This is NOT a theory. If you've never been taught about God separating the old kingdom of Israel into two separate kingdoms, also called houses, then you will never properly understand later Bible prophecy, because you will not know to which 'house' God is pointing to. If you're not interested in Bible prophecy, then this study won't matter to you.
1. In 1 Kings 11, God was angry at king Solomon because he allowed his many foreign wives and concubines to bring their pagan idol worship in among Israel. So God said He would 'rend' (part) the kingdom. But He promised not to do it in Solomon's day, but in the days of Solomon's son Rehoboam.
2. In those days, Solomon had made Jeroboam of the tribe of Ephraim over the "house of Joseph" (put for the ten northern tribes of Israel). Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam because Jeroboam lifted his hand against Solomon. It was because God sent His prophet Ahijah to Jeroboam, and God made Jeroboam king over the northern ten tribes. Because of this, Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam, so Jeroboam fled to Egypt until Solomon died.
3. Then all Israel went to make Solomon's son Rehoboam king. Jeroboam had come back from Egypt and went with them. At that time the northern ten tribes asked Rehoboam to lighten the burden that his father Solomon had put upon them. Rehoboam said his little finger would be like the burden his father put upon them. So Israel (ten tribes) parted, and left Rehoboam, and made Jeroboam of the tribe of Ephraim their king in the northern lands. The tribe of Benjamin only was sided with Rehoboam king of Judah in the southern lands of Judea. Rehoboam, king of Judah at Jerusalem, assembled all his army in Judea, and sought to go north to the ten tribes and bring the 'whole' kingdom back again, but God told him this division was of Him. This latter section of events you will find written in 1 Kings 12.
4. What literally happened was God split old Israel into TWO SEPARATE KINGDOMS:
a. "house of Judah", also called the "kingdom of Judah". At the time of the split, this was made up only of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Later the Levites in the north left the ten tribes and came down to Judea and joined with the "kingdom of Judah" under Rehoboam at Jerusalem. In later Bible prophecy, these are called "house of Judah", or just "Judah", or just "Jerusalem", or "kingdom of Judah".
b. "house of Israel", also called the "kingdom of Israel". These made up the MAJORITY of Israelites.
Tribe of
1. Ephraim
2. ... Manasseh
3. ... Gad
4. ... Dan
5. ... Zebulun
6. ... Naphtali
7. ... Simeon
8. ... Asher
9. ... Reuben
10. ... Issachar
God made Jeroboam of the tribe of Ephraim king over those ten tribes, that kingdom was then called 'Israel'. Other names later in it went by was the "house of Israel", the "kingdom of Israel", or just "Israel", or "house of Joseph", or just "Jospeh", or even just "Ephraim", or just "Samaria" because Samaria in the north became its capital city where Jeroboam sat as king. If you don't know about God doing this split, then you will not understand those title differences for the two kingdoms, and thus will not properly understand what later Bible prophecies are to whom. There are many Bible prophecies after this split that are specific to each 'house'.
Prior to this split of 1 Kings 11, that "house of Israel" label was also used for all 12 tribes of Israel when they were all together. It is sometimes used for after the future return and gathering of all 12 too. But during this time in this world, since the days of Rehoboam king of Judah, even to now, these two 'houses' are still separated. Study Ezekiel 37 if you want to know the prophecy for their future re-joining with Christ's future return.
c. Jeroboam, king of Israel (northern kingdom of ten tribes) tried to prevent the people from going down south to worship at Jerusalem, for fear of adding to Judah's kingdom. So Jeroboam made 2 golden calf idols for worship, and put them in the northern cities of Dan and the other in Bethel. He then made common priests of the people, which prevented the Levites among the ten tribes from doing their priestly duties. So the Levites left the ten tribes and went south and joined with the "house of Judah". Likewise those in the northern tribes also left Jeroboam, and went south and joined with the "house of Judah". (See 2 Chronicles 11 about this).
5. The two separate kingdoms then had war against each other.
6. The northern ten tribe "kingdom of Israel" still would not give up the calf idol worship that Jeroboam setup, even with its good kings. So God sent the kings of Assyria upon this northern "kingdom of Israel", and removed all the ten tribes north beyond Euphrates, to Assyria and the land of the Medes. The Jewish historian Josephus (100 A.D.) they were still scattered beyond Euphrates in his day. These would never return to the holy land, even to this day they are still scattered among the Gentiles.
God promised the children of Israel early on, in Deuteronomy 4 and 28, that if they rebelled against Him that He would scatter them among the Gentiles. That He did first with the "house of Israel", i.e., the "kingdom of Israel". Yet He still had a plan in doing that involving The Gospel. If you understand even a little of this, then you should study the Book of Hosea, because there God is speaking mainly about His scattering of the "house of Israel" (ten tribes), and how they would eventually wind up. Apostle Paul quoted from Hosea to Gentiles in Romans 9, and the Book of Hosea was written about and to the ten tribe "house of Israel" only. So what does that show you about the ten tribes being scattered among the Gentiles, and The Gospel of Jesus Christ being accepted by both? Thus this two houses matter is not just a dry history like one might think. It reveals a whole, whole lot of God's Truth to His servants, and it can even reveal why the world is at this stage it is in today, how His people wound up where they are today.
1. In 1 Kings 11, God was angry at king Solomon because he allowed his many foreign wives and concubines to bring their pagan idol worship in among Israel. So God said He would 'rend' (part) the kingdom. But He promised not to do it in Solomon's day, but in the days of Solomon's son Rehoboam.
2. In those days, Solomon had made Jeroboam of the tribe of Ephraim over the "house of Joseph" (put for the ten northern tribes of Israel). Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam because Jeroboam lifted his hand against Solomon. It was because God sent His prophet Ahijah to Jeroboam, and God made Jeroboam king over the northern ten tribes. Because of this, Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam, so Jeroboam fled to Egypt until Solomon died.
3. Then all Israel went to make Solomon's son Rehoboam king. Jeroboam had come back from Egypt and went with them. At that time the northern ten tribes asked Rehoboam to lighten the burden that his father Solomon had put upon them. Rehoboam said his little finger would be like the burden his father put upon them. So Israel (ten tribes) parted, and left Rehoboam, and made Jeroboam of the tribe of Ephraim their king in the northern lands. The tribe of Benjamin only was sided with Rehoboam king of Judah in the southern lands of Judea. Rehoboam, king of Judah at Jerusalem, assembled all his army in Judea, and sought to go north to the ten tribes and bring the 'whole' kingdom back again, but God told him this division was of Him. This latter section of events you will find written in 1 Kings 12.
4. What literally happened was God split old Israel into TWO SEPARATE KINGDOMS:
a. "house of Judah", also called the "kingdom of Judah". At the time of the split, this was made up only of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Later the Levites in the north left the ten tribes and came down to Judea and joined with the "kingdom of Judah" under Rehoboam at Jerusalem. In later Bible prophecy, these are called "house of Judah", or just "Judah", or just "Jerusalem", or "kingdom of Judah".
b. "house of Israel", also called the "kingdom of Israel". These made up the MAJORITY of Israelites.
Tribe of
1. Ephraim
2. ... Manasseh
3. ... Gad
4. ... Dan
5. ... Zebulun
6. ... Naphtali
7. ... Simeon
8. ... Asher
9. ... Reuben
10. ... Issachar
God made Jeroboam of the tribe of Ephraim king over those ten tribes, that kingdom was then called 'Israel'. Other names later in it went by was the "house of Israel", the "kingdom of Israel", or just "Israel", or "house of Joseph", or just "Jospeh", or even just "Ephraim", or just "Samaria" because Samaria in the north became its capital city where Jeroboam sat as king. If you don't know about God doing this split, then you will not understand those title differences for the two kingdoms, and thus will not properly understand what later Bible prophecies are to whom. There are many Bible prophecies after this split that are specific to each 'house'.
Prior to this split of 1 Kings 11, that "house of Israel" label was also used for all 12 tribes of Israel when they were all together. It is sometimes used for after the future return and gathering of all 12 too. But during this time in this world, since the days of Rehoboam king of Judah, even to now, these two 'houses' are still separated. Study Ezekiel 37 if you want to know the prophecy for their future re-joining with Christ's future return.
c. Jeroboam, king of Israel (northern kingdom of ten tribes) tried to prevent the people from going down south to worship at Jerusalem, for fear of adding to Judah's kingdom. So Jeroboam made 2 golden calf idols for worship, and put them in the northern cities of Dan and the other in Bethel. He then made common priests of the people, which prevented the Levites among the ten tribes from doing their priestly duties. So the Levites left the ten tribes and went south and joined with the "house of Judah". Likewise those in the northern tribes also left Jeroboam, and went south and joined with the "house of Judah". (See 2 Chronicles 11 about this).
5. The two separate kingdoms then had war against each other.
6. The northern ten tribe "kingdom of Israel" still would not give up the calf idol worship that Jeroboam setup, even with its good kings. So God sent the kings of Assyria upon this northern "kingdom of Israel", and removed all the ten tribes north beyond Euphrates, to Assyria and the land of the Medes. The Jewish historian Josephus (100 A.D.) they were still scattered beyond Euphrates in his day. These would never return to the holy land, even to this day they are still scattered among the Gentiles.
God promised the children of Israel early on, in Deuteronomy 4 and 28, that if they rebelled against Him that He would scatter them among the Gentiles. That He did first with the "house of Israel", i.e., the "kingdom of Israel". Yet He still had a plan in doing that involving The Gospel. If you understand even a little of this, then you should study the Book of Hosea, because there God is speaking mainly about His scattering of the "house of Israel" (ten tribes), and how they would eventually wind up. Apostle Paul quoted from Hosea to Gentiles in Romans 9, and the Book of Hosea was written about and to the ten tribe "house of Israel" only. So what does that show you about the ten tribes being scattered among the Gentiles, and The Gospel of Jesus Christ being accepted by both? Thus this two houses matter is not just a dry history like one might think. It reveals a whole, whole lot of God's Truth to His servants, and it can even reveal why the world is at this stage it is in today, how His people wound up where they are today.
