Assyria conquered the ten-tribed Kingdom of Israel in 718 BC and deported 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, and Assyria began her decline almost immediately after this conquest. By 650 BC, Assyria was in an advanced state of decline, which allowed some Israelites to become aggressive and mount a guerilla war against their captors, weakening Assyria further. A confederation of Babylonians and Medes captured Nineveh, Assyria's capital, in 612 BC. Some Israelites later banded together to become the Scythians, a fierce and warlike people, and centuries later merged with others to form the Parthians, who contained Roman armies at the Euphrates River. However, the majority of Israelites left the Middle East in the decades following Assyria's fall, escaping through passes over the Caucasus Mountains, one of which was known as the Pass of Israel. Over time, the Israelites were scattered among all nations, with evidence suggesting they migrated north and west, into islands some distance away, and are principally located to the north and west of Jerusalem and in isles afar off.

The conventional wisdom and most Christian teachers declare the house of Israel, the northern ten tribes led by the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, to be lost. They assert that the people of Israel disappeared from the sight of history, with no records tracing their movements and no nations or empires claiming descent from Israel. Some even proclaim them to be extinct, suggesting that other nations absorbed them, and they became part of other groups like Syrians, Persians, or Medes. Others claim that the Jews absorbed them into their nation during the Babylonian exile. However, the Bible provides multiple clues as to where they live today, indicating that they are not lost to God, who knows exactly where they are.

God first uses the name Israel to identify Jacob, the progenitor of the twelve tribes of Israel. In Genesis 48:16, God through Jacob places the name Israel on the sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, not Judah, indicating a distinction between Judah and the other tribes. By the time of King Saul, God begins to distinguish Israel from Judah, applying the name Israel to the ten tribes and not to Judah. More than 250 years before they became known as the Ten Lost Tribes, God reveals that this division was already in place. After their deportation by the Neo-Assyrian Empire around 722 BCE, the history of the house of Israel takes a path of historical oblivion, unlike the house of Judah. The Bible clearly and consistently identifies as Israel those nations that have become known as the Ten Lost Tribes, rather than the house of Judah. To themselves and the world, the house of Israel may indeed be lost, but not to God, as He states in Amos 9:9 that He will sift the house of Israel among all nations, yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground. The Bible tells of a time at the end of this age when God will again unite the house of Israel and the house of Judah, implying that the house of Israel must exist today.

For many years, Herbert Armstrong offered his booklet, The United States and Britain in Prophecy, free of charge, revealing that the supposed lost ten tribes of Israel remain intact today, though unaware of their true identity. He presents evidence that the two tribes of Joseph form the Anglo-Saxon, English-speaking nations, with Manasseh identified as the United States and Ephraim as the British Commonwealth, including Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and part of South Africa. The tribe of Judah is scattered among all nations, with many residing in the modern nation of Israel. Drawing from biblical and secular history as well as prophecy, other tribal locations are suggested as follows: Reuben as France; Dan as the Republic of Ireland and a branch of Denmark mixed with northern tribes; Benjamin as Norway and Iceland; Zebulun as Holland (the Netherlands); Issachar as Finland; Gad as Switzerland; Asher as Belgium and Luxembourg; Naphtali as Sweden; and Levi and Simeon as scattered among the other Israelite nations. These identifications are general, acknowledging that gentiles from many nations have settled among these groups, particularly in large cities, and that national borders do not always align with ethnic boundaries, though national traits and histories largely support these associations.

The mass expulsion of the children of Israel from Canaan by Assyrian and Babylonian kings left the land nearly devoid of Israelites, with the people enslaved to Gentile nations as a consequence of their habitual rejection of God's law. God established a specific duration for Israel's punishment, as detailed in Leviticus 26, where He uses the phrase "seven times more" to indicate a period of punishment lasting 2,520 years, calculated using the year-for-a-day principle (7 times 360 days, each day representing a year). This punishment began with the fall of the Kingdom of Israel in 718 BC and concluded in AD 1802, marking the end of God's withholding of His conditional promises to Israel. Scriptural evidence confirms that the punishment extended far beyond a mere seven years. Daniel, writing about 178 years after the deportation in 718 BC, indicates that the exiles of the Kingdom of Israel, referred to as "those far off," had not yet returned. In approximately AD 31, Christ Himself stated He was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, showing they were still lost and not returned to Canaan. Decades later, the apostle James addressed a letter to the twelve tribes scattered abroad, affirming that the house of Israel remained in exile and under punishment more than 750 years after Assyria's conquest. Additional evidence from the apocryphal writings, such as II Esdras 13:40-41, 45, dated between AD 81 and 96, supports the belief that ten-tribed Israel was still in captivity at that time. Prophetic references, including Ezekiel's symbolic act of lying on his side for 390 days (each day for a year) and Hosea's allusion to a revival after a period of years, further reinforce the application of the year-for-a-day principle in defining the duration of Israel's punishment. This extended timeframe of 2,520 years provides a precise criterion for identifying modern-day Israel.

Following Solomon's death around 975 BC, God, in response to Solomon's apostasy, divided the kingdom of Israel due to the heavy burdens of taxation and forced labor imposed by Solomon. Rehoboam, Solomon's son, refused to lighten these burdens, leading to a rebellion among certain tribes against the house of David. As recorded in I Kings 12:16, the rebelling tribes declared their separation from Judah, stating, "What portion have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Now, see to your own house, O David!" Consequently, the kingdom split into two: the Kingdom of Judah in the south, comprising three tribes under Rehoboam's rule, and the Kingdom of Israel in the north, consisting of the remaining ten tribes under Jeroboam's leadership. The history of these Ten Tribes of Israel, forming the northern kingdom, followed a distinct path from that of Judah, marking a significant divergence in the trajectory of the divided nation.

The Ephraimite Jeroboam led a successful tax-revolt against Rehoboam, Solomon's son, resulting in the division of Solomon's kingdom into two nations. The ten northern tribes formed the Kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam, while Judah, Benjamin, and Levi remained under the Davidic monarchy in the south. Jeroboam instituted religious changes that became a sin for Israel, establishing a priesthood loyal to his government and creating his own traditions and shrines. This apostasy led to the anger of the Lord, who removed Israel from His sight. As recorded in II Kings 17:5-6, the ultimate consequence was the fall and mass deportation of the Kingdom of Israel due to their persistent sins and refusal to depart from Jeroboam's errors.

In the Bible, God applies the names Israel and the house of Israel to what has become known as the Ten Lost Tribes, distinct from the house of Judah, unless those names identify all the tribes descended from Jacob, whom God renamed Israel. Prophecies indicate that these tribes will exist in the last days and that God will reunite them with the house of Judah. While lost to the world and to themselves, these tribes are not lost to God. God's prophecies through Jacob in Genesis 49 provide distinct identifying characteristics for each tribe, suggesting they are identifiable nations in the last days. These descriptions are meant for our present time, urging us to recognize who these tribes are today among the nations. Just as Judah has formed into a nation, it is expected that the other tribes, especially those larger than Judah, have also become distinct countries and peoples that fit the profiles given by God to Jacob.

The history of Israel, crucial to understanding biblical prophecy, reveals the fate of the Lost Ten Tribes. Jacob, renamed Israel by God, fathered twelve sons who became the forebears of the twelve tribes of Israel. After migrating to Egypt due to famine, the Israelites prospered under Joseph's protection but were later enslaved. God delivered them through Moses, leading them to the Promised Land. Over time, under the monarchy, the tribes split into two houses: Judah, comprising Judah, Benjamin, and most of Levi, and Israel, made up of the ten northern tribes led by the half-tribes of Joseph. After Solomon's death, the house of Israel rebelled against David's line, establishing their own monarchy under Jeroboam. They soon fell into idolatry and broke God's Sabbaths, leading to their conquest by Assyria around 722 BC. As a whole, the house of Israel never returned to Palestine, and most people consider these ten tribes lost. During Josiah's reign, some post-captivity Israelites, identified by historians as Scythians, briefly resettled their ancestral lands but soon rejoined the main body of Israelites near the Caspian Sea. Meanwhile, Judah maintained its identity, returning to Palestine after Babylonian captivity, while the other tribes' whereabouts remain obscured in history.

A common accusation against believers of British-Israelism, the belief that the lost ten tribes of Israel are found among the Anglo-Saxon peoples of Northwestern Europe, North America, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand, is that it promotes racism. This notion arises from the idea that these modern Israelites could claim to be God's chosen people, heirs to the remarkable physical promises made to Abraham. Some advocates of British-Israelism have indeed acted on racially motivated hatred and violence, casting a negative light on others who do not share such views. Fringe groups associated with the Identity Movement and Aryan and Neo-Nazi factions target various ethnicities, including blacks, Jews, Asians, and Hispanics, with hostility. Their anti-Semitism is particularly ironic, as they deny the Jewish identity of modern Jews, claiming they descend from Esau or Ashkenaz, son of Gomer, son of Japheth, or have been entirely mixed through a supposed global conspiracy. Despite these misguided actions by a few, many sincere believers base their understanding on true biblical principles. God gives Israelites no grounds for excessive pride in their election or permission to mistreat others. Although Israel rejected God, He is not finished with them, and the gospel of the Kingdom of God is preached primarily to them as a witness. When Jesus returns to establish His Kingdom, He will call Israel to fulfill the responsibilities they originally covenanted with Him to undertake.

Though Israel had disappointed God, and He had punished them severely, He did not cast them off completely. He promised to sift the house of Israel among all nations, yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground. Conventional wisdom declares the house of Israel, the northern ten tribes led by the half-tribes of Joseph, to be lost. However, if we believe God, we cannot accept the conclusion that they have been absorbed into other nations or returned with the Jews from Babylon. Jesus Himself declared that He was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and He sent His disciples to them as well, recognizing that the bulk of ten-tribed Israel was not among the Jews of His day. The apostle James wrote an epistle around AD 60 to the twelve tribes scattered abroad, implying he knew their whereabouts. Historian Josephus, writing near the turn of the second century AD, also confirms that the Jews knew where Israel lived. When the Assyrians conquered Israel and dispersed her population beyond the Euphrates, only the house of Judah remained in the Promised Land. Through prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Hosea, God provides directions to find where Israel lives in the last days, understood from the vantage point of Jerusalem. Israel lived to the north at the time of Jeremiah's prophecy, and even in the end time, they will primarily reside in the north. A line from Jerusalem to the northwest cuts through much of Europe, from Greece to the North Sea. Israel, headed by Ephraim, would inhabit islands and coastlands far from Jerusalem, ruling as a sea power somewhere north and west of Jerusalem. In the end time, Israel is regarded among the leaders of the world's nations, with hints of colonizing other lands due to burgeoning population and prosperity. Only Britain fits all these criteria, suggesting that Israelites, primarily of the half-tribes of Joseph, the birthright tribes, can be found there. Place names also trace the migratory steps of Israel after captivity. The tribe of Dan has left its mark across Europe, with names like the Don, Dnieper, Dniester, and Danube rivers, as well as Denmark, meaning Dan's Land. Similar names appear heavily in England, Scotland, and Ireland. Additionally, biblical prophecies indicate that Israel would call itself by the name of Isaac in later times, as God told Abraham that in Isaac his seed would be called. Jacob's blessing on Joseph's sons confirms that the descendants of Joseph would bear the names of the patriarchs, particularly Isaac. Ancient records after Assyria's fall mention a new people around the Caspian Sea known as Sakai, Sacae, and Scythians, names believed to derive from Isaac. The term Saxon, a further development of this name, points to the Anglo-Saxon peoples living in northwestern Europe and its colonies, aligning with biblical indications of Israel's location in the last days.

Although God has made it clear who constitutes the peoples of Israel today, most Israelites remain unaware of their true identity. The Sabbath day, a mark given by God to identify His people, serves as evidence of their sanctification and special relationship with Him. God promised to set Israel apart from other nations through His laws and statutes, intending them to be a holy, sanctified nation. However, the Kingdom of Israel's apostasy began with Jeroboam I, who established false religious practices, including moving the holy day season and setting aside the Sabbath commandment. This sin took deep root, and the house of Israel never returned to Sabbath-keeping. As a result of forsaking the Sabbath, the peoples of the Kingdom of Israel forgot the God of their fathers, His revelation, and His prophets. Forgetting the God who separated them from other nations, the ten tribes of Israel became scattered and wandering, ultimately growing to be like other nations. Becoming like them, Israel became lost among them.

God provides search criteria for students of His Word seeking to identify modern-day Israel. These criteria, for those who have eyes to see, pinpoint only one group of people as the real people of Israel. The promises God made to the patriarch Abraham in the book of Genesis serve as key identifiers of modern-day Israel. These promises include multiplying Abraham's descendants, granting them control of strategic military and commercial positions in their enemies' territories, and ensuring that his seed would be a blessing to all nations. God restates these promises to Abraham's son, Isaac, and grandson, Jacob, emphasizing land, a multitude of descendants spreading in all directions, and the blessing to all nations through their lineage. To further locate Israel today, more detailed, time-specific search criteria are needed, including the blessings the patriarchs conferred on their progeny, which carry the force of prophecy and serve as identifiers of Israel.

God has a unique and intimate relationship with Israel, distinct from all other nations of the earth. He has known and loved Israel since its inception, guiding and shaping them for His purposes from the time He called Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees. Among all the families of the earth, only Israel has experienced such direct interest and involvement from Him. Even when Israel strayed, He never forgot them, always knowing their whereabouts and leading them to where He desired end-time Israel to be. As part of this special focus, God sent His Son to the lost tribes of Israel, and the apostles were directed to them as well. These tribes are not truly lost to Him, nor to those He has called to work with them. He ensures that their identity and location are known, providing clues so that His people can focus their efforts appropriately on these tribes. His plan continues to center on Israel, positioning them for their role in the end times as He works to bring about His ultimate purpose.

Historically, after the death of Solomon around 931 BC, the Kingdom of Israel divided into two separate entities. The northern ten tribes retained the name Israel, with their capital at Samaria. Two centuries later, due to widespread idolatry and rebellion against God's law, these tribes faced divine judgment. Around 722 BC, God allowed Assyria to subdue Israel, deporting the population from Canaan to the southern shores of the Caspian Sea in what is now Iran. Thus, the northern Kingdom of Israel vanished from prominent historical records, becoming known as the Lost Ten Tribes. Unlike the southern Kingdom of Judah, which saw some return from captivity, the northern ten tribes of Israel never returned to their homeland. After an extended period in the regions of their captivity, they migrated north and west into the European continent, eventually spreading to areas such as the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. However, prophecies indicate a future reversal of this migration through a Second Exodus, where God's people will return to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This event, surpassing the original exodus from Egypt in significance, will involve both houses of Israel and Judah experiencing a time of unprecedented crisis known as Jacob's Trouble, from which they will ultimately be saved.

The notion that the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel reside among Western nations remains deeply unpopular, often dismissed as fanaticism or worse. The peoples of Israel resist acknowledging their historical ancestry, conditioned to reject such truths and unwilling to accept the obligations that accompany this identity. This resistance is profound, even among the religious, and it will require extraordinary events to remove the scales from their eyes. Secularists and atheists, who dismiss God and the Bible, will need even greater convincing. Yet, somehow, this knowledge will be restored to Israel, or at least to a remnant. History shows that Israel often rejected God's messengers, killing prophets who brought inconvenient truths, and it typically took calamitous events like captivity to compel her to listen. The severity of Jacob's Trouble may be necessary to break through this stubbornness, humbling a secularized Israel to accept God's Word. Jeremiah 31:7-11 describes a Second Exodus where Israel is ransomed from a stronger hand, mirroring the original Exodus. God will break the yoke from Israel's neck, freeing her from foreign enslavement, as foretold in Jeremiah 30:8. Isaiah 10:20 promises that the escaped of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on their oppressors but on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. Humbled by Tribulation, Israelites return with weeping and pleas for mercy, recognizing their shortcomings and need for God, a concept foreign to the nations of Israel today. Ephraim, representing the northern ten tribes, will resume his place as God's son, and God will once again be their Father, no longer rejected or estranged. This change of heart, detailed in Jeremiah 31:18-21, marks a profound reconciliation with God.

Christ spoke of other sheep not of the fold of Judah, declaring that He must bring them also, so they will hear His voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd. On a physical level, these other sheep are the descendants of the other sons of Jacob, referred to as the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Israel and Judah became separate nations during the reign of Rehoboam, and the northern ten tribes of Israel were conquered by the Assyrians in 721 BC, with many removed to the area near the Caspian Sea. Eventually, these tribes migrated into northwestern Europe and were not in Judea during Christ's ministry. Christ's promise of one flock and one shepherd points to a future unity of the house of Judah and the house of Israel.

The promises within the I wills, given by God to Abram, have not yet been completely fulfilled and are still in operation, being worked upon in the lives of Abram's descendants. The identity of modern Israel is crucial to understanding the times we live in and exercising our faith, as many prophecies involve the Israelitish people. While others believe Abram's descendants are solely Jews, biblical history shows that nearly a thousand years after the covenant with Abram, the kingdom of Israel divided into two nations, Israel to the north and Judah to the south, each going their own way spiritually. After being conquered by Assyria, Israel continued emigrating further north and west, becoming invisible though still existing, as God preserved them due to His sovereign will and unconditional promise. Many do not accept the certainty of God's sovereignty or the depth of His promises to Abram, nor do they grasp His working in human history up to this point. The Jews, by keeping the Sabbath, have remained identifiable as descendants of Abram, while the Israelitish people, who abandoned this sign of identification, seemingly disappeared but are still among the more numerous people on earth. Israel became lost in plain sight, yet not hidden from God, who knew exactly where they were. Long before Herbert Armstrong, people, largely British, Scots, and Irish, traced the emigration of the Israelitish people from northwest Europe, and this historical truth, supported by the Bible, is visible to those with the faith of Abram. Believing this truth impacts understanding, strengthens belief, and influences conduct, especially as the largest number of Israelitish descendants are in Europe, where many prophecies are unfolding.

While the world is shocked by the devastation in Gentile nations, it may be additionally startling to those with an understanding of biblical history and prophecy to realize that the ruin has been localized outside of modern Israel. Those who know the identity of the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel are watching and waiting for the blow to fall on apostate modern Israel, which includes America, Canada, Britain, northwestern Europe, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Modern Israel, with its preeminent position in the world, seems more deserving of correction and punishment. The important thing to consider is that, though the most recent act of God directly affects the Gentile nations, it does not mean that God has forgotten about Israel. He just has not decided to set things straight in Israel at this time.