June 15, 2005 journal, Kingdom Digest on the Israelites migration to Britain and America

June issue. "History reveals truth.. As is well known, the children of Israel had to wander in the desert wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula for some 40 years because of their unbelief and disobedience. Because of his own act of disobedience and striking the rock instead of speaking to it that it give fourth life giving water, (Numbers 20), Moses died in the land of Moab. Deuteronomy 34, and Joshua was then appointed by God to lead the nation into the land of Canaan. Apart from one or two individuals who had been faithful to God, this was now a new generation that had grown up in the wilderness. And so the 12 tribes of Israel entered the Promised Land, the Lord giving to them victory after victory as they obeyed Him, and chastising them when necessary. Incidentally, careful Bible students will have noted that the nation was at all times named either 'Israel' or 'Hebrews'; it is truly amazing how many times we have read in Christian literature etc. of "the J-e-w-s entering Canaan after their exodus from Egypt". There were, of course, no such people as 'J-e-w-s' until many centuries later, in the days of the Babylonian captivity, circa 600 B.C., and even then, they were only a small fraction of their original 'all-Israel', being a section of the tribe of Judah only, in Canaan, the land was divided among the 12 tribes. (Joshua 13 onwards), each distinct tribe occupying its own area, although in actual fact Israel did not completely obey the Lord in driving out and destroying all the previous idolatrous inhabitants, hence there were many problems, as is recorded in Judges Ch-1. Following the death of Joshua, the Lord raised up judges to judge and deliver the 12 tribes, until the time of Samuel, the last of the judges, at which time Israel demanded a king from amongst themselves, wishing to be like all the other nations around them. Until that time, God himself had been their King (1 Samuel 12:12, but now, in the will of the Lord, first Saul and then David were anointed/appointed to rule, 1 Samuel 10 and 16, and after David, Solomon. It is significant that the throne over which they ruled over Israel is described as being "the throne of the Lord", first Chron.29-23; men and women were to be merely "Stewards" as it were, filling in the time until the Lord (Yesu) Christ takes that Throne at his second Advent, as the Scriptures repeatedly promise, Isaiah 9:6-7, Luke 1: 31-33. Towards the latter part of the reign of Solomon there was some considerable unrest within the 12 tribes of Israel, and at this time the Lord sent His servant Ahijah the prophet to a man named Jeroboam to tell him that He was about to divine the nation into two separate parts: he (Jeroboam) would rule as king over 10 of the tribes, and Solomon's son Rehoboam would rule as king over the remaining two tribes, first Kings 11:26-43. Rehoboam, after Solomon's death, attemp-ted to have his own way and continue ruling over all 12 tribes, but the Lord intended oth-erwise as He had already shown, and once again God spoke through one of his servants, Shemaiah by name 2 kings 12:22-24. God now told Rehoboam and two tribes over which he ruled, (Judah and Benjamin), that the division of the tribes into 2 separate units was His doing, ("For this thing is from me"); "They harkened therefore to the word of the Lord, and returned to depart, according to the word of the Lord”. This item in our Bible study must not the missed. From this time (circa 975 B.C.) onwards, there was now 2 nations in the promised land instead of the original one; 10 tribes occupying the North, with their capital at Samaria, these 10 tribes being now named "the House of Israel”, and the remain-ing 2 tribes (Judah and Benjamin) occupying the south, and having for their capital Jeru-salem, these 2 tribes now known as “the House of Judah”. The tribe of Levi, the priestly tribe, was divided between the two houses. This "new thing" of two separate houses” ct