Jesus commanded his apostles to go only to the LOST SHEEP OF ISRAEL Where did they go?

“These twelve Jesus sent forth, and COMMANDED them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: but go rather to the LOST sheep of the house of Israel.”

WHERE DID JAMES, SON OF ALPHAEUS, PREACH?

“The Spanish writers generally contend, after the death of Stephen he came to these WESTERN parts, and particularly into SPAIN (some add BRITAIN and IRELAND) where he planted Christianity” (p. 148 of Cave’s work).

Note it. Yet another apostle sent to the lost sheep of the House of Israel ends in the British Isles – in IRELAND as well as in Britain! Eusebius, in his third book of “Evangelical Demonstrations”, chapter 7, admitted that the apostles “passed over to those which are called the British Isles.” Again he wrote: “Some of the Apostles preached the Gospel in the British Isles.” Could anything be plainer? Even in Spain James spent some time. Why Spain? From ancient times Spain was the high road of migration from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the British Isles. The ancient royal House of Ireland for a time dwelt in Spain. The prophet Jeremiah passed through Spain into Ireland with Zedekiah’s daughters (Jeremiah 41:10; 43:6). Even today a vital part of the Iberian Peninsula – Gibraltar – belongs to the birthright tribe of Ephraim – the British!

My guess is they went to see the wizard of oz.

And i'm serious

The lost tribes are all over the world.

The pashtun tribes living between the Afghanistan- Pakistan border are people who have a close link to the Israelite tribes. They use names extremely similar to Israelite tribes...and have customs that closely resemble that of the Israelite tribes.

The verses you reference are when Jesus sent out the 12.
Matt 10:5-6

5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Later on, he sent them to the whole world. No mystery, just two different events.
Mark 16:15-16

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

My apologies OP, I missed your point at first. Notice that in the verses you reference, he does not say lost tribes. He says lost sheep. What he is telling the 12 is to preach only to the house of Israel for now.

The references to Stephen and others going other places is after he commanded the disciples to preach to the whole world. Still no mystery here.

reply to post by Helper39
Not quote sure exactly what your point here is...but let me help you out a bit.

You quoted Matthew chapter 10, which was well prior to the crucifixion and during Christ's ministry to the jews. Here's a bit from afterward, in chapter 28:

18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Hopefully that clarifies for you that the ministry had different aims at different stages. Otherwise if you could let us know what you're trying to get at, exactly...?

reply to post by Helper39


The northwesternmost part of Spain, Galicia, is numbered to this day as one of the seven Celtic nations (eight if you count Nova Scotia).

We find some broad hints as to where the Lost Sheep were in the first century AD, from the list given from the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, to various lists in the epistles. I'll list as many as I can find:

Parthia (a large empire)
Media
Elam
Mesopotamia
Judea
Cappadocia
Pontus
Asia (not the modern Asia)
Phyrgia
Pamphylia
Egypt
Libya (about Cyrene)
Rome
Crete
Arabia
Greece (note all the letters to various Greek cities)
Galatia
(from Peter) Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia

The planting of the Gospel in Britain very soon after the events of the book of Acts is well documented. Augustine was a late-comer, the country having been Christian for centuries, but I assume he took the credit because their Christianity did not suit his agenda.

The Phoenicians are a very obscure civilization. If you Google around you will find a lot of articles about them, and it is interesting to note they are also called the "Neo-Canaanites".

Canaan's map is thought to correspond closely with the general concept of the "Levant".

Canaan, land that made up the ancient Jewish Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, along with neighboring areas

Now check out this article called "Names of the Levant, and reveals that we are talking more about geographical distinction in the sense of a "region", rather than speaking about a specific culture or peoples exclusively.

There were many names this region was called, such as Retjenu in Egypt, and an extensive list of other names for the same thing, from different peoples and different eras.

Here is the snippet on Canaan:

A long time before and during the early Hebrew settlements in the region, the land was called Canaan (first recorded in Assyrian Akkadian as Kinaḫnu), and its indigenous people were the Canaanites. The Phœnicians, who spoke a Canaanite language at their Mediterranean ports, also called themselves and their land Canaan.

"Before and during the early Hebrew settlements in the region".

This is the connection between the Hebrews and the Canaanites, and then later on they became known as the Phoenicians.

Look closely at this map revealing how the Phoenicians and the Hellenistic peoples (Greeks) were expanding rapidly during the period all over the Mediterranean, Black Sea, and even potentially outside into the Atlantic.

Map (Wiki) 500 BC Hellenic-Phoenician Expansion

Here is a snippet mentioning how from roughly 1000bc, they had began "colonizing" these diverse regions.

From the 10th century BC, their expansive culture established cities and colonies throughout the Mediterranean. Canaanite deities like Baal and Astarte were being worshipped from Cyprus to Sardinia, Malta, Sicily, Spain, Portugal, and most notably at Carthage in modern Tunisia.

Notice that the Hebrews are intimately connected to Canaan, and by extension, Egypt.

Here is a timeline of supposed information to show the flow:

Moses -roughly 1300 BC(?)

Rabbinical Judaism calculated a lifespan of Moses corresponding to 1391–1271 BCE;[6] Christian tradition has tended to assume an earlier date.[7]

Remember "Moses" was adopted into the Egyptian royal family according to legend?
Here is the period in question:
Eightteenth Dynasty of Egypt
Notice all of the "Moses" names: Thutmose I,II,III,IV, female version Ahmose. Other rulers in this period include Amenhotep, which references Amun , the Egyptian equivalent of El or Baal. (And it is what everyone says at the end of their prayers, Amen.)

The Kingdom of Israel was founded in roughly 1020 BC, and it claims

The Kingdom of Israel (or Northern Kingdom) existed as an independent state until 722 BCE when it was conquered by the Assyrian Empire; while the Kingdom of Judah (or Southern Kingdom) existed as an independent state until 586 BCE when it was conquered by the Babylonian Empire. [edit]

But recall the map of the "Phoenician Expansion" I posted Earlier showing 500 BC roughly, that was around the time of the "end of Israel as a unified nation"? It claimed the major movements of expansion began around 1000BC, the same time the Kingdom of Israel was formed. Think about it...the words "Phoenician", "Canaanite", and "Hebrew" (among many other distinctions), bleed into each other and although they can be used separately, they can be also used interchangeably depending on context.

In comparison, the "Ancient Greeks" timeline was happening at the very same time as our biblical accounts:

Traditionally, the Ancient Greek period was taken to begin with the date of the first Olympic Games in 776 BC, but most historians now extend the term back to about 1000 BC.

Additional Links about their deities and proof that Hebrews are connected with it at various points historically:
El who is heavily associated with Ba'al

Asherah, El's consort, who is associated with Astarte.

To really open the discussion about Judaism, I want to bring forth these links for everyone to review in depth:

These are "authentic Hebrews", according to historical documentation and various genetic tests:


This episode of Digging for the Truth:

Called "The Lost Tribe of Israel", which refers to the African tribe known as the "Lembas" who are in Southern Africa.
All sorts of highly compelling evidence is presented.

And this wiki you cannot miss:

Kaifeng Jews
The original Jews who live among the Chinese people.

reply to post by muzzleflash


We do know from the books of the Maccabees that the Spartans were Israelites.

There is ample evidence that the Phonicians/Israelites were in North America in the BC period, and they seem to have been the origin of some Amerindian tribes.

reply to post by sk0rpi0n


Comparison between Biblical Israelite / Pashtun tribe names.

Ephraim / Afridi
Reuben / Rabbani
Asher / Ashuri
Levi / Levani
Naftali / Daftani
Gad / Gadoon

There also happens to be an Afghan tribe called "Yusufzai" meaning sons of Joseph.

Then there are places in Afghanistan which are named after people and places in the bible...(Kings II,17 and 18; Chronicles 1,5)

Habor = Pesh-Hawar
Hara = Herat
Gozan = old name of the Amu Darya

Watch the video I had posted earlier.

From the JewishVirtualLibrary.org

The first suggestion of contact between the tribes of Israel and the Phoenicians comes from about half a century earlier. In the Song of Deborah, the tribe of Dan already lives in the north (cf. the sequence of the tribes which did not participate in the struggle, Judg. 5:16–17), and theclose relationship between the tribe of Dan and the Phoenicians can be seen from the verse: "And why did Dan remain in ships?" (Judg. 5:17), which Taeubler (Biblische Studien…(1958), 89ff.) interprets to mean that the Danites were seasonal workers in the harbors of Phoenicia. In the days of David there were already intermarriages with the Phoenicians (II Chron. 2:13). Similarly, there must have been intermingling between the tribe of Asher and the Phoenicians, for it says, "The Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites…for they did not drive them out" (Judg. 1:32), while the whole of the Valley of Acre and the southern Phoenician coast remained in Phoenician hands.

Read the rest of that dense article for tons of relevant info.

The Phoenicians founded Carthage by the way.

Notice how it shows specifically the Tribe of Dan was working on the Phoenician fleets?

Originally posted by Lazarus Short
reply to post by muzzleflash

 

We do know from the books of the Maccabees that the Spartans were Israelites.

Some interesting connections between Spartans and the Scottish peoples.
The history of the kilt reveals that it comes from :

The Scots word derives from the Old Norse kjalta,[1] from Norse settlers who wore a similar, pleated garment.

And it is interesting to note that the Spartans also wore a similar garment that is called a "Kilt" as far as I can tell according to these sources like this one:

Hippeis - Greek Citizen Calvary

The utility of the Greek citizen-cavalry was small on account of their heavy armour, their metal helmet, and their coat of mail, their kilt fringed with metal flaps, their cuisses reaching to the knee, and their leather leggings.

If you check out this website called Bagpipe History, it traces the origins of the modern Scottish bagpipes to the Spartans in Greece.

The first to march to the reed pipes were the Lacedaemonians or Spartans. They were the first to use a drum with the pipes and the first to have massed pipers playing the same tune and it seems the first to match their pipes to reduce discordance.

The "bag" was added a little later on, as revealed here:

We know that the application of a bag was a new novelty during the first century A.D. because the Roman general Martial, not knowing what to call it, borrowed the Greek name for the pipes, aulos and added the Greek word for a bag, askos, to it.He thus invents the word askaules to describe a bagpiper. The tibia utricularis was simply an adaptation of the bag principle to the Roman tibia.

More info:

The Romans claimed that their pipes had come to them from the Greeks. They liked their pipes bigger and louder. The sheer volume of Roman sound had increased immeasurably from the ancient Greek aulos. Here, a piper's guild was formed where the use of pipes was a recognised accompaniment to religious ceremony by law. The law also provided for the use of pipes at funerals, public games and the theatre.

First recorded evidence of bagpipe:

It is with the Emperor Nero, in the first century A.D. that we have the first definite mention of the bag applied to reed pipes. His use of a bag is actually confirmed by Dio Chrysdstom who mentions Nero's use of the bagpipe in the second half of the first century A.D, as a means of avoiding 'the reproach of Athena' (distortion of the cheeks) caused by using the cheeks as an air reservoir.

The divergent double pipes were also in ancient Britain before the Romans came for good in 43A.D. They are shown on ancient British coins long before the Roman invasion. The second century altar to the god Atys found at Gloster depicting a rudimentary bag blown drone would seem to indicate that the application of a bag was not too long in being adopted in Britain

There are connections between all of these seemingly separate peoples. Direct and obvious ones.

reply to post by Helper39


They did go to the lost sheep of Israel on that missionary journey. What are you confused about?

My opinion? The people who can believe in Christ belong to Israel, and always have. I'd have to say they were sent to find Ephraim the Northern 10 lost tribes spread across the corners of the earth. Ever wonder why some can believe and others have closed minds who cannot? Parable of the Wheat and Tares in action. Yahweh knows full well that not everyone is going to accept him. He's not looking for the people who wont accept him, he is looking for those who will.

reply to post by lonewolf19792000


Wheat and tares - do you think they are the same as the sheep and goat nations at the White Throne Judgment?

reply to post by muzzleflash


I've heard about the Lemba, they wouldn't be the only lost tribe. The northern kingdom of Israel got flung across every corner of the earth, some made it to the americas, some in brittain and europe, others to China, yet others still to africa. Hebrew artifacts have been discovered in the U.S,. dating back to around 800 B.C. found in native american burial grounds and paleo-hebrew writings found in the state of Georgia on cliffs and some in Ticonderoga. When the Assyrian's invaded Israel and exiled the northern kingdom which was a punishment from Yahweh because of Solomon's sins for sacrificing to Moloch and building altars to Ba'al, Judea stayed with Judah and Benjamin's tribes were kept intact.

Ephraim was called the northern kingdom, and they have been scattered across the earth and they lost their heritage and they don't even know who they are anymore, they were assimilated. If you notice christianity was created to go out and search every town and inquire of "those whom are worthy". This tells you they were looking for believers just waiting to hear the message from the Messiah.

Originally posted by Lazarus Short
reply to post by lonewolf19792000

 

Wheat and tares - do you think they are the same as the sheep and goat nations at the White Throne Judgment?

Absolutely. It's the same principle.

Matthew 25:31-46

New International Version (NIV)


The Sheep and the Goats

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. ”


Who are Messiah's brother's and sisters? Theyre everyone who belongs to Israel, the cultivated olive tree with the wild olive tree branches grafted in. This is what the Restoration is designed to do, find those who believe in Yahweh. The jews of today are following an old tradition that was never meant for them. Yahweh only cursed the jews who fled to Egypt after they assasinated Gedeliah from ever saying his name ever again. This thing the pharisees came up with where they won;t even say his name and have outlawed it, was a punishment leveled on the apostates who went to Egypt and the bablonian sword Yahweh told them would follow them there did find them and they were killed.

To this day you'd be surprised how many people do not know what God's name really is because of the tradition of supplanting his titles for his name. Thats why you see LORD where it should be YHWH and Adonai being "the Lord" or "master".

reply to post by lonewolf19792000


No. Wheat and Tares would be comparable to sheep and wolves in sheep's clothing within the church. Or people who identify themselves as Christian. The Sheep and Goats judgment is when Christ judges the nations when He returns in glory to determine who will be allowed to live in and populate the Kingdom. Based on how the nations treated the people of Israel/Jews during the tribulation week.

Originally posted by NOTurTypical
reply to post by lonewolf19792000

 

No. Wheat and Tares would be comparable to sheep and wolves in sheep's clothing within the church. Or people who identify themselves as Christian. The Sheep and Goats judgment is when Christ judges the nations when He returns in glory to determine who will be allowed to live in and populate the Kingdom. Based on how the nations treated the people of Israel/Jews during the tribulation week.

No. The tares will be bundled and thrown into the fire. See Matthew 13:36-43. The goat nations/people placed at the Lord's left hand will be sent into the fire, in like manner. See Matthew 25:31-46. Could there be a connection?

I did not notice Jesus say in these two passages that the division would have anything to do with how "Israel/Jews" are treated during the tribulation week, or any other week. Your theology could run into a little trouble with the Jews about in make war on Iran, in which a large remnant of Israel still resides, including the tribe of Judah.

reply to post by Lazarus Short

Your theology could run into a little trouble with the Jews about in make war on Iran, in which a large remnant of Israel still resides, including the tribe of Judah.

Not just them, remember christians are the wild olive branches grafted into the House of Israel the cultivated olive tree. This is why we shouldn't make war on anyone, this brother against brother crap is what Christ forbade. This is why i don't support actions of nations wanting to go to war. Right now Israel is making King David's mistake when he wanted to take a census of his troops instead of relying on Yahweh to keep him safe and provide for them. Their actions over the past half century is what is causing the world to rise up against them and is setting the stage for their redemption by the Father himself. The Beast is about to be revived in the M.E., that is what we are looking at right now going on over there. I think the last generation are the baby boomers who were born right around the time Israel became a nation again and the children of the survivors of the jewish purge in WWII germany want to see the temple rebuilt before they die.

Every fiber in my being is telling me to have nothing to do with any of this warmongering, not even what they do with the palestinians because there are palestinian christians and we don't know who they are and if we support Israel's actions and a brother or sister dies i feel i will be held culpable for it if i support what goes on. The jews in modern Israel are but a small fraction of real Israel the real Israelites are spread all over the world and the ones who do remember their heritage don't even want to go to Israel. It seems to me that modern Israel is just Judah and Benjamin still. Alot of Israel is in the U.S. safe where they don't have to worry about being slaughtered anymore which could mean that the U.S. is one of the shepherds who take care of the flock and feed the sheep as it were.