When did that happen? How and when was the pride of the tribes of Israel broken? Or, does that refer to some still future event, as some have claimed?
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This essay is part 2 in a 17-part series on what biblical prophecies say about the
fate of the ten "lost" tribes of Israel. These seventeen essays are mostly directed
to people who have been subjected to Anglo-Israelism (British Israelism), but they
can be beneficial even for others.
This present part studies a phrase in Leviticus 26:19, "And I will break the pride of your power". It will be considered, when did that happen? How and when was the pride of the tribes of Israel broken? Or, does that refer to some still future event, as some have claimed?
Links to the other parts in this series can be found under the heading "Tribes" on the index-page keyw-t4.htm. Some of them are mentioned even in the "Additional reading" section towards the end of this essay.
That was in Old Testament times. They had been warned of what unfaithfulness would lead to – the Lord had told them what would happen, if they were not faithful. It was one of those warnings, recorded in Leviticus 26:19, that included the words "and I will break the pride of your power". We read:
Leviticus 26:18 And if you will not yet for all this listen to me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. 19 And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass (AKJV)
It is important to find out whether that has happened, or whether those words refer to some still future event, as some have claimed.
This essay proceeds to show what the words "and I will break the pride of your power" really refer to, and when and how that warning prophecy actually was fulfilled.
As Leviticus 26:18-19 with its context shows, ancient Israel had been warned of what would happen to them if they were not faithful to the Lord. The warnings recorded in Leviticus 26 had been given to them already when they still were in the wilderness, before they had entered the Promised Land.
Later when the Israelites had come to the Promised Land and lived there, they were unfaithful, without caring about those warnings. Consequently, they were repeatedly punished, and finally removed from their country and taken into exile. That exile began around 2700 years ago – first to go were the ten northern tribes of Israel; for the southern tribes the exile came a bit later. After having been taken into that exile, especially the northern tribes of Israel came to be dispersed into all the world, within the other nations, without having a country of their own and without being a nation any longer. Through that, they became the ten "lost" tribes of Israel.
But, they had been warned. The record of the warning regarding five "rounds" of punishments, each round sevenfold harder than the previous one, is found in Leviticus 26:13-17 (the first round), Leviticus 26:18-20 (the second one), Leviticus 26:21-22 (the third), Leviticus 26:23-26 (the fourth) and Leviticus 26:27-39 (the fifth and final round, ending in exile). In each of those passages, the Hebrew text contained the word sheba which meant "seven", and when used in such a context as in those passages (Leviticus 26:18, 21, 24 and 28), "sevenfold", that is, seven times stronger or harder.
A note: Some Anglo-Israelist preachers have taken Leviticus 26:28 out of its context, claiming that it refers to a "punishment lasting 2520 years" – they "calculate" that from the words "seven times" that some bible-versions have in Leviticus 26:18, 21, 24 and 28. However, the Hebrew text of those verses does not contain any word for "years" or "times" but only the word sheba which meant "seven", in this case "sevenfold". The meaning of the word sheba in Leviticus 26 was that each round of the punishments the Lord warned ancient Israel about, was to be sevenfold harder than the preceding one. There is a bit more on this, later in this present essay, but the essay ey05c.htm has the finer details regarding the word sheba in Leviticus 26.
Let us now take a closer look at the warnings the Lord gave to the Israelites, including the phrase "I will break the pride of your power", or "the arrogance of your power" as some translations have it. Again, those warnings were given to the Israelites before they had even entered the Promised Land.
Here is the "first round" of what was to happen to them, if they were not faithful to the Lord:
Leviticus 26:13 I am Jehovah your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you walk upright. 14 But if ye hearken not unto me, and do not all these commandments, 15 and if ye shall despise my statutes, and if your soul shall abhor mine ordinances, so that ye do not all my commandments, that ye break my covenant, 16 I also will do this unto you—I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and fever, which shall cause the eyes to fail, and the soul to waste away; and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 And I will set my face against you, that ye may be routed before your enemies; they that hate you shall have dominion over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. (DBY)
But, as things went, the Israelites did not obey the Lord, so in due time, those things did come upon them. Please note that this punishment is a thing of the past. It took place, when the tribes of Israel lived in the land of Canaan. In short: Leviticus 26:13-17 is fulfilled prophecy. Past time. Anyone who wants to, can study the Old Testament; the fulfilment of those things is recorded there.
The Lord had warned ancient Israel that if they after that punishment did not heed, there was to be a second "round" of punishing, seven-fold worse than the first one. It turned out that the Israelites did not take heed, despite that first round of punishments. So, the Lord punished them again, this time seven-fold harder. It was that second round which, among other things, included "the breaking of the pride of their power".
Here is how the Lord had foretold those things in advance, already during the wilderness-wandering before the Israelites had settled in the Promised Land (the actual fulfilment of those punishments is recorded elsewhere in the Bible):
Leviticus 26:18 And if for this ye hearken not unto me, I will punish you sevenfold more for your sins, 19 and I will break the arrogance of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as bronze, 20 and your strength shall be spent in vain, and your land shall not yield its produce; and the trees of the land shall not yield their fruit. (DBY)
But, Israel did not obey, and even this warning prophecy came to its fulfilment. Israel was overrun by enemies, and was conquered. They had to pay tribute to other nations. They were faced by severe droughts and other such problems. Thus, it came to happen that "the pride of their power" was definitely broken. That happened more than 2700 years ago and is fulfilled prophecy, a fact of history, a thing of the past.
The things mentioned in Leviticus 26:13-20 formed the first and second rounds of punishment. The second round included "the breaking of the pride of their power". Those things took place when the tribes of Israel lived in the Promised Land (the land of Canaan).
After that, three more rounds of punishment followed, each sevenfold stronger than the previous one. The fifth and final round of punishment resulted in that they were driven into exile, which meant that their land and its cities became "desolate and waste" – empty and without inhabitants. (Later, they were reminded of that warning; see the book of Deuteronomy, chapters 4 and 28.) As things went, the tribes of Israel were taken into exile. The fulfilment of that warning prophecy is recorded in the Bible – regarding the fulfilment of its last and final part, see for instance 2 Kings 15:29 and 2 Kings 17:6 (for the northern tribes of Israel) and 2 Kings 24:1-17 and 2 Kings 25:1-21 (for the southern tribes).
Later, the Israelites became dispersed among (within) the other nations of this world, without having a land of their own. Their "pride" had been broken a long time before that.
The essay ey05c.htm has more on all of those five rounds of punishment, but here are the warnings regarding them:
If the second round of punishment did not help – if they still were unfaithful – there was to come a third round, seven times harder than the previous one:
Leviticus 26:21 And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me, I will bring sevenfold more plagues upon you according to your sins. 22 And I will send the beasts of the field among you, that they may rob you of your children, and cut off your cattle, and make you few in number; and your streets shall be desolate. (DBY)
But, if they did not "get it" even after that, they were in for a fourth round of punishments, seven times worse than the preceding one:
Leviticus 26:23 And if ye will not be disciplined by me through these, but walk contrary unto me, 24 then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will smite you, even I, sevenfold for your sins. 25 And I will bring a sword upon you that avengeth with the vengeance of the covenant, and ye shall be gathered together into your cities, and I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. 26 When I break the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and shall deliver you the bread again by weight; and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied. (DBY)
If that fourth round of punishments did not make them heed, there was to be a fifth and final one, which meant that they would be driven out of the Promised Land, into exile:
Leviticus 26:27 And if for this ye hearken not to me, but walk contrary unto me, 28 then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven-fold for your sins. 29 And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat. 30 And I will lay waste your high places, and cut down your sun-pillars, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols; and my soul shall abhor you. 31 And I will lay waste your cities and desolate your sanctuaries; and I will not smell your sweet odours. 32 And I will bring the land into desolation; that your enemies who dwell there in may be astonished at it. 33 And I will scatter you among the nations, and will draw out the sword after you; and your land shall be desolation, and your cities waste. (DBY)
A note: The words "your land shall be desolation, and your cities waste" simply mean that because they were driven to exile, the Promised Land and its cities would be "desolate and waste" – that is, empty, without inhabitants. As was mentioned earlier, the fulfilment of that waning prophecy regarding the land of Israel and its cities being made desolate and waste is recorded in the Bible – see 2 Kings 15:29 and 17:6 (the taking into exile of the northern tribes of Israel), and 2 Kings 24:1-17 and 25:1-21 (the southern tribes).
Again, it was a matter of an initial punishment, followed by four other "rounds" of punishing, each of which was seven-fold stronger than the preceding one. As the Bible records, those punishments then did come upon the Israelites. The last of them led to that they were driven out from the Promised Land, into exile.
The warning prophecy regarding "the breaking the pride of their power" was fulfilled more than 2700 years ago. The Bible mentions no "second fulfilment" of that – no such thing is indicated, not even in the slightest way. Leviticus 26:19 is fulfilled prophecy, just as all of Leviticus 26:14-33 is.
Those things are recorded in the Bible, so those who are interested can find out what actually happened, and when. Anglo-Israelist preachers avoid mentioning this – that is no wonder because they want people to believe that the punishments mentioned in Leviticus 26 have not taken place yet.
The reason why certain Anglo-Israelist preachers have their dogma regarding Leviticus 26:19, is that they use that verse (mostly in the USA) for scaring the daylights out of people (and money from their wallets). They "re-use" those already fulfilled prophecies, and cause people to think that Leviticus 26 supposedly refers to Britain and the USA.
Those preachers demand their followers to give as much money as they can, so that the preacher can "proclaim the Ezekiel warning". They claim that the prophet Ezekiel supposedly failed to do his job, and that they now are doing it, supposedly being "Ezekiel watchmen who have been sent to warn Israel". For those preachers, the Anglo-Saxon nations are "Israel". They tell people that if they fail to finance the preacher's "Ezekiel work", there will be "blood on their heads". They talk about horrors that are supposed to be coming upon Britain and the USA. It is in that connection, that they claim that God is going to "break the pride of the power" of Britain and the USA, making their "skies as iron and the soil as brass" and causing their land and cities to become "desolate and waste", supposedly through a nuclear war.
But again, the facts are that the events mentioned in the prophetic warnings recorded in Leviticus 26 were fulfilled a long time ago, and are a thing of the past. Those things are fulfilled prophecy; they happened, when the Israelites still lived in the Promised Land. The Bible records those things. The essay ey05c.htm has more on that matter. All talk regarding a supposed later repetition of those punishments, is totally baseless.
The essay ey09c.htm sorts out the "Ezekiel warning" dogma, showing where it originated, and making it in detail clear that that dogma is totally unbiblical.
A note: The ten "lost" tribes of Israel still remain in the dispersion that resulted from the fifth and final round of punishments which they were subjected to. They still remain dispersed (spread) among (within) the other nations, just as the Bible said they would be. (The essay ey01b.htm has more on this.) They do not have a land of their own. They are not rich, nor are they powerful. They have not been restored yet. They are still "Lo-ammi" and "Lo-ruhamah", meaning "Not my people" and "No mercy" (Hosea 1:1-9). Their promised restoration and the renewed blessing that will follow that, are still a matter of the future. Those things will happen only after those tribes (in the future) turn back to the Lord, and make a new covenant with him and through that become once again "Ammi" and "Ruhamah" ("My people" and "Mercy"). It is only then, and only in their one and only earthly Promised Land (Canaan), that they will receive be blessed once again. Those things have not happened yet but are still future.
The essay ey01b.htm has more on how the "lost" tribes are doing today; the essay ey06b.htm shows that their blessings will be restored only after they have made a new covenant with the Lord, and that that will happen in their one and only earthly Promised Land (and not any other land a some have claimed). Below, you will find links to some of the other essays in this "tribes" series. Look also under the heading "Tribes" on the index-page keyw-t4.htm.
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Additional reading at the Bible Pages, on related as well as other issues:
A clarifying explanation of the short names for the bible-versions quoted or mentioned at this site, such as that NKJV stands for New King James Version, YLT for Young's Literal translation, HCSB for Holman Christian Standard Bible, NRSV for the New Revised Standard Version, and so on. → es09c.htm
The lost ten tribes of Israel in prophecy. What happened to Israel's northern tribes? Where are they today? Does the Bible give any clues regarding their fate? → ey01b.htm
For a full list of the essays in the "tribes" series, look under the heading "Tribes" on the index-page keyw-t4.htm.
Leviticus 26 and the translation "seven times". What does the Hebrew word sheba in Leviticus 26:16, 18, 21, 24 and 28 really mean and refer to? → ey05c.htm
On the prophet Ezekiel and his message and commission. Was Ezekiel a failure so that some preachers more than 2500 years later must do his job, as some have claimed, or did he in fact deliver the messages God gave to him, just as he was told to do? → ey09c.htm
Jesus warned his disciples about false prophets, teachers of falsehood, deceivers and deception. He said that many would be deceived. → eo09e.htm
When will the lost ten tribes of Israel be restored and blessed again? What about the "2520 years" that some talk about? → ey06b.htm
Gentiles, pagans and heathen or heathens – what do those words mean? This exposition makes it plain and clear what the concepts "gentile", "pagan" and "heathen" actually refer to, in the Bible. → eg01c.htm
The meaning of the words Christ, Christian, Messiah and Messias. Also: Did the saints call themselves "Christians" – christianos or christianoi? → eg07b.htm
The line of David the king of Israel – is it still ruling somewhere on Earth, with a mortal king on the throne? → ey12b.htm
Check your bible knowledge. A basic self-test with 15 biblical questions (with answers and commentary). → es04b.htm
The prophet Jeremiah – where did he die? Did Jeremiah go to Ireland, as some have claimed? What about the so-called "stone of destiny" which many Anglo-Israelists talk about? → ey14b.htm
The ten lost tribes of Israel – did they move into Europe? Who are the north-west European peoples of our day? → ey11b.htm
The tribe of Dan of Israel – did the Danites travel to Greece and Ireland, as some have claimed? What about Denmark? → ey15c.htm
How to understand the Bible. Easy keys to interpreting and understanding Scripture in a better and deeper way, by avoiding certain fundamental but common mistakes and errors in bible study. These vital keys are really the basics for objective bible study. Knowing these keys will make many things easier to interpret and comprehend, and one will see several central matters in the Bible from a new and different perspective, especially in connection with the Gospels and the Epistles. → eg02c.htm
Anglo-Israelism: What if Russia and her Slavic sisters are the lost ten tribes of Israel? → ey16b.htm
Covenant signs, including the sign of the New Covenant which shows who really are God's people. The Old Covenant's sign was the circumcision of males. What is the New Covenant's sign, seal or token? → ec09b.htm
How to study the Bible in a deeper way. Some simple guidelines and notes on study methods. Also, advice and information on easily available practical study helps and useful modern-day tools and resources which, on top of many other things, can help one to view and translate the Hebrew OT and Greek NT texts. → es01d.htm
What does the English language word and concept "doctrine" literally mean? Likewise, the terms "dogma", "creed" and "tenet", what do they signify? Countless preachers and doctors of theology compile dogmas, creeds, tenets and doctrinal statements of beliefs, and claim them to be "the Truth". But, they do not agree with each other. Their opinions and teachings differ, depending on their denomination and its viewpoints, and there is much confusion. So, the pertinent question is, who has the "true doctrines" or "correct dogmas"? What should one think – do the Scriptures give any guidance regarding this matter? What does the Bible say about "doctrine"? → es08c.htm
The origin and meaning of the word "church". → eg06b.htm
The identity and timing of the 144,000 and the great multitude of Revelation 7, and the first-fruits or virgins of Revelation 14:1-4 – who those groups really are, and when they came or come into existence. → et03c.htm
What is the biblical teaching regarding the great tribulation? When is it, and what is it like? Who are subjected to it, and who are allowed to escape from it, to a place of safety? Also: Does Matthew 24 point to the future, the "end time", or to the events of the first century, or to both times? What do the Scriptures in actual fact say about that subject? → et04c.htm
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