The 12 Tribes of Israel
Introduction: Bible Reference, Chapter 9

Because Bible Prophecy encompasses such a broad expanse of the Bible (nearly ⅓ of the entire Bible is prophetic in nature), the entire scope of end-times prophecy will be impossible to cover in depth in this venue. Lord willing, what we can attempt to accomplish in this 4-part series will be to look at a broad overview of end times as they relate to Israel as we study, in particular, Daniel chapter 9. We will undertake this study with the hope and prayer that doing so will challenge and spur each one of us to continue our own in-depth study of God’s amazing Word.

As we shall see, the Church is never addressed anywhere in the Old Testament. She (the Church), until God’s perfect timing, remained a “mystery hidden in God” until such time as God was ready to reveal her. The Church was birthed at Pentecost (see Acts chapter 2) after the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension back to Heaven of the risen Lord Jesus.

The passages in the Old Testament that refer to the (as yet) future time of Tribulation all deal with Israel, NOT the Church. Never forget that the Church and Israel are two separate and distinct entities each with their own calling, purpose, and destiny. The Church has never and will never replace Israel, and God has never and will never abandon Israel as His chosen people. God made an unconditional covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and although God “blinded Israel in part” because of her rejection of Jesus as their Messiah, He will NEVER renege on the unconditional covenants that He made between Himself and Abraham.

The Old Testament deals from mid Genesis on, exclusively with the nation of Israel; and although the book of Daniel also addresses the great Gentile world empires that affect the nation of Israel, nevertheless it is ISRAEL – the Jews, who are at the very center of the prophecy given in Daniel 9. We must always remember that from God’s point of view everything is Israel-centric, because she is the earthly nation through whom God has chosen to reveal Himself.

The Church, on the other hand (made up of BOTH believing Jews and Gentiles who are born into ONE BODY upon salvation), is NOT an earthly nation but rather members of a Heavenly body (the body and bride of Christ). The Church’s inheritance is not of this world. In the end, God will bring all things together for His glory and in His timing; but until the Kingdom Age begins, Israel will retake center stage on earth AFTER the Church will have been removed in the rapture.

Therefore, as we begin our study of Daniel chapter 9, always keep in mind that the focus of this prophecy given to Daniel is specific to “thy (Daniel’s) people;” and who were Daniel’s people? The Jews.

The incredibly detailed book of Daniel, particularly the 9th chapter, deals with the last seven years of human history under the rule of the fallen cherub Lucifer, who became Satan – the Adversary. The entire 9th chapter deals with God’s plans for ISRAEL as given by the angel Gabriel to the prophet Daniel, who was in captivity in Babylon after the Southern kingdom of Judah had been conquered by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar.

So, with this bit of background in mind, let’s begin with a study of Daniel’s 70 “weeks.”

Grab your Bible, a notepad and pen (and maybe a cup of coffee or tea), and let’s get ready to dig into one of the most ASTOUNDING prophecies ever given by God –  a prophecy given to the prophet Daniel concerning the future and timeline of the people of Israel – the Jews.

Daniel’s 70 Weeks, Part 1: The 12 Tribes of Israel

A Short Recap of History:

After the death of King Solomon, what had been (under the reigns of Kings Saul, David, and Solomon) the united kingdom of Israel, the kingdom became divided into two separate kingdoms: Israel was known as the NORTHERN Kingdom. This smaller kingdom still called “Israel” consisted of 10 of the original 12 tribes of the formerly united kingdom of Israel, and Judah, known as the SOUTHERN Kingdom, which consisted of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

ISRAEL (the Northern Kingdom comprised of 10 of the 12 tribes) was captured and carried into captivity by the Assyrians in BC 625.

20 years later, Judah (the Southern Kingdom comprised of the two tribes of Benjamin and Judah), was conquered by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, and Judah’s inhabitants were taken captive into Babylon.

**An important note must be made here about the so-called “10 lost tribes of Israel.” Many people erroneously speak about how it is impossible to know who is a true Israelite, since after being conquered by the Assyrians the 10 tribes of the Northern Kingdom were “lost” to history. This is simply not true. First of all, God NEVER loses track of anything or anyone.

And second, as we shall see, the Bible itself shows us that God not only knows where the descendants of each of the 12 tribes were then, but He also provided us with clear information on what happened to many of the Jews from the Northern Kingdom. God also knows where the descendants of each tribe are now and who they are. The descendants of the Northern Kingdom are not now, nor have they ever been lost. Here’s why:

(1) A portion of all Israelites (Northern Kingdom) out of all the tribes went into Judah at the time of the division of Solomon’s Kingdom in BC 975 (2 Chronicles 11:5; & 13-17).

(2) A number of them deserted from Israel to Judah in the days of Asa, the grandson of Northern Israel’s king, Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 15:8-9).

(3) 96 years after the 10 Northern tribes of Israel were carried captive to Assyria, King Josiah observed the Passover at Jerusalem (which was located in Judah in the Southern Kingdom), and many were present from the “remnant of Israel” (2 Chronicles 35:17-18).

(4) In BC 605 when Judah was carried captive to Babylon, “many Israelites” were carried away with them.

(5) When the Jews returned to their land in BC 536 AFTER the Babylonian captivity ended, the empires of Babylon and Assyria had become ONE. The remnants of Israel were free to return to Jerusalem and their land, as were the remnants of the two tribes that were Judah – the Southern Kingdom.

The Prophet Ezra tells us that he took with him “some Israelites;” and when the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem was dedicated, they offered sacrifices for THE ENTIRE 12 TRIBES (Ezra 6:16-17).

(6) History says that the 10 Northern tribes of Israel were taken to Assyria, and prophecy says that any of their descendants still there are to be brought out of Assyria (Isaiah 11:11 & 16), the inference being that their descendants are still there among the people of the areas that made up the old empire of Assyria.

(7) ALL 12 TRIBES of Israel (the descendants of BOTH Israel and Judah) are going to play a pivotal role in the not-too-distant future during that time the Bible calls “The Time of Jacob’s Trouble,” which is also called “Daniel’s 70th Week,” also known in scripture as “The Day of the Lord.” This is the same 7-year time period we know as The Tribulation.

With this vital background knowledge in mind, stay tuned for Part II, which will be the prophecy of the 70 “Weeks” of Years.

 

The Remnant Church
(2 Corinthians 4:1-18)

My brethren, we are ALL beyond weary. We are heartbroken as we see the tide of heresy, false teaching, violence, debauchery, and outright evil rolling in upon us like an incoming tsunami. The false church of Laodicea is rising like a leviathan, while the battle weary Remnant Church continues to fight with flagging strength, waiting, ever waiting for the trumpet blast that will signal to us that it is finally time for us to lay the weapons of our warfare down and leave this sin-cursed place, to move finally and forever Home. Home to a place we’ve never been before, but for which we long with all our hearts.

I know how discouraging it is. Those of us who love the Lord, we who are battling “in the trenches” as it were, are weary to the bone. We daily, even hourly strive to give and live the gospel before a lost and dying world. We try to be diligent to defend the truth and contend for the faith only to have the majority of those we are so desperately trying to reach, to warn, turn on us and revile us. It is heartbreaking and so very tiring mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Truthfully it’s not us they are rejecting, but the Lord Himself, and us by extension because we wear His name. It is both maddening and heart rending knowing what’s coming their way, yet making so little headway with the very ones who need most to know the truth but who refuse it with bitterness and even outright malice.

It is maddening because we are constantly repeating the same things over, and over, and over and yet making very little if any headway with the majority of them. It is heart rending because we know that, even among our friends and families, the vast majority of them are lost and will be left behind to face a 7-year period of time so terrible, so horrible that it is literally beyond their ability to comprehend or ours to describe.

Still, God always has a remnant. There is yet in this world a faithful core who, as long as we are left here, continually and faithfully do our best to sound the alarm to warn those who are perishing. We have wept and pleaded with all that is within us for the lost to come to Christ now, before the rapture occurs, and they are left behind to face the coming time of God’s wrath poured out upon an unrepentant and utterly depraved world.

There is yet a faithful remnant church of watchmen and women on the wall who are daily sounding the alarm – warning that destruction is coming, that judgment is even at the door. Yet for the most part, to very little (if any) avail, most of our warnings fall on blind eyes and deaf ears. Few, at least in America, want to hear the truth.  So yes, fellow soldiers, we ARE tired, but let us never lose sight of the goal. We are going Home, and SOON.

The finish line is not just in sight but right within our grasp. Our fingers are mere inches away from breaking the finish-line tape. Let us resolve to push on just a little bit farther, fellow believers. Never forget that we are “ambassadors for Christ,” and the very last ones to leave a foreign country just before the final assault begins. We are the ambassadors sent into hostile territory as emissaries of their Sovereign God. When the ambassadors are called home, that is when the final assault begins.

So dig in deeper in the trenches, dear weary saints. Keep fighting with the Word and on the knees of our hearts, fellow soldiers of the cross, because the Lord of Glory is rising to His feet. The mighty angel of the Lord has the trumpet to his lips, and all the Host of Heaven are straining with great anticipation to hear the Father’s command of, “Son, go get your bride.”

All of Heaven is electrified with the anticipation of that moment when those “great voices in Heaven” cry aloud, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ…!” (Revelation 11:15)

Oh, wait for the redemption of our bodies, fellow believers! Watch for our Deliverer, weary body of Christ! Listen for that shout, bride of the King! Long for our Blessed Hope, Remnant Church! Look up! Look UP! Our redemption draweth nigh! Our Deliverer is coming, our Deliverer is standing by!

Perhaps today!