Our History
The Journey to the second exodus
The Restoration of God’s chosen People
It has long been observed that about one-third of the Bible is prophecy, and the majority of those prophecies have not yet been fulfilled. Also, nearly all of those unfulfilled prophecies pertain to the descendants of Abraham in general—and Jacob in particular—and to other nations and entities only as they encounter the descendants of these patriarchs. Understanding the history and the future of the descendants of Jacob is paramount to understanding the rest of the Bible. In particular, grasping what God says will happen to His people, the true nations of Israel that have been scattered to the four corners of the earth.
Historically, after the death of Solomon (931 BC), the Kingdom of Israel split into two separate kingdoms. The northern ten tribes retained the name Israel, establishing their capital at Samaria. The southern tribes—Judah and Benjamin, along with part of Levi—became known simply as Judah ( II Kings 16:5-6), city of Jerusalem.
Two hundred years after this national division, the northern ten tribes were in a terminal state of wickedness and rebellion. Idolatry was widespread, pagan religious practices from the surrounding cultures were common and celebrated. God's law was trampled underfoot, and God Himself was scoffed as much as He is in today's Western culture. God's prophets, warning of Israel's destruction and subjugation, were invariably ignored, mocked, or killed.
Around 722 BC, God caused Assyria to subdue Israel and enslave the people. The Assyrians deported the population from its homeland in Canaan to the southern shores of the Caspian Sea in what is today Iran (II Kings 17:5-6). The northern Kingdom of Israel thus passed from the view of all but the most obscure histories, becoming known as the Lost Ten Tribes.
The Jews—the southern Kingdom of Judah—followed the same course shortly thereafter. With few exceptions, the kings of Judah proved more corrupt than Israel's kings. Israel set the pace into idolatry, and Judah enthusiastically followed (Ezekiel 16:45-52). As with Israel, God sent prophets to Judah to warn her of destruction if she failed to repent. She refused. Between 604 and 585 BC, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar carried the population of Judah to Babylon (II Kings 24:14). Later, he destroyed Jerusalem, and the Temple, and carried away captive the rest of Judah (II Kings 25:11). Both kingdoms, having turned from their covenant with God, earned the penalty of national captivity.
After Seventy years
Judah was taken into captivity, Babylon ruled the Promised Land under Nebuchadnezzar. Babylon later fell to the Medo-Persian Empire, which then became sovereign over Jerusalem and the Promised Land. The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus and Darius, the Persian kings, to rebuild the wall and the Temple (2 Chronicles 36:22). The Jews enjoyed a measure of peace, but their freedom depended on the favor of the ruling Persian emperor.
After Alexander the Great conquered Medo-Persia, the Greeks became the new overseers of the Land of Promise. Jews under the Maccabees gained a measure of independence until Rome took control of the area. Thus, during the time of Yeshua, few Jews lived in the land and even worshipped in the Second Temple, but they did not truly possess the land because it was under Roman jurisdiction. Since the collapse of the Roman Empire, notwithstanding some temporary Crusader holdings, the Promised Land has been under the sway of various Arab and Muslim nations—notably the Ottoman Empire—down to modern times.
Titus Destroyed Jerusalem
The empire of Rome did not want to be bothered with Judea because they believed it was a worthless province that was only good for creating problems. Judea did offer some benefits since it connected the various parts of Mesopotamia (middle east and Asia) but they still did not think much of the territory. The Jewish people had a strange religion which only worshiped one god and they produced many religious teachers who caused disturbances among the people. A religious teacher named Yeshua was executed in Judea by the Roman governor Pilate and the Jewish people.
Jerusalem, Destroyed
After his death, a new sect of Judaism known as Christianity emerged shortly after his death. Yeshua prophesied that the Temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed and his words came true about forty years after his death. Since the time of Yeshua’s death, many Zealots were becoming bold with their attacks against Rome. In 66 A.D. they managed to stir up the people and lead them into revolt against Rome.
The Roman emperor of the time of this revolt was Nero and he had encountered the Christians since the time that Paul had arrived in Rome to plead his case before Caligula or Claudius. Nero did not like the Christians and he liked the Jews even less so he sent Nero Titus’ father Vespasian to quell the revolt. Nero died during the time the Romans were retaking Judea. Vespasian became embroiled in the intrigues of who was to be emperor – known as “The Year of the Four Emperors.” He would entrust the continuation of the Judean campaign to his son Titus.
Titus Starts to Gain Control
Titus arrived in Judea with his father, Vespasian, who was a leading general in the Roman Empire. Once he arrived in Jerusalem he began to make his way toward Jerusalem. He conquered many rebellious Jewish sects along the way. He managed to capture the northern half of Judea and forced many Jewish people to surrender without a fight. Vespasian had to return home to Rome after Nero committed suicide and left his son Titus in control.
Many Jewish people fled to Jerusalem and when they did they, started to fight among themselves. The Zealots and other notorious Jewish factions began to kill any Jewish person who wanted to surrender to Rome. They managed to take over the city and they fortified the area. They fought a Civil War against themselves. Titus waited for the outcome of this situation before he acted. Titus then moved his forces against Jerusalem and the defenders who were fighting a desperate battle. The rebel Jewish factions were forcing many people to fight even when it would have made more sense to surrender. They burned the city’s food supplies to force the people to fight on and they cut off all trade and commerce into the city. Many Jewish people were starving during the siege and many were also being killed from the Roman legions. Titus lay siege for years until the city finally collapsed in 70 A.D. The temple at Jerusalem was destroyed during the siege and those who were able to escape fled into West Africa.
Judah Stolen from West Africa
In 1619 the children of Judah were taken from West Africa by ships as slaves to America and other parts of the world. (Deuteronomy 28:68). According to prophecy, they would remain there for 400 years (Genesis 15:13-14). The Bible clearly prophecies that a second exodus will occur, and God's people will return to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The first exodus, when God brought the Children of Israel out from Egypt, is a defining event for Israel. Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and even Pentecost all commemorate God's sovereignty, providence, and grace in liberating His people (Deuteronomy 16:1-12). Yet, as remarkable as this spontaneous movement of millions of people from a plundered Egypt to a bountiful Canaan was, the Second Exodus will be so momentous that the original exodus from Egypt will pale by comparison:
“Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.” Jeremiah 16:14-15, Jeremiah 23:7-8
In Isaiah 11:11-12, the prophet also tells of this time when the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left… He will set up a banner for the nations and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
God tells Jeremiah:
"In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given as an inheritance to your fathers." Jeremiah 3:18
During the first exodus, a few million Israelites left Egypt and headed for the land of Canaan, a relatively short distance away. Today, Israelites number in the hundreds of millions, and their current homelands are thousands of miles from Canaan. They cannot re-migrate to the Promised Land as a single group, for their movements have left them in numerous countries around the globe. Only the sovereign God can orchestrate such a regathering.
While some prophecies speak of Israel returning from every compass point (Isaiah 11:12; 43:5-7), Israel is most commonly foreseen returning from the north and the west of the Promised Land (Isaiah 49:12; Jeremiah 3:18; 16:15; 23:8; 31:8; Hosea 11:10; Zechariah 2:6), reversing the path of their migration thousands of years ago.
Regathered to Zion
The prophet Isaiah gives numerous descriptions of how this exodus will take place, such as the individual attention that will be given: "And it shall come to pass in that day . . . you will be gathered one by one, O you children of Israel" (Isaiah 27:12). He speaks of "a highway for the remnant of His people who will be left from Assyria, as it was for Israel In the day that he came up from the land of Egypt" (Isaiah 11:16). A similar road appears in Isaiah 35:8-10:
“And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”
(see also Isaiah 43:16-21; 51:10-11)
Not all of Israel will be able to travel back via this Highway of Holiness, however. Isaiah asks:
“Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.” Isaiah 60: 8-9
Isaiah describes this massive undertaking further:
" And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord.” Isaiah 66:20
Jeremiah 30 and 31 give a broad overview of what God will do to bring back Israel and the rest of Judah, and restore the Promised Land to them. This was not fulfilled in the 1940s when hundreds of thousands of so-called Jews returned to the land and founded the modern State of Israel. The prophecies regarding the Second Exodus clearly speak of both Judah and Israel.
“The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book. For, lo, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the Lord: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.” Jeremiah 30: 1-3
God refers to both kingdoms here, the descendants of the northern kingdom of Israel as well as the southern kingdom of Judah. The return of Israel will be the largest migration of one people ever.
The Tribulation
Even though Israel and Judah will ultimately be restored to the land of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, it will be during a time of trouble and hardship:
“For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it. Jeremiah 30:5-7
This is what will happen during the Second Exodus. Notice that it is called "Jacob's Trouble. This time of unprecedented crisis—"none is like it and will be until the time of "great tribulation" of which Yeshua warns:
“And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” Luke 21:24
This is one of the most profound and misunderstood verses in the Bible. To understand this text, you must know who true Israel is. If we are truly living in the last days and Jerusalem is to be trodden down by the Gentiles, it implies that those in Jerusalem are not true Israel. They are Gentiles who have converted to Jews, and their time has come to an end. It is a time of trouble for those who have stolen God’s land.
While the sequence of prophesied latter-day events seems to be fairly straightforward—the captivity and scattering of Israel; the tribulation of Jacob's Trouble; God's intervention on behalf of the remnant of Jacob; the Second Exodus back to the Promised Land; the reunification of Israel and Judah; God's restoration and blessing of His covenant people—the timing is clear when these events will begin.
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.” Isaiah 27:12-13
“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:: Matthew 24:30-32
Justice and Mercy
After the peoples of Israel have endured the chastening of Jacob's Trouble, they will be liberated and brought back to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob:
"For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him: But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the Lord; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid. For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet I will not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished." Jeremiah 30:8-11
In all of God's dealings with Israel and Judah, and especially regarding the Second Exodus, we see His perfect application of justice and mercy. He is just because He does not allow their sin to go unpunished. We could not trust God if He did not hold to His promises of blessing and cursing (Numbers 23:19, Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28).
Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord God: "I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.” Ezekiel 36:22-24
“Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord God, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel." Ezekiel 36:31-32
Peace and Prosperity
After Jacob is chastened, God will demonstrate His mercy and providence:
“Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof. And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small. Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them. Jeremiah 30:18-20
God will destroy the nations to which Israel and Judah are scattered, and He will correct Israel and Judah in measure, as verse 11 says. He will bring His people back to the land that He promised them and give them rest and peace. Several other prophecies concerning the Second Exodus describe how God will bless the land, which will once again produce abundantly. Israel and Judah will have the Promised Land, they will have peace—because this time their enemies will be completely destroyed, which Israel failed to do the first time—and they will have prosperity. They will also be blessed numerically, as the remnant begins to multiply. But this time the peace and prosperity will last because this one factor will be different. Israel and Judah will have perfect leadership: Yeshua will be King, (Ezekiel 37:24-25; Jeremiah 23:3-7; Hosea 3:5; Micah 2:12-13).
This is the history of a people stolen from Africa, the true chosen people of God. This truth has set us free and illuminated our minds and understanding of how deeply rooted we are in the Bible.