The Diaspora

One of the prevalent beliefs in Judeo-Christianity today is that the Diasapora – the dispersion of the Israelites – began at the fall of Jerusalem in 70AD, and the restoration of the tribes of Israel is a current event.

It is necessary for the dispensationalist mindset to do two things concerning the Diaspora in order to facilitate their unbiblical futurist mindset: redefine the people of the Diaspora, and redefine the time it is to occur. The reason for these redefinitions is apparent; the identity of the Covenant people and the timing of their restoration is a crucial and fundamental element of the last days. As we shall see, by their redefinition they have denied that we are have our redemption today. Does this sound incredible? Unbelievable? Let's continue:

Disaspora is a Greek word. Here is the definition of Diaspora from Strongs Concordance:

..from diaspeiro 1289 ; dispersion, i.e. (specially and concretely) the (converted) Israelite resident in Gentile countries:--(which are) scattered (abroad).

The Diaspora – the disbursion – is specific to Israelites, who were to be found scattered among the nations. There are several New Testament references to the Diaspora. Here is one:

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. (James 1:1)

So, unless the Apostle James was referring to a different Diaspora than modern false prophets like John Hagee and John McArthur, there were Israelites scattered among the Gentile countries in the first century, prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD! This alone is an insurmountable problem for the false prophets today, yet not a word of the problem is heard from mainstream pulpits and commentaries today.

Here is why it is apparent to all all that the Diaspora is tied to the last days. The Old Testament prophets of Israel prophesied that all the tribes of Israel would be restored as the Bride to their God, Yahweh. The Holy Word is full of passages proving this. The ten tribes of the northern house of Israel were scattered amongst the nations:

And they were scattered. because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them. (Isaiah 34:5-6)

Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones. (Jeremiah 50:17)

And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them. And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land. (Ezekiel 36:19-20)(Referenced by the Apostle Paul in Romans 2:24)

It would take hours to touch on all of the passages confirming that the tribes of Israel – who alone were called "sheep" were scattered. These scattered people were to be restored:

In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve. (Jeremiah 50:20)

Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel . (Revelation 7:3-4)

 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel ... (Revelation 21:12)

Thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen... (Ezekiel 28:25)

Hosea, the prophet to the House of Israel, prophesied both their dispersion and their restoration:

Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.
(Hosea 1:10-11)

Ezekiel prophesied their restoration in the "two sticks" prophecy of Ezekiel 37. An aside note here: mainstream Christianity has a double-minded view of Ezekiel 37. On one hand, it is used as "evidence" that non-Israelites and Israelites are "grafted together" – thus salvation is extended to all peoples here and now. On the other hand, the passage is also used to teach that all of the scattered Jews will be brought together in the future. How does that work? Read the chapter yourself; what does it actually say?

The Israelites who were disbursed were never called "Jews!" In fact, it was the Jews that were persecuting Paul and interfering with the spread of the Gospel to the Gentiles:

Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews. (Acts 26:7)

Search and search throughout the Bible, and you will never find that the lost sheep of the House of Israel were ever called Jews. If they were, then the Jews were persecuting the Jews, and the Gospel was preached first to the Jews – then the Jews, and the Judaizers were corrupting believing Jews. This is convoluted logic to be sure.

So here is what we have established:

• The Diaspora were disbursed Israelites among the Gentiles – nations, who were not called "Jews."
• The Diaspora was a first-century reality prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD.
• The restoration of the tribes of Israel was a last-days promise by the prophets of Israel .

In spite of these obvious truths, mainstream teachers teach the following:

• The Diaspora are the disbursed Jews currently scattered among the nations
• The Diaspora is a current reality, and occurred after the fall of Jerusalem in 70AD
• The restoration of the Jews is a last-days promise given by the Jewish prophets

Of course, obviously, mainstream Judeo-Christianity considers the words "Jew" and "Israelite" interchangeable. This biblical and historically unsupportable idea is one of the primary faults in mainstream doctrine. Let's use John Hagee as an example. He says:

Where is Israel ? Where are those who are scattered throughout the Diaspora? The mighty right hand of God has gathered them from the nations of the world and Israel was miraculously born May 15, 1948 . (Speech, (AIPAC) Policy Conference)

Hagee believes today's Jews comprise all of Israel without a shred of evidence. He believes that Hitler was the "hunter" of Israel in Jeremiah 16. He believes that both the House of Israel and the House of Judah are found in the Ashkenazi Jews today in spite of the abundance of evidence that these people are not even Semite. He believes, of course, heretical made-up myths and fantasies.

The error of Hagee's disastrous doctrine should be obvious to the Bible student. According to the inspired Word of God, the restored ten tribes of Israel were to be redeemed as the FIRST FRUITS unto God:

And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads...These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. (Revelation 14:1-4, pertinent portions)

Inarguably, if these ten tribes have not been restored as firstfuits unto God, then we do not have our redemption today. This positively precludes the possibility that any restoration involving today's Jews has any prophetic merit.

Also, the Apostle James confirmed that the Diaspora was existent in the first century, prior to the fall of Jerusalem . In fact, the entire gospel was targeted to the Diaspora:

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 . (Luke 10:5-6)

There is only one House of Israel – those Israelites of the old northern kingdom – the ten tribes – which were scattered by the Assyrians centuries before the fall of Jerusalem in 70AD. Today's Jews, then, cannot possibly be those people! After all, even if they were the people who survived the destruction of the Holy City by Titus's armies in 70AD, they could not also have been the Israelites who were disbursed prior to the fall of the Holy City . Truly, the application of a little common sense should make that clear.

Here is another really big problem. Though never addressed in mainstream Christianity, the Apostle Paul confirmed that the Gospel was preached entirely nearly 2000 years ago ( Colossians 1:23 , Romans 10:18 . ) So , here is the problem syllogistically:

•  The target of the gospel of Jesus was to the Diaspora ( Matthew 10:5-6, Jeremiah 50:17, Romans 9:3-5 )

•  But the Gospel was preached entirely before the fall of Jerusalem in 70AD ( Colossians 1:23 , Romans 10:18 . )

•  Therefore, the Diaspora existed prior to the fall of Jerusalem in 70AD

Don't think for a second that today's dispensational teachers don't see the problem; they just will not discuss it. If today's Jews are not the Covenant people, then the entirety of their eschatology falls apart. If the Diaspora is a current reality, then our redemptive hope is in the future. But, if the Diaspora is a past reality, and the ten tribes have been restored, then our redemption is in place today, and the prophets did not prophecy falsely.

Nor can evangelical Christianity claim that there are two Diasporas – one terminating with the fall of Jerusalem and the other a current one – and try to apply the prophecies related to the first Diaspora to a second one. Today, the idea of creating multiple temples, tribulations and comings of Christ is pandemic. In rejecting the fulfilled work of Christ and the restoration of the Bride, futurists must fabricate "solutions" to address their doctrinal errors – every one of which is untenable.

To be consistent, we must conclude that the restoration promises made to Israel have been completed, or we have no redemption today. These disbursed Israelites were not the ancestors of today's Ashkenazi Jews -who are small in number and reject our Savior - but of a great number of believing people found in the nations to whom the disciples of the Living God ministered to; the only people having the true markers of Israel : the descendants of Abraham of Ur. The historical, archaeological, etymological and (most importantly) biblical evidence is that these were people were racially the same as the race which singularly built the civilizations of Greece and Rome . They were restored to their God, Yahweh, as His Bride at the destruction of the old temple in the first century, ushering in the New Covenant. They are now a people known by their God, because of the Gospel that was preached throughout the World.

What will you believe?