Cleon Skousen and the 10 Lost Tribes of Israel

[Oldemandaltoncaptain of 1,000]

Cleon Skousen and the 10 Lost Tribes of Israel

Cleon Skousen taught that;

1. As the Ten Tribes migrated north a more righteous group divided from the less righteous and were transferred to a separate planet as had occurred with the City of Enoch.

2. The less righteous group of the Ten Tribes eventually became the Anglo-Saxons and the tribes who occupied Northern Europe.

3. When this miraculous highway emerges from the deep, it will be so spectacular that the crossing of the Red Sea in the days of Moses will seem like practically nothing compared to it.

4. Those who were “left behind” from the tribe of Ephriam will greet their long lost relatives and share with them the blessings of the Temple.

5. The returning Ten Tribes will bring riches and scriptures and be led by prophets.

D&C 133
26. 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.

This verse raises a whole series of questions. First of all, where have the ten lost tribes been for the last 2,600 years? And how did they happen to show up in the midst of the ice and rugged rocks of the Arctic Circle? Since the gospel was restored we have the answers to some of these questions.

For example, we now know the ten northern tribes broke away from the tribe of Judah in 921 B.C. and the tribe of Aaron (the Levites) subsequently joined Judah. The remaining ten tribes were conquered by the Assyrians in 721 B.C. but the ten tribes escaped in 606 B.C. when the Assyrians were conquered by the Babylonians. For two centuries or more, the ten tribes settled near the Black Sea, but they felt threatened when the Roman legions began conquering that territory. As a result, the ten tribes began a long, tedious migration to the far north. The Jewish Apocrypha describes this northward migration by saying:

"But they took this counsel among themselves that they would leave the multitudes of the heathen, and go forth into a further country, where never mankind dwelt, that they might there keep their statutes which they never kept in their own land." Esdras 13:40-44, The Apocrypha According to the Authorized Version, Destiny Publishers, 1946, pp. 56-57.

A careful reading of Esdras indicates that the more righteous Israelites apparently divided from the less righteous and were transferred to a separate planet as had occurred with the City of Enoch. Esdras does not tell us what happened to the righteous segment, but he does speak of those who were "left behind," Esdras 13:48 clearly indicating that there was a separation.

It was Brigham Young who learned from Joseph Smith or by direct revelation that the righteous segment of the lost tribes are "on a portion of the earth -- a portion separate from the main land." Brigham Young quoted in Matthias F. Cowley's biography on Wilford Woodruff, p. 448

But, as we have seen in verse 26 of this section, it is the Lord's plan in the near future to have the ten lost tribes make their appearance among the Rocky Mountains and cliffs of ice in the north country. These returning Israelites will be led by God's prophets and the ice will flow down at their presence as the ten tribes prepare to unite with the Saints in Zion.

Now the Lord tells us how they will reach Zion:

27. And an highway shall be cast up in the midst of the great deep.

Isaiah describes this great highway and says:

"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.... No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon ... but the redeemed shall walk there." Isaiah 35:8-9.

According to Esdras, the returning tribes of Israel will be astonished when they come to Zion and find that the priesthood and Saints of God in charge of Zion are the descendants of those whom the more righteous Israelites "left behind." [Esdras 13:48] This suggest that those who were "left behind" were the Anglo-Saxons and the tribes who occupied Northern Europe. They not only remained behind, but when the gospel was restored, they provided the early membership of the Church. And since that time, it is from them that the prophets and leaders of the Church have mostly descended.

Now one final comment concerning the Lord's mighty highway over which the lost ten tribes will return. Jeremiah says that when this miraculous highway emerges from the deep, it will be so spectacular that the crossing of the Red Sea in the days of Moses will seem like practically nothing compared to it. Jeremiah 16:14-15

28. Their enemies shall become a prey unto them,

Even though one-sixth of the Gentiles armies of Gog and Magog will survive the battle of Armageddon, they will not be allowed to impede the return of the lost tribes as they pour out of the north on this great highway.

29. And in the barren deserts there shall come forth pools of living water; and the parched ground shall no longer be a thirsty land.
30. And they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children of Ephraim, my servants.

The lost tribes will bring great treasures from their former residence to enrich the New Jerusalem and embellish the temple. They will also bring with them vast quantities of sacred records to help them perform their ancestral temple work.

31. And the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall tremble at their presence.

The vast hosts of Israelites will be so numerous they will thunder across the American continent and cause the everlasting hills to tremble with the vibrations of their millions of marching feet.

32. 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.

These joyous lost tribes will pour out over God's great highway and direct their course to the temples of the Lord. There they will receive their temple blessings under the hands of the tribe of Ephraim. We recall that the Ephraimites turned out to be the Anglo-Saxons who were "left behind" when the more righteous segment of the lost tribes were taken to their new planetary home.

33. And they shall be filled with songs of everlasting joy.

The Savior says these multitudes of lost relatives will receive these most sacred blessings in the temple with triumphant songs of everlasting joy.

34. Behold, this is the blessing of the everlasting God upon the tribes of Israel, and the richer blessing upon the head of Ephraim and his fellows.

The Lord also says it will be Ephraim that will feel so abundantly blessed to have the overwhelming joy of sharing the temple blessings with the returning tribes.

35. And they also of the tribe of Judah, after their pain, shall be sanctified in holiness before the Lord, to dwell in his presence day and night, forever and ever.

But we must not forget about the Jews. The Lord says they will also be given their temple blessings after they are converted at the time of Armageddon. As members of the Church, they will dwell in the presence of God both day and night, forever and ever.

From; Section 133, Early Church History and the Doctrine and Covenants, A Verse-by-Verse Audio Commentary Historical Commentary by W. Cleon Skousen

11. And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.

This verse is talking about something far more exciting than these simple words would seem to imply. The details of how the children of Israel will use the mountains for their thoroughfare, and have a mighty highway "exalted" (or lifted up) for them are described by the Lord in a modern revelation as follows:

"And they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the Lord; ... 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....

"And they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children of Ephraim....

"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." D&C 133:26-27; 30, 32

This is describing the return of the lost Ten Tribes of Israel. They will come out of the north on a mighty highway which will be raised up in the deep so that they can come with their multitudes and their treasures to receive their endowments from the Ephraimite Saints in America. Jeremiah says the raising up of this highway "in the midst of the great deep" will be so spectacular that people will no longer talk about the miracle of dividing the Red Sea for Israel. [See Jeremiah 16:14-15]

That will seem insignificant compared to the latter-day highway in the great deep.

12. Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.

Isaiah says these remnants of Israel will "come from far." Just how far is impossible to say, but there is a hint scattered throughout the scripture that some of them may come from another planetary home where God transplanted them. If such is the case, then they will have to reach the earth by a highway from the depths of space. Note the strange way in which Jesus described to his disciples the manner in which the great latter-day gathering would take place. Jesus said he would bring together his people "from one end of heaven to the other." [Joseph Smith -- Matthew 1:37] We also note that Isaiah speaks of Judah being dispersed among the nations of the earth, but the main body of Israel being outcasts. [Isaiah 11:12; or 2 Nephi 21:12] It may turn out that these Israelites who come down "from the north" will have come from very far indeed. And their highway in the "great deep" may turn out to be a highway to the earth from the depths of the heavens.

Page 619, Isaiah, Chapter 49, Isaiah Speaks to Modern Times by W. Cleon Skousen

THE COMING OF THE TEN TRIBES FROM THE NORTH

The second great project, and one which will be undertaken contemporaneously with the conversion of the Lamanites, will be the revealing of the whereabouts of the lost Ten Tribes and the gathering of them from the North. This will not be any ordinary event. For over a hundred years, their prophets have been preparing them. As early as 1831 the Lord revealed that the translated Apostle John was fulfilling a mission among the Ten Tribes preparing them for their journey to Zion. [Joseph Fielding Smith, Essentials of Church History, p. 126] When the Lord commands it, and the earth has been prepared for it, the prophets who are among those tribes will "no longer stay themselves," [D&C 133:26] but will bring multitudes forth.

Where are the Ten Tribes today?

Some students have adopted the views of the Anglo-Israelites, who claim that the countries of northern Europe constitute the tribes of Israel. The word of the Lord on the subject, however, is that they are "separated" [3 Nephi 15:20] and that the main body of them is not among the gentiles at all. 3 Nephi 15:15-24

The authorities of the Church confirm this fact. Brigham Young taught that "the Ten Tribes of Israel are on a portion of the earth -- a portion separate from the main land." [Matthias F. Cowley, Wilford Woodruff, p. 448] Joseph Fielding Smith says:

"The Ten Tribes were taken by force out of the land the Lord gave them. Many of them mixed with the peoples among whom they were scattered. A large portion, however, departed in one body into the north and disappeared from the rest of the world. Where they went and where they are we do not know. That they are intact we must believe, else how shall the scripture be fulfilled? There are too many prophecies concerning them and their return in a body for us to ignore the fact." Joseph Fielding Smith, Way to Perfection, p. 130

Parley P. Pratt wrote:

"The Jews are called dispersed because they are scattered among the nations; but the Ten Tribes are called outcasts because they are cast out from the knowledge of the nations into a land by themselves." Pratt, P. P., Voice of Warning, p. 30

We may rest assured that the first people on earth to whom this great secret will be finally revealed will be the prophets and chosen Saints of God. They will know the exact location and whereabouts of the lost tribes long before any scientist or society will discover it. "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." Amos 3:7

Regardless of where the Ten Tribes are, it will require a miracle to bring them forth. It will be of greater magnitude than the dividing of the Red Sea in the days of Israel's Exodus. The day is coming when the seed of Jacob will no longer say, "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 out of the North." Jeremiah 16:14-15.

Mountains, ice and a continent of water will stand between the Ten Tribes and the land of Zion when they first appear, but they will "smite the rocks, and the ice shall flow down at their presence." [D&C 133:26] As they come to the great body of water, dry land will be cast up in the midst of it so that a mighty highway will spread before them. [D&C 133:27; Isaiah 11:16] Thus will the God of Jacob fulfill his promise to bring them back to the land of Joseph and crown them with mighty blessings under the hands of the Ephraimite Saints. D&C 133:32

Where will the hosts of Israel dwell?

It has been previously pointed out that if the great gentile civilization now inhabiting this land should become unworthy of it, the Lord has warned that he will rid the land of them. Joseph Smith predicted that there would be ample room for the hosts of Israel when they come. He said that the judgments of the Lord "will sweep the wicked of this generation from off the face of the land, to open and prepare the way for the return of the lost tribes of Israel from the north country." [Teachings of Joseph Smith, p 17] It is apparent that this prophecy is yet to be fulfilled.

It would appear that some of the gentiles who are driven by war and pestilence will seek respite in the northern portion of the continent where they can continue their lives after the design of their own wickedness. Such a people would no doubt resist the migration of the multitudes of Israel as they pour across the great highway. The scriptures plainly speak of the Ten Tribes being confronted by "enemies" who will become their "prey' as they march over them on the way to the capital city of the New Jerusalem." D&C 133:28

And any people, not of Israel, who think they can avail themselves of the great highway and thus flee into the former habitation of the Ten Tribes will be as surprised and disappointed as the armies of Egypt who attempted to cross dry-shod on the miraculous thoroughfare that opened up suddenly in the midst of the Red Sea. The mighty highway of the latter days will be equally unsafe for the wicked who trespass on it, for Israel alone shall pass over it. Isaiah 35:8-10

The uniting of the Ten Tribes with the Saints at the New Jerusalem will be glorious indeed, for the hosts of Israel will bring all their records, histories, and scriptures with them. 2 Nephi 29:12-13

They will tell of their strange experiences and describe the memorable occasion when the Messiah visited them in the meridian of time. See promise of the Savior in 3 Nephi 15:12-20; 16:1-3

Furthermore, they will bring with them the treasures of their former habitation -- precious metals, rare gems, works of art -- all of which will be used, no doubt, to embellish the temple in the city of the New Jerusalem. [D&C 133:30] Then they will receive of the blessings to be had in that sacred edifice, for "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." D&C 133:32

Pages 55-59, Prophecy and Modern Times, by W. Cleon Skousen

For more on W. Cleon Skousen’s teachings on the Lost Ten Tribes read pages 34-39 of The Cleansing of America

[durangoutcaptain of 1,000]

[quote="Oldemandalton"]Cleon Skousen and the 10 Lost Tribes of Israel

Cleon Skousen taught that;

1. As the Ten Tribes migrated north a more righteous group divided from the less righteous and were transferred to a separate planet as had occurred with the City of Enoch.

2. The less righteous group of the Ten Tribes eventually became the Anglo-Saxons and the tribes who occupied Northern Europe.

3. When this miraculous highway emerges from the deep, it will be so spectacular that the crossing of the Red Sea in the days of Moses will seem like practically nothing compared to it.

4. Those who were “left behind” from the tribe of Ephriam will greet their long lost relatives and share with them the blessings of the Temple.

5. The returning Ten Tribes will bring riches and scriptures and be led by prophets.

Since you posted this OMD, I was wondering what you thought about it.

[Oldemandaltoncaptain of 1,000]

Durangout, “Since you posted this OMD, I was wondering what you thought about it.”

Durangout, while I attended BYU decades ago I took Skousen’s B of M class. I enjoyed his teachings greatly and learned many things from his class. Particularly his views on the Atonement and the Lost 10 Tribes stood out and were new to me. I have studied and explored them ever since and have not been able to find fault with them through the years.

I know that Darren has a differing view on where the 10 tribes are but I side with Bro Skousen on this. I guess you can say Darren is partially correct in that the Nordic tribes are descended from Israel but they were the more unrighteous who broke off from the main body. We would assume that the prophets among Israel led the righteous, as did Enoch, to a location not presently on earth. Christ may have visited the Nordic tribes but it obviously didn’t take because they worshiped pagan Gods.

As to other theories on where the Ten Tribes may be hiding and the similarities to Mosaic teachings or language found in other remote parts of the world could be explained by groups at different time migrating from the Holy Land from time to time due to war and persecution. Also the Scandinavians may not be the only descendants of the “unrighteous” portion of the 10 Tribes who were “left behind”. Splinter groups may have gone north and then east instead of west.

I would love to read the accounts of the Lost 10 Tribes as they journeyed north. We may get a chance soon. I can imagine the controversies, jealousies and turmoil that occurred in this diverse group of Israelites as they fled from war and enslavement. I can easily see where those who opposed their prophets would soon grow weary of traveling with their families through the gorgeous and fruitful valleys they passed through to some ‘promised land’ in the north. I am sure they had their Lamans and Lemuels who were jealous of the leaders, prophets like Lehi and Nephi, and caused problems and heartaches during the long march. Not hard for me to see how the 10 Tribes could have broken up with just the faithful and righteous following their prophets to the ‘lands’ prepared for them by God.


See Darren’s view and my rebuttals here;

Mormon Israelism
http://www.ldsfreedomforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=19483&p=233611&hilit=ten+tribes#p233611

[mes5464captain of 1,000]

Very good post OldMan!

[Oldemandaltoncaptain of 1,000]

More from Bro. Skousen, enjoy :

HOW THE LORD DISCLOSED THE IDENTITY OF "EPHRAIM" AFTER 2,600 YEARS

Treasures from the Book of Mormon, Volume One, by W. Cleon Skousen, PAGES 232- 234

When the Gospel was restored in modern times, we gained an additional insight into one of the most perplexing riddles of Bible history: "Whatever happened to the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel?" We are far from having the whole answer, but at least we have located two important segments of the Lost Tribes -- the Ephraimites in America and Europe and the people of Manasseh among the aborigines of America and the Pacific Islands. Since Isaiah 11:13-14 speaks of Ephraim and Judah combining together in the performing of a special work, it is particularly significant to have the Lord bring Ephraim out of hiding.

In America and Europe the restored Gospel acted as a magnet to draw out of the Gentile nations a remnant of Ephraim which had been scattered among them during a period of many centuries. These Ephraimites constituted the vast majority of the Church membership during the first 100 years of its existence. But what of the other tribes? That remains as deep a secret as ever. All the Lord has told us is that, wherever they are, the Lost Tribes have prophets among them who are preparing them to come down from the "north countries" and that he will raise up a mighty highway in the "midst of the great deep" which will permit them to come to Zion when the time is right so they can receive the Endowment and other blessings under the hands of Ephraim.1 But as to their present whereabouts, we know nothing for certain. Our research is therefore limited to the task of tracing the history of that remnant of Ephraimites who somehow made their way to Europe and then to America or other parts of the world. To do this, let us go back to the 8th century B.C., when the Ephraimites and the rest of the Ten Tribes first disappeared.

As we have noted in the 9th and 10th chapters of Isaiah (2 Nephi 11 and 20), the Assyrians began their final attack on the Northern Ten Tribes in 727 B.C. and by 721 B.C. they had destroyed or carried off practically the entire population. The Bible says the Israelites were taken to "Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan."2 This means that they were scattered along the upper Tigris and its tributaries. It was just a little over a century later that the Assyrians suddenly found themselves being conquered by the Babylonians so this presented an opportunity for the Israelites to band together and slip away to the north. Thereafter, they became "lost" to the knowledge of mankind.

The logical route for the fleeing Israelites as they went "northward," would have been through the passes of the Caucasus Mountains which stretch from east to west between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Then they would have spilled over onto the steppes of what we know today as southern Russia. However, that territory was already occupied, so they may have proceeded on. Some of the earliest inhabitants of that region had been the Cimmerian people, but around 700 B.C. the Scythians suddenly appeared on the scene and captured most of this territory. The Scythians spoke an Iranean or Persian dialect but the Greek historians said they came from elsewhere, possibly upper Asia, beyond the Volga River. Other students have suggested that the Scythians might have been the Ten Tribes of Israel. Certainly this was the time when the Israelites are believed to have fled into this very region. In either event, the Scythians disappeared around 200 A.D., so they also became a "lost" people whether they were Israelites or not. What remains significant, however, is the fact that we now know that a remnant of Ephraimites who later showed up in Europe were, for many centuries, established in this very region. They called themselves the "Ynglings" from which the modern word, "English" has its derivation. But of course these Ephraimites were scattered over a far broader section of Europe than just England.

It was early in the expansion of the Roman Empire (probably the second century B.C.) that the ancestors of what turned out to be the Ephraimite nations of Europe say they left southern Russia. Their historical traditions were fixed in memorized ballads and poems and were finally written down in the eleventh and twelfth centuries A.D. These may be found in Volume 1, Second Edition, of Samuel Laing's The Sagas of the Norse Kings, 2nd edition, Vol. 1, published in New York by Scribner and Welford in 1889. A copy of this work is in the library of the Brigham Young University.

The original home of the Ynglings is described in sufficient detail so that scholars had little difficulty locating it in the region east of the Don River and just north of the territory lying between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. In fact, down through the centuries the Ynglings referred to the Black Sea by that name so this provided a point of reference from which rivers, mountains, and other geographical points could be identified even though they carried different names. As one would expect, the traditions of the Ynglings contain the typical factual flaws which centuries of re-telling are bound to accumulate, but the essential thread of historical narration remains readily apparent and therefore tentatively credible.

The ruler who brought the Ynglings from southern Russia to Europe was Odin (whom all Scandinavians later worshipped as a god). The Bible student will recognize a number of interesting qualities and practices attributed to Odin: "It was the belief of his people that victory belonged to him in every battle. It was his custom when he sent his men into battle, or on any expedition, that he first laid his hand upon their heads, and called down a blessing upon them; and then they believed their undertaking would be successful."3 The Sagas say that the Ynglings felt compelled to move when "the Roman chiefs went wide around the world." It says that Odin, "having foreknowledge, and magic-sight, knew that his posterity would come to settle and dwell in the northern half of the world." Therefore, he "with all the Gods (other leaders who later became deified) and a great many other people, wandered out, first westward to Gardarike (Russia) and then south to Saxland (Germany)."4 Actually, they would have traveled more north than west to reach western Russia and more west than south to reach Germany. The directions are therefore general rather than specific.

Upon arrival in their new home, the Sagas explain that Odin "... had many sons; and after having subdued an extensive kingdom in Saxland, he set his sons to defend the country. He himself went northward to the sea, and took up his abode in an island which is called Odinse, in Frey (Odense in Denmark)." Apparently Odin remained on the island which still bears his name for several years. During this time he dispatched expeditions to settle the island to the east, Zealand, where Copenhagen is located; to the peninsula of northern Germany called Jutland which is part of Denmark today; to Norway; and to Sweden. Southern Sweden was already occupied by the Goths, but these were eventually overcome and the Ynglings established their ancient capital at Uppsula which still exists and is located just a few miles north of modern Stockholm. Odin was living at Uppsula when he died. It was the custom to send the spirit of the departed to Valhala either by burning the body or burying it in a pit and building a huge mound over it. In Uppsula today there are over 200 huge cairns or burial mounds which mark the graves of the ancient, heroic dead of the Ynglings.

So the Sagas say this is how it all began. From the original mass migration of the Ynglings there developed several well-known branches; the Engels, Saxons, Jutes, Danes, Norwegians and Swedes. So far as we can tell, it was from these sources that the Ephraimite blood was sprinkled among the Gentile nations of Europe. How this happened is an interesting story in and of itself.

As soon as the Roman empire collapsed in the fourth and fifth centuries A.D., the Norsemen moved in on England. For the next five hundred years there was one wave of conquest after another until England was virtually saturated with a Scandinavian population. The Engels came first with the Saxons and Jutes right behind them. Then the whole east side of England was conquered by the Danes and for a while bore the name of Danelaw or Daneland. In the eighth century a new wave of conquests began as the vikings from Denmark and Norway conquered their English cousins and for awhile a single king ruled all three of them. Meanwhile, a whole province of Norsemen had settled in northern France (Normandy) and in 1066 these came across the channel under William I to conquer England for the last time and set up a royal house which still prevails.

But England was not the only territory to be innoculated with a Yngling strain. We sometimes forget that from the eighth to the eleventh centuries A.D., the most volatile seapower and military force in Europe was the Scandinavian vikings. They had the only ships which could sail the open seas. They often attacked with highly organized armies of several thousand, and used assault tactics similar to those developed by the Romans. Their fleets ran into the hundreds of ships (in 885 A.D., over 700 ships came up the Seine to conquer Burgundy!). They could navigate in heavy weather with the sun behind a cloud-cover because they had discovered a transparent crystal called a "sun stone" (cordierite) which turned from yellow to dark blue when its natural molecular alignment was held at right angles to the plane of polarized light from the sun. Thus the sun could be located by rotating a chunk of cordierite until it turned dark blue.5

The Ephraimite vikings were pagans but not barbarians. They were extremely rough and sometimes crude, but had established systems of law and a stable, well-defined culture. They had a system of functioning government with community elections and a parliament which fostered a sense of freedom and democracy that was virtually non-existent in the rest of Europe. Wherever they settled there was a definite pattern of civilization which nearly always flourished into a strong kingdom. They displayed a virility which could survive against tremendous odds. They built a tradition of survival where others failed and prided themselves in displaying a persistent fighting spirit when it came to tilling the ground, building up their flocks and establishing a rugged type of frontier security where others were afraid to live.

Europe, during the period of 800 to 1100 A.D., was extremely unstable and the Scandinavians took advantage of this to impose marriages and alliances on the leading families of nearly every existing kingdom. This gave a viking ancestry to practically all of Europe's nobility. By the end of the eleventh century here is what the Ephraimite Scandinavians had done:

1. Conquered and reconquered England until the blood-lines of the population were predominantly Anglo-Saxon or of closely related Scandinavian descent.

2. Conquered all of Ireland.

3. Conquered Northern France.

4. Discovered Greenland.

5. Settled Iceland.

6. Discovered Vinland in North America (the ruins of which were discovered in 1963 by Dr. Helge Ingstad near L'anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland).

7. Settled Novgorod in Russia and set up the first royal house of Russia. (The Swedish vikings were known as Rhos or Rus which gave the slavic kingdom its new name.)

8. Sent out expeditions which succeeded in raiding Spain, Italy and Constantinople.

9. Viking troops were hired as mercenaries and became the elite guard of the Byzantine Empire at Constantinople.

10. At one point the famous viking king, Canute, was the king of England, Denmark, and Norway.

11. By intermingling with the Teutonic tribes, the Scandinavian blood had penetrated the Lowlands, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland, in addition to those already mentioned.

12. In 300 years the Ephraimite Scandinavians had gone from pagans to devout Christians and were recognized as loyal "defenders of the faith."
After that, the Lord was about ready to reveal to the world who the Ephraimites really were.

The discovery of the western hemisphere in 1492 brought the Spanish to America during the 1500's, the French in the 1600's, and the English in the 1700's. It is interesting that the Ephraimite nations of northern Europe were used almost exclusively to settle the United States and Canada where the restored Gospel was to be exposed to modern men for the first time.

The next nation to get the impact of the Restoration was England, followed closely by the Scandinavian countries together with Germany, Holland, Switzerland and France. It is interesting that during the first 100 years of the Church's existence these few countries with relatively small populations provided the overwhelming majority of the Church members. Here was the "Ephraim" Isaiah was talking about. To the amazement of the new converts to the Church they learned from their patriarchal blessings that almost without exception they were all descendants of Joseph through Ephraim. These were gathered together to form a hard core in Zion and when this was accomplished the word was sent forth that the converts should no longer "gather" but remain in their native lands to build up the kingdom there.

Once Ephraim began to be "recovered" the prophecy of Isaiah made it clear that Judah also had to be restored to her former inheritance and purged of the many centuries of persecution and darkness so that she could be called a "delightsome" people.6 Church history tells us that almost immediately after the Gospel was sent forth among the Gentiles (with their sprinkling of Ephraimites) the Lord began laying the foundation for the "return" of the Jews. What has happened since then is turning out to be an astonishing miracle which this generation of Ephraimites is getting a chance to see fulfilled right before their eyes.

1. D&C 133:26-30.
2. 1 Chronicles 5:26; 2 Kings 15:29.
3. Samuel Laing, The Sagas of the Norse Kings, 2nd edition, Vol. 1, p. 271.
4. Samuel Laing, The Sagas of the Norse Kings, 2nd edition, Vol. 1, p. 274.
5. Time magazine, July 14, 1967.
6. 2 Nephi 30:7.

[coachmarcMy own worst enemy]

I love Skousen's works. I read his first 2,000, third thousand, etc books about twenty years ago and loved them. I am pouring over his "Treasures from the Book of Mormon" books right now to glean all his info that I'm not already familiar with. I understand these books have the material he used to teach his university classes. I plan to add as many of his works to my collection as I can.

[Oldemandaltoncaptain of 1,000]

Coachmarc, I took his Book of Mormon class at BYU many moons ago and have the original textbooks. He was completing the "Treasures from the Book of Mormon" during the second semester which was distributed in loose leaf form. I grew to love the man and his work during that time. I have almost everything he has written in book form and bought his “The Works of W. Cleon Skousen on CD-ROM” for the rest. I use them often in my study of scriptures, prophecy and ‘modern Gadianton’ research.

[coachmarcMy own worst enemy]

Coachmarc, I took his Book of Mormon class at BYU many moons ago and have the original textbooks. He was completing the "Treasures from the Book of Mormon" during the second semester which was distributed in loose leaf form. I grew to love the man and his work during that time. I have almost everything he has written in book form and bought his “The Works of W. Cleon Skousen on CD-ROM” for the rest. I use them often in my study of scriptures, prophecy and ‘modern Gadianton’ research.

I would love to have everything of his, too! Thanks for sharing.

[7cylon7captain of 1,000]

The so called "Highway" from the "deep" I imagine will be a space traveling lane and it will transfer a great number of people off a planet to our own.

OR

We know that this earth will be "enlarged" meaning that chunks of this earth will be returned to it making it way larger than it is now. Once these two planets merge maybe there will be a great highway from the land north to the land south. This will be a HUGE event.

One thing for sure is that the 10 tribes are not HERE NOW.

[Oldemandaltoncaptain of 1,000]

7cylon7

The so called "Highway" from the "deep" I imagine will be a space traveling lane and it will transfer a great number of people off a planet to our own.

OR

We know that this earth will be "enlarged" meaning that chunks of this earth will be returned to it making it way larger than it is now. Once these two planets merge maybe there will be a great highway from the land north to the land south. This will be a HUGE event.

One thing for sure is that the 10 tribes are not HERE NOW.

I agree, 7cylon7, have you read The Prophecy Trilogy by Anthony E. Larson? He has some interesting theories in his books on how the pieces of the earth may return.

JulesGP
OldMan: I just recently finished a book called "Whence Came They" by: Vaughn E. Hansen (It's out of print now - you'd have to find a used copy), that had a lot of good information about the lost tribes. It's a short book - easy read - you should check it out!

What is the jist of his theory Jules?