Shalom dear Steve
Since Japan & the Philippines(even peninsulas can count as islands. For example the peninsula of Korea, not in the case of North Korea but in the case of South Korea, between 25% & 30% are Christians & i think that is not a coincidence) are as the scriptures say “islands of the see” & they are democratic & pro-Western nations , do you think they might be another lost tribe or part of one tribe? I know your point that “Tarshish” is Japan & the “young lions thereof” are Taiwan etc… but my question is what do you think concerning the good promises about the “islands or coasts of the sea” & if peninsulas(like the Iberian Peninsula in which Spain , Gibraltar & Portugal are included) are considered as “islands of the see” with these promises attached to them as well.
Daniel Álvarez Malo
Shalom Daniel,
Where the Bible refers to “isles” or “coasts” of the sea, I think we need to understand it in the context of the times in which those scriptures were written. The Israelite/Phoenician empire (David and Solomon’s empire at first but just the ten tribes with Tyre and Sidon after the Israelite civil war) had many “isles or “seacoasts” where its fleets sailed. They included the British Isles, the Canary Islands, the Azores, Sicily, Malta, Corsica, Sardinia, etc. The “coastlands” would have included not only Iberia but also the North African, European and North American continents. It is known the Phoenicians circumnavigated Africa and a Phoenician inscription was found in South America. I believe the Phoenician/Israelites sailed all the oceans, but I think the biblical references would be to those isles and coastlands where the Phoenician/Israelites had their colonies and mining operations–not just commercial contacts.
I do not think the Koreans or other Oriental nations are a “lost tribe.” I think the Oriental nations are descended from Japheth.
Steve
