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Post Info TOPIC: Truths Against The World - The Curse III


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It was the Levite Priests that were run out of Egypt with Akenaten that created the torah....using Akenatens Aten creation scripts and past religious stories and rewritting history.........




Ancient Israel Never Existed!


In a September 22nd, 2002 speech to visiting Christian Zionists, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon asserted, "This land is ours... God gave us the title deeds..." However, recent scholarly research, including discoveries by an archaeological team from the University of Tel Aviv, not only deconstruct the Biblical Old Testament and Torah stories upon which this claim rests, but grant previously unthinkable credence to an ancient historian?s claim that the Israelites of Exodus were actually the Hyksos, and therefore of Asiatic origin.

To trace the foundations of this ongoing Biblical bonfire, we must go back to 1999.

All hell broke loose in Israel in November of that year when Prof. Ze?ev Herzog of Tel Aviv University announced: "the Israelites were never in Egypt, did not wander the desert, did not conquer the land, and did not pass it on to the twelve tribes". Moreover, the Jewish God YHWH had a female consort - the goddess Asherah!

His conclusion that the kingdom of David and Solomon was at best a small tribal monarchy, at worst total myth, has made enemies for him in the camps of traditional Jewish and Christian belief systems. He asserts: all evidence demonstrates that the Jews did not adopt monotheism until the 7th Century BCE - a heresy according to the Biblical tradition dating it to Moses at Mount Sinai.

Tel Aviv University?s archaeological investigation at Megiddo and examination of the six-sided gate there dates it to the 9th Century BCE, not the 10th Century BCE claimed by the 1960?s investigator Yigael Yadin who attributed it to Solomon. Herzog, moreover, states that Solomon and David are "entirely absent in the archaeological record".

In addition, Herzog?s colleague, Israel Finkelstein, claims the Jews were nothing more than nomadic Canaanites who bartered with the city dwellers.

The team?s studies concluded that Jerusalem did not have any central status until 722 BCE with the destruction of its northern rival Samaria.

However, the real bombshell is Herzog?s discovery of numerous references to Yahweh having a consort in the form of Asherah. Inscriptions, written in Hebrew by official Jewish scribes in the 8th century BCE, were found in numerous sites all over the land. For Yahweh, supposedly the "One God", to have had a female consort and, of all people, the goddess Asherah, is dynamite of wide ranging significance.

The Secret Identity of Yahweh

The use of Yahweh as the name of God has always fuelled speculation and philosophical argument. YHWH, sometimes pronounced Jehovah, is taken to mean "I AM" or "I AM WHO I AM". There is also the puzzle of the rule that his mysterious real name is not to be spoken.

The identification of the goddess Asherah (Asherat) as His consort somewhere within the original Jewish faith leads to some explosive conclusions about the identity of the Jewish/Christian God of the Cosmos, the one Monotheistic God with whom we are so familiar from western religion.

But before looking at Asherah, and what she means to the identity of Yahweh, it is worth taking a look at another goddess, Ashteroth. Her significance will become evident a little later. Referred to as an "abomination" in 2 Kings, Ashteroth was an important deity in the Near East pantheons.

To the Sumerians she was IN.ANNA (Anu?s beloved) and is an important character in the Sumerian Epics. To the Assyrians and Babylonians she was Ishtar; Ashtoreth was her name for the Canaanites; to the Greeks - Aphrodite; the Romans - Venus. The most important equivalent however is the Egyptian goddess Hathor, who the Greeks identified with Aphrodite. Hathor was the wife of Horus, the God of War. Hathor is identified with the symbol of the cow, and statues of her in the 26th Dynasty (572 - 525 BC) in Egypt actually depict her as a cow.

Asherah, (whose name means "she who walks in the sea") supposedly consort of the supreme god El, was also referred to as Elath (the goddess). According to the Ugarit tradition, whose clay tablets contain the earliest known alphabet, she was consort of El, and mother of seventy gods. She is also associated with Baal and is supposed to have interceded to her husband, the supreme god, on Baal?s behalf, for the building of a palace - in order to grant him equal status with other gods.

In the cuniform tablets of Ras Shamrah (Circa 1400 BCE) the head of the Pantheon was El; his wife was Asherat-of-the-sea (Asherah). After El, the greatest god was Baal, son of El and Asherah. Curiously, Baal?s consort is his mother, Asherah. In the Lebanon traditions Baal is equated with Jupiter.

Carvings of Asherah in Syria show her wearing Egyptian head-dress. She was also referred to later as "the cow" - a reference to her great age.

Significantly, Baalat (an important Goddess at Byblos) is depicted in carvings as having cow?s horns, between which is a halo. Baalat is in fact the form of Asherah when she appears alongside Baal.

But what does this say about the identity of Yahweh? The Bible has always presented a confusing picture of Yahweh. In the light of Herzog?s discoveries and conclusions that Yahweh?s consort was Asherah, it deserves a closer examination.

Exodus 6:3 states "And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by [the name of] God Almighty (El Shaddai), but by my name "I AM" was I not known to them." In the King James Version, "I AM" is translated as Jehovah (Yahweh) but means the same: "I AM". The use of "God Almighty" is a traditional translation of Shaddai, thought to have meant "Omnipotent", but arguably it could be linked to the Akkadian root word Shadu, meaning literally "mountains".

And El Shaddai is only one of the versions of God described in Genesis. El Shaddai literally translated means, "God the one of the mountains", but there was also El Olam (God the everlasting one) El Elyon (God most high) El Ro?i (God of vision).

The obvious question is, why did YHWH reveal himself to the patriarchs as El Shaddai? The answer lies in the religious traditions of Canaan, where Abraham is said to have lived for a time, and which were brought to Canaan by the Phoenicians. (In turn, the root of Phoenician religious tradition is Sumer).

God-the-one-of-the-mountains has a Sumerian equivalent. ISH.KUR, the youngest son of Enlil, means God the one of the far mountains. Ishkur was also known as Adad or Hadad in Hebrew, brother of Nannar/Sin, and was the pre-eminent God of Canaan - El-Shaddai.

According to biblical scholars who focus on the "P Source" for the old testament, Yahweh as a name is first used with Moses in Exodus, and is indicative of monolatory (exclusive worship of one of many Gods) rather than monotheism. The name Yahweh can also be translated as "I am who I am", literally a way of saying "mind your own business", a way of disguising his true identity. Yahweh does not appear until Exodus and, strangely, the god Baal is entirely absent in Genesis.

(El Shaddai is still venerated in the Jewish faith in the form of the Teffilin, one of two small leather cube-shaped cases containing Torah Texts, traditionally to be worn by males from the age of 13. The Teffilin are worn in a manner to represent the letters shin, daleth, and yod, which together form the name Shaddai.)

In Exodus 33:2 it states "And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite:
33:3 Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou [art] a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee on the way."

This Yahweh is prone to violence and seems to despise his chosen people. He is a perfect match for ISH.KUR (Hadad), whose land is occupied by the Amorites and Hittites, and is a known demonstrator of violence and contempt for his worshipers.

ISH.KUR?s image, traits, and symbols match those of Baal. He is also anti-Babylon and anti-Egypt, as is Yahweh. And like Yahweh?s, the real name of the Canaanite Baal (Hadad) must not be spoken.

On the basis of Herzog?s discovery, the evidence within the Bible itself, the Sumerian, Phoenician and Canaanite traditions, the following is a logical conclusion and solution to the identity of the Jewish God of the Old Testament: ISH.KUR = Hadad = El Shaddai = Baal = Yahweh. (The Canaanite?s Baal was also known as Moloch, who we will examine later.)

This indicates, as does Herzog?s work, that the Jewish people evolved from polytheism to monotheism with the promotion of a god who had been known by a variety of names, into one supreme God, Yahweh (whose real name must not be spoken), and that they adopted for this purpose, not the supreme God of the Pantheons, El, but his son - ISH.KUR, Baal, Hadad, El-Shaddai, an entity who was in open revolt against his father El, and ultimately aided in this revolt by his mother and consort, Asherah, (also known as Baalat, Ashteroth, Elat).

This female entity was later merged by Greek and Roman traditions into Aphrodite and Venus, and known earlier to the Egyptians as Isis.

Once we understand this, the etymology of the name Israel - Is (either Isis or tomb) Ra (Head of the Egyptian Pantheon) El (Lord - Baal) - makes far more obvious sense than the convoluted "Yisrael" yarn from the Hebrew faith.

But what does all this do to the validity of the "Title Deeds" from God that Ariel Sharon refers to? Quite apart from the obvious conclusion that the god assumed to have given the "promised land" to his chosen people was just one god from a pantheon and not the alleged monotheistic only God of the cosmos, Herzog?s findings corroborate theories that have been "out there" for some time.

The Hyksos

Like Herzog, the historian Josephus (c. 37CE - c. 100CE) denied the account of the Hebrews being held in captivity in Egypt, but he went a drastic step further about the racial origins of the Jews, whom he identified with the Hyksos. He further claimed they did not flee from Egypt but were evicted due to them being leprous.

It must be said that Josephus has been vilified over the ages as a Roman collaborator by both Jewish and Christian scholars who have argued that the dating of the exodus of the "Hebrews" from Egypt in the Bible positively rules out their identification as Hyksos.

However, Jan Assmann, a prominent Egyptologist at Heidelberg University, is quite positive in his writings that the Exodus story is an inversion of the Hyksos expulsion and furthermore that Moses was an Egyptian.

Likewise, Donald P. Redford, of Toronto University, presents striking evidence that the Expulsion of the Hyksos from Egypt was inverted to construct the exodus of the Hebrew slaves story in the Torah and Old Testament. His book, which argued this theory, "Egypt, Canaan, and Israel in Ancient Times" was Winner of the 1993 Best Scholarly Book in Archaeology Award of the Biblical Archaeological Society.

There is irrefutable evidence that the Hyksos, a mixed Semitic-Asiatic group who infiltrated the Nile valley, seized power in Lower Egypt in the 17th Century BCE. They ruled there from c. 1674 BCE until expelled when their capital, Avaris, fell to Ahmose around 1567 BCE.

The Hyksos in Egypt worshipped Set, who like ISH.KUR they identified as a storm deity.

Under the "inversion theory", Jewish scholars in the 7th Century BCE changed the story from "expelled" to "escaped" and as a further insult to their enemy, Ahmose, changed and miss-spelt his name to Moses, presenting him as leader of a Hebrew revolt. But there is also a strong possibility of two separate origins to the "Moses" character being merged into one, which I will come to later.

Ahmose?s success in 1567 BCE led to the establishment of the 18th Dynasty in Egypt. ThotMoses III overthrew the transvestite Pharaoh Atchepsut, and under ThotMoses IV Egyptian conquests extended beyond the Sinai into Palestine, Syria, reaching Babylonia and included Canaan.

By the end of this expansion, Amenophis III (1380BCE) ruled an Egyptian empire whose provinces and colonies bordered what is now known as Turkey. This empire would have included the regions in which most of the expelled Hyksos now lived.

Amenophis IV succeeded the throne in 1353BCE. He established a new monotheism cult establishing "Aten" as the one supreme god and he changed his name to Akhenaton. Married to the mysterious Nefertiti, Akhenaton declared himself a god on earth, intermediary between the one-god Aten (Ra) and humanity, with his spouse as partner, effectively displacing Isis and Osiris in the Egyptian Enead.

Declaring all men to be the children of Aten, historians suspect Akhenaton planned an empire-wide religion. He banned all idolatry, the use of images to represent god, and banned the idea that there was more than one supreme god.

It is alongside Akhenaten and his father Amenophis III that we find the second Moses.

An important figure during this period was confusingly called Amenophis son of Hapu. He was First Minister (Vizier) to both kings. He is generally depicted as a scribe, crouching and holding on his knees a roll of papyrus. He more than anyone was responsible for authoring the religion in which the old gods were merged into one living god, Aten, who had been responsible for the creation of the Earth and of humanity.

The symbol of this god, the sun disk, represented Ra, Horus and the other gods in one. The sun disk, in symbolism, was supported between the horns of a bull. The Son of Hapu says this about creation: "I have come to you who reigns over the gods oh Amon, Lord of the Two Lands, for you are Re who appears in the sky, who illuminates the earth with a brilliantly shining eye, who came out of the Nou, who appeared above the primitive water, who created everything, who generated the great Enneade of the gods, who created his own flesh and gave birth to his own form."

The king?s overseer of the land of Nubia was a certain Mermose (spelled both Mermose and Merymose on his sarcophagus in the British Museum). According to modern historians, in Amenhotep?s third year as king, Mermose took his army far up the Nile, supposedly to quell a minor rebellion, but actually to secure gold mining territories which would supply his king with the greatest wealth of any ruler of Egypt.

Recent scholarship has indicated Mermose took his army to the neighbourhood of the confluence of the Nile and Atbara Rivers and beyond.

But who was this Mermose? According to historian Dawn Breasted, the Greek translation of this name was Moses. Does Jewish tradition support this identification?

According to Jewish history not included in the Bible, Moses led the army of Pharaoh to the South, into the land of Kush, and reached the vicinity of the Atbara River. There he attracted the love of the princess of the fortress city of Saba, later Meroe. She gave up the city in exchange for marriage. Biblical confirmation of such a marriage is to be found in Numbers 12:1. "And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman."

The end of Akhenaten?s reign is shrouded in mystery, scholarship about which is beyond the scope of an article of this length. In summary, however, theories span from the death of Nefertiti from plague - Akhenaten?s own death from plague or murder - to exile.

On clear record, in contrast, is the return of Egypt to the Enead of the gods and a systematic attempt to erase all vestiges of Akhenaton and his cult in Egypt.

Meanwhile, the expelled Hyksos, according to various historians, have been living in Canaan.

It is here that a solution to the Biblical dating problem of linking the Israelites to the Hyksos appears.

Using the dating of the Biblical Exodus and comparing it to the Egyptian dating of the Hyksos expulsion throws up a gap of about 400 years. Using the dating systems of the books of Judges and Samuel, this gap can extend to between 554 and 612 years.

However, there is clear historical record of post Hyksos Egypt extending its empire into Canaan, the land into which the Hebrews entered and lived, according to Biblical sources, for 400 years before establishing the kingdom of Solomon.

The Hebrews living in Canaan were therefore under Egyptian rule. It is also here in Canaan that we can make a comparison between Yahweh and the Canaanite Moloch (Baal) and extrapolate a polemic inversion of the story of Pharaoh ordering the death of all the "first born" in Exodus.

The worshippers of Moloch sacrificed their first born children to their deity through immolation. Worshippers of Yahweh in Canaan were also known to carry out child sacrifice on occasion, especially in times of hardship, although immolation (holocaust) was supposedly frowned upon. Slitting the child?s throat, however, was acceptable.

The sacrifices were carried out and the remains interred at sacred sites known at Topheth. Sometimes - although rarely, judging by the vast predominance of infant human bones found at Topheth sites by archaeologists - animals were sacrificed as substitutes.

The Unification

Modern historical disciplines studying the biblical era uniformly conclude that Exodus could not have been written earlier than the 7th century BCE, and certainly not by the Biblical Moses who at best is a fictional combination of Egyptian personalities.

In Israel itself, 7th Century BCE is the period in which the archaeological evidence presented by Herzog suggests the emergence of Jerusalem as a cultural centre occurs.

By all accounts, it is a cultural centre struggling to find an identity and nationality for itself and, given the discovery of the Jewish texts displaying Yahweh having a consort in the form of Asherah, it is not difficult to piece this jigsaw together.

In 639BCE, Josiah, king of Judah, is known to have introduced wide-ranging religious reforms and brought additional areas of "Israel" under his control.

It is during this period that "polemics" against and "inversion" of a wide variety of religious and cultural sources are brought together to form a religious and political unity.

For Josiah?s "inquisitors", where history is unheroic, such as the expulsion from Egypt in the form of the Hyksos, history is inverted. Where religion is bereft of moral unity, the cult of Aten is interweaved, satisfying existing belief systems within the region and bestowing upon the king, Josiah, the position of divine right through a lineage to Solomon and David - both replacements for Aten?s ancestors and his temple-building reputation. Josiah also destroys the Topheth Temple said to have been built by Solomon in the Hinnon valley just outside Jerusalem, to the south.

Within this unifying mechanism, there are obfuscations to mitigate existing belief systems, which require the true name of God to be kept secret, and for which there is precedence in the cults of Baal and ISH-KUR, all part of the mish-mash of the region, and all designed to plaster over the holes in the new Yahweh-based system. An important separation of the identities of Baal-Moloch-Yahweh is implemented, although the evolution of ISH-KUR to Hadad to Baal to Yahweh does not remain disguised owing to the later polemic against Babylon written up as Genesis.

Well known in Egypt, including at the time of the Aten cult was the following passage from the Book of the Dead:

I have not robbed.
I have not coveted.
I have not killed people.
I have not told lies.
I have not trespassed.
I have not committed adultery.
I have not cursed a god.

Josiah?s unification process takes Moses, an Ideogram combining the Ahmose who expelled the Hyksos, and the Mermose who led the Egyptian army to great victories, and credits him with receiving the Ten Commandments in tablets of stone. In reality these laws are an elaboration of the above declaration.

Add to this the fact that the obscure Egyptian king?s "Hymn to Aten" is almost "word for word" Psalm 104 in the Bible and we have another compelling "coincidence".

These and other "coincidences" apparently convinced the renowned Psychologist Sigmund Freud, writing in his 1939 book "Moses and Monotheism", that the Jewish monotheistic faith had its roots in the Akhenaton cult religion.

Josiah?s unification should of course be applauded. It outlawed the Moloch cult and emphasised the spiritual morality of the Ten Commandments. The polemics and inversions adding a heroic slant to the history of his people are understandable and politically astute.

But beginning c. 200CE, somewhere along the line, and unlike the Aten cult, supremacy of race is added to the Jewish faith.

In summary, however, it is Herzog?s discovery of Yahweh?s consort Asherah in Jewish texts and his declaration of an archaeological absence of Solomon or David that is the scalpel with which to slice through all the fictions of the biblical Exodus and its suggestion of divine right and supremacy. For that reason, Herzog must not be forgotten.

Even though his scholarship is ignored by the politics of modern day Israel, it contains a lesson for the rest of the world, and in particular for those nations who support Israel?s supremacist doctrines.

Israel, modern, needs to face up to the fact that it has no "divine right" to the land it occupies. Israel must rely instead upon an equitable settlement in light of its undeniable modern day colonisation and conquest - a reality its opponents must accept but without straying outside the boundaries defined by international law - i.e. the 1967 borders.

It is a realist position, which most modern day western civilisations have come to terms with without claiming divine right or racial supremacy. They have accomplished this by recognition of human rights and an international standard of law limiting their behaviour (in most cases), reserving instead to a faith in the democratic institutions upon which their modernity and equitability is based.

Given the religious and cultural battleground upon which Israel is placed, its absence of recognition of modern reality, and in a world armed with nuclear weapons, until Israel - armed with those weapons - separates itself from doctrines of "divine right" and "racial supremacy", it will continue to be the breeding ground for a fight against racial and political injustice - at the centre of the modern-day world?s geo-political processes - which could bring our entire global civilisation to destruction.

That surely, in the name of humanity, is reason enough to bring to an end such "biblical" fixations and dogmatism. It does not require us to abandon faith in God in order to do that. Our intuition of The Creator is as old as humanity and is not dependent upon a dusty old tome written by men and in the words of men.

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THE VATICAN SECRET - THE FOUR OBELISKS

http://thehiddenrecords.com/vatican_secret.htm

THE VATICAN SECRET - THE FOUR OBELISKS

If you are one of those readers who feels compelled to rush straight to the Vatican star map link at the bottom of the page, stop for a moment. There is some very critical reasoning leading up to the star map that you need to be aware of. It is important to state right now that what you are about to read might all be a coincidence and with the greatest of respect to the Catholic church many will treat it as so… but if it is not, then the time has come to re-evaluate who we are and where we come from.

Who would imagine that the key to unlocking the great Vatican mystery might be the actual key you see here. Many are going to wonder how on earth it has been missed. You read Dan Brown's books and watched the movie. No doubt you have questioned how much is real and what the secret symbols are all about? Critics have gone to great lengths to mock Dan Brown for writing about secret codes, symbols and forbidden knowledge, yet there are few who have commended his fantastic research in 'Angels and Demons'.

You may be one of those individuals, who have walked around Vatican City overwhelmed by the symbolism that is rife and almost intoxicating. Why would this religion have so much secret symbolism and then keep its meaning locked away in a secret vault?

Why not share the meaning of its symbols with the world if they are 'God given'? There must be something the Vatican and its linked societies do not want the world to know and it must be so important that if it were exposed it will change the world.

Wayne Herschel is a researcher of such mysterious codes and ancient mysticism. As seen on this website he presents ancient forgotten cosmology hidden from historic record, which he believes was previously forbidden to society.

You are about to see a whole new interpretation of the four most important clues outlined in 'Angels and Demons'. It is an interpretation that is measurable and easy to follow once you have deciphered the fundamental meanings of the symbols. The story that follows has been dramatised for better reading.

The journey begins in Rome in Italy.

THE VATICAN STAR MAP - REVEALED

http://thehiddenrecords.com/vatican_solution.htm

Vatican city holds the solution. In all its glory, it spreads all the way across the great St Peter's piazza matching the circular key handle pattern, all the way down the causeway to the Castel Sant' Angelo. The Fortress is a giant five pointed star! Here is the first breakthrough:

The layout of Vatican city is a star map showing the way to an important star.

Here is the second breakthrough:

The layout is uniquely designed in the shape of the key that St Peter is holding.

http://thehiddenrecords.com/newstarmaps3.htm


References:

Click here for the spiritual direction the hidden records research will be heading
http://thehiddenrecords.com/biography.htm#premise


Click here for the cosmic human blueprint code reference
http://thehiddenrecords.com/davinci.htm

Click here for the link to secret symbols honouring the secret human blueprint code and those that desecrate it
http://thehiddenrecords.com/davinci_part1.htm#pent

Click here for the human blueprint code found in Da Vinci's paintings
http://thehiddenrecords.com/davinci_painting_clues.htm

Click here for the human blueprint code found at Rosslyn Chapel
http://thehiddenrecords.com/new.htm

Click here for the Egyptian star map
http://thehiddenrecords.com/sphinx.htm

Click here for the Stonehenge star map and its shocking latest breakthroughs
http://thehiddenrecords.com/stonehenge.php

Click here for the Lascaux 17 250 year old star map
http://thehiddenrecords.com/lascaux_cave_france.htm

Click here for the Mars star map
http://thehiddenrecords.com/mars.htm

Click here for the astronomical star data and Orion page
http://thehiddenrecords.com/gods.htm

Click here to see sacred cross on coins
http://thehiddenrecords.com/ancient_coins_1.htm

Click here for what may simply be a coincidental 300-year-old Freemason star map and human code pattern match
http://www.darknessradio.com/hottopics

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Mary Magdalene and the Pentagram of Venus


Date: Friday, 29 December 2006, 4:26 p.m.

In Response To: VATICAN SECRET STAR MAP REVEALED

Maybe St Peter is alluding to the fact that Mary Magdalene, shown as the pentagram of Castel Sant Angelo, holds the truth.
See link below for more info on Mary Magdalene and the Pentagram of Venus.
Who knows!


http://www.aniwilliams.com/magdalene-venus.htm

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The United States and Britain in Prophecy

Chapter One

National Greatness Promised Israel --
Yet the Jews Never Received it -- Why?


WHERE ARE THE UNITED STATES AND BRITAIN mentioned in Bible prophecies? Or are we mentioned at all? We are the wealthiest of nations. And, potentially at least, the most powerful.

[Editor's note: the following three paragraphs are taken from the 1980 version of The United States and Britain in Prophecy]. It may into be generally realized -- but neither Britain nor the United States became great world powers until the nineteenth century Suddenly, in the very beginning of the nineteenth century, these two -- until then small, minor countries -- suddenly spurted to national power and greatness among nations, as no nations had ever grown and multiplied in wealth, resources and power before.

By 1804 London had become the financial hub of the world The United States had exploded out of its swaddling clothes of the 13 original states and had acquired the expansive Louisiana Purchase. It was fast sprouting up to become the mightiest nation of all time. But Britain burst forth to greatness first, and until the World Wars had become the greatest empire, or commonwealth of nations, in all history.

Between them the British and American peoples had acquired more than two-thirds -- almost three-fourths -- of all the cultivated physical resources and wealth of the world. All other nations combined possessed barely more than a fourth. Britannia ruled the waves -- and the world's commerce was carried on by water. The sun never set on British possessions.

Could Prophecy Ignore Us?

Consider, too, our people today constitute the HOME -- the last defense, of Christianity. It is our people who have sent missionaries into every land on earth -- our people who have printed and distributed the Bible by unbelievable millions of copies in the language of all peoples.

We know Bible prophecies definitely refer to the Russia, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Ethiopia, Libya, Egypt, of today. Could they then, ignore modern kingdoms like Britain and America? Is it reasonable?

Assuredly it is not. Nor are we ignored. The fact is, we are mentioned more often than any other race. Yet our prophetic identity has remained hidden to the many. Modern nations are not spoken of in their modern names, except in few cases. Usually they are referred to by the names of the ancient ancestor from which they sprang. Thus Turkey is referred to in prophecy as Esau or Edom, because the Turks are the descendants of Esau. In like manner, the Arabs are spoken of as Ishmael, the Russians are Magog.

The Bible story of our ancestry and our modern prophetic identity, is the most amazing -- yes, astounding -- the most fascinating and interesting story ever told. It is really the story-thread of the Bible itself, from Genesis to Revelation.

Our Wealth Promised Abraham

Centuries ago, this same wealth and power and national greatness was promised by the Almighty to Abraham. Yet few have ever noticed this astonishing fact of Scripture.

The promise of the Messiah and of salvation through Him is well known by the most superficial Bible student. They know that God gave the spiritual promise to Abraham of Christ to be born as Abraham's descendant -- and that salvation comes to us through Christ. But God made also another, entirely different, most amazing promise to Abraham. Notice how God called Abraham and the twofold nature of His promise: "Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: and I will make of thee a GREAT NATION . . . and in thee shall all the families of the earth to be blessed" (Genesis 12:1-3).

Notice the TWOFOLD promise: 1) "I will make of thee A GREAT NATION" -- the national, material promise that his flesh-born children should become a great nation -- a promise of RACE; 2) " . . . and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" -- the spiritual promise of GRACE. The same promise is repeated in Genesis 22:18: "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." This particular "one seed" refers to Christ, as plainly affirmed in Galatians 3:8, 16.

Race, as well as Grace

But that the "great nation" promise refers alone to race -- not to the one seed, Christ, but to the plural, multiple seed of natural fleshly birth, is made certain by God's repetition of His promise in greater detail later.

"And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly . . . 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" (Genesis 17:1-5).

Notice, the promise is now CONDITIONAL upon Abraham's obedience and perfect living. Notice, the "great nation" now becomes MANY NATIONS -- more than one nation. This cannot refer to the "one seed," Christ. The following verses prove that.

"And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make NATIONS of thee, and KINGS [more than one] shall come out of thee" (verse 6). Notice, these nations and kings shall come out of Abraham -- physical generation -- multiple seed, not just one descendent through whom scattered individuals may become Abraham's children by spiritual begettal through Christ (Galatians 3:29). The scattered, individual Christians do not form NATIONS. The Church, it is true, is spoken of as "a royal priesthood, an holy nation" (I Peter 2:9), but Christ's Church is not divided into "many nations." This is speaking of RACE, not grace.

"And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in THEIR generations . . ." (Genesis 17:7). The "seed" is PLURAL -- "in their generations."

"And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan [Palestine], for an everlasting possession; and I will be THEIR God" (verse 8).

Notice, the LAND -- material possession -- is promised to the PLURAL seed, of whom He is "their," not "his," God. The plural pronoun "their" is used again in verse 9: "and thy seed after thee in their generations."

Not Fulfilled in Jews

Again, notice carefully -- the JEWS have never been more than one nation. They are not, and never have been, MANY nations.

So here is an amazing prophecy, a solemn promise from Almighty God, that could not he fulfilled in Christ, in Christians, nor in the Jews. We must look for a number of NATIONS apart from either the Church or the Jews. Amazing as it is, we must do it or deny God's promise!

God put Abraham to the test, and Abraham, through faith, OBEYED -- even to being willing to sacrifice his only son, if need be. And after that the covenant no longer was conditional. Now it became UNCONDITIONAL.

"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 [so far the material, national promises of RACE]; and in thy seed [Christ] shall all the nations of the earth be blessed [this promise spiritual, of GRACE]; BECAUSE thou hast obeyed my voice (Genesis 22:16-18).

The promise now is UNconditional. God has SWORN to make it good. God does not promise these things if Abraham or his children do certain things. He promises them to Abraham because he already has performed his part of the agreement. If these promises could be broken or annulled, then no promise in the Bible is sure! Abraham already has performed his part of the agreement. Now God MUST perform His part, without fail.

Notice an additional detail of the promise -- the nations who are Abraham's racial descendants are to possess the gates of their enemies. A gate is a narrow passage of entrance or exit. When speaking nationally, a "gate" would be such a pass as the Panama Canal, the Suez Canal, the Strait of Gibraltar. This promise is repeated in Genesis 24:60.

A Nation and a Company of Nations

These tremendous promises were re-promised to Isaac and to Jacob. Ishmael and Abraham's other sons were rejected from this birthright. Esau, Isaac's son and Jacob's twin brother, sold it and was rejected. The promise, as confirmed to Isaac, is recorded in Genesis 26:1-5. To Jacob in Genesis 27:26-29, where MATERIAL blessing of wealth in the things of the ground is added, with the prophecy that heathen nations shall be ruled by the birthright nations of Israel. And again in Genesis 28:13-14, where the still added detail that these nations of Israel shall eventually spread around the world is recorded.

Still later, God appeared unto Jacob, whose name was changed to ISRAEL, even further defining the makeup of these "many nations" thus: "And God said unto him, 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" (Genesis 35:11).

So the "many nations" are eventually to take shape as a NATION -- one great, wealthy, powerful nation; and another COMPANY OF NATIONS -- a group, or commonwealth of nations allied.

This promise never has been fulfilled in the Jews. It could not pertain to the Church, for there is but ONE true Church acknowledged in the Bible, and it is not a nation or a group of nations, but a collection of called-out individuals scattered through ALL nations. Yet this amazing promise MUST stand fulfilled, unless we are to deny the Bible and God's sacred Word!

The Birthright and the Sceptre

Now we come to a most vital distinction, and a bit of Bible truth, known to but very few. Note it carefully.

The spiritual promises -- the promise of the "one seed," Christ, and of salvation through Him -- the Bible calls "the SCEPTRE." This promise as nearly everybody knows, was handed down through the Jews. Jesus Christ was of the tribe of Judah and the house of David. "Salvation," Jesus said, "is of the JEWS" (John 4:22). "To the Jew first," explained Paul, "and also to the Greek" (Romans 1: 16).

This fact is confirmed in Genesis 49:10: "The SCEPTRE shall not depart from Judah."

BUT -- and here is the astonishing vital fact so few ever seem to have noticed -- but the BIRTHRIGHT was Joseph's. Yes, Joseph, who was sold by his brothers down into Egypt, where he became food administrator and prime minister -- Joseph who was called "a prosperous man," even as his descendants were destined to become. "For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler [sceptre promise]; BUT the birthright was Joseph's" (I Chronicles 5:2).

The birthright which Esau sold to Jacob -- the promise of national greatness and material wealth -- never was handed to the Jews who are of the tribe of JUDAH. So naturally we should not expect to find this promise fulfilled in the Jews today.

The Birthright is Joseph's

And just what is a birthright? It is that which comes by right of birth. The term "grace" means UNdeserved, UNmerited favor something that is NOT one's right, NOT inherited by birth, but bestowed as a free gift. But a "birthright" is inherited, by birth, as one's RIGHT. Consequently, the term "birthright" includes only the inheritance of MATERIAL blessings, passed on from father to son -- those blessings one cannot take with him, when he dies.

And what is a "sceptre"? It is the badge of royal power, kingly office. The sceptre was God's promise of a continuous dynasty of KINGS, culminating in Jesus Christ who shall be King of kings; and therefore the sceptre included the promise of eternal salvation THROUGH Christ.

So notice carefully, please! The sceptre, which is the spiritual promise of GRACE, through which ALL nations may be blessed, went to JUDAH, while the BIRTHRIGHT went to JOSEPH. And the birthright includes possession of the land, Palestine, possessing the material "gate" of material enemies, inheriting the heathen for a possession and ruling over heathen peoples, spreading and colonizing around the world! The two phases of the promises to Abraham now are separated into two different tribes of Israel!

The interesting story of the passing on of this birthright from the aged Israel to the two sons of Joseph is found in the 48th chapter of Genesis. You should read it there, entirely.

Notice, Jacob adopted these two lads, Ephraim and Manasseh. as his own legal sons because they had an Egyptian mother. Notice, verse 16, he says, "let my name be named on them." Hence, THEY were to be called, "the house of Israel." It is THEM who rightfully own the name of ISRAEL, not the Jews! " . . . and let THEM grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth," continues Jacob, administering the blessing. Let WHO grow into that promised multitude? Notice it -- NOT Judah, not the Jews -- but the sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh and THEIR DESCENDANTS.

Together they were to grow to a multitude. But eventually, as indicated by another prophecy, Isaiah 49:20, to be explained later, the descendants of these two lads were to separate, and Ephraim would lose Manasseh, then to become a separate nation. So, continuing, speaking of Manasseh, Jacob said, "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 [or a company or commonwealth] of nations" (verse 19).

And so EPHRAIM, the son of Joseph became the BIRTHRIGHT holder. Who, today, are the descendants of Ephraim, and of Manasseh? Somewhere, Ephraim must be a group, or commonwealth of nations, while Manasseh must be the greatest single nation on earth! Either it is so, or the Bible is not true!

David Takes the Throne

After the death of Jacob and his twelve sons in Egypt, their children grew in about two and a quarter centuries to a population probably between two and three million in that land.

But Israel's children became slaves (Exodus 1:6-14). Then God raised up MOSES and fitted him in a special way to lead these children of Israel out of the bondage that had come to them in Egypt.

When they reached Mt. Sinai, in the peninsula wilderness, God made a covenant with them establishing them as a NATION -- His nation -- among the kingdoms of the world. Their government was theocratic, with the civil, as well as the spiritual and religious laws, given directly from God. God Himself was their King and He ruled them by a system of judges.

But soon the Israelites became dissatisfied with God as their King and demanded that a man should be their king as in the Gentile nations around them. And so God gave them Saul as their first human king. Saul, however, was not a good king, nor was his heart right with God. He refused obedience to God and was finally rejected. Saul was dethroned. His dynasty ended with him.

Then God placed David, a man after His own heart, of no relationship to Saul, upon the throne of Israel. David sat on the Eternal's throne. Because of his obedience and sincerity and honesty of heart, David, like Abraham, received a most astonishing UNCONDITIONAL promise from God, as little known as the birthright promises to Abraham.

The Davidic Covenant

We have space to quote but briefly from the scriptures setting forth this amazing Davidic covenant. Like the covenant with Abraham, God made the Davidic covenant UNconditional and unbreakable.

David wanted to build a great temple as God's house in Jerusalem. The Almighty replied, "And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom" (II Samuel 7:12). This, of course, was his son Solomon, who succeeded David to the throne.

"He," God continued, "shall build an house for my name" and it was Solomon who did build the temple -- "and I will establish the throne of his kingdom FOR EVER" (verse 13).

Notice it! The throne of David, occupied by Solomon, was to be established FOREVER! If that throne ever ceased to exist, then God's promise has failed!

But some say the promise was conditioned upon the obedience of Solomon and the future line of kings or their people. Notice the scriptural answer to this: "I will be his father, and he shall be my son. IF he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: BUT" yes, notice this BUT -- "my mercy shall not depart away from him, AS I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee" (verses 14-15). Saul's dynasty ceased. God promises He will never take away this throne from David's line in this manner. David's dynasty SHALL NEVER CEASE! Continuing, next verse, "And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established FOREVER before thee: thy throne shall be established FOREVER."

Through all Generations

Not only was that throne established FOREVER, it was to exist continuously forever -- through ALL GENERATIONS !

"I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed [his dynasty] will I establish forever, and build up thy throne to all generations" (Psalm 89:3-4). Note it! That throne was to stand forever "as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven" (verses 28-37).

"For thus saith the Lord; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel" (Jeremiah 33:17). So far as is historically known, the last king of David's dynasty to sit upon that throne was King Zedekiah of Judah, who died in 585 B.C. with the Jews a captive people, with all his sons, and all the nobles of Judah killed. There is no historic record of any continuance of that throne from that year. Did David want for a man to sit upon his throne, and continue his dynasty, from that day on?

Some say Christ took over the throne. But He didn't. Instead He was crucified, resurrected, and ascended to heaven. He SHALL come, and soon now, to sit upon that throne as the King of kings and Lord of lords. But HOW can Jesus Christ, when He returns again to earth, take over and sit upon a throne that long ago ceased to exist?

Will Christ Come to a Nonexistent Throne?

IF the throne of David ceased with Zedekiah, then it does not exist today. And if it does not exist, how shall Christ sit upon a non-existent throne? (See Luke 1:31-32.) And, since it was to continue through all generations, how about those many generations between Zedekiah and the birth of Jesus?

"Thus saith the Lord; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne" (Jeremiah 33:20-21). Day and night still continues. Does David's throne?

But what do the people say? "Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which the Lord hath chosen, he hath even cast them off? Thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them" (verse 24).

But what does GOD say? "Thus saith the Lord; If my covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth; THEN will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed [dynasty] to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" (verses 25-26). Strong words, those! Unless you can stop this old earth from turning on its axis-unless you can remove the sun and moon and stars from heaven, says the Almighty, you cannot prevent Him from keeping His covenant to maintain continuously, through all generations, FOREVER, from the time of David and Solomon, a descendant of David in one continuous dynasty on that throne!

He would not necessarily rule over ALL the house of Israel, or the Jews-but at least some of them, and enough to form a nation.

Remember again, the SCEPTRE promise, which includes this line of kings until it culminates in CHRIST at His second coming: "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver [margin, ruler's staff] from between his feet, UNTIL SHILOH [Christ] COME; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be" (Genesis 49:10).

The Test of Bible Truth

Has the sceptre departed from Judah? Has the throne ceased? Or does it, as God so bindingly promised, exist today so that Christ can take over and sit upon a functioning, continuous throne when He comes? The infallibility of the Bible is at stake! God's WORD is at stake!

Chapter Two

Children of Israel Become Two Nations

THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL is not Jewish! Those who constitute it are not JEWS, and never were! That fact we shall now see conclusively, beyond refute.

After David's death, his son Solomon succeeded to the throne. Solomon taxed the people excessively, reigned in a gorgeous splendor probably never equalled before or since. And because he also married Gentile wives, sacrificed to their idols, and committed other sins, God said, "I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant . . . . Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant' s sake" (I Kings 11 :11-13).

Israel Separated from David's Throne

Note it! It is THE KINGDOM, not part of it, which is to be rent away. It is the PART, one tribe, which is to remain. And note -- for right here is expressed the great WHY of this whole question though Solomon himself deserved to have it rent away, God will leave one tribe, not because of leniency toward Solomon, but "FOR DAVID'S SAKE"! David's dynasty cannot be broken. God will not break His covenant!

When Solomon died, his son Rehoboam succeeded to David's throne. The people at once demanded the heavy taxes imposed by Solomon be reduced. Their spokesman, Jeroboam (Solomon's servant), pleaded with Rehoboam: "Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee" (I Kings 12:4).

"My father," came Rehoboam's reply, "chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions" (verse 11).

Israel rebelled. The command to the people was: "To your tents, O Israel!" The challenge to the royal family was: "Now, see to thine own house!" (verse 16).

"So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day [the day this was written]. 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" (I Kings 12:19-20).

Then "Rehoboam . . . assembled all of the HOUSE OF JUDAH, with the tribe of Benjamin" (verse 21). Rehoboam started to fight to subdue and bring back the house of Israel, but God said, "Ye shall not . . . fight against your brethren the children of Israel . . . for this thing is from me" (verse 24).

Israel Divided into Two Nations

Notice it carefully! The house of Judah, now including the tribe of Benjamin, under King Rehoboam of David's dynasty, was about to fight against the other ten tribes, headed by Ephraim and Manasseh. DIFFERENT AND SEPARATE NATIONS. The term Jew is merely a nickname for "Judah." It applies to the one nation, or house of Judah ONLY -- never to the house of ISRAEL.

The first place in all the Bible where the word "JEW" is used is in II Kings 16:6. Notice it!

Ahaz began to reign as king of JUDAH (verse 1). He sat on David's throne (verse 2). At this time, a man named Pekah was king of ISRAEL. With King Rezin of Syria as an ally, this king of Israel came against Jerusalem in war, and besieged King Ahaz of Judah, but could not overcome him (verse 5). "At that time Rezin king of Syria [the ALLY of ISRAEL, fighting with ISRAEL against Judah] recovered Elath to Syria, and drove THE JEWS from Elath" (verse 6).

NOTE IT! The first place in the Bible where the word "Jew" is used, we find ISRAEL at war against THE JEWS! Israel's ally, Syria, drove THE JEWS out of the town of Elath!

Certainly this proves that the JEWS are a different nation altogether than ISRAEL. It is WRONG to call the Jews of today "Israel." They are not the nation Israel-they are JUDAH! And wherever ISRAEL is today, remember that ISRAEL as a national name does not mean JEW! Whoever the lost Ten Tribes of ISRAEL are today, they are not Jews! Wherever you see the name "Israel," or "house of Israel," or "Samaria," or "Ephraim" used in prophecy, remember this: IT NEVER REFERS TO THE JEWS, but to Israel, who was at WAR against the Jews!

No place in all the Bible does the term "ISRAEL" refer to the JEWS exclusively. When the sense is not national but individual, the term "Israel" alone, or "children of Israel," or "men of Israel" may, and sometimes does, include the Jews, where all twelve tribes are included. Jews are Israelites just as Oregonians are Americans. But MOST Israelites are not Jews, just as most Americans are not Oregonians. The Jews are the house of Judah only, a PART of the Israelites. But when these people are spoken of as NATIONS, rather than as collective individuals, the term "Israel" never refers to the Jews. "House of Israel" NEVER means "Jews." The three tribes at Jerusalem under the Davidic king are called, merely, the house of JUDAH.

But of Ephraim and Manasseh, sons of Joseph, the dying Israel had said, "Let my name be named on them" (Genesis 48:16). And truly they now bear the name of ISRAEL.

From here on, the tribe of Judah, with Benjamin and the tribe of Levi, is called "JUDAH" -- not Israel. The ten tribes, headed by Ephraim and Manasseh, from this time on are called "ISRAEL." They are not Jews and never were called Jews! From this time on, the children of Israel, twelve tribes in all, are divided into TWO NATIONS!

And now, for the first time, the BIRTHRIGHT goes into one nation, ISRAEL, headed by Ephraim-Manasseh, while the SCEPTRE remains in another nation, called the "House of JUDAH." The two phases of the promises to Abraham now are divided between TWO ENTIRELY SEPARATE NATIONS !

For many generations Israel and Judah remained as separate nations, in adjoining territories, having their own separate kings. Why should ministers and professed Bible students be in ignorance of this, when four whole books of the Bible, I andII Kings and I and II Chronicles, are devoted to explaining it and recording the history of these separate, rival kingdoms? Look at the maps in the back of your Bible. There you will see the territory of each nation plainly shown.

Judah retained the city of Jerusalem, its capital, and the territory known as Judea. Israel occupied the territory north of Judea. Samaria became its capital city, and the House of Israel often is called "Samaria" in prophecy. This, too, is a vital "key" to understanding prophecy. "Samaria" never refers to the Jews in prophecy -- but always the ten tribes, the house of ISRAEL.

House of Israel not Jews

We want to impress, here, that Israel and Judah are not two names for the same nation. They were, and still are, and shall be till the second coming of Christ, TWO SEPARATE NATIONS. The "house of Judah" ALWAYS means "Jew." This distinction is vital, if we are to understand prophecy. Because most so-called Bible students are in ignorance of this basic distinction, they are unable rightly to understand prophecy!

The next place where the term "Jew" is mentioned in the Bible, the House of Israel had been driven out in captivity, lost from view, and the term applies ONLY to those of the house of JUDAH.

Israel Driven out and Lost!

Immediately on becoming king over the house of Israel, Jeroboam (tribe of Ephraim) set up two golden calves, introducing idol worship in the kingdom. The account is found in I Kings 12:28-33.

This idolatry with Sabbath-breaking (Ezekiel 20:10-24) was the great national sin which became such a curse to Israel. Generation after generation God pleaded with the house of Israel to turn from tradition-from their fathers' ways -- and to return to keeping God's commandments. But through nine different dynasties under 19 kings, Israel continued these national sins -- sins so great in God's sight that finally God caused them to become a conquered, captive nation.

In the years 721-718 B.C., the house of Israel was conquered and its people were soon driven out of their own land-out of their homes and cities-and carried captives to Assyria, on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea! And then . . . lost from view!

"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" (II Kings 17:18).

The Eternal removed who? Israel! It is Israel which was removed and driven from the Eternal's sight until they became lost from view. Who is left? Judah ONLY -- only the Jews! Israel was now gone! They became known as the LOST Ten Tribes and are so designated today.

In Leviticus 26 we find God's solemn warning to all the children of Israel. IF they would worship Him alone, avoiding idolatry, and keep His Sabbath, walk in His statutes and keep His commandments, they would inherit the national material promises to Abraham. They would become a great, rich, and powerful -- the dominant nation of all earth. But, if they refused and rebelled, they were to be punished SEVEN TIMES -- a duration of 2520 years [to be explained later] -- in slavery, servitude, and want.

The house of Israel now entered -- 721-718 B.C. -- (remember this date) -- upon their 2520 long years of national banishment, to last until A.D. 1800-1803!

And BECAUSE the house of Israel lost their identifying SIGN the Sabbath -- the sign which identified them as ISRAEL -- they utterly LOST THEIR IDENTITY! They lost knowledge even of their national name. They came to be considered GENTILES!

In Exodus 31:12-17 it is recorded that God made the Sabbath the covenant sign between Him and Israel. A sign identifies. At creation God rested on, blessed, made holy, and set apart for man the one day for man's rest and worship which could keep him always in the true worship of the true God -- the day that pointed back to creation. Creation is the PROOF of God. It identifies Him as the true God. It was intended to keep man in the true knowledge of the true God. When Israel threw aside God's Sabbath, Israel soon threw aside God Himself, and went into idolatry. The Sabbath identified Israel as God's own people because all other nations long since had departed from its observance and gone into idolatry. Israel was the only nation which kept it. Because they rejected this SIGN, they were driven out, and lost their identity (read Ezekiel 20:10-24).

Judah, too, went into captivity largely because of Sabbath rejecting (see Jeremiah 17). But those Jews who returned 70 years later under Ezra and Nehemiah had learned their lesson. They became legalistically-strict Sabbatarians -- adding so many of their own restrictions to it that Jesus had to sweep aside this maze of manmade rules, saying, "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath" (Mark 2:27). To this day orthodox Jews have retained the original Sabbath. And because those Jewish people who descend from the Ezra-Nehemiah leadership have retained God's covenant identifying SIGN, the world today looks upon them as ISRAEL! And yet they actually are only a part of JUDAH! Those of the captivity who did not return under Ezra and Nehemiah lost their identity, too, though the world does not realize it.

So "the Lord removed Israel out of His sight . . . . So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria" (II Kings 17:23). They LEFT the land of Samaria, never yet to return! Gentiles were placed in their homes and cities (verse 24), and it is these Gentiles who were known as Samaritans in the time of Christ.

A more detailed account of the captivity of Israel is found in II Kings 18:9-12, and 17:5-18.

Now the House of Israel began to "abide many days without a king" (Hosea 3:4). Since THEY were the people who carried the title "Israel," it is THEY, not Judah, who must become LOST in identity! Now they must lose their language, their religion, their land (Isaiah 8:17; 28:11; 40:27; 62:2; Jeremiah 16:13; Hosea 1:8-10; 2:5-6).

Israel Never Returned

The House of Israel did NOT return to Palestine with the Jews in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, as some erroneously believe. Those who returned to rebuild the temple and restore worship in Jerusalem at that time, 70 years after JUDAH'S captivity, were only those of the house of Judah whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried to Babylon.

Note well these facts.

1) In 721-718 B.C. ISRAEL began to be "carried away out of their own land to Assyria" (II Kings 17:23). They were soon all removed completely. "There was none left but the tribe of Judah only" (II Kings 17:18). JUDAH, only, remained.

2) More than 130 years later, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon carried the Jews -- JUDAH -- who only remained in Palestine away to Babylon. So none of the house of Israel dwelt in Palestine at the time of this captivity of Judah.

3) Those who returned to Palestine to rebuild the temple and restore worship 70 years after Judah's captivity were ALL of the house of Judah -- all JEWS -- ALL of those whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away. They returned again "unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city" (Ezra 2:1).

Only those of the tribes of Judah, together with remnants of Benjamin and Levi, who constituted the house of JUDAH, returned at that time (Ezra 1:5). Consequently those in Jerusalem in the time of Christ were of these three tribes, NOT of the house of ISRAEL. And most, if not all, of those converted were of the tribe of Benjamin, as Paul said he was.

The House of Israel became known as the LOST Ten Tribes! Now known by ANOTHER name, speaking a different language!

By WHAT name are they known today? Whoever they are, wherever they are, it is THEY, and not the Jews, who are the BIRTHRIGHT possessors. It is THEY, not the Jews, who, after the ending of their punishment in A.D. 1800-1803, must inherit the UNbreakable promises to Abraham of national greatness, resources, wealth and power. It is MANASSEH who, after A.D. 1800-1803 was to become the world's greatest single nation; Ephraim a great COMMONWEALTH of nations! Who can they be today?

Chapter Three

Jeremiah's Mysterious Commission

WHEN THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL WAS DRIVEN into Assyrian captivity, 721-718 B.C., the Kingdom of Judah had not yet rejected the government and religion of God. Before Judah's apostasy, God had said, through the prophet Hosea, "Though thou, ISRAEL, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend . . . " (Hosea 4:15).

But later her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also," and God finally said, "The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah" (Jeremiah 3:8, 11). And so, more than 130 years after Israel's captivity, the time came when God drove out the Jews, too, in national captivity and slavery. They were taken as slaves to Babylon -- not to Assyria, where ISRAEL had been taken.

For this purpose God raised up a very special prophet, whose real call and commission few indeed understand. This prophet was Jeremiah. He was one of the three men, only, who were sanctified before they were born. The other two were John the Baptist and Jesus Christ (see Jeremiah 1:5).

Jeremiah, when first given his vital call and commission, was a young lad. Some evidence indicates he was seventeen years of age. By the time his commission was completed, he was an aged, white-haired patriarch. The commission is recorded in Jeremiah 1:10: "See," God says to Jeremiah, "I have this day set thee over the nations and over kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, TO BUILD, AND TO PLANT.

There it is! Jeremiah was set over NATIONS -- more than one kingdom. He was a Jewish lad, living in Judah. He was set a prophet over Judah-but not Judah alone. Over NATIONS -- over KINGDOMs! He was set over these kingdoms to do two things: first, to "pluck up," or "root out," to "pull down," or to "overthrow," and second, TO BUILD, AND TO PLANT.

Jeremiah was used of God as a prophet to warn the nation Judah of their transgressions against God's government and ways. He was sent to warn this rebellious nation of impending punishment -- their invasion and captivity at the hands of Chaldean armed forces -- unless they repented. He was used as a go-between -- an intermediary -- between the kings of Judah and Babylon. It is well known that Jeremiah was used in warning Judah of the impending captivity, and the ""pulling down" or "overthrowing" of the throne of David in the Kingdom of Judah.

But -- note it in your Bible! -- he also was commissioned to PLANT and to BUILD! To build and to plant what? Why, naturally, that which he was used in "rooting out" of Judah-the THRONE OF DAVID. He was set over THE KINGDOMS -- the Kingdom of Israel as well as Judah. He was used in "rooting out" that throne from Judah. Then what was Jeremiah commissioned to do in ISRAEL? Ah! Note it! The second half of his strange and little-understood commission -- to PLANT AND TO BUILD!

So far as the world knows, the last king to sit on that throne of David was Zedekiah of Judah. He was thrown down off the throne and the throne rooted out of Judah in the year 585 B.C. -- nearly 600 years before Christ!

What, then! Did God forget His covenant with David? Did the throne CEASE? True, the KINGDOM -- the GOVERNMENT of Judah ceased, as had the kingdom of Israel more than 130 years before! But see what else Jeremiah was commissioned to do -- to PLANT AND TO BUILD! To plant and to build, then, of necessity, among the house of Israel, lo, these many days without a king -- among LOST Israel, now supposing herself to be GENTILE! Therefore the identity and location of the replanting must remain hidden to the world until this time of the END in which we live!

Judah Taken Captive to Babylon

The life and work of Jeremiah is a most fascinating story. The first chapters of the book of Jeremiah are devoted to his ministry, warning of the impending captivity of the Jews. Then God caused their captivity.

It is generally known that Babylon took Judah in three different stages. The first siege was in 604 B.C., a date about two years later than has been commonly reckoned, but a date now firmly established. The land did not completely pass into the hands of these Gentile Babylonians, however, until a full time-cycle of 19 years later, or 585 B.C. You can read the part played by Jeremiah in this captivity in the book of Jeremiah.

But now notice an interesting fact. The last and final king recorded either in Bible or secular history as having sat on the throne of David was King Zedekiah of Judah (II Kings 25:18). When the Chaldean armies besieged Jerusalem, the city was broken up, the palace and temple destroyed. ALL the sons of King Zedekiah were killed before his eyes. That there would be no man to carry on his dynasty, all the princes of Judah were killed. King Zedekiah's eyes were put out and he was bound in chains and carried to Babylon where he died. You will read of all this captivity in II Kings 25, II Chronicles 36, Jeremiah 39, and 52.

Jeremiah's Mysterious Movements

And now the first part of Jeremiah's mysterious commission is accomplished! So far as the world could see, or has seen since, the dynasty of David had ENDED! No king remained on the throne. Judah's last king was dead. All his sons were dead. All other princes who might be possible heirs to carry on the dynasty, had been killed. No possible heir to the throne, so the world then believed, remained alive.

But how about the SECOND part of Jeremiah's important commission? Was God able to keep His covenant with David?

Jeremiah was among these captive Jews. Yet he must remain free to carry out the second part of his commission. So, "the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him . . . behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which were upon thine hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come; and I will look well unto thee: but if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, forbear: behold, all the land is before thee: whither it seemeth good and convenient for thee to go, thither go . . . . So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward [expense money], and let him go" (Jeremiah 40:2-5).

Jeremiah was left absolutely FREE to perform the second half of his commission. Where did he go? We come now to an amazing, fascinating, thrilling part of the book of Jeremiah which has been almost entirely overlooked.

"Then went Jeremiah unto Gedeliah . . . to Mizpah; and dwelt with him among the people that were left in the land" (verse 6).

Now this Gedeliah had been made governor over a remnant of Jews in the land by the king of Babylon, and since Jerusalem was destroyed, he had made Mizpah his headquarters. But the king of Ammon plotted with a Jew named Ishmael to assassinate Gedeliah. The plot was executed; the governor, and part of the Jews were slain. Jeremiah was among the survivors.

"Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people that were in Mizpah, even the king's daughters, and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard [from Babylon] had committed to Gedeliah . . . and carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the Ammonites" (Jeremiah 41:10).

Ah! Did you catch it? Read that passage again. Among these Jews were the king's daughters! Daughters of Zedekiah, king of Judah, and of David's dynasty!

King Zedekiah had died in prison in Babylon (Jeremiah 52:11). All his sons had been killed. All the princes of Judah had been killed. All possible heirs to David's throne had been killed -- except the king's daughters! Now we see why Jeremiah went to Mizpah!

Jeremiah, with Royal Seed for Replanting, Escapes
Soon a man named Johanan replaced Ishmael as leader. And in fear of reprisals from Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldean army, they appealed to the prophet, "and said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the Lord thy God . . . that the Lord thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk" (Jeremiah 42:2-3).

The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, and He told them not to fear, that He would protect and deliver them. But the people wanted to flee to Egypt. This the Lord warned them not to do. If they did, the sword of Nebuchadnezzar which they feared would overtake them there, and they would die (Jeremiah 42:7-16).

But, as people usually do, they rejected God's warning. "Thou speakest falsely," Johanan answered Jeremiah (Jeremiah 43:2-3).

And so Johanan "look all the remnant of Judah . . . even men, and women, and children, and the king's daughters . . . and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah [Jeremiah's scribe, or secretary]. So they came into the land of Egypt" (Jeremiah 43:5-7).

On reaching Egypt, God warned these Jews again through Jeremiah that they should die there by the sword and famine, and "none shall return but such as shall escape" (Jeremiah 44:14). Yes, a few in this company are under divine protection. A divine mission is to be performed. They shall ESCAPE! The Lord continues: "Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah" (Jeremiah 44:28).

Baruch was Jeremiah's constant companion and secretary. It is important to note here God's promise of protection to him: "Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, unto thee, O Baruch . . . . Behold, that which I have built I will break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even this whole land . . . but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest" (Jeremiah 45:2-5). Baruch's life, like Jeremiah's, was under divine protection!

Jeremiah, Baruch, and the royal seed for replanting and rebuilding David's throne, all under divine protection, were to escape, and return to the land of Judah!

Then Jeremiah and his company were to journey to a strange land which they knew not (Jeremiah 15:11-14).

Now let Isaiah complete this prophecy: "For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this . . . . And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall AGAIN TAKE ROOT DOWNWARD, AND BEAR FRUIT UPWARD" (Isaiah 37:32, 31).

This remnant with Jeremiah -- at least one of the king's daughters -- shall take root downward! That is, BE REPLANTED!

And then bear fruit upward! Be BUILT! Has God failed in His solemn covenant to keep alive David's throne? Where was this planting and building? Can we find it in God's Word? We can! The place and the people among whom the throne was reestablished are clearly identified!

Chapter Four

The Mysterious Breach

WHERE DID JEREMIAH GO with Baruch his secretary and one or more of the royal daughters of the king? History stops short at this point. Enlightened students of Bible history have long known that the Ten Tribes called by the name "House of ISRAEL" -- have been lost in identity and historic knowledge, and exist today among the Gentile nations, unrecognized. Their identity and location God has hidden from the world.

Yet, in this end time, when knowledge is to increase, when the wise are to UNDERSTAND (Daniel 12:4, 10), we shall find the secret revealed through PROPHECY which could not be understood until now. But first, we must now consider a mysterious "breach" that occurred in the days of Judah, son of Jacob.

Judah was the father of twin sons. The firstborn was royal seed, for through him the SCEPTRE promise was to be carried down. It seems the midwife knew twins were about to be born. It is recorded that just before birth, one of the twins "put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first." But the child drew back his hand, and the other was actually born first. The midwife exclaimed, "How hast thou broken forth? This breach be upon thee [margin, wherefore hast thou made this breach against thee?]: therefore his name was called Pharez," meaning "breach." The other twin was named Zarah (Genesis 38:27-30).

WHY should this strange occurrence be recorded in Bible history unless this breach was to be healed between the sons or their descendants at some future time? Yet it never occurred in their lifetime.

Zarah, of the scarlet thread, had five sons (I Chronicles 2:6). Did a descendant of Zarah finally get the throne, in a manner healing the breach? David, Zedekiah, Christ -- all were of the PHAREZ branch -- none of Zarah.

(Now consider: 1) the fact of the breach means the transfer of the sceptre from the Pharez to the Zarah line. 2) Such transfer never occurred before King Zedekiah of Judah, who was descended from Pharez. 3) Therefore it had to occur after Zedekiah's death. 4) Since David's line (Pharez) is to remain on the throne through all generations FOREVER, it could only occur at an OVERTURN of the throne by a marriage between a Pharez heir to the throne and one of the Zarah line, thus healing the breach.

The Three Overturns

History shows the descendants of Zarah became wanderers, journeying to the north within the confines of the Scythian nations, their descendants later migrating to Ireland in the days of King David.

But meanwhile, the Pharez-David-Zedekiah line possessed the sceptre -- was HIGH -- exalted. The Zarah line, feeling it rightfully should possess the sceptre, and some day would, was low, abased-so far as royal power was concerned.

Now consider a much misunderstood passage of prophecy: If you will begin reading at the 18th verse of the 21st chapter of Ezekiel, you will see plainly that the Eternal is here speaking of the captivity of Judah by the king of Babylon. And, beginning with the 25th verse, He says: "And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel [Zedekiah], whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, thus saith the Lord God; remove the diadem, and take off the crown [as did happen, through the first half of Jeremiah's commission]: this [the crown] shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him" (verses 25-27).

Let us understand that clearly. "Remove the diadem, and take off the crown." King Zedekiah, of David's dynasty, had the crown. This says it is to be removed. IT WAS REMOVED. He died in Babylon; his sons and all the nobles of Judah were killed.

"This shall not be the same." The diadem is not to cease, but a change is to take place-the throne is to be overturned- another is to wear the crown. God's promise to David is not to go by default!

"Exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high." Who is "high"? King Zedekiah of Judah. Now he is to be abased. He is to lose that crown. Judah has been "high," while Israel has been "low" -- these many years without a king (Hosea 3:4). The Pharez line has been "high"; the Zarah line "low."

"I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is." What was to be overturned? The diadem, and the throne. Not once -- it is to be OVERTURNED three times. Overturned by abasing Zedekiah, the house of Judah, the Pharez line, and exalting, now, the house of Israel, and one of the Zarah line! The first of the three overturns was performed as the first half of Jeremiah's commission.

"And it shall be no more." Does this mean the throne -- the crown -- is to cease to exist? Not at all! How could it be overturned two more times -- that is, TRANSFERRED from one to another, if it ceased to exist? How, after these three transfers of the crown, could it be given to Him -- Christ -- whose right it is, at His second coming, if it ceased altogether to exist? How could he who was "low" now be exalted by the crown, if that crown was to be no more? No, the meaning is: "It shall be no more overturned until the second coming of Christ!" And then it shall be given to Him!

God will not break his unalterable promise made to David! Through every generation David shall have a descendant wearing that crown! The second half of Jeremiah's commission must now be performed. That throne must be transPLANTED, and again BUILT. The crown must be overturned -- transferred to another!

But WHERE? To WHOM?

A "Riddle" and a "Parable" Tells!
The strange truth of the PLANTING and the REBUILDING of David's throne is revealed in a "riddle and a parable," couched in symbolic language never understood until this latter day. Yet it stands today so clearly explained a little child could understand!

It fills the 17th chapter of Ezekiel's prophecy. The whole chapter should be carefully read. Notice, first, this prophetic message is addressed, NOT to Judah, the Jews, but to the house of ISRAEL. It is a message to give light to the lost ten-tribed house of ISRAEL in these latter days!

First, Ezekiel is told to speak a riddle, and then a parable. The riddle is found in verses 3 to 10. Then, beginning in verse 11, the Eternal explains its meaning. "Say now to the rebellious house [God says, the "rebellious house" being ten-tribed ISRAEL (Ezekiel 12:9), to whom Ezekiel is set a prophet (Ezekiel 2:3; 3:1, etc.)], Know ye not what these things mean? tell them . . . ." And then the riddle is clearly explained.

A great eagle came to Lebanon and took the highest branch of the cedar. This is explained to represent King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon who came to Jerusalem and took captive the king of Judah. The cropping off of the cedar's young twigs and carrying them to a land of traffic is explained to picture the captivity of the king's sons. "He took also of the seed of the land" means Nebuchadnezzar took also of the people, and the mighty of the land of Judah. He "set it as a willow tree. And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature" means the Jews were given a covenant whereby, although they were ruled over by the Chaldeans, they might live in peace and grow. The other "great eagle" is explained to represent Pharaoh of Egypt.

Thus, the riddle covers the first half of Jeremiah's commission. Now notice what is revealed concerning the second part -- the PLANTING of David's throne! It comes in the parable, verses 22-24. "Thus saith the Lord God; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar." From God's own explanation we have learned that the cedar tree represents the nation of Judah; its highest branch is Judah's king. The riddle told us Nebuchadnezzar took the highest branch-the king. The parable now tells us God -- not Nebuchadnezzar, but God -- will take of the highest branch. Not the branch, but OF the branch -- of Zedekiah's children. But Nebuchadnezzar took, and killed, all his SONS.

God, through his prophet Jeremiah, is now going to take OF this highest branch and "SET IT" (verse 22). "I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon a high mountain and eminent," continues the Almighty! Ah! "A tender young twig!" The twigs of this highest branch represent the children of King Zedekiah! Certainly a tender young twig, then, represents a DAUGHTER! . . . and will PLANT it. Could symbolic language say plainer this young Jewish princess is to become the royal seed for the PLANTING again of David's throne? Where? " . . . upon a high mountain and eminent," says the Eternal! A "mountain" in symbol always represents a NATION.

But Which Nation?

"In the mountain of the height of ISRAEL will I plant it," answers the Eternal! David's throne now is to be planted in ISRAEL, after being thrown down from JUDAH! Could language be PLAINER? " . . . and it [the tender young twig -- the king's daughter] shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar."

Did David's throne cease with Zedekiah of Judah? Did God forget His covenant? NO! Compare this language with the passage in Isaiah 37:31-32: "The remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward [be planted], and BEAR FRUIT UPWARD. It was PLANTED in ISRAEL, who removed from Judah! After this Hebrew princess is "planted" on the throne, now in ISRAEL, lost from view -- that throne is to BEAR FRUIT. She is to marry, have children, and her sons are to continue David's dynasty!

" . . . and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell" (Ezekiel 17:23). "Lost" Israel, now having acquired the throne and become again a self-ruling nation, shall, in time, spread around the earth gaining dominance and power. They shall inherit the unconditional promises of the BIRTHRIGHT, according to God's covenant with Abraham!

"And all the trees of the field . . . " (verse 24). A "tree" in this riddle and parable is likened to a nation. In other words, "all the nations of the earth." " . . . shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree." Judah, the high tree, having the throne 130 years after Israel had been taken captive, now is brought down to the low stature of slavery. " . . . have exalted the low tree." For 130 years Israel had been a "low tree." Now Israel is exalted, becomes again a thriving nation with a Davidic king. " . . . have dried up the green tree [JUDAH] and have made the dry tree [ISRAEL] to flourish."

Compare that language with Ezekiel 21:26: "Remove the diadem, and take off the crown . . . exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn . . . " etc. It is speaking of transferring the throne from Judah to Israel.

Israel had already been independent in Ireland for four centuries. Israel in Ireland already had a kingly line onto which Zedekiah's daughter was grafted. The Irish Israelites were an ancient colony and had not gone into Assyrian captivity.

ISRAEL, headed by the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, who possessed the BIRTHRIGHT, now would flourish, become prosperous in due time. "I the Lord have spoken and have done it" (Ezekiel 17:24). Yes, that BIRTHRIGHT is in ISRAEL. Though lost, though supposed to be a Gentile nation, they are the people who were to grow into the promised multitude -- the great nation and the company of nations, possessing the gates of their enemy nations, becoming a colonizing people spreading around the world, being blessed with national resources and wealth. And, when they become thus powerful and nationally dominant, remember, David's throne will be found transplanted among them!

But WHERE did Jeremiah, with his royal seed for the transplanting, go to find the lost house of Israel? WHERE are they today? How was the "breach" healed, and how did a son of Zarah ascend to the throne? Can we tell?

We CAN! The exact, precise location is revealed in Bible prophecy! We can pick up Jeremiah's trail in actual history, besides!

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The United States and Britain in Prophecy


Chapter Five

Israel's New land

We are ready now to search out the actual location of the lost tribes of the outcast house of Israel. We know they exist today as a nation, and a company of nations, powerful, looked upon as Gentiles. And when we find them, we shall find the throne of David!

Many passages of prophecy tell of these people in these latter days. Prophecies not to be understood until this "time of the end." Prophecies containing a message to be carried to these people by those to whom God reveals it!

First it is necessary to fix in mind these facts:

The prophet Amos wrote, in the days of the 13th of the 19 kings of the house of Israel (Amos 1:1): "Behold the eyes of the Lord are upon the sinful kingdom [house of Israel-Judah had not yet sinned], and I will destroy it [the kingdom, or government, not the people] from off the face of the earth . . . . 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" (Amos 9:8-9).

This prophecy usually is applied to the scattered condition of the Jews. But it has nothing to do with the Jews, or the house of JUDAH, but refers to ten-tribed house of ISRAEL -- driven to Assyrian captivity, then migrating from there and scattering among other nations before the Jews were taken to Babylon. This prophecy says that ISRAEL (not Judah) was to be sifted among other nations -- these Israelites losing their identity -- yet God has protected and kept them: "yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth."



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