Brian Somers Introduction
This study pulls together several pieces of evidence and threads found in the Holy Scriptures to make the proposition that the Ten Tribes of Israel along with families of the Tribes of Judah will not go straight to Israel, but will instead be routed to the territory of ancient Assyria, which is known in modern times as Kurdistan. Scripture refers to this migration as part of the Second and Greater Exodus.
Notes: typically, the version used on this blog is the NRSV; but, where appropriate, other versions are used if their renditions are clearer. Also, as this is an initial study, this work is subject to revision and expansion as more is learned. In this connection Proverbs 25:2 is appropriate: “it is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.”
Sinai to Zion
Recently, I read a book titled “Sinai to Zion” by Joel Richardson. In several respects, it was eye-opening. I’m not going to do a full-fledged book review in this essay, but will share some key takeaways instead.
First, Richardson opened my eyes to the difference between poetry and direct statements of fact. It became apparent to me that too often I have regarded clear statements of fact as symbolism or allegory simply because I couldn’t wrap my head around clear statements of fact. Second, I was not aware that scholars had long known about the “March of the Warrior”. Richardson connected many passages that were thematically connected to this event that I had no idea were even connected. It makes me wonder what else I’m not aware of, and as the saying goes, we don’t know what we don’t know. Third, by reading some of the passages, I became aware there was much more going on than what Richardson wrote about, and began to start digging.
To state this simply, the Warrior is Yeshua HaMashiach (Hebrew), better known as Jesus Christ in English. The March of the Warrior starts in Egypt and ends in Jerusalem as part of the Second Coming. It is part of the Greater Exodus. Please read Richardson’s book to get the details. However, there is a caveat here and that is Richardson does not seem aware of the fact that there are two groups in view: the house of Judah and the house of Ephraim (the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel). The March of the Warrior as explained by Richardson is primarily for the house of Judah who are now or will be in the Land of Israel at the time of the Abomination of Desolation. To this group we now turn.
Two Separate Commands to Flee
We find in Scripture that there are two separate commands to flee. The first command given by Yeshua is for those in Judea (what we know today as the modern State of Israel) to flee from Judea into the mountains.
15 “So when you see the desolating sacrilege standing in the holy place, as was spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand), 16 then those in Judea must flee to the mountains; 17 the one on the housetop must not go down to take what is in the house; 18 the one in the field must not turn back to get a coat. 19 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath. 21 For at that time there will be great suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
Matthew 24:15-22
20 “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. 21 Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those inside the city must leave it, and those out in the country must not enter it; 22 for these are days of vengeance, as a fulfillment of all that is written. 23 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress on the earth and wrath against this people; 24 they will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken away as captives among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Luke 21:20-24
This command to flee given by Yeshua is for those who are in the Land of Israel at the time of the “abomination of desolation”. This event will precede the Great Tribulation which itself will culminate in the Glorious Appearing. This is a flight from great danger to safety and refuge in the wilderness.
Revelation chapter 12 describes this flight in narrative language.
6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, so that there she can be nourished for one thousand two hundred sixty days.
Revelation 12:6
13 So when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to her place where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. 15 Then from his mouth the serpent poured water like a river after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood. 16 But the earth came to the help of the woman; it opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth.
Revelation 12:13-16
Revelation 12:6 and 12:13-14 are both using different language to describe the same event and time. But if we keep reading, we encounter a second group.
17 Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.
Revelation 12:17
Verse 17 clearly states that the woman has two groups of children. The first group is protected, but the second group is warred upon by the Dragon. To the rest of her children, the command to flee is given later in Revelation 18. For more details on the Woman and her offspring, please see the article Revelation 12’s Woman and Her Offspring.
1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority; and the earth was made bright with his splendor. 2 He called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! It has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt of every foul spirit, a haunt of every foul bird, a haunt of every foul and hateful beast. 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxury.”
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,
“Come out of her, my people,
so that you do not take part in her sins,
and so that you do not share in her plagues;
5 for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6 Render to her as she herself has rendered, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double draught for her in the cup she mixed. 7 As she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, so give her a like measure of torment and grief. Since in her heart she says, ‘I rule as a queen; I am no widow, and I will never see grief,’ 8 therefore her plagues will come in a single day—pestilence and mourning and famine—and she will be burned with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”
Revelation 18:1-8
A moment’s thought should suffice to convince the reader that Judea/Israel and Babylon are two different places.
Should the interested reader want to explore more about end-times Babylon, I recommend reading R.A. Coombes’ book “America the Babylon” if it can be found as it is out of print. I have it in CD format. The website is https://www.alphaomegareport.com/
To reiterate, there are two commands given to flee: one from Israel into the mountains and wilderness, and the other from Babylon. These are given to two different groups of the Woman’s children. They start in different places and go to different destinations.
Two Different Destinations
As shown above from Matthew 24:16, Luke 21:21, and Revelation 12:6,14, those from ancient Judea/modern Israel are to flee to the mountains and the wilderness. There they would be protected from the Dragon as Revelation 12:16 states. There is a prophecy from Daniel that illuminates where such safety will be found.
He [the anti-Christ) shall come into the beautiful land, and tens of thousands shall fall victim, but Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites shall escape from his power.
Daniel 12:41
Below is a map which overlays on the modern Middle East where the ancient kingdoms of Edom, Moab and Ammon were located with respect to Jerusalem. Modern-day Jordan has within its borders those ancient kingdoms. Please note that these are all east and south of Jerusalem. With respect to the “March of the Warrior” that starts in Egypt, that’s south and west of Jerusalem.
If we continue with Daniel 11:44-45, we read
44 [b]ut reports from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to bring ruin and complete destruction to many. 45 He shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with no one to help him.
Daniel 11:44-45
Daniel 11:44 parallels Revelation 12:17 exactly. For clarity, let’s compare the two side-by-side.
44 [b]ut reports from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to bring ruin and complete destruction to many.
Daniel 11:44
17 Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.
Revelation 12:17
| Daniel 11:44 | Revelation 12:17 |
| Great fury | Angry |
| Bring ruin and destruction | Make war |
It then follows that the many of Daniel 11:44 is equivalent to the other group of the children of the Woman of Revelation 12:17 who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus. Where is this second group located? From Daniel 11:44, they are to the “east and north” of Jerusalem.
To sum up what we have learned thus far, there are and will be two groups of the Woman’s children. One group will be in Judea/modern Israel and flee to the mountains and wilderness of modern-day Jordan. The other group will be somewhere to the east and north of Jerusalem having obeyed the command to flee from Babylon. Therefore, if we search in the prophecies, we should be able to locate in what region the second group of the Woman’s children should be found.
Fleeing Babylon
The command given in Revelation 18:4 to flee from Babylon finds its antecedent in the prophecies of Jeremiah chapters 50 and 51. Before we examine the verses in these two chapters, due consideration must be given to the fact that the book of Revelation is commonly considered to be given to the Christians. Therefore, the command given in Revelation 18:4 is given to the Christians, which in turn, identifies many Christians, at least, to be descended from the ancient exiles of Israel and Judah.
The people to whom the command is given to flee Babylon is identified in Jeremiah 50:4-5.
4 In those days and in that time, says the Lord, the people of Israel shall come, they and the people of Judah together; they shall come weeping as they seek the Lord their God. 5 They shall ask the way to Zion, with faces turned toward it, and they shall come and join themselves to the Lord by an everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.
Jeremiah 50:4-5
These are the children of Israel and of Judah, the two houses, the two kingdoms of North and South after the death of King Solomon. Israel has been in the Assyrian diaspora since 721 BCE which is approximately 2,800 years. Judah has been in the Babylonian (starting 586 BCE) and Roman (starting 70 CE) diasporas but perhaps half of Judah has returned to the Land during the 20th and 21st centuries CE.
6 My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains; from mountain to hill they have gone, they have forgotten their fold. 7 All who found them have devoured them, and their enemies have said, “We are not guilty, because they have sinned against the Lord, the true pasture, the Lord, the hope of their ancestors.”
8 Flee from Babylon, and go out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be like male goats leading the flock. 9 For I am going to stir up and bring against Babylon a company of great nations from the land of the north; and they shall array themselves against her; from there she shall be taken. Their arrows are like the arrows of a skilled warrior who does not return empty-handed. 10 Chaldea shall be plundered; all who plunder her shall be sated, says the Lord.
Jeremiah 51:6-10
The people of Israel and Judah are His people. They will walk together. This was not always the case as after the division into two kingdoms after the death of Solomon and until the Assyrians exiled the last of the Israelites when Samaria fell in 721 BCE, there were border skirmishes and outright war between the two kingdoms.
17 Israel is a hunted sheep driven away by lions. First the king of Assyria devoured it, and now at the end King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon has gnawed its bones. 18 Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I am going to punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I punished the king of Assyria. 19 I will restore Israel to its pasture, and it shall feed on Carmel and in Bashan, and on the hills of Ephraim and in Gilead its hunger shall be satisfied. 20 In those days and at that time, says the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and none shall be found; for I will pardon the remnant that I have spared.
Jeremiah 50:17-20
As we can see from above, the endpoint of the restoration of the house of Israel is to Carmel and Bashan, the hills of Ephraim and Gilead. These are the ancient territories both west and east of the Jordan River.
Here are selected verses from the rest of Jeremiah chapters 50 and 51.
28 Listen! Fugitives and refugees from the land of Babylon are coming to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, vengeance for his temple.
Jeremiah 50:28
5 Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God, the Lord of hosts, though their land is full of guilt before the Holy One of Israel. 6 Flee from the midst of Babylon, save your lives, each of you! Do not perish because of her guilt, for this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance; he is repaying her what is due. 7 Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, making all the earth drunken; the nations drank of her wine, and so the nations went mad.8 Suddenly Babylon has fallen and is shattered; wail for her! Bring balm for her wound; perhaps she may be healed. 9 We tried to heal Babylon, but she could not be healed. Forsake her, and let each of us goto our own country; for her judgment has reached up to heaven and has been lifted up even to the skies. 10 The Lord has brought forth our vindication; come, let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God.
Jeremiah 51:5-10
45 Come out of her, my people! Save your lives, each of you, from the fierce anger of the Lord!
Jeremiah 51:45
50 You survivors of the sword, go, do not linger! Remember the Lord in a distant land, and let Jerusalem come into your mind
Jeremiah 51:50
But what path between Babylon and Israel do the people of Israel and Judah take? Jeremiah gives us part of the answer in his great prophecy of the Second Exodus, the Regathering of His people.
At that time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.2 Thus says the Lord: The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, 3 the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. 4 Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again you shall take your tambourines, and go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.5 Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall enjoy the fruit. 6 For there shall be a day when sentinels will call in the hill country of Ephraim: “Come, let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.” 7 For thus says the Lord: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, “Save, O Lord, your people, the remnant of Israel.” 8 See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame,those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here.9 With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. 10 Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock.” 11 For the Lord has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him. 12 They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion …21 Set up road markers for yourself, make yourself signposts; consider well the highway, the road by which you went. Return, O virgin Israel, return to these your cities.
Jeremiah 31:1-12a, 21
The term “land of the north” in verse 31:8 gives us a hint as to where Babylon will be centered, and it is from there and the farthest parts of the earth that the people of Israel will be gathered. In addition, 31:21 tells us that the people of Israel are to return by the same way they arrived at their final places in exile.
The green arrows show migrations from Israel to the west and north of Europe via the Mediterranean Sea. One green arrow shows a migration northwards into Galatia and Anatolia. The red migrationary arrows show captives being taken east and north into Assyria and the cities of the Medes. There are other red arrows showing migrations to Iceland and North America.
6 In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria captured Samaria; he carried the Israelites away to Assyria. He placed them in Halah, on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
II Kings 17:6
11 The king of Assyria carried the Israelites away to Assyria, settled them in Halah, on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, 12 because they did not obey the voice of the Lord their God but transgressed his covenant—all that Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded; they neither listened nor obeyed.
II Kings 18:11-12
The map above shows us the routes that the children of Israel need to follow in returning from exile. Assyria and the cities of the Medes were where the captives were taken, and it is to there that the descendants of the captives will return before coming to Israel proper.
Scriptural Evidence for Assyria/Kurdistan
Ezekiel provides a valuable description for the process that the Lord God will follow when bringing back His people from exile in the last days.
33 As I live, says the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out, I will be king over you. 34 I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out; 35 and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. 36 As I entered into judgment with your ancestors in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, says the Lord God. 37 I will make you pass under the staff, and will bring you within the bond of the covenant. 38 I will purge out the rebels among you, and those who transgress against me; I will bring them out of the land where they reside as aliens, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.
39 As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord God: Go serve your idols, every one of you now and hereafter, if you will not listen to me; but my holy name you shall no more profane with your gifts and your idols.
40 For on my holy mountain, the mountain height of Israel, says the Lord God, there all the house of Israel, all of them, shall serve me in the land; there I will accept them, and there I will require your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your sacred things. 41 As a pleasing odor I will accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples, and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations. 42 You shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the country that I swore to give to your ancestors. 43 There you shall remember your ways and all the deeds by which you have polluted yourselves; and you shall loathe yourselves for all the evils that you have committed. 44 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways, or corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, says the Lord God.
Ezekiel 20:33-44
Ezekiel informs us that there will be a gathering of the exiles of Israel to a place called the “wilderness of the peoples”. In that place, there will be judgment and rebels will be slain. Only those who are obedient and keep His covenant will be allowed to go to the Land of Israel. There will no longer be pollution by sin in the Holy Land. Isaiah tells us what obedience looks like.
17 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you for your own good, who leads you in the way you should go. 18 O that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your prosperity would have been like a river, and your success like the waves of the sea; 19 your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me. 20 Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea, declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it, send it forth to the end of the earth; say, “The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob!” 21 They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow for them from the rock; he split open the rock and the water gushed out. 22 “There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”
Isaiah 48:17-22
The people who flee from Babylon will contain both redeemed and rebels. The rebels will refuse to obey his commandments, just like their ancestors who were carried away captive to Assyria and the cities of the Medes (II Kings 18:11-12). These rebels will be purged and not given peace. After the rebels are purged, the redeemed will be the remnant of His people. Take a look at the next two passages where the remnant are found.
11 On that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Ethiopia from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. 12 He will raise a signal for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
Isaiah 11:11-12
Three major versions of the Bible translate Isaiah 27:12-13 differently.
12 On that day the Lord will thresh from the channel of the Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you will be gathered one by one, O people of Israel. 13 And on that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain at Jerusalem.
Isaiah 27:12-13 NRSV
12 And it shall come to pass in that day That the Lord will thresh, From the channel of the River to the Brook of Egypt; And you will be gathered one by one, O you children of Israel. 13 So it shall be in that day: The great trumpet will be blown; They will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria, And they who are outcasts in the land of Egypt, And shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.
Isaiah 27:12-13 NKJV
12 On that day the Lord will thresh from the flowing stream of the Euphrates River to the brook of Egypt, and you will be gathered up one by one, you sons of Israel. 13 It will come about also on that day that a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were perishing in the land of Assyria and who were scattered in the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.
Isaiah 27:12-13 NASB
Comparing these three versions, I think that the NKJV and NASB render “perishing in the land of Assyria” better than “lost in the land of Assyria of the NRSV. Also, I think that “scattered in the land of Egypt” is better than “driven out” or “outcasts”.
However, while I might quibble about which major Christian version is more accurate, all three convey the information that the two primary locations from which the exiles are regathered are the Euphrates/Land of Assyria and the Brook of Egypt/Land of Egypt. Since we know that Yeshua warned the residents of Judea/modern Israel to get out of Jerusalem and head into the mountains south and east, then Assyria is the other location where the children of Israel and of Judah will be found. The Jews in Edom, Moab, Ammon, and Egypt will be protected, but not the people who are in Assyria. The Dragon and his anti-Christ will make war on that group and many will perish. Again, those who perish will be the rebels against His covenant.
Zechariah was one of the last prophets of the Old Testament prophets who wrote during the early years of the return from Babylon. He connects several of the earlier prophets and makes it very clear that the primary two locations where Judah and Joseph will be found just prior to the Second Coming of Yeshua the King: Egypt and Assyria.
6 I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back because I have compassion on them, and they shall be as though I had not rejected them; for I am the Lord their God and I will answer them. 7 Then the people of Ephraim shall become like warriors, and their hearts shall be glad as with wine. Their children shall see it and rejoice, their hearts shall exult in the Lord. 8 I will signal for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall be as numerous as they were before. 9 Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far countries they shall remember me, and they shall rear their children and return. 10 I will bring them home from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria; I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon, until there is no room for them.
Zechariah 10:6-10
Now that we have established from the Scriptures that the region of ancient Assyria is the area where those fleeing from Babylon go, let’s learn about the history of the area since the days of the Exile of the northern Kingdom of Israel.
Some Historical Details about Assyria/Kurdistan
From the time of the first Exodus from Egypt led by Moses to the Babylonian exile, there were three major powers in the Mesopotamian crescent. Egypt built a civilization around the Nile and rose to power. In the southeast, around the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Babylonia also built an empire. Between these two and to the north, Assyria rose from a city-state to build their own empire. These three were rivals and subdued different kingdoms at different times throughout the centuries. Each one’s power and influence waxed and waned at various times.
The period of the Judges and the Kings of Israel, later Israel and Judah, corresponded with the Middle Assyrian Period and the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Before King David rose to power and welded together the twelve tribes of Israel into a powerful fighting force from 1010-970 BCE, Assyria dominated the northern part of the Crescent. But David defeated the Assyrians in at least one war and they went into decline for the next two centuries. As the northern Kingdom of Israel grew weaker and weaker, the Assyrians increased in power. The beginning of the Neo-Assyrian Empire under Tiglath-Pileser III corresponded with the extreme weakness of the northern Kingdom of Israel. It was under this emperor that the first waves of Israelite deportation to Assyria and the cities of the Medes began.
In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria captured Samaria; he carried the Israelites away to Assyria. He placed them in Halah, on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
II Kings 17:6
The king of Assyria carried the Israelites away to Assyria, settled them in Halah, on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
II Kings 18:11
After the deportation of the 10 tribes into these regions, the Cimmerians and Scythians appeared onto the world stage. Steven Collins and Yair Davidiy have written extensively on the connections between the deported Israelites and the Cimmerians and Scythians.
As the article “History of Assyria” reports” The Scythians and Cimmerians invaded Assyria from the east and from the north, and when Ashurbanipal died, his Empire was close to collapse under external pressure. The Babylonian king Nabopolassar (ruled 625-605 BCE), along with Cyaxares of the Medes (ruled 625-585 BCE) finally destroyed Nineveh in 612 BCE, marking the end of the Assyrian Empire.”
Before continuing further, some connections should be made more explicit. As II Kings 17:6 and 18:11 stated, many Israelites were deported to Halah, the Habor, the river of Gozan, and the cities of the Medes by the Assyrians around 721 BCE. Halah, the Habor and river of Gozan are regions where the Cimmerians and Scythians appeared. Being deported to the cities of the Medes meant that the deported Israelites lived among the Medians for some unknown period of time. Given that the Cimmerians, Scythians AND Medians were involved with the final destruction of the Assyrian Empire, it is quite likely that Israelites divided into different war hosts were taking revenge on Assyria.
According to the Wikipedia article on Assyria, after the fall of the Assyrian empire, the territory became a province ruled by a succession of different empires up to the time of the Arab Islamic conquest. After the Arab Islamic conquest, the region saw a large influx of non-indigenous Arabs, and from the 11th and 12th centuries through to the early 20th century AD, a gradual influx of Kurds, Iranian, and Turkic peoples.
From a different Wikipedia article on the Kurds, the Kurds identify themselves as being descendants of the ancient Medes. Several groups of nomadic northwestern Iranians appear to have coalesced into what are today’s Kurds. Present-day Kurds are found in several different nation-states: Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and the trans-Caucasus Armenia. The map below shows that the region where the Kurds live overlaps with the territory of ancient Assyria. They live side-by-side with other ethnic groups including ethnic Assyrians.
At present, relations are cordial and friendly between Israel and groups of the Kurds. One article published today (11/25/2021), analyses the present state of affairs. This wiki reports that in 2017, Israel stated its support for an independent Kurdistan.
Earlier in this paper, I pointed out that Israelites were among the Medes for at least a century before the Medes participated in the destruction of the Assyrian Empire. Now, if we connect that fact with the fact that many Kurds consider themselves to be descended from the ancient Medians, then the possibility has to be considered that many Kurds may themselves be Israelites, though they most likely may not realize it. A Wikipedia article describes some of the controversies around the origins of the Kurds.
However, an article written by Kevin Alan Brook titled “The Genetic Bonds between Kurds and Jews” shared by the Jewish Coalition for Kurdistan that I found while researching this piece may end some of the controversies described by the Wikipedia mentioned above. The JCFK piece summarized several genetic DNA research studies. Two key points (and there are more) that I took away from their summary is that Sephardic Jews and Kurdish Jews are very, very closely related. Moreover, the Jewish (actually Levitical) Cohen modal haplotype was found among Kurdish men. The DNA connections between Jews and Kurds are very easily explained by those Israelites that were settled in the cities of the Medes.
In terms of religion, there are Jewish Kurds, Christian Kurds, here and here, as well as Muslim Kurds.
Sarah Stern wrote in her piece for the Jerusalem Post in 2017 that ““The Kurds have no friends but the mountains,” goes a traditional Kurdish saying. No friends but the mountains and Israel would be more accurate.” The Persian Iranians, the Ba’athists under Saddam Hussein, and Erdogan’s Turks, Muslim all, are enemies and oppressors of the modern Kurds. They also happen to be enemies of the USA and Israel. Before President Trump destroyed the ISIS/ISIL Caliphate, the Kurds engaged ISIS in combat.
Now that we have learned a little bit about who the Kurds are and why they might be friendly and supportive of a massive migration into their homeland by millions of Hebrew Israelites, let’s wrap this up and leave further considerations for future articles.
Conclusion
In this paper, I have presented the proposition that the Greater Exodus for the House of Israel and the House of Judah will consist of fleeing the modern State of Israel and Babylon. As Richardson documents in his book “Sinai to Zion”, those from the modern State of Israel will flee into the regions south and east of Israel, and some will make their way to Egypt. But those who flee from Babylon will follow the path of their ancestors from the Land of the North into Assyria. Assyria and the cities of the Medes are east and north of Jerusalem; the modern Kurds occupy these lands. They may be willing to provide refuge to those who flee from Babylon. There, the Dragon and anti-Christ will wage war on this group after being unable to destroy the refugees from Jerusalem. If there is actual combat, it is likely that those who die in the fighting will be the rebels. The survivors will be those who keep the commandments that their fathers rejected and have the testimony of Yeshua as Savior and Redeemer of Israel. The survivors will then come south and west, perhaps serving as the anvil for the hammer led by Yeshua Himself to destroy anti-Messiah’s army, and come to Jerusalem to serve their King Messiah at the dawn of the Millennial Kingdom of Yeshua, the Son of God.