Chapter 9: The Lost 10 Tribes to Come to Zion

More than one century ago, in the April 1916 general conference, Mormon apostle James Talmage stated, “Yea, let God be true ... The (Lost Ten) Tribes shall come (to Zion) … they shall be brought forth as hath been predicted; and I say unto you there are those now living – aye, some here present – who shall live to read the records of the Lost Tribes of Israel … and those records … shall tell of the visit of the resurrected Christ to them, after He had manifested Himself to the Nephites upon this continent.”1

In the Kirtland Temple, on April 3, 1836, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery claimed that Moses appeared to them and restored the keys to bring about “the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth” and the “leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north.”2 An article of faith states, “We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes.” In the Book of Mormon, Christ speaks of how, after leaving the Nephites, he will go to preach to the Lost Ten Tribes. “Now I go ... to show myself unto the lost tribes of Israel, for they are not lost unto the Father.”3 These were essential doctrines for early Mormonism, but they are largely ignored today.

The Ten Tribes were taken captive by the Assyrians in 721 BCE. These tribes never returned to Judah but mixed with other nations and lost their identity. However, in Mormonism, the myth persists that the Ten Tribes are gathered in one location and will be led to Zion in Jackson County in the last days prior to the Second Coming. Joseph Smith revealed that John the apostle from the New Testament is with them. Church historian John Whitmer recorded Joseph stating in June 1831, “The Spirit of the Lord fell upon Joseph in an unusual manner, and he prophesied that John the Revelator was then among the Ten Tribes of Israel ... to prepare them for their return.”4

Early Mormon Daniel Allen stated, “I heard Joseph the Prophet say that he had seen John the Revelator and had a long conversation with him, who told him that he, John, was their leader, Prophet, Priest and King, and said that he was preparing that people to return, and further said there is a mighty host to us.”5

The church published in October 1835, “It appears that the long-anticipated coming of the Ten Tribes from the north will take place shortly after or possibly before Zion has been sanctified.”6 Oliver Cowdery stated that the Angel Moroni instructed Joseph that “after the Church shall be sanctified and receive an inheritance … the Ten Tribes of Israel will be revealed in the north country whither they have been for a long season.”7

Joseph revealed, “And they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the Lord; and their prophets shall hear his voice … 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.”8 Therefore, the ice of the polar region will flow down at their presence. A highway will be cast up in the midst of the great deep – the ocean. Joseph also revealed that when the Lost 10 Tribes arrive in Jackson County, they shall, “… fall down and be crowned with glory, even in Zion, by the hands of the servants of the Lord, even the children of Ephraim. And they shall be filled with songs of everlasting joy.”9

So where are the Lost Ten Tribes now? Sixth Mormon prophet Joseph F. Smith taught, “The Ten Tribes were taken by force out of the land … Many of them mixed with the peoples among whom they were scattered. A large portion, however, departed in one body to the north, and disappeared from the rest of the world … that they will return in a body, must be believed, else how shall the scriptures be fulfilled?”10

Regarding the Lost Ten Tribes’ location in the north, in a letter from W.W. Phelps to Oliver Cowdery, Phelps suggests that there may be a “continent at the North Pole, of more than 1,300 square miles, containing thousands of millions of Israelites, who, after a highway is cast up in the great deep, may come to Zion, singing songs of everlasting joy.”11

Early Mormon Benjamin Johnson remarked about the Lost Ten Tribes being in the North Pole, “Sometimes when at my house I asked him (Joseph) questions … I asked where the nine and a half tribes of Israel were. ‘Well,’ said he, ‘you remember the old caldron or potash kettle you used to boil maple sap in for sugar, don’t you?’ I said yes. ‘Well,’ said he, ‘they are in the north pole in a concave just the shape of that kettle. And John the Revelator is with them, preparing them for their return.”12 Early Mormon Oliver Huntington commented about the Lost Ten Tribes being in the North Pole, “I have heard Joseph say that John was among the Ten Tribes beyond the North Pole.”13

Bathsheba Smith published in the church’s Juvenile Instructor, “I heard him (Joseph) say ‘Peradventure, the Ten Tribes were not on this globe, but a portion of this earth cleaved off with them, went flying into space, and when the earth reels to and fro like a drunken man and the stars from heaven fall (referring the Second Coming), it would join on again.’”14 According to Mormon apostle Orson Pratt, “The Prophet Joseph once in my hearing advanced his opinion that the Ten Tribes were separated from the Earth; or a portion of the Earth was by a miracle broken off, and that the Ten Tribes were taken away with it, and that in the latter days it would be restored to the Earth or be let down in the Polar regions.”15

Brigham Young taught, “It is no more difficult to transfer the Ten Tribes from this earth to another planet, than it is to take the city of Enoch from this earth or bring Adam and Eve from another planet.”16 According to Wilford Woodruff, “President Young said he heard Joseph Smith say that the Ten Tribes of Israel were on a Portion of Land separated from this Earth.”17 Also from Wilford, “The evening was spent in conversing upon the subject of the Ten tribes in the North Country … a portion of the north country containing the ten tribes may be separated from the Earth. Orson Hyde & others believed they would soon return.”18

Early Mormon Homer Brown19 was interviewed about an experience he and his wife had with Eliza Snow, a plural wife of Joseph Smith. He asked Eliza about a hymn she had written. In the interview Homer was asked, “Brother Brown, can you give us some light and explanation of the fifth verse, page 386, of the Hymn Book, which speaks of the Ten Tribes of Israel on part of the earth which now forms another planet, according to the composer, Eliza R. Snow?”

“... ‘Eliza, where did you get your idea about the Ten Lost Tribes being taken as you explained in your hymn on page 386 of the Hymn Book?’20 She answered as follows, ‘Why, my husband, the Prophet Joseph told me about it.’”

“Have you any other information, Brother Brown, that your grandfather ever gave you as contained in any conversation with the Prophet Joseph?”

“Yes, I have. One evening in Nauvoo, just after dark, somebody rapped at my grandfather’s door … There he met the Prophet Joseph Smith who said, ‘Brother Brown, can you keep me over night? The mobs are after me.’

“Grandfather answered, ‘Yes sir. It will not be the first time. Come in.’”

“‘All right, ‘said the Prophet, shutting the door quickly. He came in and sat down.”

“Grandmother said, ‘Brother Joseph, have you had your supper?’

“‘No,’ he answered, ‘I have not.’ So, she prepared a meal for him, and he ate it.”

“Afterwards, they conversed relative to the principles of the Gospel, and during the conversation the Ten Tribes were mentioned. Grandfather said, where are the Ten Tribes?’

“He [Joseph] answered, come to the door and I will show you. Come on, Sister Brown, I want you both to see.’

“It being a starlight night, the Prophet said, ‘Brother Brown, can you show me the Polar Star?’

“Yes sir,’ he said, pointing to the North Star. ‘There it is.’

“‘Yes, I know, ‘said the Prophet, ‘but which one?’

“Then grandfather said, ‘Can you see the points of the Great Dipper?’

“The Prophet said, ‘Yes.’

“‘Well, trace the pointers pointing up to the largest star. That is the North Star’

“‘You are correct,’ the Prophet replied. ‘Now, do you discern a little twinkler to the right and below the Polar Star, which appears to be about 20 feet apart from here?’

“Grandfather answered, ‘Yes, sir.’

The Prophet said, ‘Sister Brown, do you see that star also?’

“She answered, ‘Yes, sir.’

“After entering the house, the Prophet said, ‘Brother Brown, I noticed when I came in that you were reading the Doctrine and Covenants. Will you kindly get it?’ He did so, and the Prophet turned to what is now the 133rd Section, and commencing at the 26th verse, read to the 34th verse.”

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.

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

28. Their enemies shall become a prey unto them,

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.

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

“After reading the 31st verse, he said, ‘Now let me ask you: What would cause the everlasting hills to tremble with more violence than the coming together of the two planets? That planet on which they reside will return to this earth!’

“‘Now what would cause the mountains of ice to melt quicker than the heat caused by the friction of two planets coming together? Did you ever see a meteor that was not red hot? So, you see, that would cause the mountains of ice to melt.’

“‘And relative to the Great Highway that should be cast up; when that planet returns to its place in the great northern waters, it will form a highway, and the waters will recede and roll back. Now, as to their coming back from the northern waters,’ he continued, ‘they will return from the North, because this planet will return from the northern place from whence it was taken.

“‘Relative to the waters rolling back to the North: If you take a vessel of water and swing it rapidly around your head, you won’t spill any. But if you stop the motion gradually, it will begin to pour out. Now, Brother Brown, at the present time this earth is rotating very rapidly. When this planet returns, it will make the earth that much heavier, and it will revolve slower, which will cause the waters to continue eastward rapidly.’”

Then, Joseph discussed the City of Enoch. “Did the Prophet ever tell your grandfather about the City of Enoch being taken from the earth?” “Yes, he did. He said that Enoch and his people kept so faithfully the laws of the Lord that they were translated. Not only Enoch and his people, but the Great City wherein they dwelt. Grandfather asked the Prophet, ‘Brother Joseph where was the City of Enoch located?’”

“The Prophet answered, ‘Where the Gulf of Mexico now is.’ And he said, ‘The time will come when the mariner will say there is no bottom to the Gulf of Mexico. When that great piece of land was taken from the earth, it created a vacuum to the extent that it started a current that is now known as the Gulf Stream.’

“‘Then he [Joseph] added, ‘In consequence of this great portion being taken away, it naturally threw the earth out of balance. Now when it comes back, and also the planet on which the Lost Tribes are, the earth will receive its equilibrium and revolve as it naturally was in the very beginning.’

“‘Then, Brother Brown, this will fulfill the saying of the Prophet Jeremiah, chapter 16:14-15, “Therefore a day cometh, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from the lands whither he had driven them; and I will bring them again unto their land that I gave unto their fathers.” Also, the saying of the Prophet Nephi: And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the Lost Tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews.’”

From these statements, Joseph taught that the Lost Ten Tribes are residing in space on a portion of Earth. As part of the events leading to the Second Coming, that portion of earth will be returned to this earth near the north pole. When the portion of earth comes in contact with the polar region, the heat created from entering the earth’s atmosphere will be so great it will melt the ice, and a great highway will emerge. Then, a resurrected Joseph Smith, along with John the Revelator, will lead the Lost Ten Tribes to Zion in Jackson County.

We learn this from Oliver Cowdery in his patriarchal blessing to Joseph. “[Joseph Smith] will go forth toward the north, and by the power of his word shall the deep begin to give way: and the ice melt before the Sun. By the keys of the kingdom shall he lead Israel into the land of Zion, while the house of Jacob shouts in the dance and in the song.”21

Regarding the return of the Lost Ten Tribes, the church published in the Millennial Star in February 1841 quoting the Book of Revelation and then providing commentary. “Revelation 6:13 – And the stars of heaven shall fall unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. “Response: How can the stars fall from heaven to the earth when they (as far as we know) are much larger than the earth? We are not here given to understand that all the stars will fall, or even many of them: but only as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken by the wind. The stars which will fall to the earth are fragments which have been broken off from the earth from time to time in the mighty convulsions of nature; some in the days of Enoch; some in the days of Peleg; some with the Ten Tribes; and some with the death of Christ. These must all be restored again at the time of the restitution of all things. This will restore the Ten Tribes of Israel.”22

Therefore, the Ten Tribes were taken into space as a portion of the Earth was broken off. When they return, that portion will touch down near the north pole just prior to the Second Coming. This event will create the heat necessary to melt the polar ice caps, and the Lost Ten Tribes will walk to Jackson County with Joseph Smith and John the Revelator. Regarding Joseph’s teaching that the Lost Ten Tribes reside on a portion of the earth in space, the Mormon apologists will say this is just Joseph theorizing. Maybe so. But he left many of his followers with the impression that this was true speaking as a prophet.