While the Jewish state and the city of Jerusalem do certainly play an important role in end-time prophecies, not all Israelites are Jews. The ancient patriarch Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, was the father of 12 sons. One of those sons, Judah, was the progenitor of the Jewish people. What happened to the descendants of the other sons?
The northern ten tribes never returned from their captivity! Settled in an area hundreds of miles from where the Jews were taken more than a century later, the ten tribes of Israel remained completely separate and distinct from the Jews.
What happened to the ten tribes of Israel? History has called them the "lost ten tribes." Where did they go? The answer to that question is one of history's most fascinating stories. In fact, the answer to that mystery is the actual key that unlocks most of the Old Testament prophecies!
As you may guess, the identity and location of these ancient peoples reveals who we are in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and among the British-descended peoples of South Africa. It explains why we have achieved such national greatness, and what will happen to us near the end of this present age!
The knowledge of the identity of the descendants of ancient Israel is revealed by a close examination of scripture together with the record of secular history. The most highly educated leaders of our modern world are blind to the true facts of this matter. They are blinded by the theory of evolution into completely discounting the Bible as relevant for today. As a result, they fail to see the amazing story laid out in scripture and its relevance for our future.
In Genesis 11:26–32 we are introduced to Abram, whose name was later changed to Abraham. The rest of the Bible is an outgrowth of God's dealings with him and the promises He made to Abraham and to his descendants. The promises to Abraham are the basis of nearly all future Bible prophecies!
In Genesis 12:1–3 we have record of the first promises that God made to Abram. God told him that He would make of him "a great nation," that he would be blessed and that through him all nations would be blessed, and that God would "bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you" (v. 3).
In Genesis 17:6, God promised: "I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you." At this point Abram also learned that he would become the father of many nations (v. 4). God told him that He was changing his name to Abraham, meaning the "father of a multitude," and Sarai's name to Sarah, meaning "princess." Within a year, he was told, Sarah would bear him a son (Genesis 17:19; cf. 18:14). Such a thing seemed too incredible for words, but nevertheless it happened just as God said that it would and Isaac was born at the appointed time.
"But aren't all of the promises to Abraham fulfilled in Christ?" some might ask. That is a question that must be answered directly from the Bible.
Clearly, according to Galatians 3:26–29, all true Christians are accounted as spiritual children of Abraham and heirs of the promise. The ultimate fulfillment of God's blessings upon Abraham include the promise that he and his spiritual offspring would inherit the whole earth (Romans 4:13; cf. Matthew 5:5). Abraham was promised an everlasting inheritance (Genesis 17:8), which certainly presupposes the possession of eternal life!
Obviously there was a spiritual aspect to the promises that God made to Abraham! God's grace was to be extended to all mankind through the one Seed, Christ (cf. Galatians 3:16). The Messiah, descended from Abraham, would be the One through whom the blessing of salvation from sin and the gift of eternal life would become available to all mankind through God's grace.
However, there was also a physical aspect to the promises to Abraham. The birthright involved promises of national greatness as well as agricultural and mineral wealth. In Genesis 13:16 Abraham was told by God that He would make his seed number like the dust of the ground. Here, clearly, the reference is to Abraham's numerous physical descendants who would inherit national greatness and possess the gates of their enemies.
The promises to Abraham include both spiritual and physical components. They point toward Jesus the Messiah, but they also point toward the birthright blessings that would be bestowed upon a multitude of his descendants who would become a great nation and a great company of nations. This does not mean that the recipients of these blessings are any better or more special than those who did not receive the blessings. In fact, we see that those who received the physical blessings have, for the most part, squandered them and turned from God, for which they will have to face His judgment.
