An Answer to a Denier
of the
Return of the Ten Tribes of Israel
The article below was originally published in the June 1995 “Personal Update News Journal,” a newsletter of Koinonia House, a ministry of Chuck and Nancy Missler. In it Mr. Missler lists his basic points by which he denies the existence and the return of the“lost” ten tribes of Israel. As of June 29, 2012, it was found on the K-House site at: and is here reproduced in its entirety.
Following it is an annotated version of the Missler article with commentary on relevant portions, to direct readers to prove for themselves where the real “myth” is, and where the “mystery” of the so-called “Lost Ten Tribes” are explained in Mr. Missler’s and the author’s Scripture citations. In the annotated version Mr. Missler’s article is in black, Scripture quotations are in blue, and the author’s commentary is in maroon. Scripture quotations are from the 1917 JPS and the TES versions unless otherwise noted. In the quoted Hebrew versions verse numbers sometimes slightly differ from other versions.In the critiqued version, bolding and italics were added by the author to emphasize relevant words on which commentary is made.
Mystery of the Myth: The Ten Lost Tribes
by
Chuck Missler
This month (June 1995) we celebrate the Feast of Shavout, or Pentecost. In Peter's famous speech on this day in Acts Chapter 2, he referred to both "Jews" and "Israel", which brings up an ubiquitous myth concerning the "Ten Lost Tribes" of Israel.
There are many groups that believe the northern tribes, separated during the rift between Rehoboam and Jeroboam after the death of Solomon (and subsequently taken captive by Assyria in 722 b.c.), later migrated to Europe and elsewhere.
The myth of the "Ten Lost Tribes" is the basis for "British-Israelism" and other colorful legends, but these stories have no real Biblical basis. They are based upon misconceptions derived from the misreading of various Bible passages.
1 The Faithful Voted With Their Feet
Before the Assyrian captivity, substantial numbers from the northern tribes had identified themselves with the house of David.
2 The rebellion of Jeroboam and subsequent crises caused many to repudiate the Northern Kingdom and unite with the Southern Kingdom in a common alliance to the house of David and a desire to worship the Lord in Jerusalem.
3 In 930 B.C. Jeroboam ruled the Northern Kingdom from his capital in Samaria.
4 When Jeroboam turned the Northern Kingdom to idolatry, the Levites (and others who desired to remain faithful) migrated south to Rehoboam.
5 Horrified that Jeroboam had set up a rival religion with golden calf worship at Bethel and Dan, many Northerners moved south, knowing that the only place acceptable to God was the Temple on Mt.Moriah.
6 Those who favored idolatry migrated north to Jeroboam. Later, when Asa reigned as king in the south, another great company came from the north.
7 Years after the deportation by Assyria, King Hezekiah of Judah issued a call to all Israel to come and worship in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover
.8 Eighty years later King Josiah of Judah also issued a call, and an offering for the Temple was received from "Manasseh and Ephraim and all the remnant of Israel...."
9 Eventually, all 12 tribes were represented in the south. God even addresses the 12 tribes in the south: "Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin...."
10 The "tribe of Judah" (2 Kings 17:18, et al.) is used idiomatically for the Southern Kingdom.
11 When encountering the tribal designations, it is important to distinguish between the territories allocated to the tribes and the people themselves.
The Northern KingdomFalls
In 724 B.C. Shalmaneser V besieged Samaria for three years. King Hoshea of Israel attempted to revolt against paying Assyrians annual tribute money--a treaty with Pharaoh of Egypt did not help
12--and Samaria, Jeroboam's capital, fell in 722 B.C. with Sargon II seizing power in 721 B.C.
The Assyrians implemented their infamous policy of mixing conquered peoples to keep them from organizing a revolt. Israelite captives were mixed with Persians and others, and strangers from far-off lands were resettled in Samaria. The resulting mixed, quasi-Jewish populations became the "Samaritans."
13 (You can read about this "fall" in 2 Kings 17.)
Not all from the Northern Kingdom were deported. Archaeologists have uncovered annals of the Assyrian Sargon, in which he tells that he carried away only 27,290 people and 50 chariot.
14 Population estimates of the Northern Kingdom at that time range from 400,000 to 500,000; less than 1/20th were deported-- mostly the leadership from the capital, Samaria. The rest of the Northern Kingdom were taken by Assyria as slaves, which were a valuable commodity. (It is difficult to view the Assyrians as careless enough to let their captives wander off to Europe.)
When the Babylonians take over Assyria, the descendants of the "ten tribes" were probably again commingled with the captives of Judah.
The Babylonians Take Over
When the Northern Kingdom went into captivity (722 B.C.), all 12 tribes were also represented in the south. When the Babylonians took the Southern Kingdom into captivity (586 B.C.), members of all 12 tribes of Israel were involved. Isaiah, prophesying to Judah, refers to them as the "House of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel..." (Isaiah 48:1; cf. vv. 12-14).
Post-Captivity Terminology
After the Babylonian captivity, the terms "Jew" and "Israelite" are used interchangeably. Ezra calls the returning remnant "Jews" 8 times and "Israel" 40 times. (Ezra also speaks of "all Israel": Ezra 2:70; 3:11; 8:35; 10:25, et al.) Nehemiah uses the term "Jew" 11 times and "Israel" 22 times. Nehemiah too speaks of "all Israel" being back in the land (Nehemiah 12:47). The remnant who returned from Babylon is represented as "the nation" (Malachi 1:1, et al.).
The same is true in the New Testament. Our Lord is said to have offered Himself to the nation, "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 10:5-6; 15:24). Tribes other than Judah are mentioned specifically in the New Testament as being represented in the land.
15 Anna knew her tribal identity was of the tribe of Asher (Luke 2:36). Paul knew he was of the tribe of Benjamin, a "Jew" and an "Israelite" (Romans 11:1). The New Testament speaks of "Israel" 75 times and uses the word "Jew" 174 times.
16 At the Feast of Pentecost Peter cries, "Ye men of Judea" (Acts 2:14), "ye men of Israel..." (Acts 2:22), and "All the house of Israel" (Acts 2:36).
Regathered as One
Ezekiel 36 and 37, the Dry Bones Vision, declares that Judah (Jews) and Israel (10 tribes) shall be joined as one in the regathering.
17 This is true today. (The total physical descendants were not the people to whom the promises were made [Romans 9:4-7].)
Anti-Semitism
Accompanying some of the legends of the so-called "Ten Lost Tribes" are aspersions on the present State of Israel and the people being regathered in the Land. These various theories such as "British Israelism" are by their nature anti-Semitic because they deny the Jewish people their proper place in the plan of God. Let's remember that Genesis 12:3 has never been repealed!
Israel is being regathered in the land just as God has announced.
18 There is yet to come an event that will awaken them to realize that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob once again has His hand upon them (Ezekiel 38, 39). I believe this event could happen at any moment.
19 The Throne of David was promised to the Son of Mary (Luke 1:32). I believe His taking possession of it is on the near horizon. Maranatha!
Sources:
Lewis, David Allen, Can Israel Survive in a Hostile World?, New Leaf Press, 1993.
Scofield, C.I., The New Scofield Study Bible, notes on 2 Kings 17:23.
This article was originally published in the June 1995 Personal Update News Journal.
For a FREE 1-Year Subscription, click here.
**NOTES**
2 Kings 17:7-23, 2 Chronicles 6:6-11, etc.
1 Kings 12:16-20; 2 Chronicles 11:16-17.
2 Chronicles 19:4; 30:1, 10-11, 25-26; 34:5- 7, 22; 35:17-18.
1 Kings 11:43-12:33.
2 Chronicles 11:14-17.
Deuteronomy 12:5-7; 16:2-6; Isaiah 18:7.
2 Chronicles 15:9.
Chronicles 30:5-6, 10-11, 21.
2 Chronicles 34:9.
2 Chronicles 11:3.
Cf. 1 Kings 11:13, 32.
2 Kings 18:2.
John 4:20-22.
Biblical Archaeology, VI, 1943, page 58.
Matthew 4:13, 15; Luke 2:36; Acts 4:36; Philippians 3:5; "the twelve tribes," Acts 26:7; James 1:1.
Acts 21:39; 22:3; Romans 11:1; 2 Corinthians 11:22; Philippians 3:5, etc.
Ezekiel 37:16-17, 21-22.
Ezekiel 36, 37; Isaiah 11:11, et al.
SeeThe Magog Invasion Audio Book for more information on the predicted invasion of Israel and its role in the end times.
The Annotated and Critiqued Version of
Chuck Missler’s article
Mystery of the Myth: The Ten Lost Tribes
by
Steve Mathe
This article is a point-by-point commentary on and refutation of the ideas put forth in Mr. Chuck Missler’s above article on the purported Ten Tribes “mystery.” Why? Because these assertions by this respected Evangelical Bible teacher attempt to deny the Biblical Truth of the relevancy of the return of the Ten Tribes for our days.We get more than a hint that his article is a denial, for in the title the “mystery” of the Ten Tribes of Israel is outright labeled a “myth.” Further, we find that this “denial” is more than a casual subject for Mr. Missler, for he has conducted a veritable crusade on the Internet against thismajor Biblical Truth. His campaign is an ongoing and growing series of dramatic polemics against the unfolding prophecies about the Ten Tribes in our “latter days,” e.g.
The content of his teachings on this subject can be summarized by the title of one his videos, “NO LOST TEN TRIBES.”
Mr. Missler not only calls “the lost Ten Tribes story “a Jewish myth,” but says that these stories “are born of the imagination of the wicked.”
These statements give us an introduction to Mr. Missler’s vehement disposition on this subject which suffuses his videos and teachings about the so-called “mythical”Ten Tribes.Since his above article summarizes all the major tenets he still enlarges on in his general teachings and videos on this subject, the author has chosen it to contrast it to what the Hebrew Scriptures declare about the so-called “lost Ten Tribes of Israel.”
While it is true that the identity and relevancy of the Ten Tribes has been a puzzling mystery for centuries, the Bible’s abundant prophetic messages about them and to them constitute the vast majority of Biblical prophecies. They testify that the revelation of the existence of the Ten Tribes, plus theirtheir role andregathering in “the last days” will be anything but “colorful myths” as Mr. Missler likes to refer to them. Rather, the subjectsof their role and identity are core pillarsin the Divine plan for Israel and for all of mankind. In the following critique the author contrasts Mr. Missler’s understanding of the Holy Writ about the Ten Tribes, with the solid Biblical framework of the two Houses of Israelwhose foundationsare in the Torah, and its superstructure is in the books of the Prophets.
Mr. Missler does get some reprieve for denying this “mystery” to have any substance. By Divine design, the Bible’s passages and messages about the Ten Tribes were not to be generally understood until “the latter days.” Therefore their very existence has been allowed to turn into a “myth” during the last 2700 years. This “mythification” of ten of the twelve Tribes into oblivion is due to the “curse” clause in the eternal and unrevocable Covenant God made with Israel. Moses speaking on God’s behalf writes:
I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would makethe remembrance of them to cease from among men:
— Deut. 32:26
This curse of the erasure of names from public memory was an ultimate kind of negating act and curse in the ancient world. Conquerors and rival kings often erased the names of their nemeses and undesirables from public records and monuments. We can see an example of this “erasure of names” in a Biblical example where the God of Israel instructed Israel to apply this type of severe judgment against her enemies:
And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them. — Deut. 7:24
The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did warn that He would use this same fateful judgment on all who would break the eternal Covenant they made with Him. It is important to note that in Israel’s case the “erasure of names” is not necessarily to be equated with total annihilation. True, some would die due wars, famines, diseases and maltreatment that would end in their removal out of the Land of Israel. As we shall see later, the rest would begin a long period of learning their quintessential lesson as the people of God’s Covenant.
The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven. And the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that is written in this book of the law [Torah].
— Deut. 29:20-21
This erasure of their nameshas been the fate of the Ten Tribes whose identities were lost to common history, to their brothers the Jews and even to themselves. Further, they were prophesied to be scattered into the distant “corners” of the world, the far-away places from the land of Israel, many of which were found / discovered much later in well-known history. Integral to this “disappearance” from the consiousness of mankind is the all-important matter of the ever-lasting Covenant[1]that all the Tribes of Israel made with their Creator. Without considering the provisions of the Covenant, the disappearance and so-called “mythification” of the “Lost Ten Tribes” cannot be understood.
The provisions of this Covenant, given by the Almighty and ratified by all the Tribes, were to govern the history of all the Tribes for all time to come.
Cursed be he that confirmeth not the words of this law/HaTorah/הַתּוֹרָהto dothem. And all the people shall say: Amen.
— Deut. 27:26
The “curse clause” in the Covenant held that if any of Israel, be they individuals, families, clans, or even whole tribes, departed from the Covenant, the curses would automatically take effect and they would become physically and spiritually “lost.” According to the provisions of the Covenant, because of God’s mercies for His firstborn nation, these exiled outcasts would also be regathered at the appointed time when they will have served out their sentence in exile.
Comfort ye, comfort you My people, saith your God. Bid Jerusalem take heart, and proclaim unto her, that her time of service is accomplished, that her guilt is paid off; that she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.
— Isa. 40:1-2
Becuse of God’s mercies, though they would be punished to correct them, they would not be annihilated, but be reunited with their brethren, the Jews, at the end of the age. The exile was not to totally destroy thembut to teach them the vital lesson they need to learn as God’s teachers of His ways to the rest of God’s children. The secret of what was to become of them became “the secret things” hidden by God for millennia to come. At the time of the approaching promised Redemption these secrets are now being revealed to their descendants in “the latter days,” when they are to learn their hard lesson of leaving the Covenant into death-dealing idolatriesof other nations and return to the Torah’s life-sustaining paths.
“…even all the nations shall say 'Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger?' then men shall say: 'Because they forsook the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them forth out of the land of Egypt; and went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods that they knew not, and that He had not allotted unto them; therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curse that is written in this book; and the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day'.-- The secret things belong unto the LORD our God; but the things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do
all the words of this law [Torah]. ― Deut. 29:24-28
Yair Davidy of Brit Am[2] has pointed out an interesting side point to this subject matter, yet significant to note, that the term “another land” /אֶרֶץ אַחֶרֶתcan be understood as “land found later.” The root “acher” also means delayed or come late.Therefore the expression eretz acheret could be understood and translated as “new world” in the sense that this name was applied to the Americas after their re/discovery by Europeans.Therefore in Biblical Hebrew one would not use a literal translation, i.e. “new world,” but rather the option that most approximates the intended literal meaning: "eretz acheret"a “land [found] later.”