17.1. Claimed As Lost

[Regarding Revelation Rev. 7:4+], Walvoord accepts this passage as proving that the twelve tribes are still in existence. This interpretation seriously complicates the book of Revelation by bringing in racial distinctions which no longer exist in the NT purview. It disregards the historical fact that ten of the twelve tribes disappeared in Assyria and the remaining two list their separate identity when Jerusalem fell in A.D. 70. . . . The number is obviously symbolic. [emphasis added]³

The northern tribes had been taken into captivity by the Assyrians and have become known as “the lost tribes of Israel.” The sole surviving identifiable tribe was Judah, and when this was conquered by Nebuchadrezzar, the captives became known as “Jews”—a word that developed from “Judeans.” The returning exiles were henceforth known as Jews, and the name Judah was loosely used to refer to the region they occupied. [emphasis added]⁴