13 - The 12 Tribes Already Returned to the Land: Ezekiel 40-48 (Part 7)
When did all the tribes of Israel return to the land? And why is this important for the fulfillment of Ezekiel's temple?
"The word which the Lord spoke concerning Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, through Jeremiah the prophet: 'Declare and proclaim among the nations. Proclaim it and lift up a standard. Do not conceal it but say, Babylon has been captured... For a nation has come up against her out of the north; it will make her land an object of horror, and there will be no inhabitant in it... 'In those days and at that time,' declares the Lord, 'the sons of Israel will come, they and the sons of Judah as well; they will go along weeping as they go, and it will be the Lord their God they will seek.'" (Jer. 50:1-4)
The main purpose of this article is to demonstrate that all the tribes of Israel have returned in times long past and that the prophecies which speak about the reunification and return of all the tribes, or two houses, of Israel have been fulfilled according to the time given by the prophets. Furthermore, this is important for our continued understanding of the fulfillment of Ezekiel's temple vision. Ezekiel speaks of all the tribes returning to their appropriate inheritance of the land at the time of the temple construction. While many have come to expect a still future return of all the tribes back to the land of Israel, we will see why the Scripture does not anticipate a future return but rather a past fulfillment of such an event and at a time correlating to what I have discussed in my previous posts - at the time when the exiles returned from Babylonian captivity.
So far in this journey through Ezekiel, I have covered the timing of the fulfillment of this long prophetic passage (Ezek. 40-48) as indicated by the whole of Scripture to be at the time of those returning exiles from Babylon around the year 536 BC, according to the most common dating. I have already demonstrated in previous posts that the timing of the fulfillment of Ezekiel's temple is clearly indicated by: (1) Ezekiel's leadership role at the initial construction of that temple, (2) the cessation of the priesthood and genealogy, (3) the temple dimensions, (4) the returned Presence of God's Glory, (5) the so-called "forever" temple, (6) and the prince and his sacrifices. In order to prove the fulfillment of a prophecy you must have all these parts occur at the same period of time. All of these do share this one common thread, they all coincide with each other in a past fulfillment of Ezekiel's vision at the time of the return of the exiles from Babylon. Still, even with conclusive evidence shared in my previous posts on this blog, the many objections to my conclusions are piled up and need to be addressed. We will take a look at the return of the 12 tribes of Israel as a requirement for the fulfillment of Ezekiel's temple vision as is indicated in Ezekiel chapter 47 and 48 but is most clearly laid out in Ezekiel 37:22-28 and which states,
"I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations, and no longer be divided into two kingdoms...27 My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. 28 And the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary (i.e. the temple) is in their midst..."
Some History on the 12 Tribes of Israel
In the biblical genealogies, the promise of God to inherit the land of Israel is given to Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob, and eventually to Jacob's 12 sons who are then each allotted an inheritance in the land of Israel with each of their respective names attached to the region in which their tribe lived. Under Joshua, the twelve tribes occupied the land of Israel and obtained that promise which God had first made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Josh. 23:14) For the most part, the twelve tribes (later known as the two houses) of Israel lived in unity and peace with one another. Yet, this did not continue forever. Later, under king David, the nation of Israel was one nation but due to the sin of David's son Solomon the kingdom was to be divided into two houses (1 Kings 11:29) with animosity between them under the split leadership of Jeroboam, king of the northern 10 tribes and Rehoboam, king of the two southern tribes (1 Kings 12). Jeroboam ensured that he would not lose his control of the 10 northern tribes by setting up two golden calves at the north and south of his kingdom in order to have the people worship them as Yahweh rather than go up to Jerusalem in the southern kingdom (1 Kings 12:27-28). These two kingdoms became known as the two houses of Israel; the house of Israel, or Ephraim, or Joseph in the north, and the house of Judah in the south.
The Future Temple Claim
It is taught by the future temple camp that the twelve tribes occupying the land of Israel is something never to have happened in times past and is therefore one of the necessary ingredients for a future fulfillment of Ezekiel's temple vision. Furthermore, when the northern kingdom was taken captive by the Assyrians in 722 BC and the southern kingdom was taken captive by the Babylonians in 586 BC, the claim is that only some from the tribe of Judah returned and therefore we must still be awaiting the elongated fulfillment of a returned community of all the tribes of Israel back to their land. The future view touts that the reunification and return have yet to occur and therefore regard Ezekiel's temple to be something future. The question that needs to be asked is, did the twelve tribes (or both houses of Israel) ever return to their land the way Ezekiel speaks of them in his temple prophecy? First, lets take a look at what some of the future temple view have claimed.
The Future Temple View--The Last Days Return of All Israel
The future temple view holds that Ezek. 37:15-28, spoken nearly 2,600 years ago, has still not come to pass. Dr. Michael Rydelnick postulates a comment, according to Ezekiel, that foresees a still future return of the tribes of Israel back to her land, "far distant" from Ezekiel's own day. He writes,
"The book of Ezekiel is a first-person account of the prophecies God gave through Ezekiel during the Babylonian exile. It reveals that hope is not to be found in the words of false prophets but instead in the far distant future...In those days, God will restore the house of David under the Son of David, who will return the people of Israel to their land..." (The Messianic Hope, pg. 75)
William Biederwolf, in his work The Second Coming Bible comments on the 12 tribes returning, calling it "impossible",
"We have a prophecy of the reuniting of the two and the ten tribes and the bringing of them again into their own land. It is impossible to pretend that this prophecy has ever been fulfilled in any sense."
Dr. Randall Price, clearly attaches the timing of the rebuilding of Ezekiel's temple to the twelve tribes returning to the land, stating,
"According to the Jewish legal expert Maimonides, one of the chief obstacles preventing the rebuilding of the temple is that it cannot be built until a majority of the Jewish people live in the biblical Land of Israel. This concept was derived from the prophetic passages in the Old Testament which assume that the Jewish Nation is functioning in the Land with the bulk of the Jewish people resident (see Ezek. 36:37-38; 37:15-28, Zech. 8:7-8)" (The Coming Last Days Temple, pg. 122)
He adds that such a return and rebuilding of the temple, as mentioned by Ezekiel, could only take place in the very last days. He writes,
"The two principal prophecies of the New Covenant in the Old Testament are in Ezekiel and Jeremiah. According to a literal interpretation of these texts, national Israel will realize the spiritual and physical (Land) blessings of the New Covenant only in the eschatological age (ie last days). The restoration the Nation will enjoy under this covenant will involve all Israel--the house of Judah and the house of Israel (Ezek. 36:22,32; Ezek. 37:19-23)." (ibid. pg. 547)
In order to eliminate a past fulfillment, Dr. Price even goes so far as to diminish the work of those exiles who did return from Babylon to inherit the land. With what he sees as a low portion of the nation of Israel returning and low spiritual life upon their return, he imputes this remark,
"These realities must have indicated that their return and rebuilding was not the fulfillment of the final restoration described in Ezekiel." (ibid. pg. 520)
Price belittles the work and faithfulness of the exiles so as to clear a path for this very "distant future" fulfillment of the return of the entire nation of Israel. John Schmitt and Carl Laney, co-authors of Messiah's Coming Temple--Ezekiel's Prophetic Vision of the Future Temple, attach the reunification of the tribes to the return of Jesus Christ in the future and imply that "the past" never experienced any form of reunification according to their interpretation of Ezekiel 37. They write,
"Messiah's government will be a unified government. Unlike the past, when Israel and Judah were divided and the nations were divided against each other, the messianic kingdom will bring all nations and people together under the King (Ezek. 37:22-24)." (pg. 175)
Dr. Randall Price and Thomas Ice, make the connection that Ezekiel's temple construction is beginning to unfold in our days with the return of the Jews to the land of Israel in 1948. In their book Ready to Rebuild--The Imminent Plan to Rebuild the Last Days Temple, they also make the connection that the return of the 12 tribes and the rebuilding of the temple are to occur simultaneously and according to Ezekiel's own words, stating,
"The Arab occupation today prevents Israel from completely fulfilling the biblical prophecy of a return to the Land, since such a return ultimately involves a return to spiritual worship at the Temple Mount in a restored Temple (Ezek. 37:21-28)...What we do see today is the partial fulfillment of the promise and an indication that the events which will complete its fulfillment will soon follow." (pg. 205)
Daniel Goldstein also connects the return of the nation of Israel, not to the coming of Jesus but to the current establishment of the state of Israel. Additionally, he ties this to the expectation of the temple reconstruction which he sees in the near future. He overlooks the past attempts by the returnees from Babylon, saying,
"Although the Jewish people have been praying for more than 1900 years (and in some manner 2600 years from the time of the Babylonian exiles)...and that the Temple could be rebuilt following the exile of the Jewish people from their land for nearly 1900 years. However, in the last century we have seen the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel, the establishment of the State of Israel, and the reunification of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The expectation that the Temple will be rebuilt in our days is more realistic now than ever before." (The Third Temple--A Sign of The Coming Messiah, pg. 149, italics mine)
What Goldstein fails to recognize is that this "reunification" is not as "realistic" as he perceives, nor is the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. The truth is that Jerusalem does not belong to the nation of Israel. As Don Stewart notes regarding the possession of Jerusalem,
"The retaking of the entire city of Jerusalem by the Israelis is a further fulfillment of last days' prophecy...It seemed that these events in 1967 (i.e. the retaking of the Temple Mount) set the stage for the rebuilding of the Temple. However, it was not to be...
Moshe Dayan entered the Al Aqsa Mosque for an historic meeting with five leaders of the Supreme Muslim Council--the men who had formerly controlled the Temple Mount. The meeting that day set Israel's policy regarding the Temple Mount--a policy that remains to this day...The administrative control over the Temple Mount was to be the sole responsibility of the Supreme Muslim Council--the Waqf." (The Jews, Jerusalem & The Coming Temple, pp. 147-48)
Cults That Have Been Formed By This Error
The error of this teaching has led factions to form their entire belief around the return of the 12 tribes. There are groups that further exemplify the necessity for the two houses of Israel to come together. One such group known as the Ephramite movement, stemming from a cult of British Israelism, and another that most know as Mormonism. Both of these groups share the belief that, for the most part, they are the physical descendants of Ephraim, the northern kingdom of ten tribes, and are somehow sure that they are to be joined to the house of Judah (i.e. modern day Jews that follow the religion of Judaism). The main voice in the Ephramite movement comes from a woman named Batya Wooten who wrote a semi-defining doctrinal book called Who is Israel? And Why You Need to Know. She poses the intimidating parallel of the sin of Esau's neglect of the rite of the firstborn to that of Christians who have not believed the necessity to accept and rejoin the two houses of Israel back to unity. She writes,
"Even so, for New Covenant Believers to sell off, give away, despise, or yield up, the Father's call to be the "ekklesia (ie. gathering) of the firstborn," is to risk committing a sin like that of Esau." (Who is Israel? pg. 55) and "The importance: It is time for Ephraim to arise--that all Israel might be fully restored." (ibid. pg. 155)
This poses that it is more important to focus on genealogy than faith in Christ.
Mormonism believes similarly that there are two houses of Israel and to each was given a similar gospel just in two different locations. They see Jews (the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin) as receiving Christ's message according to the New Testament and that another gospel was written for those on the American continent who are actually the 10 northern tribes of Ephraim. In their 13 Articles of Faith, article 10 reads this way,
"We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory."
It is clear that the subject matter of the two houses returning contrives a false return of God's kingdom by faith and turns it into a kingdom that is through physical genealogy. I believe this is why Paul warned both Titus and Timothy not to pay attention to the worthless myths that surround genealogy (1 Tim. 1:4, Titus 3:9). He even says that they "give rise to useless speculation rather than advance the plan of God, which is by faith". Still, the root of these cults originated out of a misunderstanding that we are still waiting for the 12 tribes, two houses, to be "soon" reunited according to Ezekiel's prophecies. Batya Wooten speaks directly to this subject matter,
"And, in the last days, Yahveh calls forth two congregations of people: They are the "two sticks," or olive "trees," that He will soon make "one" in His hand (Ezek. 37:15-28), Judah and Ephraim." (Who is Israel? pg. 160)
This speaking of 'soonness' lures the naive to hold on just a little bit longer. Yet, we will see in a moment that the prophets spoke of this "soon coming" as much closer to their own day, at the return from Babylon. With this future view in mind, I would like to turn to the pages of Scripture and test what both the nature and timing the prophets gave for the return and reunification of all 12 tribes.
1. The Nature of the Return of the 12 Tribes--"Only a Remnant Will Return"
It is said by some that the biblical return of the 12 tribes will include every physical descendant of Jacob or that the number of returnees will be a very large group. Yet, this is not what the Scripture says. At the time that the northern tribes were decimated by the Assyrians, Isaiah specifically writes that "only a remnant will return", not the entire family tree of Jacob. He speaks unequivocally,
"Now it will come about in that day that the remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. For though your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant within them will return..." (Isa. 10:20-22; cf. Rom. 9:27)
Amos speaks of the northern tribes dwindling at the coming of the Assyrian attack and points to only a fraction of them being left as a remnant thereby eliminating a large group from returning at any point in time that might follow the Assyrian attack. Amos says,
"Hear this word which I take up for you as a dirge, O house of Israel. She has fallen, she will not rise again--the virgin Israel. She lies neglected on her land; there is none to raise her up. For thus says the Lord God, 'The city which goes forth a thousand strong will have a remnant of a hundred, and the one which goes forth a hundred strong will have a remnant of ten to the house of Israel." (Amos 5:1-3)
Isaiah was so confident that this would be the nature of the return of the northern 10 tribes that he named his own son She'ar Yashuv, meaning "a remnant will return" and said of his sons that they would stand as "signs and wonders in Israel", including their very names (cp. Isa. 8:1-4). Again he reiterates the nature of this return and even gives us a hint as to when and from where the northern tribes would return, he writes,
"So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion (i.e. destroyed all the idols in Jerusalem)...Then it will happen on that day that the Lord will again recover the second time with His hand the remnant of His people, who will remain from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the islands of the sea...And there will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant of His people who will be left, just as there was for Israel in the day that they came up out of the land of Egypt." (Isa. 11:11,16)
Later, the prophet Jeremiah speaks of a time when "all the families of Israel" (Jer. 31:1) would become God's people, defined just a few verses later as a remnant, "O Lord, save Thy people, the remnant of Israel." (Jer. 31:7) In the end, we should understand the nature of this return to be only a remnant of the northern 10 tribes, not every single individual that is genealogically a descendant of Jacob. In fact, to believe that every descendant of Jacob was to return is to suppose that a large number of idolaters would be included in this group, those whose hearts were set on rebuilding idols and continuing that worship which God opposes. According to Scripture, "all Israel" that is prophesied to return is defined as a "remnant" of the tribes.
Furthermore, while it is easy to understand that the tribes of Judah and Benjamin always remained as a remnant, we should also take some time to see that a remnant of all the other tribes can be found returning at times following this Assyrian invasion. The tribes of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun are recalled in 2 Chron. 30:11 as those that were present at the time of Hezekiah's Passover. Just a few verses later (2 Chron. 30:18) we are told that those from Ephraim and Issachar were added to this group, naturally unprepared for Passover. Also, Jeremiah 41 identifies those from Shiloh, Samaria, and Shechem, three of the largest cities of the northern tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh as coming humbly to present their offerings in Jerusalem following the Babylonian seige in 586 BC.
After the captivity of Babylon (536 BC) we read that Gad and Reuben would come to reoccupy their land that was previously taken by the Ammonites (cf. Jer. 49:1-3 - Heshon was a city of Reuben). Zephaniah speaks of the defeat of these Ammonites with just a "remnant" and taking possession back in the land at the time of the return from Babylon, stating,
"And the sons of Ammon will be like Gomorrah--A place possessed by nettles and salt pits, and a perpetual desolation. The remnant of My people will plunder them, and the remainder of My nation will inherit them." (Zeph. 2:9)
Zephaniah repeats what would result following the Babylonian captivity in 3:12-13, that only a remnant would return,
" I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity nor speak lies, neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.”
Finally, when Nehemiah speaks of the "remnant of Israel...on his own inheritance" (Neh. 11:20) we are given a list of cities that belong to some of the Northern tribes: of Simeon - Moladah, Hazar-shual, Beersheba, Ziklag, and En-rimmon (cp. Josh. 19:2-7), of Dan - Zorah and Jarmuth (cp. Josh. 19:41, Judges 13:25), of Naphtali - Hazor and Ramah (cp. Josh. 19:46). And while this is only a few cities, the use of the word "inheritance" in Neh. 11:20 tells us that this is the ancient inheritance given to the fathers of these tribes back in the days of Moses and Joshua.
So then, following the captivity of the northern 10 tribes by the Assyrians, who some call the "lost tribes", we are able to account for their identity, return, and inheritance in the land throughout the span of time from the Assyrian destruction (722 BC) until the coming of the Persian king Cyrus (539-537 BC). The "remnant" that is to return and compose the entire nation of Israel can be seen as not lost at all. This is important for understanding the complete fulfillment of Ezekiel's temple vision as a remnant of each tribe is represented in Ezekiel's temple vision (Ezek. 47-48). Still, to be even more exact on the subject of the return, we must specify the timing in which this was to take place.
2. The Timing of the Return of All Israel--How Soon is "Soon"?
Around 574-572 BC, nearly a century and a half after the northern tribes were taken captive by the Assyrians, Ezekiel writes about the nearness of their return from all the nations to which they were scattered. In Ezek. 36:8,10 he writes,
"But you, O mountains of Israel, you will put forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel; for they will soon come...And I will multiply men on you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities will be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt."
"All of it"? That's right, "all the house of Israel" was "soon" to return at the time of Ezekiel's prophesying. One might ask, how soon is "soon"??? Let's look at the Hebrew word for a moment.
When the Hebrew word for "soon" is used to measure spacial distance, the Hebrew root word for "soon" (Heb. karav) is used frequently in connection to the priests "drawing near" to God when entering the tabernacle to offer their sacrifices. It means 'close, near, within arms reach or right-next-to'. It should go without saying but when used to measure time it is used the same as when measuring distance, it means "soon". In Gen. 27:41 we find the closeness to be about the length of time of mourning for Isaac's death, it reads,
"So Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near (Heb. y'kravo); then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
We also find that the length of time for which karav is used measures the time Jacob would remain on his deathbed until he actually died. In Gen. 47:29 we read,
When the time for Israel to die drew near (Heb. va'y'kravo), he called his son Joseph and said to him, “Please, if I have found favor in your sight, place your hand under my thigh now and deal with me in kindness and faithfulness: please do not bury me in Egypt."
In terms of the biblical language, "soon" (Heb. karav) is contrasted with being "far" (Heb. rehoq) from anything both in terms of distance and in terms of time (cp. Prov. 5:8, Psalm 22:11, Isa. 46:13, 54:14). It is clear that Ezekiel 36:8 does not perceive Israel's "soon coming" to be 'far away' at a time beyond the that of his audience and definitely not more than 2,600 years as it would stand today. Instead, we should consider the immediacy of this prophecy to be fulfilled close to, near to, within arms reach, right next to Ezekiel and his contemporary audience.
When Do The Prophets Tell Us That The Twelve Tribes Would Return?
Jeremiah develops this the time of the return of the entire nation of Israel better than any other prophet, he says,
"At that time, declares the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people." (Jer. 31:1)
At what time??? When "when the people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness" (Jer. 31:2). Yet, even this group that is called "all the families of Israel" is later identified as "the remnant of Israel" (Jer. 31:8) Jeremiah points us to some very clear details on exactly when this remnant of survivors will return, specifically, at the time of their return from Babylonian exile when Babylon had "been captured" by the Medes and Persians, he states,
"The word which the Lord spoke concerning Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, through Jeremiah the prophet: 'Declare and proclaim among the nations. Proclaim it and lift up a standard. Do not conceal it but say, Babylon has been captured... For a nation has come up against her out of the north; it will make her land an object of horror, and there will be no inhabitant in it... 'In those days and at that time,' declares the Lord, 'the sons of Israel will come, they and the sons of Judah as well; they will go along weeping as they go, and it will be the Lord their God they will seek.'" (Jer. 50:1-4)
Just a few verses later, Jeremiah pictures the nation of Israel as a flock of "lost sheep" (51:6) and then even further identifies just when these two houses of Israel would return, at the punishment of the king of Babylon (c. 538-536 BC), declaring,
"Israel is scattered sheep, the lions have driven them away. The first one devoured him was the king of Assyria, and this last one has broken his bones is Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: 'Behold, I am going to punish the king of Babylon and his land, just as I punished the king of Assyria. And I shall bring Israel back to his pasture, and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan, and his desire will be satisfied in the hill country of Ephraim and Gilead. In those days and at that time,' declares the Lord, 'search will be made for the iniquity of Israel, but there will be none; and for the sins of Judah, but they will not be found; for I shall pardon those whom I leave as a remnant." (Jer. 50:17-20)
In Jeremiah 50, we behold the event and timing of the return of the "remnant " of both houses of Israel to be at the destruction of Babylon. In Jeremiah 51:11 we are told exactly who destroyed Babylon,
"Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers! The Lord has aroused the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because His purpose is against Babylon to destroy it; for it is the vengeance of the Lord, vengeance for His temple."
Jeremiah had told his audience exactly how far away this destruction of Babylon lied. He tells us 70 years from the time of the destruction of Jersualem and captivity of those living there (c. 586 BC). He said, "Then it will be when seventy years are completed I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation..." (Jer. 25:12) So again, the return of both houses does not carry a 'far distant' fulfillment from Ezekiel and Jeremiah's day but only 70 years from Jerusalem's captivity in 586 BC. It is for this reason that Jeremiah foresees the escape of both houses at the time of the Babylonian destruction,
"For neither Israel nor Judah has been forsaken by his God, the Lord of Hosts...Flee from the midst of Babylon, each of you save his life! Do not be destroyed in her punishment, for this is the Lord's time of vengeance." (Jer. 51:5-6)
Scripture and history agree on this matter; that the Medes (with the Persians) were the ones that destroyed Babylon at the same time that the prophet Daniel was in Babylon,
"Your kingdom (ie. the kingdom of Babylon) has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians...That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of 62." (Dan. 5:28,30-31)
For those who know this history, the timing of the return of the 12 tribes (or two houses) is very decisive. A remnant returning "in those days and at that time" is clearly a reference to the time when the exiles would escape Babylonian captivity and return and rebuild the second temple. The "soon coming" of "all the house of Israel" in Ezekiel 36:8-10 is detailed, here, by Ezekiel's contemporary Jeremiah as to the time when the all Israel would return as a "remnant" (Jer. 50:20), at the punishment of the king of Babylon and the removal of idolatry from Israel and Judah. The timing of the fulfillment of Ezekiel's temple cannot be seen as an event in distant future, awaiting the return of all the tribes, but rather it finds a comfortable fit at the destruction of Babylon and the proclamation by Cyrus "to fulfill the words of Jeremiah" (Ezra 1:1) that
"Whoever there is among all His people...rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem...Let him go up to Jerusalem...all the remnant, at whatever place he may live" (Ezra 1:3-4).
Jeremiah's Song
Jeremiah gives another indication of the timing regarding the events that surround this return of the two houses, explaining that it would take place at the giving of thanksgiving offerings and a very particular song was sang, he tells us this,
"‘And I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and will rebuild them as they were at first...the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say,
“Give thanks to the LORD of armies,For the LORD is good,For His mercy is everlasting,”as they bring a thanksgiving offering into the house of the LORD. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were at first,’ says the LORD." (Jer. 33:7,11)
Interestingly, this same song is what is sung by those exiles that returned from Babylon. Ezra 3 tells us that the people began offering sacrifices before the temple was even built, at a time when only the altar was set up on its place and the foundation had been laid. Verse 11 tells us the song they sang was the same as what Jeremiah said would be sung,
And they sang, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, “For He is good, for His favor is upon Israel forever.” And all the people shouted with a great shout of joy when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. (Ezra 3:11)
Some Other Passages on the 12 Tribes Returning
Here are a few other passages that speak clearly of the return of the 12 tribes/two houses of Israel at the time of the return from Babylon:
1 Chron. 9:1-3 "So all Israel was enrolled by genealogies; and behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel. And Judah was carried away into exile to Babylon for their unfaithfulness. Now the first who lived in their possessions in their cities were Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the temple servants. And some of the sons of Judah, of the sons of Benjamin, and of the sons of Ephraim and Manasseh live in Jerusalem."
This clearly speaks of both houses (the "two sticks"- Judah and Ephraim of Ezek. 37:15-22) being present at the return from Babylon.
Obadiah 18, speaks of the two houses united in the defeat and complete ruin of Edom. By the time Malachi penned his prophecy, the destruction of Edom was a past recollection. We read in Obadiah,
"And the house of Jacob (southern tribes) shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph (northern tribes) a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it."
Malachi's words are unmistakable regarding the destruction of Edom to be an event in the past, stating,
" I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob; 3 but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness." (Mal. 1:2-3)
This prophecy of Obadiah and fulfillment by the time of Malachi is evidence once again that the two houses had returned and been reunified.
Zechariah, a prophet at the time of the exiles returning from Babylon, tells us who was present at his speaking,
Zech. 8:9-13 - “The Lord of armies says this: ‘Let your hands be strong, you who are listening in these days to these words from the mouth of the prophets, those who spoke in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of armies was laid, so that the temple might be built. 10 For before those days there was no wage for man nor any wage for animal; and for him who went out or came in there was no peace because of his enemies, and I sent all the people against one another. 11 But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ declares the Lord of armies. 12 ‘For there will be the seed of peace: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce, and the heavens will provide their dew; and I will give to the remnant of this people all these things as an inheritance. 13 And it will come about that just as you were a curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a blessing. Do not fear; let your hands be strong.''
Zechariah declares who his direct audience is; the house of Judah and house of Israel. He refers to them as a remnant that will inherit all this blessing, namely, "that the temple might be built" (v. 9). This is followed just a few verses later in 9:1 which speaks of all the 12 tribes, "for the eyes of men, especially of all the tribes of Israel, are toward the Lord." He also encourages both houses to "let your hands be strong", a clear indication that both were to build the temple. How could Zechariah declare his audience unless they were physically seen as present before him? It is clear that a remnant of both houses of Israel, all 12 tribes, were present before him, thus a fulfillment of the "two sticks" prophecy of Ezekiel 37, another element necessary for the timing of Ezekiel's temple.
We must also take note that the term "all Israel" is used to speak of those present in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah (Neh. 12:47). The sacrifices offered in Ezra 6:17 and 8:35 required the leaders of each tribe to be present to give their offering of a male goat to the priests, according to the law given in Num. 7. The Greek version of Ezra 6:17 says,
"twelve male goats for the sin of all Israel, according to the number of the twelve tribal leaders of Israel, and the priests and Levites, stood in their vestments by tribe, for the projects of the Lord, God of Israel, following the book of Moses, and the porters stood at each doorway." (1 Esdras 7:8-9, Note: there were 12 doorways for the 12 tribes; cp. Ezek. 48:30-34)
Finally, the Greek version of the Old Testament, sometimes known as the Septuagint (Literally, "Seventy"), is called by this name based on the history of its original authorship of six representatives from each of the 12 tribes, thus equaling 72--a close approximation of the more round number 70. This history is found in Josephus (Ant. 12.2.4-7), the letter of Aristeas (32,39,47-50), and the Babylonian Talmud (b. Meg. 1:10). Most Bible scholars agree that the Septuagint is a Greek version taken from an original Hebrew source by these 72 scribes in the mid- to late 3 century BC thus demonstrating that the 12 tribes were still unified and operational at that time.
Tribal Allotment
Some have concluded that Ezekiel lays out the land inheritance for each tribe in Ezek. 47-48 that since these boundaries for each tribe have never been seen, we should view this as a future event. Yet, this may not be exactly what Ezekiel intended. As one may note, when reading Ezekiel's temple description, some portions are left very vague with only general instructions. This is very well the case with the land boundaries that each tribe was to inherit. We get a picture of how the ancients understood this vagueness of land boundaries in a section from the Talmud. This is how they saw those boundaries divided not among only 12 tribes but rather 13 tribes. They begin with the question,
"The master has said: The Land of Israel is destined to be divided among thirteen tribes: Who gets the additional portion?" (b. Baba Batra 122a)
They answer this question and define further for us how the other tribal boundaries would also be divided according to the text of Ezekiel and in connection to the book of Numbers, stating.
"Said R. Pappa to Abbayye, “Why not say that it refers only to public service [Slotki: that subjects render to their chief]?” Perish the thought, for it is written, “And the residue shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other, of the holy offering and of the possession of the city” (Ez. 48:21). And it was divided only in accord with the monetary worth of the land [so that the monetary value of the shares was the same throughout], as it is said, “According to the lot shall their inheritance be divided, whether they are many in a tribe or few in that tribe” (Num. 26:56)" (b. Baba Batra 122a)
So then, what Ezekiel spoke in vague generalities prophesying that each tribe would have an equal portion, this still required further process in its final distribution. What many have mistaken as exact boundaries for the 12 (or 13) tribes is understood better by those living closer to that time and its relevance for that time. We see the beginning of this process in Ezra 2:70,
"Now the priests and the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their cities, and all Israel in their cities."
Nehemiah 11:3 states,
"Now these are the heads of the provinces who lived in Jerusalem, but in the cities of Judah each lived on his own property in their cities--Israel, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants and the seed of Solomon's servants."
Further, Nehemiah 11:20 tells us that the remnant of Israel went back to their "inheritance", this "inheritance" is land inheritance and must be given by lot and according to genealogical enrollment. As to 'lot', we are told that each tribe that had more people would be given more land and the lesser would be given less land (Num. 26:53-56). As for genealogical enrollment, this "inheritance" is commanded to be passed on through one's sons, or daughters if no son exists, or to the closest relative thereafter (Num. 27:8-11, Ezek. 46:17, 47:22). With these two elements in mind, Ezekiel only stipulates that the land distribution would be proportionate, not exact in its boundaries forever. For the boundaries to remain exactly the same for all generations is to believe that every tribe would have the same amount of people living on each lot without any change as they bore children in future generations. Some evidence does exist in the New Testament that indicates that tribal boundaries had been reestablished after the exile in Babylon. In Luke 2, we are told of a census that was taken throughout the inhabited world and "all were proceeding to register for the census, everyone to his own city." Joseph registers in Bethlehem "because he was of the house of the family of David". This speaks of his genealogical inheritance of land, the same as what is mentioned in Nehemiah 11:20. Similarly, Luke 12:13 tells us of an instance where a man in the crowd approaches Jesus and wants Him to arbitrate in dividing up a family estate. This family estate is the genealogical inheritance that was given by lot at a previous time and passed on through the sons of that family (see also b. Betzah 39b).
Tribal Allotment - The Holy Allotment
What is peculiar to our study on the portions allotted to the tribes is that Jerusalem is to be allotted to no tribe at all (Ezek. 48:21-22). Yet, this is not how it was in the days of Joshua. Joshua 18:28 is clear that it belonged to the tribe of Benjamin and Ezekiel has it belonging to no tribe. It is not as if this fact was unknown to the Talmudists, they declare,
"Said R. Ada b. R. Hanina, 'If the Israelites had not sinned, to them would have been given only the Five Books of the Torah and the book of Joshua alone, which involves the division of the Land of Israel." (b. Nedarim 22b)
So, we must ask, when did this boundary shift take place? Another quote from the Talmud helps us by pointing out that there was much confusion over such an issue,
"The initial authority takes the view that Jerusalem is not divided among the tribes, while R. Judah maintains that Jerusalem is divided among the tribes." (b. Yoma 12a)
"Now this Tannaite authority maintains that Jerusalem is not divided among the tribes. For it has been taught on Tannaite authority: They do not rent houses in Jerusalem [to those bringing offerings] because they [i.e., the houses] are [the property] of [all the] tribes [cf. T. Neg. 6:2]. R. Eleazar b. R. Simeon says, “Also [they do] not rent beds.” (ibid.)
Also,
"For [in context] Scripture has stated, “To inherit it” (Deut. 21:1), and [Eliezer] takes the view that Jerusalem was not divided up among [and inherited by] the tribes."
If these statements from the Talmud are to shed light on any matter it would have to be that the land inheritance had changed from what it was in the days of Joshua and the first temple to a different boundary of inheritance during the days of the second temple. In other words, no tribe was to inherit Jerusalem, exactly the way that it is found in Ezekiel 48:21-22, yet differing from what is stated in the book of Joshua, clearly another fulfillment of Ezekiel's Temple vision.
A Corruption of Boundary Lines
We need to consider that some corruption had tainted whatever borders and inheritance originally existed at the time of the 2nd Temple's construction. The existence of this corruption blurs what we might have once had better clarity on and therefore has made it difficult to know what the boundary lines and tribal allotments once were exactly. The writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls saw corruption of the boundary markers of the tribes and labeled those who took part in "defiling the boundaries" as "Boundary-shifters". We see this in the statements,
"In the time of the destruction of the land the Boundary-Shifters appeared and led Israel astray and the land was devastated, for they had spoken rebellion against the commandments of God through Moses and also through the anointed of the spirit (i.e. Prophets; Ezekiel included here)" (Damascus Document Geniza A Col. 5:20-21)
And,
"The princes of Judah were those like Boundary-Shifters on whom I shall pour out wrath." (Damascus Document Geniza B Col. 8:3)
These sentiments from the Dead Sea sect can be found in Daniel 11:39 which foresaw the time of Antiochus Epiphanes IV and Herod the Great (c. 2nd and 1st Century BC) as a time when they "will parcel out the ground for a price". Enoch gives us an historic account of what was happening in the second century BC, stating,
"Woe to you who build your houses with the toil of others, and all their building materials are the sticks and stones of sin; I say to you: 'You will not have peace.' Woe to those who reject the measure, and the eternal inheritance of their fathers, and cause their souls to follow error, for they will not have rest." (Enoch 99:13-14)
It is also clear that this was a habitual oppression that existed even in the days of the first temple of Solomon. Micah 2:2 speaks of oppressors that removed tribal inheritance by taking away houses and fields, stating,
"And they coveted fields and stole them, and houses and took them away; so they oppressed the man and his house, even the man and his heritage."
All this to say, that sometime between the initial construction of the 2nd Temple and the time of its destruction, most likely in the days of Antiochus and Herod, the boundaries of the tribes mentioned by Ezekiel had been blurred thereby eliminating any real evidence that they existed at any point in time.
Even amidst the corruption of these boundaries, we see that some tribal boundaries did still exist even in New Testament times. In Matthew 4 we see Jesus leaving for Capernaum, "which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulon and Naphtali" and the woman in Luke 2:36 is from the tribe of "Asher". Paul says he is of the tribe of Benjamin (Rom. 11:1, Phil. 3:5) and James declares that identity to the twelve tribes is known (James 1:1, cp. Acts 26:7) even though they are scattered from the land at the time. All things considered, tribal lines had to be given because tribal identity is tied to land inheritance.
Conclusion
Ezekiel 37:20-28 connects the return of the 12 tribes back to the land of Israel to the building of a "future" temple. In determining the nature and timing of the return of the 12 tribes, all Israel, back to their land, we can also remove any doubt to the fulfillment of Ezekiel's temple at the time of the exiles returning from Babylon. Ezekiel says this return would be "soon", near to his own day. Jeremiah says it would be at the destruction of Babylon by the Medes and Persians. And Zechariah, a prophet at the time of the second temple construction, speaks directly to all the tribes of Israel. Additionally, boundary lines are spoken of in generality in Ezekiel 45-48. While we cannot be certain exactly how these lines were eventually laid out, we can find some very important features that indicate a past fulfillment of Ezekiel's land distribution, even amidst the corruption of tribal ownership. What I have presented here is only a few of the references to a past return of the 12 tribes, much more could be added. I would hope that before some of these Torah-observant, Israel-Only, Mormon, and Two-house movements would consider researching this a little more before they conform to such movements that have denied the finality and power found in Christ which is by faith alone, and not by physical descendancy and tribal identity as these movements have embraced. Our identity is "in Christ", "born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:13)
The heart of my posts is to eliminate that which has become stumbling blocks for men so that they may come to Christ freely, simply, and easily. By proving that Ezekiel's temple has already been fulfilled, one step at a time, we remove the only blueprint of a temple that some suppose to be yet in our future today. If there is no blueprint, there can be no future building of a temple, and then no return to a full application of the Law of Moses, the way it is written--no room for legalism. For those who do not know, the Law of Moses incorporates some of these tenets: genealogy, laws of clean and unclean, animal sacrifice, laws for a king, ordinances of feast days, and other identity features that push for ancient Israelite identity. The removal of a future temple eliminates any chance of legalism and the connection to misleading groups that I have mentioned here. Please feel free to leave a comment here or if you would like some further research on Ezekiel's temple, please visit my YouTube channel Temple Truth. God bless you and Shalom out!
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