The Scattered Children of God
There is no greater pain than that of having a child run away. Just this week, I personally talked to 2 people who were suffering from this. One of our customers came in to pick up her son's senior photos and she told me that her son had jumped out of the car the day before and took off running and they haven't been able to find him. Not only that, another person told me that her child had gone to spend Thanksgiving with her dad, and no one has been able to find her for the last several days. These parents were in anguish.
A family needs to be intact. When it's not, there is a gaping hole. This applies to God's children too. The whole nation of Israel, (all 12 tribes,) are the children of God, and some of them "bolted out of the car," if you will, and have been gone for a long time. The 10 tribed "House of Israel" left the fold and never came back home. You hear people talking about the "Ten Lost Tribes of Israel." Well, they have been missing for over 2,700 years! That is a long time. Yet we know that they will be re-united with the remnant of Judah some day.
The apostle John said that they will "once again be brought together and made into one." He speaks of the regrouping of the 12 tribes back into one nation in John 11:52.
"...Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, "You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish. He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life. NIV
Not only John, but James who was Christ's own brother speaks of these scattered children. He addresses the book of James this way. "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting."
Right before the return of Christ, God will gather these lost Israelites together into one nation again. That is the thrust of the whole Old Testament.
1. Israel is formed into a 12 tribed nation.
2. They split into 2 houses. The House of Israel and the House of Judah.
3. They both go into captivity, but only Judah comes back out of captivity.
4. The Lost 10 tribes still worship Baal the sun god to this day. BUT----they will be re-united with the House of Judah in the end time. At the return of Christ, each disciple will rule over a tribe of Israel.
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