Quote Originally Posted by Forty9er View Post


If I have not accurately stated what you believe please correct the record and let me know so I can apologize. That is a sincere request


All 12 tribes of Israel in the gentile diaspora became Christians... not just the 10 northern tribes.

When Cyrus conquered Babylon and liberated Israelites of the Southern kingdom... only a portion of the Southern tribes of Israel returned back to the holy land to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. Their descendants [like Jesus' disciples] became Christians first... then they took the good news of Israel's Messiah, the God of Israel incarnated, to the 12 tribes of Israel who were scattered abroad [James 1:1.]

There were many called "jews" in the holy land who were NOT Israelites. They were descended from Edomites [Israel's OT enemy] who had lost a war against Israel in the 2nd century BC, then feigned "conversion" to being "jews" en masse so they could live in the Kingdom of Israel. Such conversion of non-Israelite foreigners was forbidden. Israel's Hasmonean dynasty was destroyed for this grave sin. Edomite-jew Herod conquered Jerusalem in 37BC [with the help of Rome] and became Rome's client king of Judea. Herod murdered the remaining Israelite Hasmonean royal heirs. Herod also destroyed the second temple, the temple Cyrus decreed built, which ironically placed King Darius' ancient curse [Ezra 6] on the ill-fated Edomite-jew Herod dynasty !