It's a sad fact that the majority of churches, Bible schools, theology seminaries, have misidentified the children of Israel as being "of the Jewish people" or "the Jews."
But the Holy Bible never states or shows such to be the case.
Only three tribes of the full 12 tribes could possibly be labeled as "Jews."
Only one tribe truly were full blooded racial Jews, that being the tribe of Judah.
Even then, before the division of Israel occurred in the Holy Bible, Judahites were never Biblically speaking called "Jews." The English word "Jews" was a transliteration of the Hebrew word of "yehuwdiy" in the Holy Bible, designating only those inhabitants of the divided house of Judah.
Look at the next table which shows the proportion of the twelve tribes of Israel, and shows clearly those who in Israel were physical Jews.
The First chart below shows in red the amount of tribal (or racial) Jews or judahites in all of the 12 tribes of Israel, according the Holy Bible.
Note that chart above represents the "total tribe that were Judahites" in all of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel as recorded from the books of Genesis, Exodus, and through to the point of the division of the 12 tribes into two houses ( 1st Kings 12:16).
From 1st kings 12:16 through the rest of the Bible, we have the following description (below) of Israel, divided (and united again) of the two Israelite houses.
The second chart, shows in red color only the tribes which could be considered of "the house of Judah" and thus, be labeled as "Jews"
Note that both Levi and Benjamin after the Assyrian captivity, were both of the House of Judah and thus could both be labeled as of the Jews (Judahites) or citizens of Judah.
Note that Levi is split between the two houses— each having a portion.
Looked at it another way, the same chart shows the division of Israel.
Note, the blue color denotes all those taken of both houses by the Assyrian empire in 722 BC.
Next, see the percentage of Judah that returned from the 70 year Babylonian captivity as the remnant of JUDAH to rebuild Jerusalem.
The total ratio of those of the children of Israel that returned to rebuild Jerusalem.
Note, the dark blue color represents that ratio of Judah that did not return from Babylon.
The red signifies the remnant of Israel (of the house of Judah) that returned. (42,360)
Ezra 2:64-67 (KJV)
The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore, [65] Beside their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and there were among them two hundred singing men and singing women. [66] Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five; [67] Their camels, four hundred thirty and five; their asses, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.
Note also that the "Birthright of Israel" held by the tribe of Joseph ( Ephraim) did not return.
This kingdom relationship of the "birthright" and "sceptre" is a key to understanding that the ten tribes of Israel were not destroyed by God or else all falls apart.
The birthright must at some point be rejoined with that of the "sceptre" for the Kingdom of all Israel to be fulfilled.
Hosea 1:6-11 (KJV)
And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Lo-ruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away. [7] But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by YHWH their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.
[8] Now when she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son. [9] Then said God, Call his name Lo-ammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.
[10] Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. [11] Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.
So what we have in tribe math, is 10 tribes— according the Holy Bible— who were not "Jews".
In fact they never were "Jews" or more accurately 'Judahites." Only 3 tribes can possibly be called "Jews" as they hold the inheritance to the House of Judah—a separate and distinctly different people from the house of Israel which was taken away into Assyrian captivity in about 722 BC.
Also note, that the chart above (Genesis through Exodus) shows the actual ratio of physical, or that is ethnic Judhites, or true blooded Jews is even smaller —including only the single physical tribe of Judah.
It is only when Judah is joined by Benjamin and some of the Levites and a very minute minority of stragglers of the other twelve tribes as (the Holy Bible records so) that Judah became enlarged when the division of the house of Judah first took place.
However, the Holy Bible clearly shows that the multitude of the house of Judah (around the first Assyrian captivity) suffers a portion of its inhabitants to be taken away into the Assyrian territory along with the house of Israel, never to return.
Then about 130 years later the Chaldean Babylonians come sacking Jerusalem, burning the Temple, and take away all of remaining of inhabitants of Judah.
A very small remnant who remained in Jerusalem, a short period, later migrate to Egypt including the prophet Jeremiah, Baruch and the last King of Judah's only living heirs to the throne.
All of (the house) Judah is taken away and kept captivity for 70 years according the Bible.
Thus the house of Israel is 130 years gone (lost, scattered into the Gentiles) from the picture. The house of Israel (10 tribes who were never Jews) are taken up north toward the upper most region of the Medes beyond the Euphrates river into what would be Armenian territory, located just before the Caucasus pass.
Judah's last king has now been taken away to Babylon (and dies—the scepter is broken) his heirs (his sons were all killed—the scepter is broken) his daughters (the scepter) have left with Jeremiah into Egypt never to reappear as far as the Bible states.
Jeremiah 43:4-7 (KJV)
So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, obeyed not the voice of YHWH, to dwell in the land of Judah. [5] But Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned from all nations, whither they had been driven, to dwell in the land of Judah; [6] Even men, and women, and children, and the king's daughters, and every person that Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah. [7] So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of YHWH: thus came they even to Tahpanhes.
The Holy Bible states that Judah is one remnant (that is holding the title of "Israel") and after 70 years a remnant of Judah returns to rebuild Jerusalem and wait upon the the coming Savior, the Messiah, as prophesied to the prophets.
Hosea 1:6-11 (KJV)
And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Lo-ruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away. [7] But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by YHWH their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.
[8] Now when she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son. [9] Then said God, Call his name Lo-ammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.
[10] Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. [11] Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.
The red block area of Judah above represents the visible remnant of Israel who return to the Land of Israel and rebuild the city of Jerusalem and return to a trodden down land already inhabited by many foreigners: Edomites, Egyptians, Canaanites, Ishmaelites, Babylonians, Chaldeans, Medes, implanted settlers such as "the Sepharvaim" who then were brought in to replace the displaced children of Israel taken out of northern Samaria. Judah is a very small minority now living amongst foreigners in the land rebuilding Jerusalem.
This is the Biblical context that is extremely important to understand before anyone can even hope to begin to understand the rest of what takes place in Bible prophecy; for that matter, the New Testament.
When JESUS enters
By the time Jesus, the promised Messiah, arrives to collect His scattered sheep, the 12 tribes of Israel, the sheep are long scattered into the gentiles (nations) and allover the world.
Try to understand, in both a historical and Biblical context that when Jesus arrives it is about 700 years after the Assyrian Captivity (according to the prophesied time) the land of Israel, or Palestine, is inhabited by a people of whom the overwhelming majority are all now known as Jews, but who are more than likely not Israelites—that is they are not of the flesh and blood of the Hebrew people of Israel.
In the biblical context, the remnant of Judah returned and resettles the land. In the historical context the region underwent changes in politics, religious practices, its leadership, and its overall culture.
This change lead to new or more modern reforms of the Hebrew Israelite traditions long held by the children of Israel.
These new changes were in a large part, a clear falling away from the Law of God reflecting a new humanizing of the law (by the Oral Torah). This lead to new religious and political institution such as the Pharisees and Sadducees sects who would eventually replace the old traditions (acquired by YHWH's law) with their own legalist laws (halakhah). The priesthood also changed as did the role of Israel's leadership.
In this historical context, there were in addition, new demographic changes in the land of Judah. By the time Macabean and Hasmonean Empires and others following, the land of Palestine was almost entirely converted to "Judaism" the new Pharisaic religion of the region.
It is under this conversion process that entire races of people living in around the land of Judah were forcibly converted as "Jews," yet these people were not Israelites.
Under John Hycranus the entire Edomite nation of Idumea was converted to Judaism and became as Jews.
There were historically, in addition to "the Jews" many other peoples living in the land; Greek, Roman, Barbarian, Gaul, Scythian, and other races who previous to the 700 years did not exist (according to Archeology dating from 700 BC), were now living in the land of Israel, or around its small borders. These were also known as the Gentiles (of the nations) the very same mass of "non-Israelite" or "non-Jewish" peoples.
Understanding the historical and Biblical information, sets the very foundation to beginning to understand the rest of the Holy Bible with in a proper historical and biblical context.
