Contents:
1. Who Has a Right to Live in the Land of Israel?
3. Do you think that members of the Lost Tribes should move to Israel at present?
4. If all the Lost Ten Tribes Return to the Land of Israel will there be Enough Room for them?
1. Question: Who Has a Right to Live in the Land of Israel?
There is sometimes heard the claim that if Ephraimites are descendants of Israel they have an equal claim to the land of Israel as the Jews have.
Alternately, others are worried that Ephraimites may try to make such a claim and even try to state that they are
the true Israelites as happened in the case of the Black Hebrews who were allowed into Israel and then began stating
that they were the only true Hebrews and that the Jews are impostors.
A certain "Ephraimite" Messianic leader has been quoted (perhaps wrongly) by "Messianic Jews" (MJAA) as claiming that:
The land belongs to them [i.e. Ephraimites] (along with the Jewish people, whose portion, they contend, should be limited to 2/12ths of Israel's territory). For the "Two House" proponents, the land of Israel is "their land."
Here again, the acorn has not fallen far from the tree.
The MJAA source continues with its commentary implying that such a viewpoint is symptomatic of a general attitude:
Traditionally, Anglo-Israelite thinking has also included an expectation that the land would be theirs as physical Israel. It evokes for us memories of the Crusaders of the 11th through 13th centuries, who also, based on the claim to be heirs of Israel, sought to take their "rightful place" as dwellers of the land through conquest and warfare.
Whether or not any "Ephraimite" actually said anything such as the above, the question remains. If the Lost Ten Tribes are the peoples Brit-Am says they are, then should they not have an equal stake in the Land of Israel alongside Judah?
Answer: The Present State of Israel is an Expression of the task of Judah.
In Prophecy Judah is the forerunner of the other tribes and Judah is preparing the land for the other tribes.
Concerning the "Jewish" State of Israel we pointed out in our article,
"
THE JEWS ARE JUDAH"
how according to Prophecy:
(Zephaniah chapter two) Judah would inherit the coastal regions and all the coastland when they return from their captivity. Judah (Zechariah chapter 14) would be in Jerusalem. Judah would return and create an Old-New State (Genesis 49:9) in the Land of Israel which would bear the name "Israel" (Isaiah 48:1). The Return of Judah was to Precede the Return of the Other Tribes (Micah 4:8 and Hosea 6:11 according Rabbi Zvi Kalisher, 1795-1874, whose explanation has been interpreted and explained in our work, "Ephraim, The Gentile Children of Israel".
At some stage,
[Obadiah 1:19] AND THEY OF THE SOUTH SHALL POSSESS THE MOUNT OF ESAU; AND THEY OF THE PLAIN THE PHILISTINES: AND THEY SHALL POSSESS THE FIELDS OF EPHRAIM, AND THE FIELDS OF SAMARIA: AND BENJAMIN SHALL POSSESS GILEAD.
[Obadiah 1:20] AND THE CAPTIVITY OF THIS HOST OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SHALL POSSESS THAT OF THE CANAANITES, EVEN UNTO ZAREPHATH; AND THE CAPTIVITY OF JERUSALEM, WHICH IS IN SEPHARAD, SHALL POSSESS THE CITIES OF THE SOUTH.
On the other hand it was prophesied that Joseph, and Judah together with Ephraim (Zechariah 10:6-10) will conquer Lebanon, Gilead, and Bashan (Syria, Jordan, and Iraq) with Gilead and Lebanon especially pertaining to Ephraim (Zechariah 10:6-10). Joseph and Judah will re-unite. Together they will transfer the
Palestinians to somewhere in the west (Isaiah 11:14).
The returnees from the Exile of Assyria (i.e. the Ten Tribes) will dwell in the midst of Carmel (Galilee?), Gilead, and Bashan (Micah 7:14) meaning areas of Greater Israel east and northeast of the Jordan River and reaching up to the Euphrates and the Persian Gulf.
Eventually all of the land from the Nile to the Euphrates (Ezekiel 47:17-18) and beyond will belong to Israel and be divided up amongst the Tribes of Israel.
Ezekiel (11:18) hints that first the exiles will return to the Land of Israel and after that they shall put away their idols and keep the Law (11:20). Ezekiel says that Judah has an obligation to help the Lost Ten Tribes return. The complete return of Judah is dependent upon the return of Samaria (16:53, 55, 61) meaning the Ten Tribes especially Manasseh. Manasseh today is mainly the USA. God will renew His covenant with Judah and with Israel (16:62).
Ezekiel also says that the Temple will be rebuilt (chapter 43). The land of Great Israel from the Nile to the Euphrates and beyond will be divided up amongst the Twelve Tribes of Israel (chapter 47). The non-Israelite stranger who dwells among you will receive an inheritance together with the Tribe he dwells amongst (47:22).
In principle all of the peoples of Israel have an equal claim to all of the lands of Israel. The Land was divided up amongst the Tribes but people could move around from tribe to tribe and each tribe was responsible for the other. The Tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half-Manasseh received their portions east of the Jordan before the other tribes received theirs yet Moses insisted that they participate in the conquest of the rest of the Land that was to be distributed to their brother tribes (Deuteronomy 3:16-20). In addition some sources indicate that the tribal distributions could and did change. There were additional lands to conquer and to be divided. The divisions of the future predicted by the Book of Ezekiel (Chapter 47) are different from those that prevailed in the times of Joshua.
At the Present Time:
The other tribes (as personified by the figure of "Messiah son of Joseph") have the duty of helping Judah take possession of the Land and of developing it.
This is explained in our chapter on Two Messiahs (the Messiah son of Joseph and the Messiah son of David) in our book,
"
Joseph, the Israelite Destiny of America"
and in our article
The Two Messiahs.
At the individual level:
In order to establish a permanent claim to the Land of Israel at present there is needed:
Connection to Judah.
Certainty of physical origin.
Acknowledgement of origin both by oneself and by others.
Divine Sanction.
This is discussed in short in the Commentary of Nachmanides who explains that keeping the Law to some degree is a prerequisite for Israelites to be able to dwell in the Land.
The Jewish population in the State of Israel is not on the whole religious. Nevertheless, most can say, "The Synagogue
I do not attend is Orthodox". In principle despite numerous trials and tribulations, exile and persecution, and the intensive
brainwashing of secular and atheistic pseudo-academic culture most believe and would wish to return to their sources if they could.
More than 70% fast all day on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement, Leviticus 23:27-28),
most keep the basic Dietary Laws, many Sanctify the Sabbath Day in some way or other and in general the country
is less secular than it may appear. Even amongst many of those who are not observant there exists a basic belief
and wish to obey. In addition there are historical reasons (such as religious persecutions in their former
Lands of Exile, cultural shock of displacement, etc) that provide a degree of understandable excuse in the aggregate
for what may be only a temporary slackness in observance.
Regarding a connection between keeping the Law and Dwelling in the land,
Nachmanides (Leviticus 18:25) explains that God is the LORD over the whole earth and the Creator of
everything. Even so, HE chose the People of Israel as his chosen nation and HE chose the Land of Israel
for them as HIS Land. There is a connection between HIS PEOPLE keeping HIS Law in HIS Land
that has a different dynamism to that which prevails when Israel dwells elswehere.
YE SHALL THEREFORE KEEP ALL MY STATUTES, AND ALL MY JUDGMENTS, AND DO THEM: THAT THE LAND, WHITHER I BRING YOU TO DWELL THEREIN, SPUE YOU NOT OUT [Leviticus 20:22].
And it says,
YE SHALL INHERIT THEIR LAND, AND I WILL GIVE IT UNTO YOU TO POSSESS IT, A LAND THAT FLOWETH WITH MILK AND HONEY: I AM THE L-RD YOUR G-D, WHICH HAVE SEPARATED YOU FROM OTHER PEOPLE [Leviticus 20:24].
See more on Nachmanides regarding this issue in our commentary on Leviticus.
There is a religious difference between Judah and Joseph that it seems will only be fully resolved in the Latter Times
as described by the Prophet Ezekiel:
[Ezekiel 11:16] THEREFORE SAY, THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD; ALTHOUGH I HAVE CAST THEM FAR OFF AMONG THE HEATHEN, AND ALTHOUGH I HAVE SCATTERED THEM AMONG THE COUNTRIES, YET WILL I BE TO THEM AS A LITTLE SANCTUARY IN THE COUNTRIES WHERE THEY SHALL COME.
[Ezekiel 11:17] THEREFORE SAY, THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD; I WILL EVEN GATHER YOU FROM THE PEOPLE, AND ASSEMBLE YOU OUT OF THE COUNTRIES WHERE YE HAVE BEEN SCATTERED, AND I WILL GIVE YOU THE LAND OF ISRAEL.
[Ezekiel 11:18] AND THEY SHALL COME THITHER, AND THEY SHALL TAKE AWAY ALL THE DETESTABLE THINGS THEREOF AND ALL THE ABOMINATIONS THEREOF FROM THENCE.
[Ezekiel 11:19] AND I WILL GIVE THEM ONE HEART, AND I WILL PUT A NEW SPIRIT WITHIN YOU; AND I WILL TAKE THE STONY HEART OUT OF THEIR FLESH, AND WILL GIVE THEM AN HEART OF FLESH:
[Ezekiel 11:20] THAT THEY MAY WALK IN MY STATUTES, AND KEEP MINE ORDINANCES, AND DO THEM: AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE, AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD.
We are not Prophets and all we have is Scripture which is not unequivocally clear to us on every point. Nevertheless we may say that Judah possessing the Land of Israel at the present time is fulfilling a God-given task that all Israelites should support. The role of Joseph at this stage is to fulfill his mission which includes helping Judah. Judah is the emissary for all Israel. Eventually Joseph will draw closer to the heart of the land through conquest and settlement of outlying regions such as Lebanon and Syria. We cannot be sure how events will unfold yet we should endeavor to do what we are able according to the possibilities of the present.
3. Question: Do you think that members of the Lost Tribes should move to Israel at present?
Answer: In general the answer is "NO" since the necessary conditions do not prevail.
See:
"Brit-Am Now"-96
#4. Note on: The Attitude of Brit-Am Regarding: Gentiles Identifying as
Israelites, Keeping the Law, Moving to Israel, Evolutionary Processes of
Identification. Nachmanides: The Connection Between The Law and the Land
"Brit-Am Now"-194
#Important
"Brit-Am Now"-268
#3. Question: Aliyah for Israelites?
"Brit-Am Now"-273
#3. Coming to Israel: Answers to ???
"Brit-Am Now"-331
#4. Lost Tribes Brit-Am Settlement in Israel
"Brit-Am Now"-339
#4. Debbie Jacques: Return of Joseph?
#5. Ruth Thomas: The Return
"Brit-Am Now"-355
#4. Ezekiel Reminder
"Brit-Am Now"-359
#5. Jeremiah -Haftorah
"Brit-Am Now"-360
#5. Jewish Neshamas (Israelite Souls)
#7. New Article: The Need for Unity Amongst the Tribes
"Brit-Am Now"-377
#5. ??? about Israelite Identity and Resultant Action
(1). Judah versus Israel
(2) Intermarriage
(3) Living in the Land
(4)
Anti-Israelism equals anti-Semitism?
(5) The Holocaust
(6) Learning Hebrew
(7) Circumcision
"Brit-Am Now"-389
#4. Nachmanides: The Lost Ten tribes will Return
"Brit-Am Now"-408
#9. Questions about "The Stranger"
"Brit-Am Now"-474
# 2. Ray Fulford: The Two Sticks, Troy, and Other Matters
"Brit-Am Now"-523
#2. Question on Immigration to Israel
"Brit-Am Now"-553
#2. All Israelites To the USA? and Brit-Am Reply Regarding Return to the Land of Israel
"Brit-Am Now"-554
#2. Questions and Answers Regarding the Return of Ephraim to Israel
"Brit-Am Now"-557
#3. Thomas Malloy: Questions on citizenship
"Brit-Am Now"-565
#1. Do Not Come Back Now!
"Brit-Am Now"-571
#1. Do Not Come Back Now ! What was the Alternative?
see also
"Brit-Am Now"-637
item #2. "Torah observant Israelite" wishes to make Aliyah
4. Question: If all the Lost Ten Tribes Return to the Land of Israel will there be Enough Room for them?
Answer: Whether ALL members of the Tribes will return or just representative portions of them is a subject still under discussion. If they do ALL return there will be room in the enlarged climatically-enhanced borders of the Promised Land.
See
"Brit-Am Now"-10
#3. Eric Schendel: Question on Room for all Israel in Israel?
and
"Brit-Am Now"-11
#4. Gregory R: Plenty of Room
and
"Brit-Am Now"-12
#2. Steve Collins: Millenium Empire?
#3. Joan Griffith: 1/10 will be left
"Brit-Am Now"-346
#5. Will all Israelites Return?
Sources
"Brit-Am Now"-410
#3. Question: How Can One Be Sure of Israelite Descent?
"Brit-Am Now"-417
#1. Herb Frizzell: Reunification in Process
#2. Another Question on Whether reunification has Already Taken Place
#3. Encouragement
#4. Betty Rhodes: Reunification in the USA?
"Brit-Am Now"-418
#1. Re-Unification in Scripture
#4. David Jackson: Reunification
"Brit-Am Now"-446
#5. The Transfer of populations in the Middle East and colonization by "Ephraim"
"Brit-Am Now"-487
#4. How Pure an Israelite Do You Have to be?
"Brit-Am Now"-488
#2. Mixed Ancestry?
"Brit-Am Now"-532
#2. Question on Immigration to Israel
"Brit-Am Now"-556
#4. Ezekiel: Judah Needs Ephraim
#5. Nancy: The Law of Return
"Brit-Am Now"-557
#3. Thomas Malloy: Questions on citizenship
"Brit-Am Now"-561
#1. Luke Martin: Cecil Rhodes Vision of British settlers
in Israel and the Euphrates Valley: Will Ephraim Intercede for Judah?
"Brit-Am Now"-598
#1. Ian McRae: European Hebrews to Return to Israel?
"Brit-Am Now"-602
#4. The Shofar and the Return of the Ten Tribes
"Brit-Am Now"-630
#1. The Brit-Am Importance of Iraq
"Brit-Am Now"-672
#2. Questions on Returning (Repatriation) to Israel.
"Brit-Am Now"-695
#2. "christian zionist communities" in Judah and Samaria?
#3. Where will the Arabs Go?
"Brit-Am Now"-710
#2. Iraq: Part of the Divine Plan for Israelite Colonization?
"Brit-Am Now"964
#2. Question on going to Israel and Tribal Identity
"Brit-Am Now"970
#1. Robert Kennedy: Ephraim to Come as they are
"Brit-Am Now"984
#3. Comment on believers who are pro-Jewish and Question on the Prophesied Return
"Brit-Am Now"1003
#4. Charlotte Mecklenburg:
The Return of Ephraim - A Different Scenario?
