After the final Roman invasion, what became of the ten tribes of Israel and where are they now?
Answering this question is not easy. Israel is made up of twelve tribes in reality. But the inquiry might be about Israel’s ten so-called “lost tribes.” To the best of my knowledge, however, the discussion of the ten “lost tribes” centers around the division of the kingdom of Israel starting in 931 B.C. rather than the period of the last Roman invasion (A.D. 70). I’ll do my best to respond to the inquiry.
Israel divided in two kingdoms
Following Solomon’s reign, the kingdom was split into the northern kingdom (the surviving ten tribes) and the southern kingdom (Judah and Benjamin; 1 Kings 12:20–21). Because it was the most prominent tribe, the southern monarchy came to be known as the kingdom of Judah. Since it was the most prominent tribe, the northern kingdom was sometimes referred to as Ephraim and sometimes as Israel. This difference will become apparent, for instance, when you read through the prophets. But soon after the northern monarchy got deeply mired in idolatry, a remnant—a small number inside a larger group—started to move back to the southern kingdom (see 2 Chronicles 11:14–17).
A history of invasions
The northern kingdom (the ten tribes) was subjugated by the Assyrian empire after their invasion in 722 B.C. The term “Assyrian captivity” refers to this. But some of these captors also made their way back to the southern kingdom (2 Chronicles 30:6–10). Eventually, the kingdom to the south was also captured (the so-called Babylonian captivity, see timeline). When King Cyrus of the Medes and Persians overthrew Babylon in 538 or 539 B.C., the exile and captivity came to an end. A remnant also came back. The tribes were once more known to as Israel, the one people, from this point on.
God has already brought back His scattered people
Scripture gives us an account in which every one of the twelve tribes is consistently accounted for. The Bible never mentions a lost tribe or tribes. Many theories have been put out by those who believe in the “ten lost tribes” regarding the identity and current location of these tribes. Some people think that American Indians, Japanese, Ethiopians, Mormons, and Afghans are among the “lost tribes”‘ descendants. But none of this is even close to being true or supported by Scripture. Actually, according to Luke 1:68–69, 2:36, Acts 4:36, 26:6-7, and Philippians 3:5, there is no reason to think that tribes were still “lost” at the time of Christ. Rather, all of the tribes were represented throughout that time. God has already made them, including the Gentiles, and has already brought them back.
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