The Lost Tribes Of Israel

Most people have come to wrongly associate the term Jew with Israel. But that is a big mistake. While all Jews are Israelites, most Israelites are not Jews. It is so clear in Scripture! An Israelite is a descendant of Jacob, whom God named Israel (Gen. 32:28). Jacob (Israel) had twelve sons, of which only one was named Judah. It is very important that we fix that firmly in our minds as we explore a string of prophecies that will locate and identify (if not by name and tribe) the lost tribes of Israel and make clear distinction between Israel and Judah (the Jews).

To avoid greater confusion later, let us understand now that the kingdom of Israel split after Solomon's son Rehoboam became king (1 Ki. 11:43). The congregation of Israel told Rehoboam that they would serve him if he would lighten their burden (1 Ki. 12:4). But instead of lightening it, Rehoboam arrogantly threatened to increase it. He said In 1 Ki. 12:11, "And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions." So most of the house of Israel rebelled and the kingdom divided.

Rehoboam reigned over those who remained in the cities of Judah; i.e., Judah, Benjamin (or part thereof), and Levi (or a part thereof), and maybe a few others, and became known as the southern kingdom or house of Judah. 1 Ki. 12:16-17 "So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither [have we] inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents. But [as for] the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them."

The children of Israel made Jeroboam their king and formed the northern kingdom, often referred to as house of Israel. 1 Ki. 12:20 "And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only." Now that verse makes a clear distinction between the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Let's see another distinction in 1 Sam. 11:8, "And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand." Note the expected disparity in number, considering that Judah was only a small (though certainly not insignificant) portion of Israel.

The distinction actually began in Gen. 49:8-10. We will deal with only verse 10 here. "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be." Judah, as opposed to the rest of Israel, would bear the scepter until Shiloh came, then, of course, it would be His. Judah (the Jews) would have to surrender it, or have it taken from them. While in later Scripture Shiloh appears as a city in Ephraim, in this verse it's not a name. It describes ownership. It is important to note here that rather than translate the Hebrew word, shiloh; the KJV translators wrongly rendered it as a proper name. The generic meaning is "whose it is," or he to whom it belongs. The proper name makes us wonder, "who is Shiloh?" the correct translation makes us wonder "whose is it?" and other prophecies answer that question. There are too many distinctions to list; so from here on we will list only those that are incidental to our main concern - the lost tribes of Israel.

After the kingdom divided, the house of Israel and the house of Judah squabbled for around 200 years. The term Jew first appears in Scripture in 2 Ki. 16:6 "At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drave the Jews from Elath: and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there unto this day." Remember that the term Jew, an English rendering of Judiate (Hebrew Yehewdiy), simply means descendant of Judah. Then after the fall of Samaria (Israel's capital) in around 722 BC, Israel was carried off to Assyria, never to return. 2 Ki. 17:18 says, "Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only," another clear distinction.

The Assyrians replaced the children of Israel with people from several other areas. 2 Ki. 17:24 "And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof." And so the children of Israel, except for Judah and the remnant of Israel, lost their identity.

Then around 136 years after the fall of Samaria, Judah also was carried away captive to Babylon (586 B.C.); then after seventy more years some were allowed to return to Palestine to rebuild the Temple. Ezra 2:1 "came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city."

Equating Judah (Jews) with all Israel is a grave error. God's people Israel are scattered throughout the world. Ezek. 34:6 "My sheep wandered through all the mountains (nations), and upon every high (exalted, prominent) hill (city or nation): yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them." Note, "scattered upon all the face of the earth." Jesus will seek after them. Mt. 15:24 "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." To the Jews of Judea in Jn. 10:16 He said, "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."

Now let us follow God's prophetic outline to the lost tribes of Israel, often referred to as the ten lost tribes. The promises were not based on race. There are many mixed unions recorded in the Old Testament. This intermarrying continued throughout the Biblical record and even to the present, so Israel is no doubt multiracial. Regardless, anyone not descended from Israel is welcome to spiritual Israel by obedience to God through Jesus Christ. No one has claim to God's kingdom or is denied access based on race, national origin, gender or affiliation. We were created free and shall be free again - from all but God's command that we love one another; which if we do, we are Children of God. I'm not prejudiced toward anyone, so let us go where the truth leads us, with open minds and hearts. What we will find is something seemingly good for a distinct large group, but with a very sad ending; then something very good for all who are willing to humbly accept their place in God's kingdom on His terms.

In Gen. 12:1-3, God tells Abram (exalted or high father) "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." Great nation probably refers to multinational Israel as a whole, regardless of nationality, wherever they are finally scattered or settled. The Canaan promise follows, which is an on the horizon view and not the full scope of the promise. Interesting to note here is that Canaan means merchant, traffic, traffickers, so why not commerce, or by extension the industrialized nations? Consider it. The evidence bears it out.

In Gen. 17:4-6, God changes Abram's name to Abraham (father of a multitude), "As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee."

The promise is becoming clearer and more significant. Abraham's descendants would grow to a great number and occupy many nations. Many nations and exceedingly fruitful means far more than a few million Jews on a small (though not insignificant) plot of land in the Middle East about the geographical size of New Jersey, one of our smallest United States. It means many nations of Israel, not many nations with a few Israelis in them. But how do we know it? God tells us in Scripture.

Note carefully that at this point the covenant is conditional on Abram's obedience. Gen. 17:1-2 "walk before me, and be thou perfect (i.e., in complete accordance with God's will). And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly." It should be nearly impossible for a civilized society to believe that the sadistic Verse 10-14 condition of the covenant is from God. For those interested, there is more detail on this matter in the Epilogue.

In Gen. 22:16-18, God again confirms the covenant; and now it is unconditional, but only until fulfilled, as we shall see later. "By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed (descendants) shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice."

Now the covenant promise is based on something Abraham has already done (obeyed God's voice), not conditional on something he still has to do or keep on doing. The condition has already been met. God will fulfill this promise. The scope of the promise is being extended and emphasized, "in blessing I will bless thee" (blessings on top of blessings), and "in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand of the sea shore." He is certainly talking about more than the roughly 14.5 million Jews worldwide.

And then God says, "And thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies," I don't think that is reference to the Panama Canal, or other waterway passes, etc. The Hebrew word gate can mean entrance or opening; or symbolically here a means of access or entry, such as through customs, for example. It could also be translated possess, as in take possession of or occupy. It could mean access for control (or control itself) for monitoring after defeat. It says "the gate of his enemy," not his gate, through which his enemy would have to pass. Though God makes it clear in Gen. 22:18 that the condition of Abraham's obedience had already been met, it does not mean that the birthright holders (now that we have received what was promised) can smugly defy God and still keep it. If we are to keep what God has given us, in keeping with His promise to Abraham, we must show ourselves worthy or lose it.

Now let's add up what we have so far. These prophecies already tell us where the lost tribes of Israel are. They are where these promises of great multitude, wealth, and power are fulfilled - they are in the most prominent nations on earth, able to hold their enemies an bay - at least for now - and keep occupied nations under foot. Now, I repeat a prophecy with a very important message. "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh (whose it is) come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be."

The implication is that when "he whose it is" comes, Judah (the Jews) will no longer be the lawgivers, and will have to hand over the scepter. What will those in control do to prevent that? Will Judah's religious and political leaders give it up without a fight? Christ/Messiah will not condescend to the false prophets' representation of Him, so who will yield to whom? The Bible says that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ (whose it is) is Lord (Phil. 2:10-11). So Judah (the Jews) must humbly accept a subordinate place in the house of Israel, God's kingdom, or maybe perish; and our time left for procrastination is dwindling. God already knows which ones will yield and which ones will perish.

Mk. 12:1-10 "A certain man planted a vineyard ... and went into a far country. And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. And again ... and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. And again ... and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son.

"But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:" Clear enough?

The Jews now alive had no part in betraying the Christ and are complicit only by personal choice today, as anyone who defends the actions of those who betrayed Him to death for loving them enough to try against insurmountable odds to expose the self-serving deceptions of the religious leaders who have their long tentacles (even if indirectly) on almost every aspect of our lives still today. God doesn't want that.

Let us jump to Gen. 28:13, where God is speaking to Jacob, "And, behold, the LORD ... said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed." This is a very revealing verse. Let's take a closer look at "the land whereon thou liest." Remember that the same Hebrew word is used for land and earth. "The land whereon thou liest" probably means more than the land where you now lie (or the land you now occupy). It probably means the land wherever you happen to settle, and the following verse bears it out.

Gen. 28:14, "And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad (or break forth, or burst open) to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed." This is reference to material blessings. God is saying that He will give Israel's descendants the whole earth: north, south, east, and west - all the nations of the earth. That doesn't mean that Israel is coming to take your land away. In most cases, it means that Israel has already occupied it for hundreds of years, without even knowing they were Israel.

Gen. 28:15 also suggests that "the land whereon thou liest," refers to wherever Jacob's descendants happened to settle. "And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land (New fledgling Judah and now also the birthright promise complete?); for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of." Note, "I will not leave thee, until..." is a grim reminder that the unconditionality of God's promise to Abraham ceased with the fulfilled promise. Now whether God is with us and will keep (watch over or protect) us, and allow us to keep what He has given us, is conditional on our obedience.

In Gen. 35:10, God confirmed Jacob's name change to Israel. "And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel (God prevails or rules) shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel." In verse 11, God said to Israel, "I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins." Consider it. If God were referring to only Judah (the Jews), why would He have said "a nation and a company (or group) of nations"? We will draw in the circle around that nation and group of nations next.

1 Chr. 5:1-2 is an important and amazing revelation. "Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright. For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph's:)" Note the long parenthetical statement. Even though Reuben was the firstborn, because he had defiled his father's bed (Gen. 35:22), the birthright was given to Joseph, the envied brother who was sold into slavery

Now we have the house of Israel split three ways: Judah is the temporary scepter holder and the lineage through which Jesus/Messiah would first come; Reuben and his descendants and the rest of Israel separated from both the scepter promise and the birthright promise (though still of Israel); and Joseph, the birthright line.

While Joseph was Jacob's eleventh son, he was the first by his beloved Rachel, who would have been his first wife had her father, Laban, not deceived him (Gen. 29:18-25), but that's another story. Note clearly the distinction here. Judah is singled out for the scepter until whose it is comes, and Joseph for the birthright. Understanding that Judah (the Jews) does not represent all Israel is crucial. Unless we plant that firmly in our minds, we will misinterpret end-time prophecy.

The birthright (greatest material blessings) went to Joseph. It should be noted here that Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, were of an Egyptian mother; i.e., of mixed race. Gen. 41:45 "And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt." Verse 50, "And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him." Let's not read too much into it, but not ignore it either, since God put it there for us to see. I happen to be Caucasian, but hope to share in God's Kingdom with all of His Children. Variety makes the world much more beautiful and interesting. How dull would it be without variety?

Now let's see Amos 9:9, "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." Note, "among all nations." He knows where they all are. Amos 9:10 further distinguishes between obedient and disobedient Israel, "All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us." That's about those who refuse to accept the reality of divine retribution for evil behavior and scornfully ignore the urgent warnings in prophecy. We may not like hearing of the consequences of our failure to comply, but God has told us what our end will be, if we are not wise.

The ailing Jacob acknowledges acceptance of Joseph's sons as his own. Even though they were born in Egypt and of Egyptian blood, he claimed them as part of Israel, as if they were his own sons. Gen. 48:5 "And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine." In Verse 6, Jacob makes a clear distinction between these two sons and any other children Joseph might have after them, "And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance." Any other children Joseph might have would be considered of the tribe of Joseph, a part of Israel only by extension; but the birthright, which traditionally went to the eldest male heir, would be through Joseph's two sons (as if they were Jacob's), Ephraim and Manasseh.

Having had Joseph bring the two boys to him, as Jacob was blessing them, he surprised Joseph by crossing his hands and deliberately putting his right hand on the younger Ephraim's head. In Gen. 48:16, he (Jacob) asked God to let his name (Israel) be named on the two boys and to let them grow into a multitude. "The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and 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." Where did he ask that they be allowed to grow into a multitude? It was in the "midst" (i.e., central or most prominent place or places) of the earth.

Note Jacob's prophecy about Joseph's proliferation in Gen. 49:22, "Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall." Joseph's line would multiply faster and extend beyond the other tribes (and national boundaries). And verse 23-24, "The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob."

Joseph's line was made strong and protected by the Lord God, for a very important reason. I think it was because it was through Joseph's birthright line that He would come to whom the scepter would pass from Judah, when He returns to receive it (Christ at His second coming). As to the parenthetical in Gen. 49:24, "from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel," some translations differ from the KJV; however, the KJV rendering does seem to accurately sum up what the rest of this passage and Rev. 12:1-6, etc. strongly suggest.

Joseph objected to Jacob placing his right hand on the younger Ephraim's head. Gen. 48:18 "And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head." But in verse 19 Jacob refused saying, "I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations." Note it. The elder Manasseh would also be a great nation, but his younger brother, Ephraim, would be "greater." Note that the younger Ephraim is the one who will both be greater and grow into a multitude (or group) of nations. Interestingly, the Hebrew word used for multitude here in Gen. 48:19 is different from the one used to represent a great number in verse 16, and could be translated a "handful" of nations. Could that refer to a closely clustered handful of United States?

The evidence gets stronger, so bear with me. If this is what God is saying, let us accept it and if not, when convinced I will concede. I want to know and convey what is true, not shape words to fit a personal agenda. I fear God too much to try that. As the proclamation in Psa. 84:10, I would rather be a doorkeeper in God's kingdom than lose it altogether, wouldn't you? So, let us submit willingly to God's peremptory will, remembering that there is a sad interruption in the progression of things before the happy new beginning - before the universal blessings come to all who comply with God's will. Rather than hate or envy the birthright holders, we should pray for God's mercy on them. You'll see why as we continue.

Remember that God promised to not leave Jacob (Israel) until the birthright promises were fulfilled. Gen. 28:15 "for I will not leave thee, until I have done [that] which I have spoken to thee of." It is done and God is no longer helping us, or protecting us. Things will continue to worsen until the United States bows before God again. But she will not go down easily. She will have to be brought very low, as explained in The United States Defeated And Powerless in the next chapter.

Remember that Israel is all of the lost tribes, as well as those of Judah (the Jews) who are willing to accept their subordinate role under He "whose it is." But the birthright promise of great multitude, greatest prosperity and power went to Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. The identity and location of the lost tribes were hidden until the end times. End-time prophecy becomes clear as we see it fulfilled in world events. Headline-by-headline, event-by-event the pieces fall into place.

It is understandable that some of the signs, yet dimmed for lack of future revelation, have been misread in the past . The end-time prophecies were meant for now. Mysteries that were hidden throughout history for our time are now being revealed. Dan. 12:8-9 "And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what [shall be] the end of these [things]? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words [are] closed up and sealed till the time of the end." Rev. 10:4 "And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not."

Since we have no genealogical records, the current best way to locate the lost tribes of Israel is to look for a peculiar people numbering in the billions in the most prosperous and powerful nations on earth. That method should be almost as reliable as if they were all wore ribbons.

Not long ago Great Britain could boast that the sun never set on British soil. Consider the rapid growth of Britain and the United States in the last century alone, the great explosion of wealth and power. But we are already losing it, as prophesied. We have seen where the prophecies have been fulfilled. Much of that wealth and power is in the hands of the industrialized European nations, who are part of the lost of the house of Israel. But the birthright promises were to the most prominent.

Careful consideration and unbiased reasoning brings us down to Ephraim, the younger of Joseph's two birthright sons. I believe that as Ephraim was younger and would be greater than his elder brother, Manasseh; so the younger United States is now greater financially, influentially, and militarily than our older brother, England. Ask anyone where the most prominent nation on earth is, and whether they like it or not, their thoughts, if not their eyes, will turn to the United States. In fact, I believe that Mt. 21:1-5 was a dual prophecy that looked ahead to a future fulfillment through England and the United states. It is sometimes referred to as Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Logically, we would not consider going there to die all that much of a triumph would we? Consider it.

Jesus was heading into Jerusalem proper; however, the Old Testament passage, as Mt. 21:5 has it, is quite different than the Zechariah passage. Zechariah 9:9 clearly had another place than Jerusalem proper in mind. And the Spirit through Zechariah was not speaking through an intermediary, as the Mt. 21:5 citation suggests. The Spirit through Zechariah was speaking directly - not to Zion, but to a "daughter of Zion." And not to Jerusalem, but to a "daughter of Jerusalem." See it, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." Does the ass equate with obstinate Mother England; the colt (young male) the foal (offspring) to her wanton and wayward son, the United States of America?

We received the greater birthright promise, but we do not humble ourselves before God. Oh, we have lots of false religion, hypocrisy, and arrogant pride, which is the opposite of what God wants. We have lots of idol worship, and public display of wealth and power - the opposite of giving God the glory for what we have and the humility He demands. We worship the flag and credit it more than God (or the brave and honorable young men who hold it up) for our military strength. We talk to it and about it as if it had personality, even pray to it. We praise Lady Liberty for our freedom. We are the birthright nation, but we are also the Israel in Ezekiel 38 and Deut. 32:15-36. There is a way that we could prevent the coming destruction, but we won't do it. We could repent before we lose everything, rather than after, but we will not. We have grown too big for our britches, too wise, too wealthy and too powerful to humble ourselves before the Almighty God who created us, and to obey Him who gave us all that we have.

Remember, God is no longer helping us. Now we shall see how we fend without God.

The amazing prophecy in Revelation 12:1 identifies and locates the greater birthright woman/nation, Israel. "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars." That prophecy could not have been fully understood until after Neil Armstrong, representing the United States, on July 20, 1969, stepped from the lunar module onto the moon's surface. The United States, having prevailed, now symbolically had the moon under her feet. That "one small step" by a man unquestionably sealed our place in destiny and biblical prophecy, as most of the whole world watched in awe. Rev. 12:6 and 14 tell us that the days of Israel's refuge were numbered. I believe that God is revealing to us (though not explicitly), here and in other end-time prophecies, that the days of the place of her refuge are now few.

It is referring to Israel all right, but not the one the Bible scholars and students think. Having the moon under her feet identifies her as the United States. In Rev. 12:11, "blood of the lamb and word of their testimony" are synonymous (explained in a later chapter). We can extrapolate from other prophecies that the subtext of verses 6 and 14 is telling us that this Rev. 12:1 wonder woman is also the nation through which He to whom the scepter belongs (the Messiah) would re-emerge (also explained later). This is based on the implication that this woman is Spiritual Israel (the body of Christ) out of which the Christ/Messiah is soon to rise from obscurity. The "clouds of heaven" of Mt. 24:30, represent the realms of Christianity. These amazing revelations as well will be made clearer later.

Again, we must realize that giving a person, city, or nation a biblical (or family) name does not make them the legal heir based on the name. What I mean is that giving the name Israel to what is actually Judah (Judea) does not make Judah Israel. And we best make that distinction in end-time prophecy. Other great nations can read the Scriptures, and they may not be as wont to substitute the desired and accepted for the intended and immutable. Again consider what God said through the aged Jacob about Joseph, the fruitful bow whom God strengthened and protected from his enemies so he could grow into a Great Nation (not tiny Judah, but the Great Nation that protects tiny Judah), in Gen. 49:24, "from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel."

Now we must adjust our focus and reexamine all the other end-time prophecies word-for-word. We must stop always associating the name Israel, house of Israel, children of Israel, my people Israel, etc. in prophecy with Judah/national Israel/the Jews. We are being dangerously diverted. Mt. 24:24 does not mean we don't have to work at distinguishing between deception and truth. It means that the elect will seek the truth and find it. The Bible message has been distorted by evil, self-serving people who tried to twist it to their own advantage. May God help us separate His words from the lies. As Ezekiel 38 is now, and I believe wrongly interpreted, Gog is directed, seemingly by God, to Middle-Eastern Israel, when if correctly interpreted the immutable prophecy of imminent doom is for the end-time United States. God knows why, as well do I; though I wish it had not been so.

You don't have to believe the founder of the Anglo-Israelism movement: John Wilson, or Edward Hine, or any of them. It is what God says that we must believe - no matter who points us to a proper understanding. What God said is what I believe, though it is hard sometimes to distinguish. I have not even read their works and am aware of nothing they cited to support their beliefs. I have read several of Herbert W. Armstrong's books, whose influence is certainly apparent in this writing, though I'm not as good at it as he was, and do not support many of his views. I read his books, as I do others, looking for bits and pieces of useful information. Though I disagree with much of what he wrote, it is not wise to throw out the baby with the bath water. I feel confident, judging from his writings, that he did much more extensive research than many, if not most, of his dissenters.

In my more than twenty-three years of experience, it has been the less Bible read people who object most vehemently to what I intend to be open-minded interpretations of Scripture. Try it yourself and see with your own eyes. The more you learn about the true nature and true will of God - which flies in the face of the hypocritical status quo - the greater the distance will be between you and those who smugly claim a monopoly on God. And they are no less eager to crucify you than Christ's contemporaries who betrayed Him with their envious, angry cries, "Crucify him!"

I already know that only a few are going to believe these things early on, just enough maybe to avert total world annihilation. I am not completely sure how to interpret Mt. 24:22, "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." For years I have thought it might mean the curtailment of a destructive war, by divine intervention, just short of total annihilation. If so, those few who believe should be concerned as to how much time is left - probably not as much as most would like to think.

Note well 2 Cor. 11:14-15, " And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works." Those verses are telling us that we are being deceived by evil religious organizations, with personal agendas, pretending to teach God's words: pastors, teachers, evangelists, etc. Be assured that there are more phonies than legitimate ones. Verse 13, " For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ." There are many well-intended followers of false teachings - Children of God who are misled. So while their intentions are good, the world-transforming power of God's Word is hindered from making the changes in us necessary to usher in universal love, peace, and harmony: Paradise. We must free ourselves from the lies of those who have arrogated to themselves the scepter, the throne, and the very kingdom of God.

The other tribes of Israel or other peoples of the world should not resent the birthright nations or the temporary scepter nation Judah (the Jews). Because the scepter is Christ's and all will be Israel as a whole, both the earthly, national, fleshly Commonwealth of Israel, and those who are grafted in because of obedience to God's Christ. No person or nation should forfeit their place in God's kingdom because they can't have exclusive control over it. That would be the most foolish thing anyone could ever do. Don't do it.

Hos. 1:10-11 "Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons (children) of the living God. Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel."

The children of Israel that Hosea was referring to were the end-time northern ten-tribes of Israel, now lost from view. They cannot be measured or numbered for multitude. Do you think that is referring to the estimated 14.5 million Jews worldwide? Is 14.5 million out of over 6 billion a great multitude? Of course not! "Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head." Judah (the Jews) and Israel, now separate and distinct will reunite under one leader. "And they shall come up out of the land," i.e., rise up from obscurity)."

God kept His unconditional promise to Abraham, down to the birthright promises through Ephraim and Manasseh (The United States and Great Britain). He kept His promise to Jacob (Israel) that He would not leave him until what He promised was done (Gen. 28:15). It is done! Whether we keep the blessings, now that we have received them, is conditional on our obedience to God. What now? Deut. 32:35-36 "To me belongeth vengeance and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.

"For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left." All power gone and none in reserve for the younger Ephraim (United States). Deut. 28:49 "The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand." An army that the United States cannot defeat, against the single greatest Nation that ever was ... Armageddon - The place where the troops will gather. And I think not for hence..