I simply replied to the part of your post that I took issue with. I wanted to make sure we were on the same page and that there was no misunderstanding. I'm sure we would both agree that today among the Jews, the 12 tribes are pretty indistingishable, with the exception of Levi (especially the Kohanim -- they of course know who they are). I mean, I have one Jewish friend named Ephramovich, so we know what tribe he is, but that is so the exception to the rule.
I would neither agree nor disagree with whether or not those of the ten tribes entering into Judean land, and/or becoming a part of Jewish culture are indistinguishable from those who trace their lineage back to Judah himself. Some posters here(which is to say one that I saw post) trace their(her) lineage back to Benjamin.
Culturally and religiously speaking, I suppose any who are from the modern Jewish faith/tribe are indistinguishable from each other based on which tribe they may or may not be able to trace their original lineage back to. Like any other person who converts to, or marries into, or otherwise becomes a Jew, they have in effect become of the tribe of Judah, the Jews. For all practical purpose they are of the tribe of Judah, the Jews, and therefore that is why the name is totally appropriate.
What a Jew is or isn't means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. I take no issue with that, nor have anything relevant to contribute to who a Jew is or isn't. That is strictly a Jewish question.
But that was never the focus of my post. My focus was never on who the Jews are, but on who
Israel is. The focus of my post was those ten tribes lost to the Jews and lost to the land of their birthright, and lost to the God of their forefathers who have been in effect seeded into the nations of the world. The birthright of the ten lost tribes has never been usurped by Judah either.
This is not a territorial question as to whether modern Israel belongs to these ten lost tribes or not. Modern Israel is a land that belongs to the Jews, as far as I am concerned. This is not a call to usurpation. It is not a cultural issue as to who the Jews are or are not.
It is a theological assertion that, through Christ, those of the lost tribes seeded among the nations, have heard the voice of their shepherd and have been returned to the fold. Who Israel is, is not just exclusive to those of the tribe of Judah, or those who call themselves Jews, whatever their original roots have been.
The Jews are a tribe unto themselves, and one nation. But the promise made to Abraham has been to be a Father of many nations, more numerous than the stars in the sky, so to speak.
Israel has always been bigger than the tribe of Judah. It has always been more inclusive than those who go by the name of Jew. Israel was scattered, and sown among the nations during the Assyrian diaspora, except for the Jews(and the Benjamites and the Levis who lived among the tribe of Judah in the southern kingdom).
But God remains true to his Covenant. Through Christ, the ten lost tribes have been found among the nations, and have been harvested, are being harvested even now.
"New" Israel is not a displacement or a usurpation of the Jews, who are every bit as much Israel as are the ten lost tribes. But that also must mean that Jews alone can never fully define who Israel is.
Israel wasnever meant to be defined as just one tribe, but many nations, not the descendants and associates of the one son of Jacob, but the descendants of all twelve, even those who had been scattered and lost to the Jew and to the Jewish faith.
Jesus lived and died a Jew. He was of the tribe of Judah. He was of Judaism. But his calling was not to rescue those who were saved, but those who were lost, those who the Father made an eternal covenant with.
Jews never stopped being Israel on account of (rejecting) Jesus, but neither did those of the lost, idolatrous tribes stop being sons of Jacob on account of being scattered, as described in Hosea.
These were never Jews. But they were always the children of promise, just like their brother, Judah is.
