The Gathering of the Waters

Synopsis - Two Extraordinary Events

One of the dramatic occurrences of the last days, according to the Book of Zechariah in the Bible, will be when the Mount of Olives cleaves into two parts, opening up an avenue of escape for the Jewish people during the Battle of Armageddon. At about the same time, and possibly in much the same way, the legendary ten tribes of Israel will return from the north. Some kind of barrier, such as a mountain of rock and ice, will cleave apart before them, creating a passageway from an unknown region to the outside world!

The predicted event at the Mount of Olives, surrounded by mystery and the supernatural, gives credibility to the idea that the return of the ten tribes will likewise be a miraculous occurrence. There is also the implication that the tribes will be coming from a very unusual place, one far removed from ordinary circumstances. Although some believe they are currently living a normal kind of life and will someday reappear in a conventional manner, the evidence appears otherwise. What little is known about this mysterious group of people points toward events and phenomena that are extremely extraordinary!

Introduction

Twice during the world's recorded history, according to the Bible, there has been a dramatic change in the surface of the earth due to a gigantic reduction or displacement of water. The first of these was at the time of Creation as described in the first chapter of Genesis. The other was in the days of Noah following the great Flood.

As a sequel to these two changes, another is yet to come, one scheduled to occur in the last days when the final religious prophecies begin to be fulfilled. This third and momentous event will again diminish the seas and oceans and restore the earth to a condition that existed several thousand years ago.

All three of these events are directly connected to a "gathering together of the waters" on a huge scale and one that is often difficult to imagine. It is easy to read about such things in scripture and say they are true, but to try to visualize what actually happened, and also how it will happen again, is another matter.

First of all, such occurrences are associated with an almost unbelievable amount of liquid territory. One has only to recall what it was like making a surface crossing of the ocean for the first time to get a small indication of how much water is involved.

And then to think of a large percentage of this vast area being gathered together is equally incredible. Imagining how it would take place, and accepting it as fact, requires not only an act of intellect but an exercise of faith as well.

It is much like visualizing the parting of the Red Sea, with a wall of water on each side, and also comprehending what Joshua did when he commanded the sun and the moon to stand still. Both of these might be considered as natural phenomena in some ways, yet in comparison with everyday events and the normal course of things, they are definitely part of the supernatural.

But that is one of the good things about being a Christian! There are so many miracles to believe in, and many more still to come. And the more unbelievable a phenomenon or event might appear sometimes, the more potential it might actually have of being true and significant. A good example, of course, was in the very beginning when God created the heaven and the earth.

Summary of Main Ideas

The Book of Genesis in the Bible refers to the concepts of "fountains of the deep" and "gathering of the waters."
It is alleged that these two phenomena are also related to the concept of "the lost tribes of Israel."
There are three occasions which constitute the biblical gathering of waters: (a) the 3rd day of Creation, (b) the great Flood, and (c) an occurrence yet to come in the Last Days.
The final gathering will be the return of floodwaters that divided the earth's surface during the days of Peleg. (Genesis 10:25)
Many of the Israelites that were conquered by the Assyrians in the latter part of the 8th Century B.C. were deported to various places in the Assyrian Empire.
Others were left behind in Palestine, after which foreign colonists were brought in to join them.
Although it is a popular belief that all of the conquered Israelites, both by Assyrians and later by Chaldeans or Babylonians, have been scattered throughout the nations, this is not necessarily true.
The concept of the "lost tribes of Israel' instead might well refer to a relatively small group of captives in Assyria that eventually banded together and disappeared into the north country.
The whereabouts of these people has since become one of the mysteries of the Bible as well often a popular topic of conversation.
One of the main ideas pertaining to this topic is that the locality of the lost tribes, meaning their present-day descendants, is somewhere pertaining to the north countries and in some way also connected to the biblical gathering of waters.
A definite concept is that the so-called waters of the great deep are synonymous with huge subterranean repositories from which have emerged three gigantic deluges during the course of human history.
The return of water to their original sources is what is known as the gathering of the waters.
A dominating idea or concept is that the northern part of the globe referred to as the north country, which is the alleged site of the gathering of waters, is also the same general area, or within a reasonable distance, where the lost tribes are said to have disappeared and will someday reappear.
The close proximity of two such momentous events, both in connection with the north countries or the land of the north, is very possibly no coincidence but a strong implication that something of unusual importance has taken place.

Chapter 7 - The Phenomenon of the Tribes

It is an interesting parallel that two momentous events in the future will occur at about the same time, both taking place in the north country. When the command is given, for example, for the waters of the great deep to be driven northward, the lost tribes of Israel, after many centuries of isolation, will finally be coming out of the north and heading southward.

"He shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall become one land."

"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."

Once again, in referring to material contained in the scriptures, it is not a bad idea to keep things in harmony with the principles of science as much as possible. A good way to lose credibility, in other words, is to try to explain too many things by way of miracles and divine intervention. Most phenomena can actually be viewed in terms of natural law and natural causes. Yet in regard to the return of the lost tribes, there appears to be no way that a completely normal explanation can be given.

The conditions surrounding this great latter-day event will evidently be far removed from any ordinary circumstances. In fact, the things which have been predicted will exceed even the biblical exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, including the dramatic crossing of the Red Sea.

"Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, 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 from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them; and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers."

The emergence of the lost tribes, therefore, from the mystical land of the north which has held them for so long, will consist of not just one miracle but several. And this in turn suggests that the conditions surrounding the tribes themselves, their present status and location, are likewise associated with miraculous circumstances.

As to where the tribes might actually be, the most common opinion according to one survey that has been taken is expressed in a so-called Dispersion Theory. Out of more than 200 people who were polled, fifty-three percent said they thought the tribes were presently dispersed among the nations of the world and that their gathering was now taking place through missionary work.

Another view, the Unknown Planet Theory, was that the tribes occupy a position much like the City of Enoch, in that they have been transported to another planet of sphere. Twenty-nine percent favored this idea.

Eleven percent of the people believed in a North Pole Theory, a view placing the tribes in some kind of hidden area in the polar regions. Also four percent accepted the possibility of a hollow earth, and two percent gave a personal theory of their own.

Whether one or the other of these theories is closer to the truth is undoubtedly a subject for debate, and yet in some ways also relatively unimportant. The main facts involved are that the tribes do actually exist somewhere and that someday they will return. Everything else is mostly opinion and speculation. Concerning a dispersion among the nations, however, which seems to be the most prevalent view, the evidence generally suggests that this particular theory, although a popular one, is very possibly incorrect!

Wherever the tribes are, they appear to be a separate and distinct group, most likely a nation or group of nations, and at least some of them are a religious people. From time to time there have been prophets among them, and these men will someday be given the signal when it is finally time for the tribes to return.

It is the nature of that return, however, that will be very unusual and miraculous, enough so that to hear a description of it in advance might seem unbelievable. Yet at the same time, such a report could also be a verification of its own validity, as well as a valuable clue as to where the tribes are located in the first place!

Again there appears to be no way that a completely rational explanation can be given to identify the whereabouts of the lost tribes of Israel. From the outset, allowances have to be made, especially in this particular situation. The idea must be accepted ahead of time that because of the nature of the subject, miraculous circumstances will undoubtedly be involved.

The present location of the tribes, along with their predicted return, is something that is in the same category as Jesus walking on water, mysteriously appearing and disappearing among people, and rising off the ground into midair. It is the same kind of phenomena as Moses parting the waters of the Red Sea and Joshua causing the sun and moon to stand still. Certainly all of these are remarkable occurrences and are part of the supernatural aspect of scripture which is so characteristic of the Bible!