“LONG AGO THE BIBLE PROPHESIED THAT ONE DAY GOD WOULD REGATHER THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL TOGETHER, WHO ARE NOW SCATTERED ALL OVER THE WORLD. UP TO NOW, THIS WAS HUMANLY IMPOSSIBLE, BUT SOMETHING IS HAPPENING THAT MAY CHANGE THAT TO REALITY!”

 I’m Dennis Finnan, host and speaker on the World, the Word & You! Broadcast and in a moment we’ll talk about a breathtaking event in the news that may be the trigger to announce the reality of end time prophecy …

…For those who are Bible students, especially born again Christians, prophesy is an important part of your study of the Word of God and your faith. Prophesy is the “telling in advance,” of something that will literally happen in the coming future of our world. Now bible believing Christians know that all prophecy in the bible has always been given literally. It is never couched in mystery, or deep symbolic language that makes it impossible to understand. So when one looks into the Bible, and sees a prophecy written there -- one can fully believe it means what it says, and what is says will in a future day, be 100% reality! How does one know that? The answer is simple. Of all prophecies predicted in the Bible thousands of years ago, of all, mind you, all that have been fulfilled have done so “literally” as written. So, it is easy to understand that such prophecy that has not yet been fulfilled will follow the same pattern. That premise of course is also founded on the fact that God meant for His Word, all of it, to be understood literally, grammatically and historically as it was written. Any other interpretation, unless directed by the context, leads the reader to nonsense and seriously false teaching and spiritual danger. Well after a second moment of music, what I want to talk with you about today is, a prophecy found in the Book of Isaiah where we read about the scattered nation of Israel, particularly the TEN LOST TRIBES,

Isa 11:11-12 – “ In that day the Lord will bring back a remnant of his people for the second time, returning them to the land of Israel from Assyria, Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt, Ethiopia, Elam, Babylonia, Hamath, and all the distant coastlands. 12 He will raise a flag among the nations for Israel to rally around. He will gather the scattered people of Judah from the ends of the earth.”…

…If you ask any family today, the best most can do in remembering their ancestors is to go back a few generations, for from there, the family line is hopelessly lost to most. However something has happened today that through modern scientific technology, has changed all that, especially for the nation of Israel . Most Jews today who claim valid ancestry to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, have labeled themselves as descendants from the tribes of Benjamin and Judah, the last two tribes of the original twelve. This is because they were not scattered in the Assyrian invasion of the northern kingdom of Israel . For many, there has always been the search for the TEN LOST TRIBES of the northern kingdom of Israel . For nothing has ever been said or found of them.

The Bible tells us that Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, had 12 sons. Each of these sons—Reuben, Simon, Levi , Judah , Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Joseph, and Benjamin became the father of separate tribes, known as the twelve Tribes of Israel. We read of these twelve tribes and their division that occurred following the death of King Solomon.

The two books of Kings in the Old Testament record the slowly lengthening shadows of division and discord that crept across Israel ’s majestic history. For 120 golden years, the 12 tribes were united and ruled by a single throne, through Saul, David and Solomon, each reigning forty years. With the death of Solomon the kingdom was divided around 975 B.C. This is because ten tribes broke away from the Davidic rule and set up an independent kingdom to the north. This kingdom became known as “ ISRAEL .” The other two tribes of Benjamin and Judah combined in loyalty to the throne of David and became known as the southern kingdom of “ JUDAH .”

The Northern kingdom turned quickly to idolatry and apostasy! As a result, their protection by God from their enemies began to quickly vanish. After 2 ½ centuries, Assyria had grown large and powerful and was about to attack. Since the ten tribes of the northern kingdom had fallen deep into apostasy and were unrepentant, God struck first, by casting them out of the land and dispersing them into the Assyrian captivity. Thus, in 722 B.C., the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom of Israel , and their ten tribes were exiled and literally were "lost" to history. The tribes of Benjamin and Judah remained intact for another 135 years, maintaining Jerusalem as their capital. But they also turned to idolatry and apostasy and God’s promise of judgment fell on them too. We read of God’s response,

2 Chr 36:16 ( NIV )  But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.

God allowed the Babylonians to take the southern kingdom captive and to destroy Jerusalem in 586 B.C. However, unlike the ten northern tribes of Israel , God preserved a remnant so as to bring forth the promised Messiah. So God released the Jews ethnically intact, after 70 years of captivity, from their captivity and the vast majority went back to the Promised Land and their beloved city of Jerusalem , under Ezra and Nehemiah’s leadership.

Most Jews today believe they are descended from these remnant tribes of Benjamin and Judah whose final dispersion came about in 70 AD at the hands of Romans. At that time, all the carefully kept ancestral records of tribal descendents, were destroyed and all that remained was word of mouth verification of family tribal ties. That is until now, for something dramatic has happened that gives credence to God’s prophetic word which promised that -- one day in the future, when the Messiah returns to claim His earthly kingdom, all Israel will be gathered from the far corners of the earth back to their beloved land in Palestine.

Now, in human terms this is impossible, for no one can truly know his or her ancient Jewish roots if any. Why even today, who can rightly claim they are of the tribe of Judah, Benjamin or Levi? There simply are no records anywhere to support that! However a new medical breakthrough of scientific mapping of the human body through DNA, has given theologians and anthropologists a new look at family ties.

We all know of the amazing ability of DNA mapping to discover many things about our human existence. The latest is the discovery of a genetic marker among individual males who claim to be Jews and specifically from the line of Cohen or Cohanim, the supposedly descended priestly family of Aaron who were anointed by Moses as the priests of Israel .

According to biblical accounts, the Jewish priesthood of Aaron began over 3,000 years ago when Moses anointed his older brother Aaron, as the first high priest in his family.

Exo 29:1 ( NIV )  "This is what you are to do to consecrate them, so they may serve me as priests..”

Exo 29:9 ( NIV ) “… The priesthood is theirs by a lasting ordinance. In this way you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.”

Moreover, ever since, the priestly status has supposedly been handed down from father to son through the ages, regardless of the ruination of actual Jewish records destroyed in 70 AD.

If this hereditary tradition has been closely followed, scientists tells us the “Y” chromosomes of the Cohanim today should bear some resemblance to one another because of their unbroken link back to a common ancestor, which many hypothetically believe is Aaron.

Make note though, there is no proof of Aaron being the common ancestor for there is no DNA remains to be found of him to attest to this. Nonetheless, listen to the findings as I share this with you…

“Genetic studies among Cohanim from all over the world reveal some remarkable truths behind this oral tradition. About 50 percent of Cohanim in both Sephardic and Ashkenazic populations have an unusual set of genetic markers on their “Y” chromosome. What is equally striking is that this genetic signature of the Cohanim is rarely found outside of Jewish populations.

Moreover, the “Y” chromosome also keeps track of time, for small mutations occur in the DNA being passed on, and these changes build up with each generation. Like the tick of a clock, the number of these mutations is a measure of time passed. By looking at the differences between “Y” chromosomes in the Cohanim, researchers can estimate, roughly how many generations ago members of the Cohanim clan had a common ancestor. Remarkably, the evidence suggests the Cohanim chromosomes coalesce at a date that corresponds with when the nation made its exodus from Egypt , and shortly thereafter the Israeli priesthood began.”[1]

What researchers may have found is a marker indicating paternal connection to the people from whom the ancient Hebrews emerged—potentially a powerful tool that enables us to look into the history of many Judaic populations.

Already all across the globe men from differing tribes of the earth, from Afghanistan, Mexico, India, and other remote places of the earth, where certain clans for centuries seemed to maintain certain Jewish rituals and practices from names to songs have been tested for this genetic marker, and many have proved to be of this particular Jewish descent. Moreover, a number have applied for passage to Israel , now legitimately claiming blood line descent to this common ancestor among the Jews who lived during the days of Moses in the wilderness.

What does all this mean? Well for starters, it could be the trigger that, in time, launches prophetic history as now hundreds of thousands of Jews from places and peoples unheard of, who’ve discovered their Jewish ancestry, now want to move to Israel and be fully Jewish. The Bible predicts that when Christ prepares to return to the earth to take possession of it, He will first gather all the Jews, whom He dispersed, from the far corners of the earth, back to the land to bless them and to present Himself as their rightful God and King. Only this 2^nd time of His coming, they will receive Him, following intense persecution and death in the Tribulation Period. Listen to some of the Scriptures of this promise,

Exo 29:9 ( NIV )  “… tie sashes on Aaron and his sons. The priesthood is theirs by a lasting ordinance. In this way you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.

Exo 40:15 ( NIV )  Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so they may serve me as priests. Their anointing will be to a priesthood that will continue for all generations to come."

Isa 11:11-12 ( NIV )  In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea. 12 He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel ; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.

Yes, these promises of God that the priesthood of Aaron and his sons would “continue for all generations,” seem to have some scientific weight. If the Cohanim are indeed the descended priestly line and provable by this genetic marker, it will not be hard for the Jews in the Tribulation Period to again rebuild the Temple and establish the Aaronic priesthood, not by letter and hearsay, but by actual bloodline!

However, greater than all this, one should take seriously these new findings as a possible warning that the time of the Messiah’s return in glory may come in our lifetimes. Are you ready for the coming of the Lord? Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? Have you surrendered your life and heart to His Lordship, trusting Him as your only hope of salvation in eternity?  The Bible warns us all,

Isa 66:15-16 ( NIV )  See, the LORD is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. 16 For with fire and with his sword the LORD will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the LORD.

Jude 1:14-15 ( NIV )  Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied… "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

Mat 24:30-31 ( NIV )  "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

1 John 5:11-12 ( NIV )  And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life

  Col 3:6 ( NIV )  Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.

 Friend, to the unsaved mind and heart all this is foolishness and nonsense, the ramblings of a demented mind, but really? The fact is that in our very blood line, by creation itself, God has preserved our human heritage. Particularly, we now see the Jewish blood line that may well be representative of the Priesthood of Aaron through the Cohanim. I’m sure more wonder will surface as we near the day of the Lord’s return. In light of that, all I can say is  -- are you ready to meet the Lord? Religion will not equip you, good works and living a kind loving life will not do either. Only the death of Jesus Christ on the cross can pay for your sin and mine. On Mount Sinai God gave the summation of His entire law of holiness and righteousness, in the TEN COMMANDMENTS. Have you kept them all? The Bible says,

James 2:10 ( NIV )  For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

What person can say they’ve never stolen anything, never lusted in their heart for another person, and always gave God first place in their life for everything?  Why, the whole human race stands totally condemned before God’s Law as sinners in thought, words and deeds. For this there is only one punishment which God has ordered for breaking any and all of them. The Bible warns,

Rom 3:23 ( NIV )  “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Rom 6:23 ( NIV )  “For the wages of sin is death..”

Oh but don’t despair! Thanks be to God, He has sent His Son Jesus Christ to pay our sin debt. Yes, Israel ’s Messiah of old, rejected by men and His own nation, but received by any and all who will believe in Him and His work for redemption of our sins will receive that forgiveness. Indeed,

Rom 5:12 ( NIV )  Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned--

Rom 5:19 ( NIV )  For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

Now the search for the lost tribes of northern Israel , dispersed nearly 3,000 years ago, is a romantic quest that has fascinated explorers for centuries. However, the stakes are breathtaking. Not only is there the thrill of finding people alive today who are actual descendants of those who apparently disappeared without a trace, but according to biblical prophecy, their reappearance signals the approach of the promised Messianic time when Christ returns to the earth. Are you ready? Is the lamp of your life filled with the presence of His Spirit? Is Jesus Christ’s return your blessed hope? For those who can say “Yes,”  – together we await this time with breathless anticipation and say to each other --  “MARANATHA – Come Lord Jesus.” May this be the cry of your heart, yielded to Jesus Christ, for it’s in His Name I pray. Amen.

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[1] NOVA ONLINE – “Where Are the Ten Lost Tribes? November 2000

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·         Radio talk #1406

·         Broadcast date: April 2, 2006

·         Speaker: Dennis L. Finnan, Commentator

·         Program: The World, the Word & You! Radio Broadcast

·         Address: P.O. Box 60033 Grand Junction, CO 81506

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The World, the Word & You! Broadcast is a non-denominational ministry based on the historic fundamental evangelical interpretation of the Scriptures. A copy of our doctrinal statement is available upon request. These weekly radio commentaries are not exhaustive studies of any particular subject due to the time limit of broadcasting. Actual broadcasts can be heard in selected areas around the nation, as funding provides. Dennis Finnan has been the speaker for over 25 years, and serves as General Director.

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