigrated to
Israel since 1948. Data from the Jewish Agency reported in a 2008 Jerusalem Post article
showed that of over 13 million Jews worldwide, approximately 42% live in Israel and 58%
live in other countries, including 40% in the United States, 4% in France, 3% in Canada,

2% in the United Kingdom, 2% in Russia, with smaller populations in Argentina, Germany,

Australia, Brazil, and elsewhere.

False Doctrines Concerning the Tribes

Knowing the ancient Biblical history, the prophecies, and the recent history of the nation of
Israel, it should now be much easier to recognize the false teachings, which differ from the
truths of scripture that we have seen.
Most of the false doctrines concerning the tribes of Israel center around a common
false theme: That for one reason or the other, God's prophecies about the future of
the tribes of Israel are not going to come true.
One such error is the teaching that because Israel in Biblical times did not obey God's
laws and/or because they handed over the Son of God to be crucified, that Israel has
forever forfeited their place of privilege, and that therefore, God will not follow through on
His promises to regather Israel and restore the kingdom. But as we have seen in the
prophecy section above, God's prophecies in Deuteronomy 28:63-67 and Deuteronomy
30:1-3 do not say that they are contingent upon the people Israel doing anything. In each
passage, God plainly stated, "... it shall come to pass ...." Likewise Hosea 3:4-5, Amos
9:9, Jeremiah 16:14-15, Ezekiel 34:12-13, Ezekiel 37, Ezekiel 48, and Revelation 7, all
say that God is going to fulfill those prophecies, period.
Another such error is the teaching that ten northern tribes are lost forever, and so the end
times prophecies that mention Israel are not to be taken literally. We have already seen in
the pages above what God has clearly said in His prophecies. Many of these prophecies
about the tribes of Israel were given long after their exile, and some were even given well
after the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. God has made it very plain that He intends to
carry through on all His prophecies. One can either believe God, or not believe God.
Either way, He will make it happen.
Some say that ten northern tribes of Israel are lost and that not much is known about them
or their whereabouts. Not so. Everything is known about them and their whereabouts.
You may not know it, and I may not know it, but our Father in Heaven knows them
and every hair on their heads. Nearly 800 years after the northern tribes had been taken
away into captivity that God explicitly names the tribes, both northern and southern, in
describing the future tribulation in Revelation 7:4-8.
Some say that we should not expect that these prophecies will be fulfilled in biological
Israelites. While being a biological Israelite alone is not enough, God will save and purify
one third of Israel. Zechariah 13:8-9 says, "And it shall come to pass, that in all the land,
saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left
therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is
refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them:
I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God." God will fulfill the
prophecies about the kingdom quite literally and exactly as He said.
Yet another such error is the claim that since the tribe of Dan is not mentioned in the list of
tribes in Revelation chapter 7, that for this reason the prophecy should not be taken
literally. Well then, what we do with the rest of the twelve tribes of Israel clearly listed in
chapter seven of Revelation? We cannot ignore them just because one is not listed. Judas
betrayed Jesus, and was replaced by Matthias as the twelfth apostle (Acts 1:16-26). Does

that mean that the twelve were not really Christ's apostles just because of Judas was no
longer among them? Of course not, and it is not true with the tribes either.
Also, there are many different cults and false teachers scattered around the world that
claim that they are the so-called "lost tribes of Israel". But such claims cannot be
supported with scripture. Plus, here and there, one might find a tribe of people somewhere
in the world who claim to be descended from the ancient Israelites. Whether they really
are or not, God knows.
One might ask, why are there so many false teachings about the tribes of Israel? Notice
that each of these errors has one thing in common. They all try to remove the true
nation of Israel from their place of privilege and replace them with Gentiles. So
these errors are each "replacement theology" in one form or another. Some try to
replace Israel with the church (all Christians everywhere). Others try to replace Israel with
a particular denomination or with a particular cult or with a different nation of people.
Most of them argue that God is through dealing with Israel as a unique nation. Thus, many
replacement theologians feel that they have to discredit Revelation chapter 7 and other
such prophecies, and say that the specific listing of the tribes of Israel should not be taken
literally. But that is just a crafty way of telling people not to believe what God has said.
These groups will usually try to say that they themselves are the "spiritual Israel", but they
are not spiritual at all. There is nothing "spiritual" about not believing what God has
said. What could be more carnal, and less spiritual, than replacing God's words with
something else? Too often, replacement theologians falsely teach that "literal" equals
"carnal" and that "allegorical" equals "spiritual". But what truly is spiritual is believing
what God has said. What is carnal is not believing God and replacing what He has said
with an allegorical interpretation that removes the truth from His prophecy. Most of this
stems from jealousy of Israel, and also from anti-Semitism, a primary trait of Satan
himself.
Back in Genesis 12:3, God said that He would bless those who bless Israel and curse
those who curse Israel. So it behooves us all to stay on the correct side of that promise.

Closing Comments
When Israel as a nation rejected their Messiah (Jesus Christ) who had risen from the
dead, God started a totally new ministry to the Gentiles, which still continues today. God
will still fulfill all that He promised to Israel, but many of the fulfillments have been delayed
until this grace dispensation ends, and the law/kingdom dispensation resumes at the
beginning of the tribulation. This present grace dispensation (or "church age", as it is often
called) is not the subject of old testament prophecy. The church age was a mystery
(secret) until God called Paul for his special ministry to the Gentiles in Acts chapter 9. The
article Israel's Kingdom Gospel and Our Grace Gospel explains the differences between
the old and new programs. The church is not Israel, and Israel is not the church. The
mixing of these two separate programs has probably caused more people more
misunderstanding about the Bible than any other error. But the scriptures discussed
in the article mentioned above will make the distinctions clear for Christians who give it
careful consideration.