Israel, Scattering of

Searching for Israel (Part Eight): The Scattering of Ten-Tribed Israel

Article by Charles Whitaker

Assyria conquered the ten-tribed Kingdom of Israel in 718 BC and, as recorded in II Kings 17:6, carried Israel away to Assyria, deporting the Israelites en masse to what is now northern Iran, just south of the Caspian Sea. The siege of Samaria, Israel's capital, lasted three years, marking a difficult conquest for Assyria, which began her decline almost immediately after. By 650 BC, Assyria was in an advanced state of decline, and by 612 BC, a confederation of Babylonians and Medes captured Nineveh, Assyria's capital, partly due to the weakening effects of Israelite guerrilla warfare against their captors. Following Assyria's fall, many Israelites seized the opportunity to escape, migrating through various routes, including passes over the Caucasus Mountains, one of which, located in present-day Georgia, was known as the Pass of Israel. Some Israelites banded together to become the Scythians, recognized as a fierce and warlike people, and centuries later merged with others to form the Parthians, who effectively contained Roman armies at the Euphrates River. The prophet Amos, in Amos 9:9, describes God's action toward Israel as sifting grain in a sieve, scattering the house of Israel among all nations while ensuring not the smallest grain falls to the ground, signifying that God tracks every Israelite. God's Word provides evidence of where to look for Israel, indicating migration north and west into distant islands, and from where He will gather Israel in the last days, primarily from areas north and west of Jerusalem and in far-off isles. This scattering, as warned in I Kings 14:15, was a consequence of Israel's disobedience, with God uprooting them from the good land He gave their fathers and scattering them beyond the Euphrates River due to their provocation of His anger.

Unity and Division (Part Two): Who Scattered the Church?

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

The Creator, a God of both unity and division, employs separation as a tool to fulfill His perfect will, especially when salvation is at risk. In the history of Israel and Judah, God explicitly took responsibility for the division of the northern ten tribes from the southern two, declaring that this division was from Him. A few hundred years later, the wholesale scattering of Israel and Judah was also His doing, as a consequence of sin, rather than an act of satan. Large portions of the Old Testament, including the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Amos, warn God's people to repent to avoid His judgment, which often manifested as scattering. Israel and Judah did not believe that God scatters due to sin until they experienced it themselves. The same principle applies to the church, where God, not satan, acts to bring His people back when they violate their covenant with Him. Isaiah 59:2 emphasizes that iniquities separate us from our God, hiding His face from us. It is inconsistent to claim that God punished Israel through scattering, yet attribute any calamity befalling the church to the devil. God, in His sovereignty, responded to the spiritual condition of His church by creating division, both as a reaction to their loss of focus on Him and as a proactive measure to discipline and instill His character in His children. Since salvation was under threat due to drifting, God, not satan, caused this division, formalizing and manifesting the separations that already existed, resulting in the best possible outcome for His people.

Scattering and Gathering: Images of History and Prophecy (Part One)

'Prophecy Watch' by Charles Whitaker

God has scattered His people throughout history, as seen in various instances. He dispersed the descendants of Ham, Japheth, and Shem over the whole earth. Later, He used the Assyrian as His agent to scatter the House of Israel. Subsequently, He employed the Babylonian to scatter the folk of Judah, leaving only the poorest of the land. Finally, He utilized the Romans to disperse the Jews from Jerusalem and surrounding territories, marking the earnest commencement of the diaspora. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God declares that He scatters today but will gather tomorrow, guarding them as a shepherd guards his flock. In Deuteronomy 29, the narrative describes God's future scattering, uprooting Israelites from their burned-out land during the time of Jacob's Trouble. However, Deuteronomy 30 reveals that upon seeing Israel's repentance, God reciprocates by reversing the scattering He imposed earlier, promising to gather them even from the uttermost parts of heaven.

Israel, Scattering of

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