THE UNKNOWN DIVISION OF ISRAEL THAT EXISTS
Those with only a cursory knowledge of the Bible think everything in the Old Testament is about the southern kingdom of Judah. They seem to be unaware of the split of Israel and therefore misunderstand quite a lot of the Bible. Note what God said:
1 Kings 11:30-31, “And Ahijah caught the new garment…and rent it in twelve pieces: 31 And he said to Jeroboam, 'Take thee ten pieces:for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee…'” (KJV)
Verse 34, “Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes:”
The two halves of Israel even fought wars against each other, which is unknown by most.
2 Kings 16:7, “So Ahaz [king of Judah] sent messengers to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying, ‘I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me.’”
Judah had some righteous kings and therefore lasted over a century longer in the Holy land. The northern ten tribes God forsook in 722 B.C., and southern Judah not until 586 B.C.
Jeremiah 3:8 “Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also.”
What other signs can we look for to locate the lost ten tribes of Israel that went into captivity and never returned?
WHY DID THE NORTHERN TEN TRIBES OF ISRAEL LOSE THEIR IDENTITY?
When they altered the Sabbaths and Holy Days they lost their identity. THE SABBATHS –– PLURAL –– are a sign of who is our God. When the northern ten tribes of Israel started down the slippery slope of altering God's Holy Days for false ones, they lost their God-given identity. Note Exodus 31:13. When the first king of the ten, Jeroboam started ruling, He considered the risk and cost of allowing his people to continue the required pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
1 Kings 12:26-27, “And Jeroboam said in his heart, ‘Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: 27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah.’”
Jeroboam also consulted with his advisors. They, no doubt, told him of this risk of wanting to reunite but also the economic cost. Many souls spend ten percent of their income in Jerusalem, money that Jeroboam could otherwise use. Like most rulers in this age of Satan, they used religion to help them control the people. He did not trust God, who gave him his throne because of the sins of Solomon.
1 Kings 12:31-33, “And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.
32 “And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.
33 “So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.”
He created a counterfeit religion with counterfeit Holy Days and so they lost their identity as the people of God and thought of themselves as just another nation.
GOD'S COVENANT WITH KING DAVID
What was the covenant that God made with king David? David wanted to express his love for God by building God a house. God said, “You are not the one to build me a house, but I will build you a house.” God promised king David that his house, or dynasty, would never cease to exist. It might be punished but would never die like Saul's dynasty.
2 Samuel 7:12-13, “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”
Note that this dynasty, or house of David, will last forever! Wow!
Verse 15, “But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.”
David was very appreciative of this turn of events and blessing from Jehovah.
2 Samuel 7:18, “Then King David went in and sat before the LORD; and he said: ‘Who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 29 Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You; for You, O Lord GOD, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever.’”
This is also a vital part of the thread of the national identity of Britain and America. Where is the most successful and the only consequential monarchy in the world? It is in London. This promise to David's dynasty also includes the lineage through which the Messiah would be born.
Luke 1:30-33, “Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (NKJV)
These verses tell us clearly that the Messiah will be of the lineage of David and that this throne will exist right up until the second coming of the Christ, who will then take over.
