Timeline of Israel and Judah
The Assyrian Captivity of the Joes
Assyria began invading and conquering parts of Israel in 740 BCE where the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and eastern half-tribe of Manasseh were carried captive to Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan (I Chronicles 5:26; II Kings 15:29).
The nearly twenty year charge was finished in 722 BCE with the destruction of Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom (II Kings 17:3-6). A mere 27,290 captives were deported from Samaria (certainly much less than the number deported in the previous 19 years). It can also be assumed that many Israelites voluntarily fled with Phoenicians to remote allied Phoenician-Israelite settlements via the sea (such as Carthage and Punic cities in Iberia) and to any other region out of reach to the Assyrians because of distance or mutual hostility toward Assyria. Some Israelites of course fled to Judean lands in the south, but this is less likely to have occurred in mass due to hostilities between Israel and Judah and due to the fact that Judah too was being besieged. For more details on the Tyre-Sidon connection, read the article Phoenician-Israelite Colonies.
The Babylonian Captivity of the Jews
About 130 years after Israel’s deportations, Babylon invaded the Southern Kingdom of Judah and took the first captives in 597 BCE. There were two more deportations in 587 and 582 BCE.
After the Persians conquered Babylonia, Cyrus granted the Jews permission to return to their native land and rebuild the Temple in 537 BCE. It is believed that only 40,000 returned, but it is probable many more migrated back home to Judea in later years (the Jewish people would have a home in "Jewdea" for about 600 more years before the Romans would massacre hundreds of thousands in and around 70 CE when they destroyed the Second Temple).
Brief Timeline of Israel (Joseph) and Judah
| Dates | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| c.2050 BCE | Time of Abraham | |
| c.1500 BCE | The Great Exodus (mixed multitude) | |
| c.1011-971 BCE | Time of David and Phoenicia-Israelite Alliance | |
| c.970-960 BCE | First Temple built by Solomon | |
| c.928 BCE | Kingdom of Israel divided into Judah (Jews) and Israel (Joes) | |
| 740-722 BCE | Assyrian Captivity (Joes) | |
| 597 BCE | Babylonian Captivity (Jews) | |
| 537 BCE | Jews return from Babylon and rebuild Second Temple | |
| c.500-400 BCE | First Appearances of Saka/Scythian Peoples | |
| c.300 BCE | Rise of the Parthian Empire east of the Euphrates | |
| c.6-2 BCE | Birth of Yeshua (Jesus) | |
| 70 CE | Roman Destruction of Second Temple (Judah scattered) | |
| 37-100 CE | Life of Flavius Josephus, a Roman/Jewish Historian (Read important quote) | |
| 198-224 CE | Collapse of Parthian Empire (largely populated by Israelite Joes) | |
| 200-800 CE | Great Migration Period - Central Asian epicenter | |
| 652-1016 CE | Kingdom of Khazaria (Caucasus Mountains - Jews and Joes) | |
| 1939-1945 CE | Holocaust - WWII (6 million Jews lost) | |
| 1948 CE | Nation of Israel is Reborn (largely re-populated by Jews) | |
| ???? CE | Joes return from 2700 years of exile | |
| ???? CE | Messiah returns to rule and restore United Kingdom of Israel (Ezekiel 37) | |
Empires who have ruled the Lands of Israel and Judah since the fall of Judah to Babylon
- 586–539 BCE: Babylonian Empire
- 539–332 BCE: Persian Empire
- 332–305 BCE: Empire of Alexander the Great
- 305–198 BCE: Ptolemaics
- 198–141 BCE: Seleucids
- 141–37 BCE: The Hasmonean kingdom in Israel established by the Maccabees, after 63 BCE under Roman supremacy
- 37 BCE–70 CE: Herodian Dynasty ruling Judea under Roman supremacy (37 BCE-6 CE and 41-44 CE), interchanging with direct Roman rule (6-41 CE and 44-66 CE). This ended in the first Jewish Revolt of 66-73 AD, which saw the Temple destroyed in 70 CE.
- 6 CE Census of Quirinius and establishment of Roman Iudaea Province
- 70–395: province of Roman Empire first called Judea, after 135 called Palaestina. In 395 the Roman Empire is split into a Western and an Eastern part.
- 395–638: Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire
- 638–1099: Arab Caliphates and subject rulers
- 1099–1187: Crusader states, most notably the Kingdom of Jerusalem
- 1187–1260: dominated by the Ayyubids of Egypt and Damascus
- 1260–1516: dominated by the Mamluks of Egypt
- 1918–1948: British mandate of Palestine under, first, League of Nations, then, successor United Nations; the Emirate of Trans-Jordan was separated from the rest of Palestine in 1922, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan became independent upon the expiration of the League of Nations Mandate in 1946.
- May 1948 to present: independent State of Israel
Ephraim's jealousy will vanish, and Judah's enemies will be cut off; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.
Isaiah 11:12 NIV
He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.
Zechariah 10:8-9 NLT
When I whistle to them, they will come running, for I have redeemed them. From the few who are left, they will grow as numerous as they were before. (9) Though I have scattered them like seeds among the nations, they will still remember me in distant lands. They and their children will survive and return again to Israel.
I don't know why I always seem to see it published in this order: Reassembled tribes, THEN Messiah re-appears...it isn't listed that way in prophecy. First, Messiah re-appears, then the tribes are re-assembled.
I think it has to be this way...I don't think Judah would ever, in a million years, allow it to be the other way around (most of the time, in between being called 'bastards, half breeds, dogs, etc by Judah [I am always amused by their lack of trust that G-d has even our hairs numbered, doubtlessly he knows our genetic lineage too] one feels a bit un-welcomed...which is fine, but I suggest that it would take a kings authority and strength not only to change Judah's mind about his brothers, but that wandering and trampling through the 'lions den' might be a bit unwise by Ephraim.
Trust G-d to work out HIS plan and wait on the Lord until you hear that whistle and the time is correct for your return.
Shalom Christian!
I very much agree with your concerns... and share those concerns... which is largely why I haven't jumped onboard with efforts like Kol-Hator, Worldwide Biblical Zionists, or HaYovel. If people believe the Ruakh of our Father leading them to join those... to reconcile with and help Jew-dah... then by all means, they should be obedient. There likely is and will be a remnant of Ephraim that joins Jew-dah before Messiah whistles for the larger remnant... but personally... I don't YET feel or hear that calling to return to the Land. My purpose is largely directed at waking Ephraim up as the times of Trouble increase. Jew-dah is largely not my audience or my concern at this stage.
However, the whistle may come soon! A call of restoration will precede the coming of Messiah... which will be accomplished by Elijah/Eliyahu... who is a PERSON, not just a "spirit" belonging to Eliyahu (Malachi 4:5). Even so, I'm not certain if part of that restoration will be the joining of Ephraim and Jew-dah. Maybe it will be... Eliyahu was originally a prophet primarily directed at the Northern Kingdom. =)
Keeping both eyes open!
Hanok
Great article! There is no doubt that we already live "the days of Elijah" because of the on-going restoration of all things. I think that the on-going "Messianic" / "Hebrew roots" / "Torah" -reformation precedes the restoration of all thing. Reformation is action and the restoration is the fruit of that action.
Believers (especially Christians) are often talking about "prophecies" and prophecying, but many doesn't seem to understand what a prophecy and to prophecy means in the Scriptures because of the lack of understanding regarding who the prophets were, what was their mission and what is Torah and what it has to do with believers.
As far as I have understood, to prophecy is simply to turn the people away from from the mixed worship, iniquity etc (which are the bad fruit of torahlesness) TO love YHWH by OBEYING His Torah! When it's about the predictions of the prophets, these hundred of predictions simply revealed what will be the result if people will or won't return to YHWH and His Torah: blessings or curses. Remember: "Blessed is everyone who..." and "Cursed is everyone who..."
So, this means that everything what people "share", talk and do is not about a prophecy or to prophecy unless the one who are prophecying and "sharing prophecies" does declare that people should turn to YHWH's Torah.
The Spirit of Elijah is the Spirit of prophecy (Rev.) It's not the literal spirit of the man called "Elijah", but the Spirit of YHWH who produces the fruit of the prophet Elijah's ancient ministry today. Praise YHWH, this Spirit is already at work like I told before! And I believe too that there will be a literal person who will compelte the restoration work in the Spirit of prophecy, Yah's Spirit.
My new blog is one fruit of the Spirit of prophecy among many other samekind of fruits. I know that the Spirit of prophecy is doing work through my life in Yeshua His Torah and I am anointed to this work and I am very happy about it even if it is big challenge and I have already lived through very hard times because of my calling. My passion is to preach Torah and to see how people's lives are changing because of embracing Yah's Torah. Please, feel free to read the description of my blog: http://elianpaivat.blogspot.com/p/about-this-blog.html
I can't wait to see this coming "Elijah" and first of all Yeshua Messiah!