What happened to the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel? (Part-1)

Posted on March 8, 2008
Filed Under Ephraim (Multitude of Nations), Flavius Josephus, House of Joseph (Joes), Talmud, Two House (Reality) Theology

Below is how you’ll likely hear this common question answered by mainstream “scholars” within Christianity and some Messianic Jewish circles:

Answer: There are many mysteries, legends, and traditions as to what happened to the 10 lost tribes of the Northern Kingdom. The truth is that the tribes were never lost. Most of the people of the Northern Kingdom were deported to ancient Assyria (2 Kings 17:6). Many of those who remained in the land re-united with Judah in the south (2 Chronicles 34:6-9). Assyria was then conquered by Babylon, who then went on to conquer and deport the two remaining tribes of the Southern Kingdom, Judah and Benjamin (2 Kings 25:21). When King Cyrus allows the Israelites to return to Israel (Ezra chapter 1), many from the northern ten tribes and southern two tribes returned to Israel. In the New Testament, the prophetess Anna (Luke 2:36) was from the tribe of Asher (one of the 10 supposed lost tribes). In Jesus’ day, Israel was a mix of those from the former Northern and Southern Kingdoms. In the end times, God will call out witnesses from each of the 12 tribes (Revelation 7:4-8).

The answer above is actually taken directly from GotQuestions.org. It isn’t terribly unique in its attempt to diminish the prophetic promise of Israelite (Ephraimite) multitudes.

The answer says King Cyrus of Persia allowed Israelites from all 12 tribes to return to the Land of Israel, yet the books of Ezra and Nehemiah only account for Judah, Benjamin, and Levi. Isn’t that interesting? The answer says, “many from the northern ten tribes and southern two tribes returned to Israel”. Really? And what proof are we given of this? The presence of “many” is proved by the presence of “one” Asherite (Luke 2:36). Now that is compelling!

So what are the biggest problems with the above answer?

First of all, why would Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Eliezer be arguing about the return of the ten tribes of the House of Isarel as though it hadn’t happened yet (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 110b), if those tribes had already returned 500 years earlier as the answer above suggests?

Secondly, the Jewish Historian, Flavius Josephus, outright says the ten tribes were still east of the Euphrates River in the first century CE. See his discourse regarding the ten tribe by clicking here.

Thirdly, the Prophets of the Hebrew Scripture foretell the descendants of Ephraim would become a “multitude of nations” or “the fullness of the nations” (Genesis 49:18). If Ephraim already rejoined Jewdah, where are the “multitude of nations”? Can the “Jews” claim such? Arabs can claim numerous nations, but why not the “Jews”? The reality is: no tribe within the Kingdom of Judah was ever promised “nations”, but Ephraim was. To see the many promises from Scriptures, click here.

Fourthly, there are prophecies from the Hebrew Scriptures, which clearly indicate a “Latter Day” context, where the House of Israel and the House of Judah are reunited then, in the Last Days, NOT in antiquity. The two sticks of Ezekiel 37 is probably the best known and the most clear prophecy with an End Times context. If the two Kingdoms rejoined during the reign of King Cyrus, as the answer above suggests, then how does one make sense of Ezekiel?

The ten tribes may not be “lost”, but they certainly are indiscernible to many, which was probably the ultimate plan of YHVH. To become “not a people” as Hosea prophesied, the Israelite people would need to become unknown (forgotten) to themselves and unknown (forgotten) to surrounding peoples.

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