What Are The 12 Tribes Of Israel?

Name: Monday
Question: I’m trying very hard to understand what happened to Israel at the split of the kingdoms and how that has continued through history to the present.

I don’t understand which tribes were with what kingdom and why one group was called “Judah”… Any detailed chronological information on this subject would be so helpful to me (and maybe others) in furthering our commitment and dedication to our brothers/sisters in Israel and around the world, and would also enrich our understanding of who “we” are and who our ancestors were.

Thank you so much for considering my question.

Answer: Thank you for the question Monday

The 12 Tribes of Israel were a chosen people by God, chosen to be a light to the world. Unfortunately, they failed in that, and they were eventually scattered throughout the nations of the world.

However, who are the descendants of the 12 Tribes of Israel today?

It seems reasonable to conclude, they are the people who carry forward the name of Jesus Christ. Simply stated, the 12 Tribes of Israel today are the original descendants of the Christians nations. Those nations that spread Christianity throughout the world, namely, America and those of Europe.

All right, let’s start from the top.

Origins Of The Israelites

The 12 Tribes of Israel were also known as Hebrews, and they are the descendants of Adam and Eve.

Abraham was also a part of this family, and God told Abraham he would become the father of many nations (and kings). God even emphasized Abraham’s children would become as numerous as the sands of the sea and the stars of heaven, (Genesis 17:4-7, 22:17-18).

This became God’s everlasting covenant with Abraham, and this covenant became a reality through Jacob, who was the son of Isaac, who was the son of Abraham.

Names Of The 12 Tribes Of Israel

We now know, the 12 Tribes of Israel stem from Jacob whose name was later changed to “Israel” by God, (Genesis 32:28).

Each of Jacob’s (Israel’s) 12 sons formed the following 12 Tribes, (Genesis 35:23-26);

  1. Tribe of Reuben
  2. Tribe of Simeon
  3. Tribe of Levi
  4. Tribe of Judah
  5. Tribe of Dan
  6. Tribe of Naphtali
  7. Tribe of Gad
  8. Tribe of Asher
  9. Tribe of Issachar
  10. Tribe of Zebulun
  11. Tribe of Joseph
  12. Tribe of Benjamin

So Judah’s descendants would naturally make up the Tribe of Judah. Levi’s descendants would make up the Tribe of Levi, and be called Levites, and so on.

Land Of The 12 Tribes Of Israel

12 Tribes of Israel Map
Map of 12 Tribes in Israel
Credit: WikiCommons

The land of Canaan is where Israel’s (Jacob’s) children settled, this was the promised land they had long-awaited for, (Deuteronomy 6:3). The land then became known as “Israel,” being the new name of Jacob.

Each of the Tribes were allocated a portion of land as depicted in the image to the right. You can find details of this in Numbers 26.

Unfortunately, the kingdom of Israel was split into Two Kingdoms by God due to the sinful actions of the people, (1 Kings 11:29-36).

I want you to understand, the Ten Northern Tribes were known as the “House of Israel,” while the Two Southern Tribes were known as the “House of Judah.”

Ahijah the prophet would tell Jeroboam, he would become king of the House of Israel which consisted of,

Asher, Dan, Ephraim, Gad, Issachar, Manasseh, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon, and Zebulun.

1 Kings 11:29-33

I have to mention, Scripture indicates at one time the Tribe of Simeon was counted among the Northern Tribes, (2 Chronicles 15:9, 34:6).

However, after the “House of Israel” fell away from God, the Tribe of Simeon (among other Tribes) seems to have migrated South and eventually became absorbed into Judah, (2 Chronicles 11:16-17, 15:8-9, Joshua 19:1-9).

On the other hand, the House of Judah would primarily consist of the Tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and later, Simeon, (1 Kings 12:21, 2 Chronicles 11:12).

As for the Tribe of Levi, they received no land allotment as they served as the Priests for the whole land of Israel, (Deuteronomy 18:1-2, Joshua 13:14). However, God did provide them with 48 cities spread throughout the kingdom, (Numbers 35:1-8).

While this was the general break down, people from the various Northern Tribes left the region and joined the House of Judah, (2 Chronicles 11:16; 15:9). This was due to the perversion taking place in their land.

Despite the split between the House of Israel and House of Judah, sin eventually consumed both kingdoms. Due to this, God invoked His promise as outlined in Leviticus 26, which was to punish His People for not following His Law.

Over time, the House of Israel, and the House of Judah were carried away captive by heathen nations, due to their failure to adhere to God’s Law, (2 Kings 17:6, 25:21). We should remember this example, and apply it to ourselves and our nations today.

The Tribes Remain Split

It is important to understand, the House of Israel and the House of Judah have not been rejoined into a single kingdom (government).

In fact, Ezekiel 37:16-22 explains, the House of Israel and the House of Judah symbolically represent a “stick” that was divided into two by God. The two parts of this stick represent each of these two kingdoms, and they will not be rejoined until after the Millennium, (Ezekiel 37:27, Revelation 21:3).

At that point, they will once again become One Kingdom United Under God.

This inadvertently proves, the nation named Israel today is not United Israel. God told us, that would not happen until after the Millennium. Remember, the “stick” has not been rejoined, it has not been made whole.

The Tribes Became The Christian Nations

The Bible tells us, the House of Israel, being the Ten Northern Tribes were scattered by God, (2 Kings 15:29; 17:6). Today, people commonly call these Tribes, “the Ten Lost Tribes.”

Are they really lost though?

Remember, God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham. His children were to become “as the stars of heaven for multitude,” to become “many nations.” This became a reality during the days of Moses. Even though, God placed physical characteristics on “Abraham’s seed,” (Genesis 17:4-7, 22:16-18).

At the same time, we know today, “If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed,” and this is truly the eternal fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham, (Galatians 3:16, 29, Romans 4:13-14, 16, 9:6-8).

Therefore, whether the debate is over the genealogical seed or spiritual seed of Abraham, historically, we have seen many blessings placed upon the Christian nations. Those “many nations,” who have accepted and carried forward the name of Jesus Christ for generations.

Now, when we consider this thought, I want you to ask yourself…

What nations have always honored and carried the name of Jesus Christ forward?

The “Christians nations.”

Those in America and Europe.

On the other hand, the nations of Africa, Asia, and those in the Middle East have always carried the banner of other god’s. So it’s only reasonable to conclude, they are not the descendants of the 12 Tribes of Israel, while those who have carried Jesus forward are.

The Tribes And The Tribulation

Looking to the future, the literal descendants of the 12 Tribes of Israel even play a role during the Tribulation, (Genesis 49, Revelation 7:1-7). Revelation 7 tells us, 144,000 people from the 12 Tribes of Israel will be Sealed with the Word of God before the Tribulation can begin.

12,000 people from each of the 12 Tribes make up this 144,000 total. We should note, the Tribe of Dan has been removed and “Manasses” or “Manasseh” has been inserted into his place. It is believed the Tribe of Dan was removed due to their sin, (Leviticus 24:10-16, Deuteronomy 29:18-21).

For the record, Manasseh was one of Joseph’s two sons, the other son being Ephraim, (Genesis 46:20). Therefore, the Tribe of Joseph includes both the Tribe of Manasseh and the Tribe of Ephraim.

Summary

This all proves, the 12 Tribes of Israel are not lost, nor are they consolidated into the nation named Israel today. Instead, genealogically they can be found in the Christian nations of today, and also spiritually, through their acceptance of Jesus Christ.

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