Asher, Dan, Ephraim, Gad, Issachar, Manasseh, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon, and Zebulun were The “Ten Lost Tribes” of legend.
As an aside, If any of the twelve tribes of Israel were to be lost it would likely have been the tribe of Benjamin. In the Book of Judges the tribe of Benjamin is nearly wiped out in what to me is a very strange series of events. The tribe of Benjamin survived and great men such as the Apostle Paul and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are from the tribe of Benjamin.
In researching a similar question last year I came across some very interesting information concerning Anglo-Israelism & British Israelism.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/anglo_is.htm
Anglo-Israelism & British Israelism: “The principal belief of Anglo/British Israelism is that the British (and by extension Americans, Canadians, Australians, and others) are the spiritual and literal descendants of the ancient Israelites.”
British Israel writers developed the belief that these "ten tribes" of the Northern Kingdom “were able to retain their identity and cohesiveness, became lost to history, and wandered far even to the British Isles.” In my opinion, things get rather convoluted with the stone (Stone of Scone) used in the coronation of King David being transported to the British Isles and being used for the coronation of British queens and kings. The Anglo-Israelism belief was mostly discounted in the early 20th century, however, John Allen’s book “Judah's Scepter and Joseph's Birthright" spread the concept through the Adventist and other churches. I suspect that Mr. Allen’s book was used as more fuel to the fire of the heresy of Replacement Theology.
Last summer I had a discussion with a Mormon concerning the DNA studies that disproved any linkage of a lost tribe of Israel and the Native American Indian. I recall that he mentioned something about Joseph and the migration to England. Perhaps he was referring to Mr. Allen’s book.
All very interesting but not biblical. 2 Chronicle 11:16, “And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers.” So representatives from the Northern Kingdom tribes relocated to the Southern Kingdom to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
This is reinforced by 2 Chronicles 15:9, “And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.” Again, the more spiritual of the Ten Tribes joined forces with Judah.
God sent the Southern Kingdom into exile, however, Ezekiel 39:28, “Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them anymore there.” Note the word, none!
God made unconditional covenants with His people Israel. If God could lose 10 of His 12 Tribes would His unconditional covenants still hold? Of course God did not lose any of His people but such a claim marginalizes Israel and can morph into Replacement theology.
Many church leaders either willfully or through ignorance practice a weak Hermeneutics leading them to claim that the Everlasting Covenants God made with Israel has passed to the church though Replacement Theology:
1. Israel forfeited her promises when she rejected her Messiah
2. The promises to Abraham passed to the Church
3. All the Old Testament covenants were conditional
So why is this view of the “Ten Lost Tribes” hazardous to a Biblical perspective? Because it suggests that God does not always keep His word. So if God doesn’t keep His word to Israel, Replacement Theology.
For the Jew, Replacement Theology and the Holocaust, little daylight between them. For the Christian, if God cannot be trusted to keep His word to Israel can Christians expect Him to keep his word to us and honor our salvation?
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