BRITISH ISRAELISM
What do you think about the Anglo-American-Israel theory?
Is there evidence that these so-called "ten lost tribes" appeared in England or the United States?
By playing with words, British Israel enthusiasts come up with some astonishing conclusions. They start with the Hebrew "berith", omitting the vowel "e" because there are no vowels in the Hebrew language, yet retaining the vowel "i", and they get the word brith.
As the British like to drop their "h"s, they remove the "h" which gives them the word brit. They add to this the Hebrew word for man, which is iyish or ish, and get the word British.
The Israelite descendants of Isaac are said to have dropped the "i" from Isaac, and that is where we are supposed to get the term Saxons, from Saac's sons. it is claimed that the Danube river comes from the name of the tribe of Dan.
This strange comparison of sounds between two completely different languages is considered preposterous to the Hebrew scholars with whom we have spoken. Hebrew is a Semitic language, while English is of Aryan origin. Playing with words may be an interesting pastime, but it is of no value to the serious Bible student.
Those who teach British Israelism generally maintain three claims:
1.) That the ten tribes were lost.
2.) That since the time of the separation of Israel and Judah, the term "Jew" must refer only to Judah, and never to anyone of the other tribes.
1.) That the ten lost tribes later appeared in certain northern European and North American nations.
Firstly, were the ten tribes lost? Nowhere does Scripture speak of any of the twelve tribes as being "the lost tribes", nor is there anything in the Bible that indicates that they were ever lost.
The prophet Daniel, in his prayer recorded in Daniel 9, shows that he knew nothing of any tribes being lost. He said: "Oh, Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the man of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are afar off, through all the countries whither Thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against You."---Daniel 9:7.
Near the close of the Old Testament, Zechariah speaks of "all the tribes of Israel," [Zech 9:1] and Malachi still refers to both Judah and Israel being in Jerusalem. [Malachi 2:11].
Galatians 3:16,29 tells us that we NT Christians belong to Abraham. Ephisians 2:1 tells us that in time past, we were Gentiles in the flesh, but now belong to the Commonwealth of Israel [v.12] which makes us spiritual Jews. So that is why James the apostle calls all Christians as the 12 tribes. Jesus insisted that Salvation is of the Jews. Therefore we cannot ignore the sanctuary services nor our great and high priest Jesus Christ interceeding for our sins in the heavenly sanctuary.
In the New Jerusalem are 12 gates through which we all must pass into the city. Non of them is for Gentiles. Nor has God ever made a covenant with Gentiles.
The 12 tribes like the 12 apostles all have different characters, experiences, and natures. We only fit into one of these particular gates.
God said: "If those ordinances depart from before Me. than the seed of Israel shall cease as a Nation before Me."--Jeremiah 31:36
Question: When did those ordinances cease? Answer: "Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in 'ordinances' "--Ephesians 2:15.
And again: "Blotting out the handwriting of 'ordinances' that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross."--Colossians 2:14. In other words, not legalism but Christ. No more ceremonial rules. No more ceremonial days including the seven annual Sabbath festivals.Finished!
In Matthew 23:38 Jesus said to the Jews: "Your house [the house of Israel] is left unto you desolate." This was prophecied by Hosea 1:4b and v.10 how those who were not Gods people [the Gentiles] would become His people via Christanity.
2.] Does the term "Jew" always exclusively refer only to the tribe of Judah? After the return from exile this term came to mean all that returned to Jerusalem as exiles. It is true that many were from the tribe of Judah. We have two proofs that all of these "Jews" were not of that tribe: a.] All of GOD'S people were invited to go back to rebuild Jerusalem regardless of the tribe they belonged to:
"Who is there among you of all His people? His GOD be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord GOD of Israel, [He is GOD] which is in Jerusalem."---Ezra 1:3
Though Jerusalem belonged to the tribe of Judah before the captivity, people from all tribes went back and rebuilt the city and the temple together.
b.] The Jews who rebuilt the temple were from the twelve tribes. They sacrificed twelve goats for the twelve tribes that were represented there [Ezra 6:12; 8:35] in the promise of the restoration of Jerusalem as it is given in the book of Zechariah, the people who were to inhabit Jerusalem are clearly defined:
"And it came to pass, that they were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel: so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong."--- Zechariah 8:13
After the return from exile, only one Jewish nation existed. The word "Jew" came to signify all people of the Hebrew race wherever they lived.
3.] Is there evidence that these so called "lost tribes" appeared in England or the United States? Non, whatsoever! Only a play on words and a twisting of two languages that are worlds apart.
"But mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee; thy throne shall be established for ever."---2.Sam 7:15,16.
The British Israel theory advocates use these verses to support their contention that GOD made an unconditional promise to David that his throne, his house, and his kingdom would never fail, regardless of their faithfulness or unfaithfulness. The theory is unsound and false in the light of these texts, which declare the promise to be conditional:
"If thou wilt walk before me...in uprightness...and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments: Then will I establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David...But if ye shall at all turn from following Me...Then I will cut off Israel...and his house...will I cast out."---1.King 9:4-7
The theory is further proven unsound by these undeniable facts: 1. The word "forever" does not always mean "without end". 2. The fleshly Israel was completely disqualified because of their disobedience [Rom. 4:13; 9:7,8; 11:20].---source Joe Crews and the Word of GOD.
Should we keep the seven annual Sabbath feast days today? The sabbatical feast days were part of the handwriting of Moses, the weekly Sabbath day [singular, Saturday] belongs to the handwriting of God Himself. The Sabbaths [plural] are yearly Sabbath days that were against us [Colossians 2:14-17] but the Sabbath belonging to our Lord Jesus Christ [Mark 2:17] is for us.