Britain and the United States Inherit Joseph's Birthright
"And the LORD has declared...that he will set you in praise, fame and
honor high above all the nations...as he promised" (Deuteronomy 26:18-19,
NIV).
After about five centuries of existence on the Eurasian steppes following
the destruction of the northern kingdom, Israel's nomadic descendants,
now called Scythians, began another forced migration.
This time their enemies-from Asia and the Near East-and a
dramatic change of climate on the Eurasian steppes began moving them westward,
just as the biblical prophets had said would happen (1 Kings 14:15; Isaiah 49:12; Hosea 12:1). This major westward migration began about 200 B.C.
and continued into the fifth century A.D.
Yet during this time, in the first century, when Christianity was in
its infancy, the Jewish historian Josephus confirmed that many deported
Israelites were still living beyond the Euphrates River. Josephus wrote
that, in his day, "the ten tribes are beyond the Euphrates till now [the
first century], and are an immense multitude, and not to be estimated by
numbers" (Antiquities of the Jews, Book XI, Chapter V, Section
2).
The apostle James also plainly confirms that the missing tribes hadn't
been reunited with the tribes of Judah and Benjamin in Palestine. He addresses
his epistle "to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad" (James 1:1).
