Deuteronomy 29
Deuteronomy 29:15, Not here with us today. This verse teaches us that YHVH made his covenant not only with the Israelites of Moses’ day, but with their physical and spiritual offspring forever. What are the implications of this with regard to your life? How does it impact what you do, how you act, your attitude and relationship with your Maker to know that divine covenants were made 3500 years ago that have a bearing on our lives today as members of the members of the commonwealth or nation of Israel and offspring of Abraham through one’s relationship with Yeshua the Messiah (see Rom 11:11–32; Eph 2:11–19 cp. Gal 3:29; Rom 4:16; 9:8–11)? YHVH’s Torah-instructions in righteousness were central to the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants. These along with the New Covenant are “the covenants of promise” (plural) to which Paul makes reference in Ephesians 2:12, and which he says apply to all Christians.
There are many people in the mainstream church who will say, “Since I’m not an Israelite, but I’m a Gentile Christian, I, therefore, have no obligation toward YHVH’s Torah, and thus the Old Testament laws mean little or nothing to me.”
My response to this argument is that, with the flick of the hand and the nod of the head, by believing this, one dismisses most of the Old Testament and much of the New Testament, which is the Word of Elohim. The idea that a born again believer is still a Gentile and thus the Torah is irrelevant to them—a lie that the church system has convinced most Christians to believe—is not biblically substantiated. The Scriptures are clear on this point. For example, Paul calls redeemed believers the “one new man” and part of the nation of Israel. And who are the ex-Gentiles to which Paul makes reference who were formerly aliens to the covenants of Israel, but have now been brought into the commonwealth of Israel through the work of Yeshua (Eph 2:11–19)? After all, it is the Abrahamic Covenant that reveals the path to salvation, the Mosaic Covenant that reveals the path of righteousness and the New Covenant, which is the previous two covenants combined but now written on hearts that have been spiritually circumcised. Not only that, let us not forget that no Gentiles will enter the New Jerusalem—a picture of heaven on earth, since there is no Gentile gate into that city—only gates only 12 gates named after the 12 tribes of Israel (Rev 21:12). So to which Israelite do you belong? And how should, could or will this much overlooked Bible truth change your life?
Now consider this. Some people might challenge the notion that covenants made with one’s forefathers are applicable to future generations. If this is your case, then let us pose the following question: Did the founding fathers of America make laws more than 200 years ago (i.e., the U. S. Constitution) that are legally binding upon Americans today? This can likewise apply to any nation with a constitution or legal governing framework that was established in the past. If this is the case with men’s laws, then how much more applicable upon us are covenants made by our forefathers 3500 years ago with YHVH? Just because our forefathers broke their covenant with YHVH does not free us to violate YHVH’s laws any more than if someone in the past violates a nation’s constitutional law frees the future generations from violating that law. Think about it!
Deuteronomy 29:16–19, Emboldened to sin. As we pass through the spiritual wilderness of the world around us (verse 16) on our way to the Promised Land of our eternal inheritance, it is easy for us sin-oriented humans to justify our personal rebellion, our sinful habits, our lustful and materialistic thoughts on the basis of carnal and sinful rationalizations. Delusions are tempting. It is all too easy to fall prey to such excuses as, “Everyone around me is doing it,” or, “It feels like it’s okay, then to do,” or, “If it feels good, do it,” or “YHVH’s laws don’t apply to me…that was for the people back then, not for us today,” or, “That’s not what the church I belong to teaches,” or, “Surely YHVH doesn’t expect us to keep his commandments…they’re too hard to do…we can’t really do all that stuff today,” or, “We’re under grace today…that stuff has been done away with…Jesus fulfilled it …nailed it to the cross,” and so go the arguments and mental rationalizations of carnal humans. Do these statements square with YHVH’s words of truth? If we have fallen prey to such excuses to disregard the Creator’s commandments, we have, in reality, emboldened ourselves to continue sinning. Rather, the question each person needs to ask themselves is, “Do what I believe and practice square with YHVH’s Word?” Is YHVH pleased with our excuses or our obedience? What did Yeshua say would be an identifying mark of those who would love him? (Read John 14:15, 21.)
Deuteronomy 29:20–28, Rooted them out of their land. What was YHVH’s response to those who refused to obey him? Are some of the curses (i.e., the bad things happening to you now) in your life possibly related to disobedience of his commandments (or YHVH’s instructions in righteousness) in the past or perhaps even now?
Deuteronomy 29:23, Whole land is brimstone. The areas just west of the Dead Sea where some scholars believe that ancient Sodom and Gomorrah were located is to this day a barren wasteland of gypsum containing little or no vegetation, and, in places, is covered in sulfur balls (brimstone) that one can still pick up. This region is an enduring testimony to the severity of YHVH’s judgments against men’s sin, which speaking loudly to us even now in harsh and warning tones.
Deuteronomy 29:26, Other gods. This is likely referring to the demon-gods (demigod) nephilim of Genesis 6:2–4 (The Great Inception by Derek P. Gilbert, p. 67).
Deuteronomy 29:28–30:1–20, The Final Redemption of All Israel. A time is coming when Israel, including the ten northern tribe will be redeemed and regathered back to the land of Israel after having been exiled into captivity from their land. What is the captivity from which Israel will be returning?
What Is This Captivity?
The biblical term captivity is often a reference to Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom or house of Israel, being brought out of captivity by YHVH (Ezek 16:53). Also compare Isaiah 61:1 with Luke 4:18–21 where, while preaching in the region of Galilee and Nazareth (the historic homeland of the Northern Kingdom or House of Israel), Yeshua quotes the Isaiah 61 passage relating it to his ministry to the ten tribes of the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt 10:6). Yeshua states that it was his mission “to preach the gospel to the poor … to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captive and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bound, to preach the acceptable year of YHVH.”
To what“captivity” is Yeshua referring? Is it a physical or spiritual captivity? Compare this with Revelation 18:4 where YHVH states that his people (the saints) are enslaved to the last days’ Babylon the Great religious-economic-political system and must come out of it. What is this religious part of this system that he is now calling his people to leave?
Deuteronomy 29:28, Cast them into another land.“This verse also alludes to the fate of [those Israelites] who had become so assimilated among other peoples that their [i.e., the Israelite’s] origins had become forgotten. When the final redemption comes, these hidden ones known only to [Elohim] will be reunited with the rest of the nation and be restored to the status of their forefathers” (The ArtScroll Stone Edition Chumash, p. 1090). To whom is this Orthodox Jewish author referring here? Who became assimilated among the peoples and forgot their origins? Who is it that Elohim will bring out of hiding from among the nations where he, in judgment, scattered them and then reunite with the Jews (i.e., the tribe of Judah) in the end times during what the Orthodox Jewish sages refer to as “the final redemption”? In Jewish thought, what is the “final redemption”? (For the answer, read Ezek 34:13; 36:24; Isa 56:8; Matt 24:29–44; Acts 1:6; 1 Cor 15:51–53; Rev 11:15–18.)
Another land. Let’s next notice a quote from the ancient apocryphal Book of 2 Esdras13:40-45(elsewhere known as The Fourth Book of Ezra; quoted from Lange’s Commentary; bracketed phrases are from an alternate translation by James H. Charlesworth in his book entitled, The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha—Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments);Two Esdras is a Jewish work written near the beginning of the Christian era,
[T]hese are the ten tribes which were carried [led] away prisoners out of their own land [into captivity] in the time of Josia[h] the king, whom Salmanasar king of Assyria led captive, and carried them over the river and they were brought over into another land. But they took this counsel [formed this plan] amongst themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the heathen [nations], and go forth into a further country [a more distant region], where mankind never dwelt, that they might there keep their own statutes, which they had not kept in their own land. But they entered into Euphrates by the narrow passages of the river; for the Most High then wrought signs for them, and held still the waves [stopped the channels] of the river till they had passed over. But through that country there was a long journey to make of a year and a half; and the same region is called Arzareth [Hebrew for “another land”].
Arzareth or “another land” is a reference to the prophecy in Deuteronomy 29:28 which states, “And YHVH rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land [Heb. eretz acheret], as it is this day.” Acheret in the Hebrew means “another,” but also has the connotation of “new”such as “next year”(or in the “new year,” Gen 17:12), a “another well” (Gen 26:21); “another man” (i.e., a new husband); and so on. Other Hebrew words for “new” include chodesh or chadashah, which can mean either “brand new”or “renewed”such as in “new moon, new heart, or new heaven and new earth”; tiyrowsh, which refers to “new wine” or “new fruits.” These are unique Hebrew words, which specifically describe those things and nothing else; and beriyah, which is used once in Numbers 16:30, describes the earth opening up to swallow Korah and his malcontents.
The point of this brief word study is that eretz acheret can justifiably be translated into English as “new earth,” or “new world.” The “New World” is a common historical reference to what? North America, of course. Was Deuteronomy 29:28 a cryptic prophecy to one of newly discovered regions where the tribes of Israel would be scattered? Perhaps this is what the rabbinic writings in 2 Esdras13:40–45are suggesting. One and a half years’ travel by foot and boat either west or east of the Euphrates could well lead one to North and South America.
Israel to Be Lost Among the Gentiles
Deuteronomy 29:28 states, “And YHVH rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land [Heb. eretz acheret], as it is this day.” How did the ancient Jewish sages understand this passage?
Rabbinic Commentary on this Verse
b. Talmud, Yevamot 17a (c. 500 C.E.) (Soncino Talmud, Soncino):
[T]hey had declared them [i.e. ,the ten tribes of Israel, see rabbinic footnote below]19 to be perfect heathens [or gentiles]; as it is said in the Scriptures, “They have dealt treacherously against YHVH, for they have begotten strange children.20”
A Rabbinic footnote on this passage states, “(19) The ten tribes; (20) Hos. 5:7.”
The ArtScroll Tanach Series Bereishis/Genesis (an Orthodox Jewish commentary on Genesis) states, regarding Genesis 48:19, Orthodox Jewish sage of the Middle Ages, Ibn Ezra wrote:
Many nations will descend from him [Ephraim]. That is, the word, fullness, melo, connotes “abundance,” the phrase meaning: and his seed will become the abundance of the nations (Neter; Karnei Or)” (p. 2121). According to Radak [R. Dovid Kimchi Torah, a scholar of the Middle Ages], “This refers to the Exile when the lands of others will be filled with his scattered descendants. See also Hosea 7:8: Ephraim shall be mingled among the nations (ibid.).
Deuteronomy 30
Deuteronomy 30:1, It shall come to pass. This is an end time prophecy concerning the people of YHVH.
Deuteronomy 30:1–5; 31:16, Returning to Elohim. Israel’s departure from her covenantal agreements with YHVH was assured. Moses prophesied it. But repentance (verse 2) was always an option—an open door of return back to right relationship with YHVH. Have you repented of straying from his Torah-commands whether out of ignorance or purposely?
Deuteronomy 30:2, You will return unto YHVH. The word return is shuv/CUA, which means “to come back, turn back.” Bear in mind that one cannot turn back to what one never had in the first place. This prophecy says that those who YHVH has scattered because of their disobedience to his Torah-covenants will return to him. To whom is this referring? In Hosea 3:4–5, we find similar language:
For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek YHVH their Elohim, and David their king; and shall fear YHVH and his goodness in the latter days. (emphasis added)
Relate this to Revelation 18:4 and Malachi 4:4–6 along with Jeremiah 16:19 (read verses 15–21 for context).
Let us not forget that, “Ideal repentance is motivated by the desire to return to [Elohim], not because one seeks to rid oneself of suffering, and benefit from Divine blessings” (The ArtScroll Stone Edition Chumash p, 1091).
With all your heart. Moses makes the heart of man a major focal point in this chapter (see also vv. 6, 10, 17. The subject here is about returning to Elohim after having turned away from him, but this can only happen when the heart of man is willing disposed to do so, and not a minute before that. Repentance is all conditional on the heart of each individual person.
This scriptural passage presents the view that if YHVH’s people will return to him with all their heart and soul from the places he has scattered them because of their disobedience and that of their forefathers (v. 2) that he will begin to gather them together in their foreign lands (vv. 3–4). Eventually this will result in his people returning to the promised land of their inheritance (v. 5). In the process, after his people have inclined their hearts to following YHVH, he will respond by circumcising their hearts and that of their children to love him more, so they can walk in harmony with him by keeping his Torah commands, so he can bless them. This is all predicated upon his people making a choice to obey him (v. 19). Once the choice is made, he will pour out his grace upon his people, so they can continue to obey him with all their hearts.
Deuteronomy 30:3, From all the nations to which YHVH … has scattered you. The Scriptures over and over again record that the house of Israel (Ephraim) would be scattered over the face of the whole earth (Ezek 34:6, 12; 36:19; 37:21; John 11:52), and that YHVH will regather them in the end times and return them to the land of Israel (Deut 30:3–5). Deuteronomy 32:26 says, “I said, I would scatter them into the corners …” The ArtScroll Stone Edition Chumash comments, “This refers to the exile of the ten tribes who were scattered to an unknown place where they have never been heard from again.
On the phrase of the same verse, “I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men. …” the same Chumash states, “This is a reference to the exile of Judah and Benjamin, the Davidic kingdom from which today’s known Jews are descended.” It goes on to say that though nations would seek to destroy Israel entirely, YHVH would never allow Israel to become extinct or disappear. Israel’s perpetual existence is a constant reminder of YHVH’s plan and eventually Israel will thrive and fulfill YHVH’s intention for it” (pp. 1105–1106).
Nineteenth orthodox Jewish scholar S. R. Hirsch in his commentary on the same verse translates the phrase, “I would scatter them into the corners …” as, “I would relegate them into a corner …,” and then says that the Hebrew here refers to the “extreme end of a surface, the side or corner ….” He, too, relates this fate to the Ten Tribes who would be scattered “to some distant corner of the world, where, left entirely to themselves, they could mature towards serious reflection and ultimate return to Me …” (p. 650).
Some in the Christians deny that these Scriptures passages pertain to the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and instead insist that they are speaking about Judah (the Jews) only. They insist that the return of the Jews to the land of Israel starting in 1948 is the fulfillment of these prophecies and the ten tribes of Israel are lost forever. How can this a correct understanding in light of the Scriptures and the Jewish sages interpretations of those scriptures that states again and again that the ten tribes will return at the end of the age to be reunited with the Jews under the reign of Messiah Son of David (Ezek 37:15–28)?
Deuteronomy 30:6, Circumcise your heart. Obedience to YHVH is all about the heart, all about love and relationship between him and us. Are his commandments too difficult to keep? (See verses 11–14.) Ultimately obedience is about our making choices. What are those choices and what are both the long-term and short-term results of those choices? (Compare verses 29:27–28; 30:9, 20 with 30:15–16, and relate this to what Yeshua told the rich, young ruler in Matthew 19:16–19.)
Deuteronomy 30:6, Will circumcise your heart…and of your seed. This is a prophecy concerning the Renewed Covenant, to which Jeremiah makes reference (Jer 31:31, 33) as does Ezekiel (Ezek 36:26–27), and the writer of Hebrews (Heb 8:8).
Deuteronomy 30:11–14, Is the Torah too difficult to obey? Does YHVH’s Torah set an impossible standard by which we are to live? If so, we are logically compelled to ask ourselves this question: Would a righteous and just Creator who is a loving Heavenly Father give to his chosen people and children a set of standards that were humanly impossible to perform, then curse them for their inability to meet these standards? If so, then we must face the fact that Elohim is an unjust and a wicked tyrant! If Torah isn’t an impossible standard to follow, then what is the Torah’s purpose in our life and why does the Creator impose the Torah upon his people? We believe that the Torah sets a standard of faith, trusting in Elohim, and that if followed it provides a system of repentance and sacrifice for obtaining forgiveness from Elohim and restoring a condition of being considered righteous in his sight. The Torah also teaches man how to achieve peace on earth and good will toward men by showing humans how to love Elohim with all their heart, soul, mind and strength and their neighbor as themselves.
Paul quotes this same Deuteronomy passage in Romans 10:6–8 where he relates the Written Torah to Yeshua, the Living Torah or Word of Elohim incarnate (in the flesh). (Compare with John 1:1, 14.) He shows that they are one in the same and that Messiah Yeshua, through his life, came to reveal to man the righteousness of the Torah-law. This righteousness is available to us if we will but have a heartfelt faith in him (Rom 10:4, 9–10) and allow him to live out his righteousness in us through the empowering work of the Spirit of Elohim. In verses 11 through 21, Paul goes on to relate this very truth to being the central message of the gospel that Isaiah prophesied (Isa 52:7) would be preached to redeem both houses of Israel to Yeshua their Messiah. Furthermore, in Romans 10:4 Paul reveals that Yeshua is the end goal, target of or the full flowering or embodiment of the Written Torah in human form.
Deuteronomy 30:12, 13, That we may hear it. The NAS translates this phrase as: “and make us hear it…” When the Torah is in our heart, no one will have to force us to do it, for man’s love for Elohim will compel him to obey the Torah (see John 14:15), it will be the result, spiritual fruit or “good works” of man’s salvation (Eph 2:10).
Deuteronomy 30:19, Heaven and earth to bear witness against you. We find this phrase elsewhere in the Scriptures to denote a lack of obedience or awareness to the plans and purposes of YHVH on the part of his people (Deut 4:26; 30:19; 31:28; 32:1; Luke 19:40). The Scriptures say that in any legal matter a word is to be established in the mouth of at least two or three witnesses (Num 35:30; Deut 17:6; 19:15; Matt 18:16). In an anthropomorphic sense, heaven and earth are two witnesses against the people of YHVH for their disobedience to his covenants. On the earth and under the heaven, from the beginning of time, humans have committed an unending litany of sins, and heaven and earth have seen it all. Just think of the human blood that the earth has had to absorb, or how the heavens due to human greed have been polluted in countless ways…and this is only the beginning. But what happens to these two witnesses after the Millennium (or Messianic Era) both of which (anthropomorphically speaking) have seen and heard all the sins of YHVH’s people as well as the whole world? After the white throne judgment (Rev 20:11–15), the wicked whose names are not written in the Book of Life will be cast into the lake of fire (Rev 20:15), and sin will once and for all be expunged from the earth via the cleansing flames. It is at this time that the physical heaven and earth will also be destroyed (2 Pet 3:7, 10; Pss 75:3; 102:25–26; Isa 51:6; Zeph 3:8; Matt 24:35 cp. Rev 21:1)! Elohim will mercifully remove the indicting evidence against man’s sinful rebellion. HalleluYah! Hirsch in his commentary on this verse states that Elohim sends the warning first by means of heaven and earth, and if no notice be taken, uses them as his instruments for the ruin of the guilty ones, even as they are the agents of his blessings when we have made ourselves deserving of them by devotion to our duty (The Pentateuch/Devarim, p. 605). Recognizing that heaven and earth are agents of both YHVH’s blessings and curses upon his people, it behooves us to take notice of the hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, floods, droughts, forest fires, volcanic eruptions and other natural calamities that are striking our nation and the world as we are increasingly heading down the path of moral and spiritual decay and perversion and outright rebellion and wickedness.
The Tribes of Israel: Their Dispersion and Ultimate Return
My apologies, but in my print version of this article, I have numerous footnote references, which, sadly, don’t come through in this online version. If you need the footnotes, please email me and I’ll send you a pdf of this article with the footnotes. All the footnotes can be found in my longer article (https://hoshanarabbah.org/pdfs/migrations.pdf) that includes the following excerpt.
A Brief History Lesson
When the children of Israel exited Egypt, they were one nation composed of twelve tribes. Contrary to popular opinion, the Jews (from the tribe of Judah) were only one-twelfth of that nation — not the whole nation. At Mount Sinai, that nation made a covenant with YHVH Elohim to obey him and keep his commandments with the Torah as the nation’s constitution. In return, YHVH promised to bless and protect the nation of Israel. Several hundred years later, the nation of Israel began to turn away from its covenantal promises by not adhering to its Torah-constitution and by worshipping pagan deities. The result of this apostasy was that the nation of Israel split in two becoming two nations: the Northern Kingdom (composed of the tribe of Ephraim and nine other tribes) and the Southern Kingdom (composed of Judah and two other tribes more or less). The tribes of the Northern Kingdom never did come back to YHVH or his Torah, but continued to walk in the ways of the heathen nations around them. As punishment for their disobedience and rebellion against him, YHVH allowed the very nations whom the Northern Kingdom “fell in love with” other than YHVH to take them captive. This resulted in the Israelite dispersion among the nations of the world as Moses predicted would happen in the Torah. Sadly, the same thing eventually happened to the Jews of the Southern Kingdom. Even though the Torah predicted this would occur (Gen 49:16; Deut 28:64; 29:25–28; 30:1–5; 32:21–29), it also predicted that YHVH would regather his people from the lands where they had been scattered (Deut 30:1–5). The Hebrew prophets spoke extensively about the exile and eventual return of all the tribes to the land of Israel. Often these prophecies were coupled with end time, Messianic and millennial prophecies. The prophecies about the return of the Israelites to their land was partially fulfilled by the return of a small remnant of Jews and Levites to the Israel during the time of Cyrus, king of Persia and Babylon. But this historical event didn’t fulfill these prophecies totally even in the least. First, Ezra makes it clear that only those from the tribes of Judah and Levi returned to Israel after the Jews’ seventy-year exile in Babylon. None from the Northern Kingdom returned. Second, the Jews only came from one nation of exile (Babylon), and not from many nations around the world — including even the furthest islands — as the Hebrew prophets predicted would happen. So the remnant of Jews who returned to Israel from Babylon was only a partial fulfillment of the biblical prophecies about all twelve tribes eventually returning to the land of Israel. Why did YHVH allow a remnant of Jews to return to Israel? Simply this. Had there been no Jews in the land of Israel, the Messiah couldn’t have been born in Bethlehem. With no Messiah, then the Messianic biblical prophecies couldn’t have been fulfilled making the Bible — the Word of Elohim — a lie. Not only that, as we shall see below, it was the purpose of the Messiah to regather the lost sheep of the house of Israel by sending out spiritual fishermen with the good news message of redemption and salvation for all those who would repent of sin (i.e., Toarhlessness, see 1 John 3:4) and place their faith in the Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah. As we shall also discuss below, the apostolic writers of the Testimony of Yeshua (the New Testament) were very well aware that the twelve tribes were still extant in their day, and the gospel message needed to be taken to them. Not only that, but in Paul’s mind, the Gentiles were, at least in part, to be viewed as the lost the sheep of the house of Israel (i.e., the Northern Kingdom). The gospel message was to be like a net to draw them back into the spiritual fold of nation Israel — back into a spiritual relationship with YHVH Elohim through Yeshua the Messiah. Paul makes this clear in several places (especially in Eph 2:11–19).
What the Jewish Sages Say
For several millennia, many notable Jewish scholars have been aware of the biblical prophecies pertaining to the return of the Israelite exiles (all twelve tribes) from the lands where they were scattered. Even today, Orthodox Jews still pray daily for and look forward to the regathering of the dispersed of Israel from the four corners of the earth. They see this as something to be fulfilled in the end times with the advent of the Messiah. They refer to this event as the final redemption. Here are some quotes from some of these Jewish sages: The late Menachem Schneerson, the head of the Orthodox Jewish Lubivicher Movement, stated that,
The future King Messiah (Messiah Ben [Son of] David) will not only redeem the Jews from exile, but will restore the observance of the Torah-commandments to its complete state, which will only be possible when the Israelites are living in the land of Israel.
At this same time, according Schneerson while referencing the notable rabbinic sage of the Middle Ages, Moses Maimonides also known as the Rambam,
“[T]here will be an ingathering5 of the dispersed remnant of Israel. This will make it possible for the Davidic dynasty to be reinstated and for the observance of the Torah and its mitsvot to be restored in its totality.”
Jacob Immanuel Schochet states,
The Jewish [sages] recognize that the ingathering5 of the exiles,3 including the Ten Tribes of the Northern Kingdom, will also return, be reunited with Judah and that the whole House of Israel will serve YHVH together (Ezek 20:32–37, 40–42).
Several passages in the Torah serve as the prophetic foundation for the Jewish sages’ belief that all tribes of Israel would be regathered after having been scattered among the nations. In regards to Deuteronomy 32:26 which says, “I said, I would scatter them into the corners,…” (KJV), The ArtScroll Stone Edition Chumash comments,
“This refers to the exile3 of the Ten Tribes,8 who were scattered to an unknown place where they have never been heard from again.
On the phrase in the same verse, “I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men….” (KJV) the same Chumash states, This is a reference to the exile of Judah and Benjamin, the Davidic kingdom from which today’s known Jews are descended.” It goes on to say that though nations would seek to destroy Israel entirely, YHVH would never allow Israel to become extinct or disappear. Israel’s perpetual existence is a constant reminder of YHVH’s plan and eventually Israel will thrive and fulfill YHVH’s intention for it.” S. R. Hirsch (a preeminent Orthodox 19th century Torah scholar) in his commentary on Deuteronomy 32:26 translates the phrase “I would scatter them into the corners, …” (KJV) as follows: “I would relegate them into a corner, …” and then says that the Hebrew here refers to the “extreme end of a surface, the side or corner …” He, too, relates this fate to the ten tribes who would be scattered “to some distant corner of the world, where, left entirely to themselves, they could mature towards serious reflection and ultimate return to Me [YHVH],….” In The ArtScrollBereishis Genesis Commentary, in its commentary on Genesis 48:19 regarding the house of Ephraim (the Northern Kingdom of Israel or the northern ten tribes of Israel), we read:
“R. Munk explains: ‘while it is true that the dispersion [of the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh] was caused by the unfaithfulness and sinfulness of Ephraim’s descendants (Hos 7:8ff), Jacob’s blessing was not in vain for “they will return to [Elohim]” and will have their share in the world to come ([Talmud] Sanhedrin 110b).’ And R. Eliezer adds: ‘Even the darkness in which the Ten Tribes were lost will one day become as radiant as the day’ (according to the version of Avos d’Rabbi Nosson 36). And in the perspective of history, did not these exiled children of the Patriarchs enlighten the nations among whom they were scattered? They did so by teaching their conquerors the fundamental ideas of the knowledge and love of [Elohim], ideals they had never forsaken. Hence they too have a messianic vocation and their Messiah, the Mashiach ben Yosef, Messiah son of Joseph (Succah 52a), also called Messiah son of Ephraim (Targum Yonasan on Exodus 40:11), will play an essential role in humanity’s redemption, for he will be the precursor of the Mashiach ben David, Messiah Son of David. It is therefore not surprising to find that the prophet Jeremiah (3:12) speaks affectionately of Ephraim. In this light, Jacob’s words, his offspring will fill the nations nation,’ assume the significance of a blessing.”
The above statements of the sages are entirely consistent with numerous prophetic pronouncements made by the ancient biblical prophets concerning the return or regathering of the exiled or “lost” ten tribes of Israel.These same prophecies speak of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (also known as the House of Israel, house of Ephraim or just Ephraim) being reunited with the Southern Kingdom of Israel (also known as the house of Judah) into one nation with Messiah Son of David as the king over both. This glorious and long-awaited event will occur at the coming of Messiah Son of David at the end of our current age just prior to the Messianic Age or Millennium (see Ezek 37:15–28).
Setting the Stage
In Genesis 48:14 and 16 when laying his hands on his grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh, Jacob crossed his arms making a cross and a fish symbol. Then in verse 16 he speaks of the “Angel which redeemed me from evil.” The word “angel”is the Hebrew word malak, which simply denotes “a messenger”and is used in the Tanakh (OT) in reference to angels, prophets and to a mysterious figure known as “the Angel of YHVH/Elohim.” Many, including this author, believe this Messenger of YHVH was none other than an appearance of the Word of YHVH who later become incarnated as Yeshua the Messiah (John 1:1–14). The patriarch Jacob had an encounter with this same individual whom Scripture calls “the Messenger of Elohim”(Gen 31:11). This same Messenger goes on to say of himself, “I am the Elohim of Beth-el.” So in light of all this, what does the crossing of the hands represent in context of Jacob’s referring to this Divine Being as being his Redeemer? Then in verse 16, we find Jacob prophesying that the descendants of his grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh, would become “a multitude in the midst of the earth.” The ArtScroll Stone Edition Tanakh translates this verse as, “May the angel who redeems me from all evil bless the lads, and may my name be declared upon them, and the names of my forefathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they [Ephraim and Manasseh] proliferate abundantly like fish within the land.” Onkelos, an early Jewish Aramaic translation of this verse renders it: “And like the fish of the sea may they multiply among the children of men on earth.” “The literal translation of vdS [dagah] refers to procreation … [and] the word essentially denotes fish” (emphasis added). What religious group on earth today has spread out across the face of the earth into all nations, has proliferated a message of redemption pertaining to a Messenger of YHVH involving a cross-symbol,and who uses the fish-symbol to identify itself? Christianity, of course. On the phrase found in Genesis 48:18, again pertaining to what would become of the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh, Jacob prophesies that they would become “a multitude of nations.” What do the Jewish sages say about this prophetic verse pertaining to the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh?
- Ibn Ezra: Many nations will descend from him (i.e., the word TKN [melo], “fullness,” connotes “abundance,” the phrase meaning: And his seed will become the abundance of the nation [Neter; Karnei Or].)
- R. Avraham b. HaRambam states somewhat similarly: The expression denotes abundant profligacy to a point that they will have to inhabit lands of other nations, and it is an allusion to Ephraim’s expansive territory.
- Radak: This refers to the Exile when the lands of others will be filled with his scattered descendants.… See also Hos 7:8: “Ephraim shall be mingled among the nations.
What kind of blessing was this prediction that one day [Jacob’s] descendants—the Ten Tribes—would be scattered among the nations? As we have already noted, R. Munk explains: while it is true that the dispersion was caused by the unfaithfulness and sinfulness of Ephraim’s descendants (Hos 7:8ff), Jacob’s blessing was not in vain for “they will return to God” and will have their share in the world to come ([Talmud] Sanhedrin 110b). And R. Eliezer adds: ‘Even the darkness in which the Ten Tribes were lost will one day become as radiant as the day’ (according to the version of Avos d’Rabbi Nosson 36). And in the perspective of history, did not these exiled children of the Patriarchs enlighten the nations among whom they were scattered? They did so by teaching their conquerors the fundamental ideas of the knowledge and love of God, ideals they had never forsaken. Hence they too have a messianic vocation and their Messiah the … Messiah son of Joseph (Succah 52a), also called Messiah son of Ephraim (Targum Yonasan on Exodus 40:11), will play an essential role in humanity’s redemption, for he will be the precursor of the … Messiah Son of David….
The Ten Tribes of Israel Exiled to Foreign Lands and Lost Among the Gentiles
The prophecy portions of the Scriptures specifically states, in numerous places, that the people of Israel, because of disobedience to YHVH’s commandments, would be deported as slaves and taken into foreign lands. From there they would scatter to the four corners of the earth only to be regathered in the last days by the hand YHVH back to the land YHVH promised to the patriarchs where Messiah will rule over them in his 1000 year-long Messianic Era (Millennial) kingdom. Below are a few of the Scriptures that foretell of this regathering.
- Exiles of Ephraim to Return from the West
I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am El, and not man; the Set-apart One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city. They shall walk after YHVH: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west. (Hos 11:9–10)
- Exiles of Ephraim to Return from the North
In those days the House of Judah shall walk with the House of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers. (Jer 3:18) “‘Therefore, behold, the days come,’ says YHVH, ‘that it shall no more be said, YHVH lives, that brought up the Children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, YHVH lives, that brought up the Children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.’” (Jer 16:14-15) “‘Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travails with child together: a great company shall return thither. They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.’ Hear the word of YHVH, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd does his flock.’” (Jer 31:8–10)
- Exiles of Ephraim to Return from the Isles of the Sea
“‘They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.’ Hear the word of YHVH, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd does his flock.’” (Jer 31:9–10) Wherefore glorify you YHVH in the fires, even the name of YHVH Elohim of Israel in the isles of the sea. (Isa 24:15) He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his Torah. (Isa 42:4) Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a Torah shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people. My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust. (Isa 51:4–5)
- Isles of the Sea and the Ships of Tarshish
Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the YHVH thy Elohim, and to the Set-Apart One of Israel, because he has glorified you. (Isa 60:9) According to Talmud Chullin 91b, Tarshish could be a reference to the Atlantic Ocean, since the rabbis state, “we have a tradition that Tarshish is two thousand parasangs long.” A Persian parasang (a measurement of distance, like the English mile) was the distance a horse would walk in one hour (approximately six kilometers or three to four miles). In a footnote to the Soncino Talmud, according to rabbinic tradition, Tarshish is the sea of Africa—probably the Mediterranean Sea. It must be noted that there are several seas (and or oceans) associated with Africa. Furthermore, two thousand parsangs would be six to eight thousand miles across—a distance slightly larger than the width of the Mediterranean Seas, and more likely that of the Atlantic Ocean. America is due west of Persia approximately six to eight thousand miles. What Isaiah is saying here is that the sons of Elohim will return to Zion from these far lands.
- Israel to Inherit the Desolate Heritages and Far Places
“Thus says YHVH, ‘In an acceptable time have I heard you, and in a day of salvation have I helped you: and I will preserve you, and give you for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages.’” (Isa 49:8; see also 49:6,12)
- Israel Scattered to the Ends of the Earth
The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came. (Isa 41:5) You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called you from the chief men thereof, and said unto you, You are my servant; I have chosen you, and not cast you away. (Isa 41:9) I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth. (Isa 43:6) Look unto me, and be you saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am El, and there is none else. (Isa 45:22) YHVH has made bare his set-apart arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our Elohim. (Isa 52:10) “O YHVH, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto you from the ends of the earth, and shall say, ‘Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.’” (Jer 16:19) “For so has YHVH commanded us, saying, ‘I have set you to be a light of the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.’” (Acts 13:47)
- Israel to Be Lost Among the Gentiles
And YHVH rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land [Eretz Acheret], as it is this day.” (Deut 29:28) The Babylonian Talmud, Yevamot 17a (c. a.d. 500) (Soncino Talmud) states,
“[T]hey had declared them [i.e., the ten tribes of Israel, see rabbinic footnote below]19 to be perfect heathens [or gentiles]; as it is said in the Scriptures, ‘They have dealt treacherously against YHVH, for they have begotten strange children.20’” A rabbinic footnote on this passage states, (19) ‘The ten tribes; (20) Hos 5:7.’”
The ArtScroll Tanach Series Bereishis/Genesis (an Orthodox Jewish commentary on Genesis) states, regarding Genesis 48:19, quoting Orthodox Jewish sage of the Middle Ages, Ibn Ezra:
“Many nations will descend from him [Ephraim]. That is, the word, fullness, melo, connotes abundance, the phrase meaning: and his seed will become the abundance of the nations (Neter; Karnei Or)” (p. 2121). According to Radak (Dovid Kimchi, a Torah scholar in the Middle Ages), ‘This refers to the Exile when the lands of others will be filled with his scattered descendants.’ See also Hoshea 7:8: Ephraim shall be mingled among the nations” (Ibid.).
Arazreth: Hebrew for Another Land or New World (?) to Which Israel Migrated The apocryphal book of 2 Esdras 13:40-45 (elsewhere known as The Fourth Book of Ezra; quoted from Lange’s Commentary; bracketed phrases are from an alternate translation by James H. Charlesworth in his book entitled, The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha—Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments); Two Esdras is a Jewish work written near the beginning of the Christian era. This book contains the following passage:
[T]hese are the ten tribes, which were carried [led] away prisoners out of their own land [into captivity] in the time of Josia[h] the king, whom Salmanasar king of Assyria led captive, and carried them over the river, and they were brought over into another land. But they took this counsel [formed this plan] amongst themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the heathen [nations], and go forth into a further country [a more distant region], where mankind never dwelt, that they might there keep their own statutes, which they had not kept in their own land. But they entered into Euphrates by the narrow passages of the river; for the Most High then wrought signs for them, and held still the waves [stopped the channels] of the river, till they had passed over. But through that country there was a long journey to make of a year and a half; and the same region is called Azareth [Hebrew for “another land”].
Azareth or “another land” is a reference to the prophecy in Deuteronomy 29:28 which states, “And YHVH rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land [Eretz Acheret], as it is this day.” Acheret in the Hebrew means “another,” but also has the connotation of “new”such as “next year”(or in the “new year,” Gen 17:12), a “another well” (Gen 26:21); “another man” (i.e., a new husband); and so on. Other Hebrew words for “new” include chodesh or chadashah, which can mean either “brand new”or “renewed”such as in “new moon, new heart, or new heaven and new earth”; tiyrowsh, which refers to “new wine” or “new fruits,” which is a unique Hebrew word which specifically describe those things and nothing else; and beriyah, which is used once in Numbers 16:30 to describe the earth opening up to swallow Korah and his malcontents. The point of this brief word study is that Eretz Acheret can justifiably be translated into English as “new earth,” or “new world.” “New World” is a common historical reference to what? North America, of course. It was there that Scripture would seem to indicate that the Israelites would, in part, at least, be scattered and the rabbinic writings of 2 Esdras 13:40-45make reference to this land or to the New World.
The Jewish Sages on the Regathering of Dispersed Israel (Including the Ten Tribes)
According to the late well-known orthodox Jewish sage, Menachem Schneerson, the future King Messiah (Messiah Ben [Son of] David) will not only redeem the Jews from exile, but will restore the observance of the Torah-commandments to its complete state, which will only be possible when the Israelites are living in the land of Israel. At this same time, Schneerson who is quoting the notable rabbinic sage of the Middle Ages, Moses Maimonides also known as the Rambam, says,
[T]here will be an ingathering of the dispersed remnant of Israel. This will make it possible for the Davidic dynasty to be reinstated and for the observance of the Torah and its mitsvot to be restored in its totality.
The Jewish sages recognize that the ingathering of the exiles, including the 10 tribes of the Northern Kingdom, will occur and that the whole House of Israel will serve YHVH (Ezek 20:32–37, 40–42). (emphasis added). The ArtScroll Stone Edition Chumash quoting Samson Raphael Hirsch states in regards to Deuteronomy 32:26 which says, “I said, I would scatter them into the corners …” (KJV),
This refers to the exile of the Ten Tribes, who were scattered to an unknown place where they have never been heard from again.
On the phrase of the same verse, “I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men …” the same Chumash states, “This is a reference to the exile of Judah and Benjamin, the Davidic kingdom from which today’s known Jews are descended.” It goes on to say that though nations would seek to destroy Israel entirely YHVH would never allow Israel to become extinct or disappear. Israel’s perpetual existence is constant reminder of YHVH’s plan and eventually Israel will thrive and fulfill YHVH’s intention for it. Samson Raphael Hirsch in his commentary on the Pentateuch on the same verse translates the phrase, “I would scatter them into the corners …” as, “I would relegate them into a corner … ” and then says that the Hebrew here refers to the “extreme end of a surface, the side or corner …” He, too, relates this fate to the Ten Tribes who would be scattered “to some distant corner of the world, where, left entirely to themselves, they could mature towards serious reflection and ultimate return to Me …” Abraham Cohen in his classic book, Everyman’s Talmud—The Major Teachings of the Rabbinic Sages states with regard to the Messianic Era (Millennial period),
“Another confirmed belief was that the Messiah would effect the reunion of the tribes of Israel. While we find the teaching, ‘The ten tribes will have no share in the World to Come’ (Tosefta Sanh. 13.12), the Talmud usually takes the opposite view. By appealing to such texts as Isaiah 27:13 and Jeremiah 3:12, the [sages] enunciated the doctrine of the return of the lost ten tribes (Sanh. 110b, emphasis added). ‘Great will be the day when the exiles of Israel will be reassembled as the day when heaven and earth were created’ (Pes. 88a). A law of nature will even be miraculously suspended to assist this great reunion. ‘In the present world when the wind blows in the north it does not blow in the south, and vice versa; but in the Hereafter, with reference to the gathering together of the exiles of Israel, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘I will bring a northwest wind into the world which will affect both directions; as it is written, ‘I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back; bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the end of the earth’ (Isa 43:6)” (Midrash to Esther 1:8). “The regathering of the tribes will be preceded by another wondrous event, viz. the restoration of the Holy City. If a man tells you that the scattered exiles of Israel have been gathered together without Jerusalem having been rebuilt, do not believe him, for thus it is written, ‘YHVH doth build up Jerusalem’ (Ps 147:2), and then, ‘He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.’”
Babylonian Talmud Megilah 17b(Soncino Press) states,
What was their reason for mentioning the gathering of the exiles after the blessing of the years?—Because it is written, “But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to your people Israel, for they are at hand to come.”24 [Ezek 34:8] And when the exiles are assembled, judgment will be visited on the wicked, as it says, “And I will turn my hand upon you and purge away your dross as with lye,” and it is written further, “And I will restore your judges as at the first.” And when judgment is visited on the wicked, transgressors cease,27 and presumptuous sinners are included with them, as it is written, “But the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake YHVH shall be consumed.” And when the transgressors have disappeared, the horn of the righteous is exalted, as it is written, “All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.” And “proselytes of righteousness” are included with the righteous, as it says, “you shall rise up before the hoary head and honour the face of the old man,”33 and the text goes on, “And if a stranger sojourn with you. And where is the horn of the righteous exalted?” In Jerusalem, as it says, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, may they prosper that love you.” And when Jerusalem is built, David will come, as it says.”
As already seen above, Abraham Cohen in his classic book, Everyman’s Talmud, notes the existence of this debate among early common era rabbis about the future of the ten tribes. He writes, “While we find the teaching, ‘The ten tribes will have no share in the World to Come’ (Tosefta Sanh. 13.12), the Talmud usually takes the opposite view. By appealing to such texts as Isaiah 27:13 and Jeremiah 3:12, the Rabbis enunciated the doctrine of the return of the lost ten tribes (Sahn. 110b).” So according to Cohen, by the time the Talmud was formalized the debate as to the future state of the ten tribes was pretty well fixed: they did have a place in the world to come.
The Final Redemption Is to Occur at the Beginning of and During the Messianic Age or Millennium
The concept of the Messianic Age in Hebraic thought encompasses the concept of the first and final redemptions, which are two separate events. The first redemption occurred when YHVH set the Israelites from their Egyptian captivity. By contrast, the final redemption will occur when the scattered tribes of Israel are regathered from the nations of the world and return to the Promised Land. In Jewish thought, this will occur when the Messiah will come to establish his kingdom on this earth. For believers in Yeshua, this occurs at the his second coming when he will rule for one thousand years in his millennial kingdom. The “final redemption” is a Hebraic concept that is sprinkled throughout rabbinic and earlier Jewish writings and derives from YHVH’s promises to restore to exiled Israel their land and their kingdom. These prophetic promises are based on YHVH’s promise to Israel in Deuteronomy 30:1–10 where he says,
1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you shall call them to mind among all the nations, wherever YHVH your Elohim has driven you, 2 and shall return unto YHVH your Elohim, and shall obey his voice according to all that I command you this day, you and your children, with all your heart, and with all your soul; 3 that then YHVH your Elohim will turn your captivity, and have compassion upon you, and will return and gather you from all the nations, whither YHVH your Elohim has scattered you. 4 If any of you be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will YHVH your Elohim gather you, and from thence will he fetch you: 5 and YHVH your Elohim will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and he will do you good, and multiply you above your fathers. 6 And YHVH your Elohim will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your seed, to love YHVH your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your soul, that you may live. 7 And YHVH your Elohim will put all these curses upon your enemies, and on them that hate you, which persecuted you. 8 And you shall return and obey the voice of YHVH, and do all his commandments which I command you this day. 9 And YHVH your Elohim will make you plenteous in every work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your land, for good: for YHVH will again rejoice over you for good, as he rejoiced over your fathers: 10 If you shall hearken unto the voice of YHVH your Elohim, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the Torah, and if you turn unto YHVH your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your soul.
The final redemption is an event (or series of events) that occurs at the end of the age prior to the return of Messiah (Yeshua) son of David and at the beginning of the Messianic Age (Millennium). The Jewish sages teach, based on their understanding of the Tanakh, that the following notable events are to occur in conjunction with the final redemption:
- There will be an ingathering of the dispersed remnant of Israelite exiles to the land of Israel including both the exiles of the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom and those of the Southern Kingdom of Israel.
- Messiah Son of David will assume rulership over the earth and the Messianic Age will be established upon this earth for 1000 years.
- The Davidic dynasty (Tabernacle of David) will be reinstated with the observance of the Torah and its commandments (mitzvot) to be restored in its totality.
- The resurrection of the dead will occur just at the coming of the Messiah.
The Restoration of the Tabernacle of David to Occur During The Millennium as Part of the Final Redemption There is much debate as to what is the “tabernacle of David.” It is the opinion this author that this is referring to the “kingdom of David,” which during his reign consisted of his ruling over all twelve tribes of Israel, something he will again do in the Millennium (Ezek 37:24–25). After the death of David’s son, Solomon, the united kingdom of Israel was divided between the Northern and Southern Kingdoms or houses of Israel. They have yet to be reunited to this day, yet there are numerous scriptures in the Tanakh prophesying that a time is to come when they will be reunited in the land of their promised inheritance. The time frame of those prophecies (e.g., Ezek 37) is pre-millennial, which has been the opinion of the Jewish sages for thousands of years as we have seen above. Listed below are the several scriptures pertaining to the raising up of the Tabernacle of David:
And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle [ohel, tent, dwelling, covering, nomad’s tent symbolic of wilderness life] of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness. (Isa 16:5) In that day will I raise up the tabernacle [sukkah, Strong’s H5521, tabernacle, booth, pavilion, etc.] of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old. (Amos 9:11) After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle [skene, Strong’s H4633, tent, tabernacle made of green boughs] of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up. (Acts 15:16) “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, ‘Master, will you at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?’ And he said unto them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in his own power. But you shall receive power, after that the Set-Apart Spirit is come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.” (Acts 1:6–9)
Yeshua’s words in Acts chapter one were the last words that he spoke on this earth before ascending to heaven. Mark that! Before leaving this earth for two thousand years, he gave to his hand-picked and personally trained disciples their most important commissioning statement—called the Great Commission. He told them to wait in Jerusalem to be filled with the power of the Spirit of Elohim. Why? They needed that supernatural and divine empowerment of the gifts of the spirit so that they would be able to fulfil the great commission to restore the kingdom of Elohim to those who had been scattered to the far corners of the earth. The message they were to preach was “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” That was the same message that John the Baptist, who had come in the spirit of Elijah the prophet preached, and the same message that Yeshua himself preached (Matt 3:1; 4:17). That same spirit of Elijah, through YHVH’s chosen end time vessels, will go forth in the last days before the great and terrible day of YHVH’s wrath to help turn the hearts of the children back to their spiritual Hebraic fathers (Mal 4:4–6). All this, called the restitution of all things (Acts 3:21), must happen before Yeshua can return again. What are you doing to follow Yeshua’s commissioning command to his disciples to advance the kingdom of Elohim and to help prepare the way for his return by helping to raise up the tabernacle of David?
References in the Testimony of Yeshua to the Regathering of Tribes of Israel
Yeshua himself made several references to the fact that it was his mission to regather the lost sheep (or tribes of Israel). The tribe of Judah (the Jews) was one only of the tribes. There were also eleven others.
But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (Matt 10:6) But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (Matt 15:24) 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. (John 10:16) Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. 51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; 52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. (John 11:50)
The apostles made several references to the scattered Israelite tribes as well. If these tribes weren’t still viable and relevant to the spreading of the gospel and the fulfillment of the biblical prophecies, then why would the apostles have mentioned them?
Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope’s sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews. (Acts 26:7) Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia… (1Pet 1:1) For ye were as sheep going astray ; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. (1 Pet 2:25; Ezek 34; cp. Matt 10:6) James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. (Jas 1:1)
All twelve tribes of Israel (not just the Jews from the tribe of Judah) will be present during the future millennial reign of Yeshua and will continue to be relevant even into the era of the New Jerusalem on the New Earth.
And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matt 19:28) That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Luke 22:30) And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. (Rev 21:12)
The apostolic writers made several references to the northern tribes of Israel. In their minds, the Gentiles who were coming to faith in Messiah were somehow related to the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom (or Ephraim) and to the Old Testament prophecies about the Gentiles coming to faith in Yeshua the Messiah. Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. (1 Pet 2:10 cp. Hos 1:9, 10; 2:23 and Rom 9:25)
Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: but now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh [Dan 9:7; 1 Kgs 8:46] by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one [Ezek 37:15ff], and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: and came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God. (Eph 2:11–19) For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. (Acts 2:39) For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles [Gen 48:19] be come in. (Rom 11:25) Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. (1 Pet 2:10 cp. Hos 1:9–10 and Deut 32:21) As he saith also in Hosea, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. 26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. (Rom 9:25 cp. Hos 2:23)
The Testimony of Yeshua contains other allusions to the tribes of Israel being regathered as well. For example, the Tanakh likens Israel metaphorically to an olive (Jer 11:10, 17), and to the Gentiles, who in the past had been broken off of that olive tree to being grafted back into it (Rom 11:13–24). If the Gentiles somehow weren’t related to the northern kingdom of Israel in Paul’s mind, then his analogy would have been specious and meaningless. The Tanakh also likens lost and scattered Israel to fish in the midst of the seas of humanity (Gen 48:16). Jeremiah prophesied that YHVH would send fishermen to regather these “fish” (Jer 16:15–16). Interestingly, Yeshua chose a number of fishermen to be his disciples to help gather in the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He also made Capernaum — a fishing village located on the Sea of Galilee — the headquarters of his ministry. When calling some of these fishermen to be his disciples, he proclaimed,
And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Matt 4:19) And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. (Mark 1:17)
When the northern tribes of Israel broke off from the southern tribes, a breach was formed in the nation of Israel (1 Kgs 11:13, 29–50; 12:1–20). Several Old Testament prophets predicted that in the future this breach would be repaired and the two nations would again become one (Isa 58:12; Amos 9:11). The reuniting of the nation Israel was the foremost thing on the apostles’ minds just prior to the final ascension of Yeshua (Acts 1:6). The restoration of the nation of Israel is to occur at the second coming of Yeshua (Acts 3:21). Paul viewed the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles as helping to repair that breach (or breaking down the middle wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles, so that the Gentiles could become part of the nation of Israel (Eph 2:11–19). The repairing of this breach is called the building up again of the tabernacle of David (Acts 15:16) or “the restitution of all things” (Acts 3:21 cp. Acts 1:6). Moreover, in Romans 9:22–29, Paul links the Gentiles coming to faith in Yeshua to two prophecies in the Tanakh,which were made in relationship to Ephraim or the lost and scattered children of Israel (Hos 1:10; 2:23; Isa 10:22, 23). Additionally, when the Gentiles come to faith in Messiah, according to Paul, the apostle, they become the actual seed or offspring of Abraham (Gal 3:29). When Yeshua returns, he will finalize his New Covenant with these regathered Israelites who are from both the house of Judah (the Jews) and the house of Israel (all the tribes other than the tribe of Judah; Heb 8:8 cp. Jer 31:31, 33).
For a deeper dive into this subject with additional biblical, historical and secular scholarly information, you can read my longer dissertation entitled “Scripture Prophesies the Return of the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel—What Scriptural, Linguistic, Secular Historical & Rabbinic Sources Reveal on the Subject: https://hoshanarabbah.org/pdfs/migrations.pdf
