Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20010411.htm

CURRENT REGIONAL THEOLOGICAL ISSUES
Part I: Handling The British Israelism Issue
  1. Introduction
    1. A belief exists in Litchfield County that British and American Anglo peoples descended from one or more Hebrew people groups in the Old Testament, thus inheriting their Abrahamic Covenant promises!
    2. This view (British Israelism, Anglo-Israelism or Destiny of America) has led Mormons, Seventh-Day Adventists, Russelites and some Evangelicals to see Anglo-Americans as racially part of God's kingdom.
    3. We examine Scripture stands on this belief to know how to function politically and in ministry:
  2. Handling The British Israelism Issue.
    1. Various groups have claimed the following Biblical bases for adhering to British Israelism:
      1. Mormonism alleges an early settlement of "Jaredites" came to America in "cigar-shaped boats" out of the confusion of tongues at Babel in Genesis 11:1-9, Jan Karel Van Baalen, Chaos of the Cults, p. 163.
      2. Mormonism holds a later settlement of Jews came to America from Jerusalem in king Zedekiah's era, a group of "Nephites." These allegedly built a godly nation only later to backslide into apostasy.
      3. Usually, British Israelism asserts that when the Hebrews went into national captivity, the Northern Kingdom's ten tribes, being taken captive by Assyria before the Southern Kingdom's two tribes were taken to Babylon, never returned to Palestine. Rather, they allegedly ended up in Great Britain as Anglo peoples! Later, some of them went to America as God's racially chosen people! (Ibid., p. 168)
      4. Many who hold to these views believe that after the Babylonian Captivity, Scripture's reference to "Judah" always means the Southern Kingdom's 2 tribes who returned to Palestine while the Bible's reference to "Israel" pictures the alleged 10 tribes that did not return to Palestine, Ibid., p. 166.
    2. However, Scripture evidence extensively counters these British Israelism beliefs as follows:
      1. Zechariah 11:4-14 predicted Christ would minister in Palestine to a rebellious Judah and Israel at His first coming when He was rejected as Messiah, cf. Bib. Know. Com., O.T., p. 1564-1565. Since Jesus ministered after the Babylonian exile, the ten northern tribes thus existed in Palestine after that exile.
      2. (a) Ezra 6:17 reveals the returned exiles offered sin offerings expressly for Israel's 12 tribes. (b) Now, Leviticus 4:3-4 (for individuals) and Leviticus 4:13-15 (for groups) on the sin offering require these sacrificial animals be offered by the parties for whom they represent in person so they could lay THEIR OWN hands on them! (c) Also, since Ezra 6:17 show these offerings were offered for the tribes, Leviticus 4:13-15 required the elders from the respective tribes laid hands on the sacrificial animals! Hence, the elders of the various tribes were present in Ezra 6:17! (d) Well, elders were part of the groups (in this case, tribes) they represented, cf. Z.P.D.B., vol. Two, p. 268-269. (e) Thus, all 12 tribal communities had returned to Palestine after the Babylonian exile! (Ezra 8:35 also reveals 12 burnt offerings for all the tribes were offered along with another installment of 12 tribal sin offerings.)
      3. After the Babylonian Captivity, Ezra 2:28 records that 223 men from Bethel and Ai, centers of the idolatrous worship of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, returned to live in these cities in Palestine.
      4. Ezra claimed all Israel dwelt in its cities after the exiles returned to Palestine from Babylon, Ezra 2:70.
      5. The Apostle Paul who lived after the Babylonian Captivity referred to the 12 tribes of Israel as "our twelve tribes," stating they were then seeking God both day and night, Acts 26:7.
      6. Jesus predicted a future for the 12 tribes of Israel in His earthly ministry in Mtt. 19:28; Luke 22:30, and James 1:1 speaks of these 12 tribes also. These references show the ten tribes were not considered lost.
      7. Anna, the prophetess who witnessed the Lord Jesus' entrance into the temple in his mother's arms was of the tribe of Asher according to Luke 2:36. Since this event came after the Babylonian exile, and Asher was a Northern Kingdom tribe (cf. Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, map 4, "The Twelve Tribes of Israel"), this is evidence the Northern Kingdom of Israel had returned to Palestine by Christ's day!
      8. As for the dispersion of the people groups after the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11, we see God chose Abraham in Genesis 12 after that dispersion of apostate nations! Thus, there was no covenant people in America right after the Tower of Babel, regardless what Mormonism claims of these "Jaredites."
Lesson: British Israelism is unbiblical. Hence, we must not view Anglo peoples as racially part of God's chosen people, but evangelize the world for the COMING Messianic Kingdom of Christ!