The apocryphal book, called 4. Esdra, describes how The Ten Tribes will return to Israel.
This is the only old scripture which tells anything about the ten tribes` journy, after they left Assyria. The early Christians obviously have messed with the book in order to get it in harmony with Christianity – like they did with many other old scriptures. But surely the most important contents still are there.
The New Testament itself is a witness of the intense struggle that took place in the beginning of the Christian history, in trying to part Jesus´ teachings from Judaism. The truth however is that Jesus´ gospel did not differ from The Old Testament on one single point.
4. Esdra is a very interesting book , which – when it comes to its describing of the latter days – is in complete harmony with the Bible. Therefore I choose to use that book together with the Bible, when I am trying to describe what happened both when de ten tribes left Assyria, and what will happen when they some day return to Israel. Researchers claim that 4. Esra was written in the first century A.C. But the text of course can build on much older scriptures.
Here is what the book is telling about the ten tribes´ journey away from Assyria – and their way back to Israel:
You saw him (the Son of God, verse 32) gather another peaceful crowd of humans. These are the ten tribes who were carried off from their own country to captivity when Josiah was king, he who was captured by the Assyrian king Salmanassar. He led them over Euphrates, and they had to live in a foreign land. But they consulted together and agreed in leaving the Gentiles and go far away to a place where humans had not been living before. There they intended to keep the laws they did not keep in their own land. When they came to the difficult passages by Euphrates, The Most High did wonders to them and stopped the river from flowing until they had gone over. The travel through these regions was long, and it lasted for one and a half years. The land is called Arsaret (means another land). And they stayed there until the last times of history. But now they again have started wandering, and The Most High again is stopping the rivers so they are able to cross them. This is the interpretation of the peaceful crowd of humans, which you saw. But together with them are also those who are left of your people, who are living within the borders of my holy country. When he is starting to destroy the crowd of peoples who have gathered, he is going to defend the people who are left. And then he will show them many great wonders.
Esdra, 4th book, chapter 13, verse 39-50
I have translated this from a Norwegian publishing of “The Old Testament´s apocryphal books”, done by the Norwegian Bible society.
The last sentences here fit with Zech.12,3.6, which is telling about United Nations` attack on Jerusalem, and God´s annihilation of the great army that participate in this war. According to 4. Esdra the ten tribes´ homecoming takes place after the Jews have returned to Israel. For they are staying within Israel´s boarders , when the ten tribes arrive.
THEY ARE WALKING ON THE SAME PATHS AS THEY USED WHEN THEY HEADED NORTH.
The prophet Jeremiah makes this clear in following verse:
“Build cairns to mark your way, set up sign-posts; make sure of the road, the path which you will tread. Come back, virgin Israel, come back to your cities.” (31,21.)
According to this verse, they are going to follow a path, which was marked with cairns, when they headed north. That is in accordance with Esdra´s story, which tells that they are going to cross the same passages of Euphrates, as when they travelled north.
The Jew, Yair Davidiy – the founder of Brit-Am/Hebrew Nationes Movement of the Ten Tribes – has published a video, which is tremendous interesting in this connection. There he namely mentions the cairns that God told them to build on their way towards north. Davidiy claims that such ancient cairns really mark ancient paths all over Europe. The Israelites must have built them on request from God as they went north, so they were able to find the right path when they are going to head home again.
Why must they take this long and difficult route? Why can´t they go the shortest way – by airplane, boat, bus or cars? The answer surely is that the infrastructure – when this takes place – is completely ruined. They are walking through a waste Europe maybe just as waste that it was, when they headed north. “ … on the day of punishment Ephraim shall be laid waste.” (Hos.5,9.) What has happened? It is not difficult to understand, if we take into consideration the situation of Europe in our days. The threat of a third world war is hanging over us all the time.
The gathering of the Israelitic tribes was a very important matter to Jesus. But this he was not allowed to do when he first time came to the earth. This disappointed him so much that he nearly felt that his human existence was in vain. For he is saying:
I have laboured in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing, to no purpose; yet in truth my cause is with the Lord and my reward is in God´s hands. And now the Lord who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him that Israel should be gathered to him, now the Lord calls me again: it is too slight a task for you … to restore the tribes of Jacob, to bring back the descendants of Israel: I will make you a light to the nations …
Jesus Christ – (from Isaiah, chapter 49, verse 4-6.)
Biblical prophecies tell us that the twelve tribes at first are going to be gathered short before Jesus´ second coming.
Since it was so important for Jesus to gather all the twelve tribes in Israel, restore them as a people and lead them back to God, it is natural that he gives us a prophecy that tells something about this matter. In the parable about the lost son – in Luke 15,11-32 – we find a secret and hidden prophecy, pointing to the return of the ten tribes.
Jesus is here speaking about two brothers – of whom the eldest is staying in the homeland at that time – while the youngest long time ago had left his home and gone far out in the world, where he disappeared. He had brought with him the inheritance from his Father (who is God) – namely the Law of Moses. But he had spent his treasure on whores (unclean congregations), until there was nothing left of the inheritance from Moses.
At that time a terrible famine strikes the land where he is living. In the beginning of this dangerous time, he eats pig food.
“This is the kind of bread, unclean bread, that the Israelites will eat in the foreign lands into which I shall drive them.” (Ezek.4,13.)
This prophecy truly has been fulfilled down through history. The ten tribes have neglected God´s laws, which tell every human what kind of food we should eat. And through that neglecting, they have fulfilled this prophecy.
Through the mentioned parable Jesus tells the ten tribes that when this terrible famine hits Europe, they must remember their homeland, Israel.
“Then he came to his senses and said: How many of my father´s paid servants have more food than they can eat, and here am I, starving to death!” (verse 17-18.)
«I will go back to my husband again; I was better off with him than I am now.” (Hos.2,7.)
The utterances from the lost son and Ephraim are in perfect harmony. Hos.3,5 is an evidence of the fact that Hosea here speaks of the latter days.
The ten tribes are walking through a continent, which is laid waste by war and catastrophes.
I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands over which you have been scattered by my strong hand … and outpoured wrath. I will bring you into THE WILDERNESS of the peoples; there will I confront you, and there will I state my case against you … I will rid you of those who revolt and rebel against me. I will take them out of the land where they are now living, but they shall not set foot on the soil of Israel … You will know that I am the Lord, when I bring you home to the soil of Israel, to the land which I swore … to give your forefathers.
Ezekiel 20,34-35.38.42.
“The wilderness of the peoples” is a place on their way to Israel. There God is taking a harsh settlement with the Israelites who do not want to obey him.
In his last chapter, Esdra describes our age and our future in a way that is quite frightening. The prophet says:
“For a short time, the food is going to be so cheap on earth that they will believe that the peace is secured. But then calamities, war and hunger will hit them anew.” (16,22.)
“On place after place, yes, everywhere there will be a terrible persecution against those who fear God. They shall behave like crazy people and not spare anyone, but plunder and ravage those who fear God. They shall ruin and plunder all what they own, and throw them out of their homes.” (16,71-73.)
This is exactly what the Muslims are doing to the Christians, many places around the world, in these days. This surely is a warning to us which tells that the same will happen to us in the future. That is also what Esdra tells us.
The same peoples, who are behind terrible persecution of Christians around the world, are today migrating into all Christian countries, right in front of our eyes. We should understand that it is about time for us to start preparing for the evils which Esdra makes clear that we will meet in the nearest future.
