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Dear
Gramps, I read your answer to Lori in OK. about the ten tribes. This is
somewhat confusing to me. The Gentile nations. Do they not consist of the
lost 10 tribes? If this is so, then the two tribes who were not lost were
Judah and Benjamin. Would Benjamin be considered as part of the Jews, or
would he also be considered to be Gentile? Exactly what are the Gentiles?
Is this just a reference to the rest of the nations of the world
and not Jews in Israel? The confusing part is that the ten tribes were
called the kingdom of Israel, and the kingdom of Judah included Jews and
the tribe of Benjamin. So in reference to Jews and Gentiles, who then are
considered to be Jews and who are considered to be Gentiles? Who then are
the Israelites? In your reply to Lori you stated, “When a man who is of
Israel joins the church....” Who is considered a man who is of Israel?
Israelites
or Gentiles? I'm confused.
Thanks for your help. Lois, from Idaho |
Dear
Lois,
The
name of Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, was changed to Israel. Jacob had
twelve sons, who, with some alterations, comprised the twelve tribes of
Israel. Their descendants are known as Israelites. Eventually, Solomon became
their king. At the death of Solomon the twelve tribes split up into two groups
under the leadership of Solomon’s two sons, Jeroboam and Rehoboam.
Rehoboam
became the leader of the tribe of Judah and about half of the tribe of
Benjamin. This group was called the house of Judah. In order to serve the
Lord, they migrated down to Jerusalem, the location of Solomon’s temple, so
that they could continue observing the law of sacrifice. Jeroboam, who was the
leader of the remaining ten tribes, turned to idol worship. They were called
the house of Israel. Jeroboam made this lament:
If
this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then
shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, [even] unto
Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king
of Judah (1 Kings 12:27).
In
721 B.C. the kingdom of Israel was taken captive by the Assyrians, and carried
down into Assyria. Eventually they were released from their Assyrian captivity
and as a body migrated northward, and have since been lost to history.
However, during their migration some stragglers stayed behind and became mixed
with other people. We are told that the blood of Ephraim (one of the ten
tribes) is scattered among all the nations of the earth.
The
tribe of Judah, although carried away captive on one occasion, returned to
Jerusalem. Their descendants are the Jews of today.
The
term “gentile” refers to all those who are not of the house of Israel.
Scattered among the gentile nations is the blood of Israel, principally from
the house of Ephraim. When the gospel is preached to the nations of the earth
it strikes a familiar chord in the ears of those who are of the blood of
Israel—particularly the house of Ephraim—and they tend to accept the
gospel, join the
Gramps