LOST 10 TRIBES INFO

This is like drinking from a fire hose....  I plagiarized off of a post on LDSFF.

Scared and Alone
The Location and Condition of the Lost Tribes of Israel1

"And behold, there are many who are already lost from the knowledge of those who are at Jerusalem. Yea, the more part of all the tribes have been led away... and whither they are none of us knoweth, save that we know that they have been led away."
1 Nephi 22:4

An aspect of the gospel that has long fascinated members of the Church is the doctrine of the gathering. Israel will literally be gathered together "from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other"2 and the Lord will "bring them again into their land that [He] gave unto their fathers."3

Of course, in order for a gathering to take place, there must first have been a dispersement. As we know, portions of the children of Israel have been led away from time to time in the past, most notably the Jaredites, Lehi and his family, among others. And although there have been portions of the various tribes led away from time to time, the largest such dispersement occurred in 721BC.

The story really begins, of course, with the death of King Solomon, and the ensuing struggle for power that ultimately ended in a literal rift in the house of Israel. The twelve tribes of Israel were split over who should succeed Solomon, with Benjamin and Judah accepting Rehoboam4. They occupied the south, including Jerusalem, and were called the Kingdom of Judah. The other ten tribes of Israel favoured Jeroboam. They became known as the Kingdom of Israel, and occupied the north. This all took place around 975BC.

In Deuteronomy, the Lord clearly warned the Jews of what was to come. "The Lord shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known... The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; a nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favor to the young... And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there shalt thou serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone."5

By 721BC, the Syrian states had been captured, and were paying tribute to the Assyrian king. At this time, Shalmanezer V was the king of Assyria. It came to his attention that King Hoshea in Israel was conspiring with Egypt, Syria and Phillistia to revolt against Assyrian rule. Shalmanezer immediately swept into Israel from the north, and laid siege to the kingdom for three years until it was ultimately devastated by Shalmanezer's successor, Sargon. The ten tribes were deported directly to Assyria, leaving the kingdom of Israel empty, soon to be filled with the Samaritan race. Some, it should be noted, managed to escape south into the Kingdom of Judah.

At this time, we know that although some stayed behind in Assyria, a large body of people representing each of the ten tribes, escaped from the Assyrians and began to travel north. These are they who became "lost".

There will, in the end, be two distinct gatherings for the children of Israel. The first gathering is a spiritual one, and the second is temporal. The spiritual gathering is currently taking place, and involves simply coming to a knowledge of the truth, accepting the gospel and joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The temporal gathering requires these converts to be "gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and... established in all their lands of promise."6

What role do the lost ten tribes play in the gathering? Where did they go when they left Assyria? Where are they now? How will they return? Before these questions can be answered, it must be clear that arguments and opinions are not necessarily doctrine. The standard works are, of course, the measuring stick with which one must evaluate any argument that is being advanced as truth. Elder Harold B. Lee said of this principle, "It is not to be thought that every word spoken by the General Authorities is inspired, or that they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost in everything they speak and write. Now you keep that in mind. I don't care what his position is, if he writes something or speaks something that goes beyond anything that you can find in the standard works, unless that one be the prophet, seer, and revelator - please note that one exception - you may immediately say, "Well, that is his own idea!" And if he says something that contradicts what is found in the standard works (I think that is why we call them "standard" - it is the standard measure of all that men teach), you may know by the same token that it is false, regardless of the position of the man who says it."7 It is important to bear that in mind.

Assyria, ca. 720BC: most of the ten tribes we know escape north. We are given valuable insight into their possible course in the Apocryphal book of Esdras. In chapter 13 of 2 Esdras, it is written "Those are the tribes which were carried away captives out of their own land in the time of Oseas [Hosea] the king, whom Shalmanezer, the king of the Assyrians, took captive, and crossed them beyond the river; so were they brought into another land. But they took counsel to themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the heathen, and go forth into a further country where never man dwelt, that they might keep their statutes, which they never kept in their own land. And they entered in at the narrow passage of the river Euphrates. For the Most High then showed them signs, and stayed the springs of the flood till they were passed over. For through the country there was a great journey, even of a year and a half, and the same region is called Arsareth (or Ararah). Then dwelt they there until the latter time, and when they come forth again, the Most High shall hold still the springs of the river again, that they may go through.8"9

The journey described sounds like a perfect type for the Israelites exodus from Egypt; this is no small band of nomads. These are the people who had previously occupied the whole of the Kingdom of Israel.

Elder George Reynolds wrote the following about the tribes' journey northward: "Is it altogether improbable that in that long journey of one and a half years, as Esdras states it, from Media the land of their captivity to the frozen north, some of the backsliding Israel rebelled, turned aside from the main body, forgot their God, by and by mingled with the Gentiles and became the leaven to leaven with the promised seed all the nations of the earth? The account given in the Book of Mormon of a single family of this same house, its waywardness, its stiff neckedness before God, its internal quarrels and family feuds are, we fear, an example on a small scale of what most probably happened in the vast bodies of Israelites who for so many months wended their tedious way northward. Laman and Lemuel had, no doubt, many counterparts in the journeying Ten Tribes. And who so likely to rebel as stubborn, impetuous, proud and warlike Ephraim? Rebellion and backsliding have been so characteristically the story of Ephraim's career that we can scarcely conceive that it could be otherwise and yet preserve the unities of that people's history. Can it be any wonder then that so much of the blood of Ephraim has been found hidden and unknown in the midst of the nations of northern Europe and other parts until the spirit of prophecy revealed its existence?"10

So we have an idea of the general course they travelled northward. Or do we? We must keep in mind that the reference comes from an apocryphal work, and therefore cannot be immediately accepted.11 Robert L. Millet and Joseph Fielding McConkie wrote "It could be argued that the passage referring to the ten tribes is good while the rest of the book is bad, and perhaps this is so. If we are to maintain that the ten tribes passage is a pearl found in a coal pit, it stands sorely in need of verification from a source known to be genuine, but what it cannot be is the foundation upon which the rest of our reasoning is based."12 Therefore, the account of Esdras is submitted merely as a theory; an ancient work whose authenticity and reliablity as an authoritative source is largely in question, and whose value is to be evaluated by the individual reader.13

We have at the very least a theory as to why we are currently finding so many Ephriamites in Europe. But this travelling body of ten tribes is still unaccounted for. Did they simply separate and disperse throughout Europe and Asia?

This is not likely; Bruce R. McConkie wrote that "they were still a distinct people many hundreds of years later, for the resurrected Lord visited and ministered among them following his ministry on this continent among the Nephites,"14 Robert L. Millet and Joseph Fielding McConkie put this fact into perspective for us: "While it is true that Christ visited them in a group or groups in the meridian of time (see 3 Nephi 17:4)15, it takes a two-thousand year leap to suppose that they have remained so today. The Nephites were also in a group with prophets at their head, but no one would argue that they have retained their identity to this day."16 Although this is true, there is supporting evidence that the tribes remain in such a state.

There are some who believe the gathering of the lost ten tribes is currently taking place through the conversion efforts of missionaries all over the globe. Their arguments will be dealt with later. They are fundamentally incorrect, and proven so by the simple fact that tribes other than Ephraim comprise an exceptionally small percentage of Church membership. So where is everybody? Some may claim conversions in Russia or Communist China will produce hordes of Asherites, Reubenites and Issacharites. This is highly unlikely, and if the lineage thus far revealed from Chinese and Russian conversions are any indication, there will be little change in the future. Current statistics for those areas seem to conform with the Church population in general, that is, almost universally Ephraimite with a handful of members from other tribes.

Of course, opinions differ widely when it comes to discussing the current location or condition of the lost tribes. Considerable debate on the topic has yielded no definite answer, not surprisingly, as the official position of the LDS church is that "we have no knowledge of the location or condition of that part of the ten tribes who went into the north country."17 We have been told that they "are not lost unto the Lord,"18 and it suffices us to know that they will someday be brought forth in a miraculous manner.19 However, there exists a myriad of statements that indicate generally the tribes' present circumstance.

One popular theory, which continues to be taught widely in the church despite a wealth of evidence and prophetic statements to the contrary, is the notion that "the ten lost tribes are no longer together in an organized group but that they are completely dispersed among the nations and that their gathering will be somewhat similar to that of the rest of the world who will be gathered from among the nations by typical missionary work."20 This scenario is probably best defended by Robert L Millet and Jospeh Fielding McConkie, quoted earlier. Dean of Religious Education at BYU and professor at BYU respectively, both are recognized church scholars. They make a thorough investigation of this argument in their book "Our Destiny: The Call and Election of the House of Israel."21 I have attempted in this paper to address their key arguments. In general, their arguments are at the very least intriguing, but too often rely on a reinterpretation of scriptural text that seems highly arbitrary. It is to the reader to weigh the merits of each proposal.

James E. Talmage, however, wrote "it is plain that, while many of those belonging to the Ten Tribes were diffused among the nations, a sufficient number to justify the retention of the original name were led away as a body and are now in existence in some place where the Lord has hidden them."22

The miraculous physical gathering is described in the most detail in section 133 of the Doctrine and Covenants. Although some may argue the passage is figurative, clearly a distinct group is spoken of, being led physically to Zion: "And they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the Lord; and their prophets shall hear his voice, and shall no longer stay themselves; and they shall smite the rocks, and the ice shall flow down at their presence. And an highway shall be cast up in the midst of the great deep. Their enemies shall become a prey unto them, And in the barren deserts there shall come forth pools of living water; and the parched ground shall no longer be a thirsty land. And they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children of Ephraim, my servants. And the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall tremble at their presence. And there shall they fall down and be crowned with glory, even in Zion, by the hands of the servants of the Lord, even the children of Ephraim.23"24

It would seem from this passage that there are prophets among the ten tribes, and that they have kept records25, most notably of the ministry of the resurrected Lord among them. Is this the only way to interpret this passage? Robert L. Millet and Joseph Fielding McConkie have this to say concerning the verses: "Section 133 of the Doctrine and Covenants speaks of a future day when the tribes of Israel will return under the direction of their prophets to receive a blessing at the hands of Ephraim. This revelation does not, however, say that they are presently in that state... Nor does this contradict Nephi's prophecy that we will some day have the records of the lost tribes. Nephi did not say that they would bring them to us, only that we would have them."26

Wilford Woodruff, however, said of this prophecy "all that God has said with regard to the ten tribes of Israel, strange as it may appear, will come to pass. They will, as has been said concerning them, smite the rock, and the mountains of ice will flow before them, and a great highway will be cast up, and their enemies will become a prey to them; and their records, and their choice treasures they will bring with them to Zion. These things are as true as God lives."27

Another indication that the ten tribes are still a distinct and separate group preparing for their return is a statement made by Joseph Smith concerning the John the Revelator. John Whitmer reported the incident as follows, "The Spirit of the Lord fell upon Joseph in an unusual manner, and he prophesied that John the Revelator was then among the Ten Tribes of Israel who had been led away by Shalmanezer, king of Assyria, to prepare them for their return from their long dispersion, to again possess the land of their fathers."28 Earlier it was noted that Bruce R. McConkie viewed the visit of the resurrected Lord to the ten tribes as evidence that "they were still a distinct people many hundreds of years later."29 It is of interest here to note that the Prophet spoke of John being specifically among the lost ten tribes, a useless designation if said tribes were indeed fully scattered. In that case, why not refer to John among the whole house of Israel? Why distinguish? Rather than address this problem, Millet and McConkie focus on John Whitmer's choice of the word 'dispersement' when recording the minutes of General Conference. Concerning this prophetic statement, Brothers Millet and McConkie say: "Far from saying they were in a body, the Prophet spoke of 'their long dispersion'. Again, if we are going to be true to the scriptures, it can be no other way. Be it remembered, and it is recorded in the book of Revelation, that the Lord told John that he 'must prophesy, again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings' (Revelation 10:11)."30

The Prophet speaking on another occasion said "...now I am prepared to say by the authority of Jesus Christ, that not many years shall pass away before the United States shall present such a scene of bloodshed as has not a parallel in the history of our nation; pestilence, hail, famine, and earthquake will sweep the wicked of this generation from off the face of this land, to open and prepare the way for the return of the lost tribes of Israel from the north country."31

James E. Talmage spoke twice of the Lost Ten Tribes in 1916, at both the April and October general conferences. In April he said "There is a tendency among men to explain away what they don't wish to understand in literal simplicity, and we, as Latter-day Saints are not entirely free from the taint of that tendency... Some people say [the prophecy of the gathering of the ten tribes] is to be explained in this way; A gathering is in progress, and has been in progress from the early days of this Church; and thus the 'Lost Tribes' are now being gathered; but that we are not to look for the return of any body of people now unknown as to their whereabouts. True, the gathering is in progress, this is a gathering dispensation; but the prophecy stands that the tribes shall be brought forth from their hiding place... [and their] scriptures shall become one with the scriptures of the Jews, the Holy Bible, and with the scriptures of the Nephites, the Book of Mormon, and with the scriptures of the Latter-day Saints as embodied in the volumes of modern revelation."32 Robert L. Millet and Joseph Fielding McConkie, of course, disagree as to the coming forth of the records of the lost tribes. Since they maintain that the tribes do not, in fact, currently exist as a body, they do not believe that the ten tribes will return bringing their records with them. They cite Bruce R. McConkie who said "we and they will have their scriptures; and those scriptures will tell of the Risen Lord among their forebears. How they shall be brought to light is not known. It may be in much the same way the Book of Mormon was revealed to the world."33 They go on to assert that "It may be... a portion of the record of the ten tribes is already in our posession. The Doctrine and Covenants is a record of God's dealings with a people who are a remnant of one of the lost tribes, even the tribe of Ephraim."34 That this last statement is highly improbable goes almost without saying.

Speaking in a similar vein at the following conference, Elder Talmage said "...I have found elders in Israel who would tell me that the predictions relating to the Lost Tribes are to be explained in this figurative manner- that the gathering of those tribes is already well advanced and that there is no hiding place whereto God has led them, from which they shall come forth, led by their prophets to receive their blessings here at the hands of gathered Ephraim, the gathered portions that have been scattered among the nations."35

Joseph Fielding Smith expressed the same view. President Smith wrote "Notwithstanding all that has been written, there are many members of the Church who think that these "lost tribes" were scattered among the nations and are now being gathered out and are found through all the stakes and branches of the Church. They reach this conclusion because the general opinion is that these tribes went into the North, and it is the northern countries from whence most of gathered Israel has been found... Whether these tribes are in the North or not, I am not prepared to say. As I said before, they are "lost" and until the Lord wishes it, they will not be found. All that I know about it is what the Lord has revealed, and He declares that they will come from the North. He has also made it very clear and definite that these lost people are separate and apart from the scattered Israelites now being gathered out...36 Surely there must be a time when this great body of people will come to the children of Ephraim to receive their blessings. At their presence the mountains will tremble; they will smite the rocks, and the ice shall flow down. They will bring forth their rich treasures to the children of Ephraim, at whose hands they shall receive the rich blessings which the Gospel and its ordinances offer them."37

President Smith then includes a quote from Elder Orson F. Whitney who makes an interesting symantic point. Elder Whitney said "It is maintained by some that the lost tribes of Israel -those carried into captivity about 725BC- are no longer a distinct people; that they exist only in a scattered condition, mixed with the nations among which they were taken by their captors, the conquering Assyrians. If this be true, and those tribes were not intact at the time Joseph and Oliver received the keys of the 'gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth,' what need to particularize as to the Ten tribes, if they were no longer a distinct people? And why do our Articles of Faith give these tribes a special mention?38"39

Robert L. Millet and Joseph Fielding McConkie attempt to answer Elder Whitney. They begin by restating the problem: "Moses conferred upon the heads of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery 'the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north' (D&C 110:11). In the tenth article of faith, the Prophet wrote: 'We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes.' It appears that two seperate events are being described. If the literal gathering of Israel embraces all twelve tribes, why then the seemingly redundant statement that the ten tribes will also be returned to their ancient lands?" Their attempt at an explanation is as follows: "The gathering," they say "comes in response to the scattering. We can quite properly consider the scattering as consisting of two parts: the leading of the ten tribes into the north countries, and the dispersing of the twelve tribes among all the nations of the earth. Thus, as the scattering can be divided into two major events, so it must be with the gathering. If there is to be a restoration of all things, the gathering of the twelve tribes must be as literal as their scattering; the ten tribes must return from the north countries as assuredly as they were taken into the north countries. Thus, after the remnants of the ten tribes have been gathered through the waters of baptism, some representative number of them will return to their ancient lands of inheritance."40 Brother Millet and Brother McConkie fail to take into account the fact that the "two part" gathering was such because chronologically, they were two seperate events, while their gathering, or at least, the gathering they are suggesting, appears to be one single event. Why continue to distinguish? Old time's sake? I think not.

An important scripture that can help us understand the nature of the tribes' condition is found in Jeremiah. "Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more say, The Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the Land of Egypt; But, the Lord liveth, which brought up, and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them;"41

Roger K. Young wrote that this scripture "indicates that the return of the Ten Tribes from the North will be such a miraculous event that it will overshadow the time that the Lord led the children of Israel out of the Land of Egypt. At that time the Lord, through his prophet Moses, provided miracle upon miracle in the form of plagues to convince Pharaoh to let them go, and then after their release led them with a pillar of fire and a pillar of smoke, spoke to them with his own voice, opened seas for them so that they crossed over on dry land, provided them water and food in miraculous ways, provided so that their clothes did not deteriorate, and even fought for them against the army of Egypt when it tried to stop them. The Lord will do so again and even more for the Tribes of Israel as He leads them from their hiding places in the North. The group that comes from the North will be a tremendous body indeed because they will consist of the descendants of 'the more part of the tribes'42 which had been led away."43

The Bible Dictionary in the LDS edition of the scriptures speaks in similar terms about the tribes' return: "Since their captivity they have never yet returned to their homeland, but extensive promises and prophecies speak of the time when they of the 'north countries' shall return.... The gathering of the lost tribes is to be a more spectacular event than the children of Israel coming out of Egypt in Moses' day."44

Brothers Millet and McConkie strive to persuade people that it would make more sense for God to bring to pass the miraculous prophecies concerning the ten tribes triumphant return in a figurative way; symbolically, rather than literally in the grand spectacle so vividly described in the scriptures. They appear to be trying to explain away what seems at first reading to be relatively straightforward. As Elder Talmage said above, "There is a tendency among men to explain away what they don't wish to understand in literal simplicity, and we, as Latter-day Saints are not entirely free from the taint of that tendency."45 I feel of Brother Millet and Brother McConkie as Joseph Fielding Smith did of those in the world and increasingly within the Church who disbelieve the miracles that God is capable of accomplishing with his power, "I think it is not in good taste for any man today, within the Church or out of it, to scout the miracles of the Bible. It is certainly out of harmony in the Church. It is certainly not in keeping with comission given to teachers in the Church to question the miracles of the scriptures..."46

So where on Earth could a large group of people be, who are as yet undiscovered? The Arctic?47 An underwater city, perhaps? Beneath the surface of the Earth? My neighbor's basement? Are they even on Earth at all...? The truth is, it is unlikely such a group could possibly escape the notice of man, particularly in this day of mapping satellites and radar.48 Which means, either one adheres to the belief that the tribes are indeed oblivious of their own significance and scattered among all nations, or they believe the tribes are not on this Earth at all.

Is that really so far fetched a possibility? Take Enoch for example, and his city, which was caught up into heaven. "One thousand and fifty-two years before the Great Flood, a large group of people had attained a sufficiently righteous society under the direction of the antediluvian prophet Enoch that their entire city-nation was sanctified and removed from this earth... This miraculous removal, which occurred just four years before Noah's birth, did not simply involve the citizenry, but also included the land that they occupied and 'their houses, gardens, fields, cattle, and all their possessions.'"49 "It is this city of Zion" says Elder McConkie, "which is to return in the last days, probably shortly after the ushering in of the millennial era."50

Robert L. Millet and Joseph Fielding McConkie ask a series of questions concerning the apostasy in an attempt to prove that the tribes could not conceivably be on this earth as a distinct body. They are absolutely correct, although their conclusion is erroneous, for they mean to convey that the lost ten tribes must indeed be scattered among all nations. True, these questions could not be answered if the tribes were still on earth somewhere together, but are easily diffused if the tribes are indeed living on another sphere. They ask, "How could the apostasy have been universal and not affect those of the lost tribes? And if there were no apostasy among them, why the need for a restoration? Why restore priesthood and keys that have not been lost? Why give Joseph Smith the Presidency and responsibility for events over which he has no control? And what is wrong with the priesthood authority of these prophets and their tribes that they have never sought to share its blessings with others?"51 Of the priesthood as it exists with the ten tribes Elder Orson Pratt said, "God is determined to raise up Prophets among that people, but he will not bestow upon them all the fullness of the blessings of the Priesthood. The fullness will be reserved to be given to them after they come to Zion."52 And, presumably, the apostasy did not affect John the Revelator, who was granted life until the Lords return, nor the Three Nephites, who had and still hold the priesthood, as do those beings from the city of Enoch, who also continue to exist elsewhere.

Is it that inconceivable to believe that the same thing happened to the ten tribes of Israel? Elder Parley P. Pratt wrote of this very possibility in the Millennial Star, in 1841. He wrote " We are nowhere to understand that all the stars will fall or even many of them: but only 'as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken by a mighty wind.'53 The stars which will fall to the earth, are fragments, which have been broken off from the earth from time to time, in the mighty convulsions of nature. Some in the days of Enoch, some perhaps in the days of Peleg, some with the ten tribes, and some at the crucifixion of the Messiah. These must all be restored again at the 'times of restitution of all things.' This will restore the ten tribes of Israel; and also bring again Zion, even Enoch's city... When these fragments, (some of which are vastly larger than the present earth) are brought back and joined to this earth, it will cause a convulsion of all nature; the graves of the Saints will be opened, and rise from the dead; while the mountains will flow down, the valleys rise, the sea retire to its own place, the islands and continents will be removed, and earth be rolled together as a scroll. The earth will be many times larger than it is now. 'If I have told you of earthly things and ye believe not; what would you think if you were to be told of heavenly things.'"54

President Wilford Woodruff recorded in his journal an account from Brigham Young. "The leaders upon their return from Provo made a visit to Logan. Here, President Young is quoted as saying the ten tribes of Israel are on a portion of the earth--a portion separated from the main land."55

Recorded elsewhere in President Woodruff's journal is another statement from Brigham Young regarding the lost tribes. It is a response President Young gave when, in 1859, he was asked if the explorations which were then taking place in Northern Canada would eventually lead to the discovery of the lost ten tribes, and ultimately, their return. To this, he replied: "The nations will have nothing to do with the preparing of the way for their return. But when the time has come for their return, the Lord will do the work. They are on a portion of earth separated from this globe in the north which cannot be seen from this earth."56

Elder Orson Pratt recorded the opinion of Joseph Smith on the matter when he wrote "The Prophet Joseph once in my hearing advanced his opinion that the Ten Tribes were separated from the Earth; or a portion of the Earth was by a miracle broken off, and that the Ten Tribes were taken away with it, and that in the latter days it would be restored to the Earth or be let down in the Polar regions. Whether the Prophet founded his opinion upon revelation or whether it was a matter of mere speculation for him, I am not able to say."57

One of the Prophet's wives, and later General Relief Society President, Eliza R. Snow is the author of 10 of the hymns contained in the current edition of our hymnbook. Among others, Snow penned the words to "Behold the Great Redeemer Die", "O My Father", and "In Our Lovely Deseret". Reproduced below is a hymn she wrote that appeared in LDS Hymnbooks from 1856 until 1912, at which point the hymnbook was condensed significantly.

1. Thou, Earth, wast once a glorious sphere
Of noble magnitude,
And didst with majesty appear
Among the worlds of God.

2. But thy dimensions have been torn
Asunder, piece by piece,
And each dismember'd fragment borne
Abroad to distant space.

3. When Enoch could no longer stay
Amid corruption here,
Part of thyself was borne away
to form another sphere.

4. That portion where his city stood
He gain'd by right approv'd
And nearer to the throne of god
His planet upward mov'd

5. And when the Lord saw fit to hide
The "ten lost tribes" away,
thou, Earth, wast sever'd to provide
The orb on which they stay.

6. And thus, from time to time, thy size
Has been diminish'd, till
Thou seemst the law of sacrifice
Created to fulfil.58


A fascinating account concerning Joseph Smith comes to us from Homer M. Brown, a patriarch in the Granite Stake. His grandparents were Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Brown, who would from time to time be called upon to give sanctuary to the Prophet. Homer M. Brown's account is as follows: "One evening in Nauvoo, just after dark, somebody rapped at the door very vigorously. Grandfather said he was reading the Doctrine and Covenants. He rose hurriedly and answered the summons at the door, where we met the Prophet Joseph Smith.

"He said, 'Brother Brown, can you keep me over night, the mobs are after me?' Grandfather answered, 'Yes, sir. It will not be the first time, come in.'

"'All right,' the Prophet said, shutting the door quickly. He came in and sat down. Grandmother said; 'Brother Joseph, have you had your supper?'

"'No' he answered, 'I have not.' So she prepared him a meal and he ate it. After ward they were in conversation relative to the principles of the Gospel. During the conversation the ten lost tribes were mentioned. Grandfather said, 'Joseph, where are the ten tribes?' He said, 'Come to the door and I will show you, come on Sister Brown, I want you both to see.'

"It being a starlit night the Prophet said: 'Brother Brown, can you show me the Polar Star?' 'Yes sir,' he said, pointing to the North Star. 'There it is.' 'Yes, I know,' said the Prophet, 'But which one? there are a lot of stars there.'

"Grandfather said: 'Can you see the points of the Dipper?' The Prophet answered: 'You are correct. Now,' he said, pointing toward the star, 'do you discern a little twinkler to the right and below the Polar Star, which we would judge to be about the distance of 20 feet from here?'

"Grandfather answered, 'Yes, sir.' The Prophet said: 'Sister Brown, do you see that star also?' Her answer was, 'Yes, sir.'

"'Very well then,' he said, 'let's go in.' After re-entering the house, the Prophet said 'Brother Brown, I noticed when I came in that you were reading the Doctrine and Covenants. Will you kindly get it.'

"He did so. The Prophet turned to section 133 and read, commencing at the 26th verse, and throughout the 34th verse. He said, after reading the 31st verse, 'Now let me ask you what would
cause the everlasting hills to tremble with more violence than the coming together of two planets? 'And the place whereon they reside will return to this Earth'. Now,' he said, 'scientists will tell you that it is not scientific: that two planets coming together would be disastrous to both, but when two planets or other objects are travelling in the same direction and one of them with a little greater velocity than the other, it would not be disastrous because the one travelling faster would overtake the other. And now, what would cause the mountains of ice to melt quicker than the heat caused by the friction of the two planets coming together?' And then he asked this question: 'Did you ever see a meteor falling that was not red hot? So that would cause the mountains of ice to melt.'

"'And relative to this Great Highway which should be cast up when the planet returns to its place in the great Northern Waters, it will form a highway and waters will recede and roll back.' He continued, 'Now as to their coming back from the Northern Waters; they will return from the north because their planet will return to the place from whence it was taken.'

"'Relative to the waters rolling back to the north. If you take a vessel of water and swing it rapidly around your head you won't spill any, but if you stop the motion gradually, it will begin to pour out. Now,' he said, 'Brother Brown, at the present time this earth is rotating very rapidly. When this planet returns it will make the earth much heavier, and it will then revolve slower, and that will account for the waters receding from this earth for a great while...'"59

One must, of course, differentiate between opinion, that is, speculation, and prophetic statements. That opinions differ on this matter is no better illustrated than when the various statements in this paper are compared with this passage from Bruce R. McConkie's final work "A New Witness for the Articles of Faith. Elder McConkie writes "There is something mysterious and fascinating about believing the Ten Tribes are behind an iceberg somewhere in the land of the north, or that they are on some distant planet that will one day join itself with the earth, or that the tribe of Dan is in Denmark, the tribe of Reuben in Russia, and so forth. A common cliché asserts: 'If we knew where the Lost Tribes were, they would not be lost.' True it is that they are lost from the knowledge of the world; they are not seen and recognized as the kingdom they once were; but in general terms, their whereabouts is known. They are scattered in all the nations of this earth, primarily in the nations north of the lands of their first inheritance."60

In light of this, one is forced to concede that regarding the whereabouts of the Lost Tribes, the answer is an unequivocal "We don't know." One is free, however to review the facts, and based upon them form an opinion.

In addition to recognizing speculation versus prophetic statements, one must certainly also consider the reliability of the source material to properly on form one's own opinion. The scope of this paper does not allow for the evaluation of each historical source, and consequently, the reader must consider each on its own merits. It has been demonstrated sufficiently that the lost tribes of Israel continue to exist somewhere as a group, distinct and self-aware. It also appears that concerning their whereabouts there exists a pattern of evidence that seems to point toward one conclusion, that the Ten Tribes of Israel are currently residing on a sphere separate from this earth. They are preparing for their return, which we know will come to pass very shortly.61 Their return to this planet will fulfill ancient prophecy and in the words of Jeremiah, "behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall... [say], the Lord liveth, which brought up, and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country... and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers."62

Perhaps it would be a good idea to prepare a trail of Reeses Pieces™, to aid the lost tribes in their journey home. Good luck, my extra-terrestrial friends. We'll leave the light on for you...



--Reuben--Simeon--Levi--Issachar--Zebulun--Dan--Naphtali--Gad---Asher--Joseph--
Isa. 11:10-16; Jer. 3:18; 16:14-21; 1 Ne. 22:4-12; 2 Ne. 10:21-22; 3 Ne. 15: 13-15; 16:1-5; D&C 133:26-35.63