Assyrian Captivity of the Northern
Ten Tribes of Israel 740 to 689 B.C.
Shalmaneser, King of Assyria, besieged Samaria, the capitol of northern Israel, for three years. The story tells how Israel now feared other gods and walked in the statutes of the heathen. God was very angry with Israel and removed them out of His sight.
It was said that not many were moved, yet we know that when David numbered the Children of Israel that there were 1,100,000 men that drew sword, and Judah had 500,000 that drew sword. (1 Chronicles 21:5) This would be at least 1,600,000 men that drew sword, and that does not count the children, the young men, the women, nor the old people; nor does it count those that it takes to furnish provisions to the warriors. Therefore, using the number that it takes today to supply an army of that size; which by the way is larger than the army the United States has at this time. And the population in America is something over 260 million.
At any rate using the figures that the army uses today, it would take 3 men for every one of the warriors, this would make over 4 million men. Then the wives for at least 75% of them would make another 3,700,000, plus at least that many for children would bring the amount to 1,100,000 + 500,000 + 4,000,000 + 3,700,000 + at least 1,000,000 old men too old to go to war. Which makes a total of almost 9 million people.
The number that went against the House of Israel were without number:
“For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and WITHOUT NUMBER, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white. (Joel 1:6‑7)
It would have taken an army of tremendous size to capture all of the House of Israel and take it away captive. Note here also, that Joel said that the enemy had cleaned the land until it was bare. In other words the Assryans had taken away almost all of the House of Israel.
Solomon stated that the number of Israelites could not be numbered for mulitude:
“And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. And THY SERVANT (Solomon) IS IN THE MIDST OF THY PEOPLE WHICH THOU HAST CHOSEN, A GREAT PEOPLE, THAT CANNOT BE NUMBERED NOR COUNTED FOR MULTITUDE.” (I Kings 3:6‑8)
The Eyptians came and conquered and carried away a large number of people. In the some 50 years that I have been attending church, reading sermons and Bible studies I have never heard a preacher preach that Egypt took many Israelites captive.
“And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him.
And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the LORD, With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen: and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt; the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians. And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem.” (2 Chronicles 12:1‑4)
But Yahweh would not, at that time, deliver Jerusalem to the enemy.
“Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day. And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.” (2 Kings 17:23-24)
They (the Israelites) were placed even among the cities of the Medes and in Assyrian towns. Imagine what the feelings of the people must have been to be moved away from their relatives and country and God. Israel was rent from the House of David and taken into Assyrian Captivity. We learn God was very angry with much of Judah as well.
In fact, so many were taken into captivity there were not enough to teach the Hebrew Religion:
“Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land.” (2 Kings 17:26)
In a few short years, Sennacherib became King of Assyria (702 B.C.) and it was he that came and took 46 fortified cities of Judah and led 200,150 men of Judah also into this captivity. We can see the six‑sided clay prism in the British Museum, and you can study and see that they fought on camel‑back as they laid siege to Jerusalem, and the ASSAULT OF ENGINES and the use of mines. They certainly prove the Bible. (2 Chronicles 26:15; Ezekiel 26:9)
As was the custom of his day, Sennacherib deported masses of people to Assyria. THE JUDAH PEOPLE HE TOOK WERE TOTALLY DISTINCT AND SEPARATE FROM JUDAHITES TAKEN ONE HUNDRED YEARS LATER TO BABYLON BY NEBUCHADNEZZAR, 42,000 of whom did return to Jerusalem after 70 years. They were permitted to rebuild the Temple for the coming of Jesus Christ.
The migrations of ten‑tribed Israel and Judah are not difficult to trace. Josephus, writing in Antiquities of the Jews, said,
"There are but two tribes in Asia and Europe subject to the Romans, while the ten tribes are beyond the Euphrates until now and are an immense multitude."
In the (2 Esdras 13:39) (Apocrypha) we read of Christ coming to (New) Zion and gathering to Himself a peaceful multitude:
"These are the ten tribes which were carried away prisoners out of their own land in the time of Hoshea the king, whom Shalmaneser, the King of Assyria, led away captive, and he carried them over the waters and they came into another land ... But they took this counsel among themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the heathen and go forth into a further country where never man kind dwelt ... That they might there keep their statutes, which they had not kept in their own land ... And they entered into Euphrates by the narrow passage of the river ... Through that country there was a great way to go, namely a year and a half; and the same region is called Arsareth."
Arsareth is a region now known as Romania. The river Sareth is still there. They passed through Transylvania east of Hungary. In Treves, Germany, a tourist booklet tells they were settled by people the Assyrians brought in. The Apostles of Christ were instructed to preach to the LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL.
In Treves they have the crypt of Matthew, and a coat they claim to be Christ's. They (lost Israel) would continue westward into Britain, the Holy Place, from where in time a remnant would come to found this great nation America, founded for the unfettered worship of Jesus Christ and Him only.
The most convincing point is that we are here, doing and having done to us, the very prophetic appointments the Bible foretold concerning us, His Israel people, in that Great Nation promised to Abraham so long ago. There are many artifacts in the British Museum and others that give the names of Israel as she was called by each country through which God passed her. She was to pass through Assyria and was there known as "Bet Khumri." Jehu was king of ten‑tribed Israel and he was known as the "Son of Omri" (Khumri). There is a black alabaster obelisk in the British Museum that depicts all this.
The same folk in Babylon were known as Ghimri or Gamir, and as Sacae in Persia. The historian Herodotus (500 B.C.) said the Sakae were led by Darius who married the daughter of Cyrus. the early Greek writers call the Scythians the Sacae, and Ptolomy links the Persian Sakae to the Saxons.
So, we have the movement of the Israelite people through the nations they were to pass through in their 2520 years of captivity and punishment. We have the names they were known by in each nation. There is so much proof on the historical stones, obelisks, rocks and clay tablets that it is not hard to locate Israel in her Migration west. She had not really been lost, nor had she ever completely given up the religion of the Temple.
We have at Pentecost those who had come back to keep the feasts: "... devout men out of every nation under heaven ..." Parthians (north of Persia), Medes (Iraq of today), Phrygia and other Asia Minor cities, Egypt, Northern Africa (Libya), Rome, Crete, Arabs ... all called men of Israel, men of Judah. (Acts 2:14, 22) After Peter preached, the people that were added to the Church that had been in the wilderness (Acts 7:38) were 3,000 ... THEY UNDERSTOOD IT WAS FOR THEM HE (Jesus Christ) HAD DIED, THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL, AND THEY GLADLY ACCEPTED HIS GIFT.
The Israelites and the 46 cities of Judah (2 Kings 2:18) with their 200,000 citizens (of Judah and Benjamin) were taken into Assyrian Captivity because of their idolatry and sin. The Israelites who had gone into Egypt cried out and were rescued from their bondage by God, who led them out through the Red Sea. They wandered 40 years in the wilderness, again due to sin. An entire generation that God felt was unworthy died during this period, with the exception of two overcomers, Caleb and Joshua.
Finally, they were allowed to enter Canaan. This could be termed the capital of the devils' world. In the gospel of Luke, "Satan" did tell Jesus the kingdoms were delivered unto him, and to whomever he chose he would deliver them. In taking their capital, God was pre‑figuring his eventual taking of the entire earth. Canaan at that time consisted of seven nation: Hittites, Girgasites, Hivites, Canaanites, Jebusites, Amorites, and Perizites.
Israel was told to kill all the men, women and little ones. "Thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth, but utterly destroy them," and the same list of nations is given as in. (Deuteronomy 7:1) Instead of obeying, "stiff‑necked" Israel dwelt among them and "look their daughters to be their wives and gave their daughters to their sons, and served other gods." "The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and forgot the Lord their God." The divorced wife, Israel, He removed from His sight. Ten‑ tribed Israel would never have a king in her again, until her seven times punishment was over, and Jesus Christ became her King.
Was Israel punished seven times; one for each nation, because she had not destroyed them, as God told her to do? So Israel was carried away to Assyria and she began her 2520‑year trek ... WEST ... to become that "Great Nation" promised to Abraham ... the Kingdom of God on Earth which Christ instructed us to pray for.
Babylonian Captivity 604 B.C.
To understand the story of these two nations (Israel and Judah) it is advisable to read the entire chapter of Ezekiel 23. Some of Judah was left in the land of Palestine. They committed abominations like the ten northern tribes and God said they had defiled His sanctuary, profaned His Sabbaths, and had committed adultery, and that He would bring up a company upon them that they might come to know Him. These are two sisters (Aholah the elder is Israel, and Aholibah is Judah), the same two that are in the two sticks of Ezekiel, and the same two families which the Lord hath chosen.
Again, we find in our day the enemies of these two countries saying, "These two countries shall be mine," but the Lord says they are not calculating correctly, "Whereas the Lord is there" and He will protect His Children and Save us ... we shall Not be theirs.
God said He Himself broke the BROTHERHOOD between Israel (whom He terms Beauty), and Judah (He calls Bands). The BROTHERHOOD between Britain and America is still broken. We are still two nations ... two sticks ... two sisters ... for just a little while longer. We already can read the signs that we shall become one nation with one King over us in the land He chose for His Kingdom, in America. HE WILL BE OUR KING.
Micah describes the destroyer (Russia) coming upon Israel, the Judah House of David, and the Ephraim people making a great deal of noise by the movement of men, and the King goes out the gate, with the Lord at the head of them. All being gathered into the barn ... the regathering of all Israel into the land of God gave Israel so long ago when He told David He would plant us in a land of our own: AMERICA!
We hear so much about "brotherhood" today, but if the brotherhood between Israel and Judah is broken, how can we have brotherhood with the other races and nations which are more divergent than we of Israel and Judah are from each other? Jesus said,
"Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother."
The keeping of God's Laws is the basis for brotherhood. The Israel race is the only people to whom the commandments of God were ever given. It was Abraham's determination to go after the kings of those seven nations, some of whom were taking his nephew Lot captive. No one else would tackle them. After Abraham had overcome them and brought Lot and his wealth back; God, in the person of Melchisidek, came to bless him. God felt the faith and obedience seed in Abraham was useable.
"For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do JUSTICE and JUDGEMENT; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham `that' which He hath spoken of him."
The "that" was the covenant God had sworn, saying Abraham's seed (or offspring) would become a GREAT AND MIGHTY NATION that would bless all nations of the earth ... just as America has been and is doing ... foreign aid ... rehibilitiating our enemies of war ... taking in the outcasts, feeding and clothing the world. Unfortunately, our leaders have not been wise in their JUDGEMENTS and we find our-selves helping the ungodly and loving them that hate our Savior ... therefore is wrath upon us from before the Lord! If our people would learn who they are and that we as Christians should not allow our tithe and tax dollars to be given in support of the ANTI-CHRIST RELIGION OF JUDAISM, we would not have the Lebanese situation, nor the taking of hostages.
"Many deceivers are entered into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an anti‑Christ ... Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God. he that abideth in the doctrine of Christ hath both the Father and the Son (`Oh, Lord thou art our Father and Redeemer'). If any come unto you and bring NOT this doctrine (personal and national), receive him not into your house (or country); neither bid him God speed, for he that biddeth him God speed is a partaker of his evil deeds." (2 John 1:7);
"If my people (Israel) turn from their wicked ways I will Hear ... and forgive ... and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)
We are the same Israel people of old which god sent into captivity for their sin ... 2520 years! Let's be Heard by Him; let us work more earnestly to educate our people and get our nation turned from its wicked ways (helping the ungodly, etc.) so he can heal our nation. The wife, Israel, must make herself ready for the remarriage, the Wedding. As soon as Israel of old would repent and cry out, God would hear immediately and help her! With the brotherhood broken, Judah as sinful as her sister, God brought Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, to take her captive.
The first attack rendered 3000 men of Judah to him; later, Circa 595 B.C., there were 10,832 craftsmen, smiths and the pick of the fighting men led bound to Babylon. The Babylonian army had spent eighteen months laying in siege before Jerusalem.
Josephus the historian records a terrible famine at the time, and a pestilence of distemper. Finally, Babylon won. Jerusalem was demolished and left deserted for 70 years. Zedekiah, the king of Israel‑Judah, had seen his sons killed, then his own eyes were put out. Years later when Christ was on trial in Jerusalem, the people said truthfully, "We have no king but Caesar." From the removal of Zedekiah as King of Judah, there has never been a king in Old Jerusalem. The Zionists today talk of putting a king in power ... NOW!
Another son of Jacob was Dan, whose family and progeny were noted for their navigational skills; they, too, settled in the British (B(e)rith‑Covenant, I(y)ishman) Isles. Ten of the tribes of Israel are easily traced from 720 B.C., in their captivity in Assyria, to Europe as Celtic speaking people. Further study in this "Migrations of Israel" series finds them in the British Isles, and much later in America ... that great nation promised to Abraham wherein they would dwell and "move no more." The other two tribes of Israel were taken in captivity to Babylon Circa 602 B.C. Only 42,360 of these captives returned to Jerusalem after being in Babylon for 70 years.
Cyrus, King of Persia, was the world leader at the time. Cyrus gave the proclamation in 539 B.C., for Judah, at God's command, to return and build the Lord a house in Jerusalem. Cyrus returned 5,400 silver and gold vessels the Babylonians had removed from the Jerusalem temple to their temple to their gods.
Those of Judah who had been brought into Babylon and who did not return as part of the 42,360 are reputed by both Jewish and Christian scholars to have moved on west into Spain and Portugal.
From the return of Judah to Jerusalem under Cyrus, they lived through the period depicted in Nebuchadnezzar's dream that Daniel interpreted: Babylon (the head of gold) had conquered Assyria; Medo‑Persia (the breast and arms of silver) had conquered Babylon during Judah's captivity; Greco‑ Macedonia (the belly and thighs of brass) would defeat Persia in 479 B.C.; afterwards, pagan Rome (the legs and feet of iron) would be the world power, and it was when Jesus Christ was born.
These changing empirical powers had their effect of the Judahites who were the "Two Baskets of Figs" as they lived side by side in and around Jerusalem. Leaders in this era, such as Aristobulus II and his brother John Hyrcanus, had a violent quarrel and Pagan Rome had to be called in to arbitrate the dispute.
The Encyclopedia Americana calls Hyrcanus a Jewish high priest (135‑105 B.C.) who forced the Idumeans to become "Jews." Idumea is the Greek for Edomites. In the Bible Esau, Edo, Mt. Seir and Idumea are interchangeable for the offspring of Esau, Jacob's twin brother. Herod the Great (37 B.C. to 4 A.D.), gave the order to kill the babies up to two years of age in the hope of murdering the baby Jesus, and was one of these Edomite Esau Jews. They ruled under the leadership of the roman Caesars.
God had told Abraham He would not hide from him His plans (nor are they hidden from us). Isaac would be born to Abraham and Sarah, and God would establish His Covenant with Isaac and his Seed (Race). The Covenant was that Abraham's seed would become a great and mighty nation. This establishment of god’s kingdom on earth would not be contingent upon Abraham s offspring, but upon God Himself. God swore by Himself: "When God made promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no greater, he sware by Himself." (Hebrews 6:13) God told Abraham upon his offering of Isaac, "... In thy seed shall all the nations on earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice." (Genesis 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; Psalm 72:17; Galatians 3:8)
This would have a dual fulfillment. Christ would be born of that seed and would bless all nations. The seed of Abraham would become the great nation we have become, blessing all nations, feeding and clothing them, taking them in until Christ would come a second time and take Government on His shoulders.
After Abraham's children were formed into a nation (the tribes of "Israel," which means "ruling or prevailing with EL, with God" the same name given to Jacob by God), the Israelites were given the Laws of God. Some of these were on two tablets of stone.
The people said "All these we will do." Hereby God took the Israelites to be His wife. They conceived their spiritual child, the kingdom, but Israel became an adulterous wife and God removed her out of His sight into Assyrian captivity, giving her a bill of divorce. (Jeremiah 3:8) Israel had gone after other gods and kings (nations) so when God divorced her. He took HIS NAME “EL”from her, hence she could not bring forth their "child" for it would have been a "bastard" nation.