The rest of the chapter speaks of restoration of the house of Judah
and the house of Israel. The house of Judah will be strengthened, and
the house of Joseph (the ten tribes) will be saved. Ephraim, standing
likewise for the house of Israel, shall become like a hero, and their
heart shall rejoice, and their sons shall see and rejoice, their
heart shall exult in Jehovah. I will hiss to them and will gather
them, for I have redeemed them, and they shall increase as they did
increase. And I will sow them among many peoples, and in far
countries they shall remember me, and with their children they shall
live and return. (Verses 7-9.) Their bringing back will be from the
land of Egypt and from Assyria. With it is the judgment of the
nations; they will be cast down and the restored people shall walk in
His name.
The prophecy brings before us the old question concerning the ten
tribes or the house of Israel. These tribes are generally called the
"lost tribes," and as such they have been found perhaps a hundred
times by as many different persons. The North American Indians, the
Afghans, the Nestorians, tribes in the interior of Africa as well as
in China, and even the Hottentots of South Africa, have been declared
to be the lost tribes. We believe that this looking for the lost
tribes and to locate them is something against which the Holy Spirit
warns when He declares, But avoid foolish questions and genealogies
and contentions and striving about the law, for they are unprofitable
and vain. (Titus iii: 9.) Neither give heed to fables and endless
genealogies, which minister questions rather than godly edyfing which
is in faith. (1 Tim: 1-4.) We think it wrong to go into such
speculations on matters which the Lord purposely has hid in His Word.
We would have nothing else to say on this topic were it not for a
very strange teaching which has fascinated many minds and which has
become very popular both in England and in America. We have reference
to the so-called Anglo-Israel theory. According to this theory the
lost tribes have been found in the Anglo-Saxon race, and that God has
kept His promises made to the house of Israel and fulfilled them and
fulfills them now in the two nations, America and England. It is a
theory, and the Word of God is used to prove it. This may be done
with any theory, and scripture twisted out of its place can be made
to prove almost anything. Anglo-Israel is a delusion, and it is
strange that so many believers have become infatuated with it and
suffer consequently from it. The theory is based upon a very serious
mistake in the exposition of the prophetic Word. All through prophecy
we find promises which belong to the house of Israel (and to Judah
likewise), the conflicts, the victories over their enemies, temporal
blessings, etc. These promises are to be realized in the latter days.
The phrase "latter days," however, is misunderstood, and believed to
be the days in which we live; while in fact the latter days are still
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account