10 Reasons the Jews are from Judah

Posted on September 7, 2007
Filed Under Flavius Josephus, House of Judah (Jews), Israel (Jacob), Know Thyself, Last Days, Oral Torah, Talmud, Two House (Reality) Theology

Brief History:
Judah was one of the twelve sons of Jacob (Israel). His tribe became one of the more important tribes of the twelve, the tribe of Kings (Genesis 49:10; Psalm 60:7; 108:8). After King Solomon died, the united Kingdom of Israel was divided into two kingdoms, sometimes called Israel (Joseph) and Judah respectively. The Southern Israelite Kingdom of Judah did not consist of only the tribe of Judah, but also Benjamin and a portion of Levi (Levi was also scattered in the midst of the northern ten tribes).

See History and Timeline of Israel and Judah.

Now the ten points:
1. The 1st Century Historian Josephus records the ten tribes of Israel as an “immense multitude” remaining “beyond the Euphrates River” (Antiquities of the Jews - Book XI Ch. 5), which would indicate “the Jews”, the two tribes in the Land of Israel controlled by the Romans at that time, were of the Kingdom or House of Judah, the House that historically returned from Babylonia, from their Babylonian Captivity.

2. Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Eliezer (c.117-138 C.E.) argued about the return of the ten lost tribes as though it hadn’t happened yet (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 110b), indicating “the Jews” of the 2nd Century C.E. were not representative of all twelve tribes, but instead, they represented the Kingdom of Judah alone.

3. The people commonly known as “the Jews” never became a “multitude of nations”, but Ephraim of the Northern Kingdom of Israel was promised to become so (See Genesis 48:19). Judah simply wasn’t promised “multitudes” or “nations”, but he was promised the scepter or “Kings” (See Genesis 49:10).

4. Many contemporary rabbis and talmudic scholars have clearly indicated that the Jews predominantly represent only the Ancient Kingdom of Judah.

“The captives of Israel exiled beyond the Euphrates did not return as a whole to Palestine along with their brethren the captives of Judah; at least there is no mention made of this event in the documents at our disposal… In fact, the return of the ten tribes was one of the great promises of the Prophets, and the advent of the Messiah is therefore necessarily identified with the epoch of their redemption.” -D.A. Neubauer [Ref. Jewish Quarterly Review, Vol. I -1888, p. 15,17]

Rabbi Rafael Eisenberg believed the majority opinion of the ancient Sages was this:

…the Ten Tribes which disappeared in Assyria shall return. Their decision is quoted in the Tosefta, … “As it is this day” is explained as meaning that “if their deeds remain as they were this day, they will not return. On the other hand, if they are not—that is, if they have repented for and corrected their actions—they will return.” [Ref. Will the Lost Tribes Return? An Analysis of the Lost Tribes in Rabbinic Literature]

5. From Jews I’ve personally spoken with or read about, they predominantly trace their lineage back to Benjamin, Judah, or Levi (the tribes of the Southern Kingdom of Judah), not to the House of Joseph (10-Israel). If you know of others who traditionally trace their “Jewish” family lineage back to a tribe of 10-Israel, please leave a comment below.

6. The modern Jewish nation of Israel trace their history back to the Babylonian Captivity. They call it their “First Exile”. But wait, the First Israelite Exile happened more than a hundred years earlier with the Assyrian Captivity, did it not? Jewish scholars simply know the Assyrian Captivity was NOT a Jewish captivity, but it was the captivity of the Ancient Northern Kingdom, who were Hebrew, but they weren’t “Jewish”. Check out Israel Ministry of Foreign Affair’s history timeline here. Also, check out another official Israeli government “Jewish History” timeline here: Jewish Agency for Israel (Aliyah.org). They aren’t hiding the two house reality folks. It is primarily Messianic Jewish and Christian scholars who can’t swallow it for whatever reason.

7. It is traditionally believed the ancient tribe of Judah would always go into battle first, before the other tribes (See Judges 1:2 and 20:18). And interestingly, the Jews of Judah returned to the land of Israel first (early last century) and everyone knows it has been nothing but a battle for them ever since, even before 1948. The Israeli Jews are a Lion the whole Middle East is fearful to go to war with… at least until PM Olmert’s recent Hezbollah debacle last summer. Yet inspite of suicidal liberals like Olmert, the Lions of Judah will roar again.

8. Ancient Jewish tradition forbids all Jews from speaking the Divine Name of the Creator. Interestingly, the Prophet Jeremiah (sent to the Kingdom of Judah before her captivity) foretold the Divine Name would be removed from Judah’s mouth. See: Jeremiah 44:26 “Therefore hear the word of יהוה, all Judah who are dwelling in the land of Mitsrayim, ‘See, I have sworn by My great Name,’ declares יהוה, ‘My Name shall no longer be called upon by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Mitsrayim, saying, “As the Master יהוה lives…”

9. The Prophets Ezra and Nehemiah succinctly numbered the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi as those who returned from the Babylonian Captivity. The other tribes were not mentioned (Read Ezra and Nehemiah). Even so, some Israelites likely returned later from the Assyrian Captivity, such as the Asherite prophetess of Luke 2:26, but many other factors indicate NO LARGE representation ever returned.

10. And finally, if the people known today as “the Jews” are representative of all twelve tribes of Israel, if both Israelite Kingdoms reunited in antiquity, then how does one explain the “Last Days” Two Sticks prophecy of Ezekiel 37? The whole book of Ezekiel would simply be confused and discombobulated if the above “if” statements were a reality (a reality One-Housers would like you and I to believe).

The truth of this matter should be simple and easy to see, unless one has a biased and emotionally charged reason not to see or if he/she is being intellectually lazy and/or just doesn’t care. Or even, maybe the Elohim of Israel has blinded the world until His plan is fulfilled, until the “fullness of the peoples have come in”. I can’t be sure of the cause of one’s blindness, yet I must admit, it sure tests my patience from time to time. But how refreshing it is, when my brothers from both Houses finally do see.

Shalom Aleichem.

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