American peoples? How do these twogreat powers—the United States and thenations comprising most of the formerBritish Empire—fit into Bible prophecy?Are the British and American peoplesignored in the pages of your Bible whileless-powerful nations are mentionedspecifically and often? Is it logical tobelieve that God,in revealing the eventsthat would lead to the return of the Messiahin the last days,would simply overlook theUnited States and British Empire?Or is it possible that most people,including many students of the Bible,havesimply failed to understand the propheciesthat accurately predicted the rise to great-ness of these nations and what will happento them in the end time?Reading through the pages of thispublication will take you on an incredible journey through ancient and modernhistory. You will meet peoples you maynever have heard of and visit lands youhave not seen. This knowledge is a vitalkey to understanding our world and age.This journey will also remind you thatthe great God,to whom “the nations are asa drop in a bucket”and “as the small duston the scales”(Isaiah 40:15),is
always
faithful to His promises.
God’s Commitment to Abraham and His Descendants
3
Chapter One:
God’s Commitment toAbraham and His Descendants
“... In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).
T
o understand some of the Bible’smost amazing and inspiringprophecies,we must embark ona study that begins 4,000 years ago—when God began working with a mancalled Abraham. Abraham lived inMesopotamia,the cradle of civilization,in the city of Ur,one of the most ancientcities whose remains archaeologistshave discovered.Abraham was a remarkable figure.God made astounding promises to himthat continue to affect not only hisdescendants but the whole world. Thestory of his offspring is remarkable too.It covers much of what we know as theOld Testament. This is a story filledwith great themes—the rise and fall notonly of great men and women but of kingdoms and empires.The story of Abraham’s descendantshas its share of twists and turns and upsand downs and more than a few mysteries.The books of the Old Testamentdescribe Abraham’s offspring growinginto a mighty nation—the Israelitekingdom—and entering into a specialcovenant relationship with God. Com-prised of 12 tribes,or family groups,thenation gained prominence for a time.Yet before long the Israelites dividedinto two competing kingdoms. Whenthe larger of the two,which retained thename Israel (comprised of 10 of the 12tribes),rejected its partnership with God,it set in motion one of history’s greatestmysteries when its people were forciblyexiled from their ancient homeland.The smaller,southern kingdom of Judah—comprised of the two remainingtribes and remnants of another—failed tolearn the lesson of its northern kinsmen.Its citizens likewise rejected God andwere taken into captivity. For the mostpart,however,they retained their identityand have remained visible through his-tory as a small and often persecuted race,the Jewish people.But what happened to the 10 tribes of Israel whose enemies forcibly removedthem from their land? The AssyrianEmpire captured and exiled them fromtheir Middle Eastern homeland in theeighth century B.C. But standard historybooks make no mention of them today.The world remembers them only as the
lost 10 tribes of Israel.
God,however,had entered into acovenant—
a divine commitment
—with
all 12
of the tribes. He had promisedthey would
always
be His people andHe would
always
be their God. Can wecount on Him to keep His word? How isthat possible if the lost 10 tribes died out,as many assume?To add to the puzzle,Bible prophecyrepeatedly tells us that these supposedly
lost
Israelites are destined to reappearon the world scene in a prominent roleimmediately after Jesus’return—aftertheir rescue from a “time of trouble”that could dwarf their previous suffering.The prophets of old even speak of theirrestoration after that time of trouble
totheir original homeland
under the ruleof the Messiah.Notice this promise Jesus made to Hisapostles:“I tell you the truth,at the renewalof all things,when the Son of Man sitson his glorious throne,you who have fol-lowed me will also sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel”
(Mat-thew 19:28,New International Version,emphasis added throughout).Did Jesus mean what He said? If these descendants of Israel are destinedto play a future role that God has proph-esied for the world,where are they now?How can we identify them among thepeoples of the world today? And whyis this knowledge so important to us?As we proceed with this eye-openingstudy,you will learn just how muchGod is involved in shaping crucialaspects of our world. You cannot afford tobe ignorant of this incredible knowledge.If this information about the lost tribeswere simply of historical and archaeolog-ical value,then it might indeed be of interest only to those who are fascinatedwith history. But it is far more importantthan that.It is a
master key
for understandingall biblical prophecy. It explains whyso many prophecies speak of a coming
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