Behistun Inscription
Come Out of Her, My People
The words “Come out of her, my people” stand among the most solemn commands in Scripture. They are not merely a warning, nor only a promise, but a pattern repeated whenever judgment approaches and mercy makes a final appeal. From the prophets of Israel to the last book of the New Testament, Babylon is never judged without first becoming a place of separation.
Revelation 18:4
“Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.”
This call does not emerge in a vacuum. It echoes earlier prophetic commands spoken to Israel while they lived in exile in the literal land of Babylon.
Babylon’s judgment follows immediately afterward. This is what happened in Iraq, Babylon.
The Remnant That Lingers
History shows that Babylon is often slow to empty. Long after empires collapse, remnants remain. This was true in antiquity, and it has been true in modern times.
The Jewish presence in Iraq stretched back more than 2,500 years—to the original Babylonian exile. Though the majority of Iraqi Jews left in the early 1950s, a small remnant remained in the land well into the late twentieth century. By the time of Saddam Hussein’s rule and the wars that marked its end, only a handful were left.
Contemporary reporting from the early 2000s described not a mass migration, but something quieter and more symbolic: the last Jews leaving Iraq. Families departed one by one, until the ancient community of Babylon was nearly extinguished.
Seen through the prophetic lens, this moment carries typological weight. Babylon—ancient and modern—was finally empty of the people to whom God had once said, “My people.”
Babylon as Place, System, and Pattern
In the Hebrew prophets, Babylon is first a place—the land of the Chaldeans, corresponding to what is now Iraq. It is also a system of power, idolatry, and oppression. Most importantly, it becomes a pattern: before Babylon falls, God removes His people.
Jeremiah records this command plainly:
Jeremiah 50:8
“Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks.”
The imagery is deliberate. In ancient shepherding, the he-goats move first, leading the flock. That is to say, the exiting begins with a remnant—those who move ahead—while a greater gathering follows afterward.
The Gathering That Follows
The departure from Babylon is not the end of the story. Scripture consistently pairs coming out with being gathered. Separation precedes restoration.
Isaiah 11:11–12
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people…
And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”
Here the pattern widens: not merely leaving one land, but a global regathering. What begins as an خروج (exiting) becomes a universal restoration.
Jeremiah echoes the same promise:
Jeremiah 23:3
“And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds…”
And Ezekiel speaks even more directly of national restoration and unity:
Ezekiel 37:21–22
“Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen… and will bring them into their own land:
And I will make them one nation in the land…”
This gathering is not only geographical, but also tribal and covenantal. The divided house is made whole:
Ezekiel 37:16–17
“Join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.”
Restoration After Separation
The prophetic sequence remains consistent:
- A call to come out
- A remnant responds
- Judgment follows
- Restoration begins
Amos seals this pattern with a promise of permanence:
Amos 9:14–15
“And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel… and I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up…”
Conclusion
“Come out of her, my people” is not an isolated command. It is the opening movement in a larger divine pattern.
Babylon falls—but only after God calls His people out.
The remnant departs—but not to wander indefinitely.
They are gathered, restored, and made one again.
What begins as separation ends in restoration.
The Assyrian Exile and the Nations
The scattering of the ten tribes did not begin with Babylon, but earlier—under the Assyrian Empire.
Kings such as Sennacherib and his predecessors ruled over the campaigns that removed Israel from its land and dispersed it into distant regions.
2 Kings 17:6
“In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria…”
From that point forward, the northern tribes disappear from the central narrative of Scripture—not destroyed, but absorbed into the nations.
Records of Empire and Scattered People
Ancient empires left records of this process.
The Assyrians themselves depicted the deportation of conquered peoples in their carvings and annals—showing long lines of captives being relocated.
Later, inscriptions such as the Behistun Inscription (from the Persian period) reflect a world where many nations had already been displaced and redistributed across vast territories.
Together, they confirm a pattern:
- Peoples were removed from their lands
- Settled in new regions among foreign nations
- Over generations, they became mixed and indistinguishable
Through the North: The Caucasus Path
Interpretive view holds that Assyria sent these displaced tribes northward, eventually passing through the Caucasus Mountains. According to this understanding:
- Israel was taken into Assyrian territories
- From there, some groups migrated further north and west
- Crossing regions near the Caucasus and became known as Caucasians dwelling among the Gentiles
- Becoming part of the wider populations of Europe and Asia
Over time, their identity as Israel was lost among the nations.
Again, this remains a theory, not a universally accepted historical conclusion—but it attempts to explain how a people could be both:
- Scattered everywhere,
- Yet no longer identifiable as a distinct nation
Becoming as the Gentiles
Scripture itself speaks to this transformation in spiritual and covenant terms:
Hosea 8:8
“Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles…”
The loss was not necessarily biological—but identity, covenant, and distinction.
They became:
- Not visibly Israel
- Not recognized as a separate people
- But living among the nations as one of them
The Hidden and the Called
Yet the prophets also declare that this condition is not permanent:
Hosea 1:10
“…it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.”
The same people who became “not my people” would one day be called again.
Conclusion
The exile under Assyria began the scattering.
The nations became the dwelling place.
Identity was lost among them.
Whether by known routes or hidden paths, the tribes became as the Gentiles—
until the call comes again:
“Come out of her, my people…”
The Gospel Goes to the Nations
After the resurrection, Christ gave a command that shifted the focus outward—from Israel to all nations:
Matthew 28:19
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations…”
The disciples did not remain in one place. They went outward—into the known world of their time.
Where the Apostles Went
The early spread of the gospel followed major trade routes and population centers of the ancient world, including:
- The eastern Mediterranean
- Asia Minor (modern Turkey)
- The Middle East
- North Africa
- And into parts of Europe
For example:
- Paul the Apostle traveled extensively through:
- Greece
- Macedonia
- Rome
Acts 16:9
“…Come over into Macedonia, and help us.”
This marks one of the first clear movements of the gospel into Europe.
Christianity in Europe
Over time, Christianity spread widely across Europe:
- Greece
- Rome
- Later throughout the Roman Empire
Eventually, Europe became one of the strongest centers of Christianity for many centuries.
The Question of Peoples and Identity
It is true that many populations in Europe later came to be described as “Caucasian.” However:
- The term itself is much later (modern classification)
- The early gospel was not directed to one ethnicity
- It was sent to all nations without distinction
Paul makes this explicit:
Galatians 3:28
“There is neither Jew nor Greek… for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”
So while the gospel spread into Europe, it also spread:
- Eastward
- Southward
- Across many different peoples and cultures
Gentiles Brought In
The key biblical idea is not geography, but inclusion:
Romans 11:25
“…until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”
The Gentiles who received the gospel included:
- Europeans
- Middle Eastern peoples
- Africans
- Asians
The emphasis is not on one group, but on the nations as a whole.
A Broader View of the Pattern
So the pattern becomes clearer:
- Israel is scattered
- The gospel goes to all nations
- Many among the nations believe
- These believers become part of the same body
Whether some among them had ancient Israelite ancestry is a matter of interpretation—but the gospel itself does not depend on that distinction.
Conclusion
The disciples did go outward—
And Europe became one of the great centers of Christianity.
But the mission was never limited to one people.
The call went to all:
- Jew
- Greek
- Barbarian
- Scythian
And all who received it were brought into one.
“Come out of her, my people…”
Not by ethnicity,
Not by geography,
But by calling.
Not only from Babylon,
But from among the nations themselves.
Conclusion
The pattern of Scripture remains clear and consistent:
- God calls His people out
- A remnant responds first
- Judgment follows
- Restoration begins
The command to leave Babylon was fulfilled in history, as exiles returned from captivity and, over time, the ancient communities in that land diminished. Some see in more recent events a final echo of that departure, as the last remnants of those communities left the region once called Babylon.
In this sense, the image of the he-goats going before the flock carries symbolic weight—suggesting that a leading remnant moves first, while a greater gathering follows.
Yet Scripture itself does not fix a specific modern event as the final fulfillment. Instead, it points to a broader and unfolding work of God:
Isaiah 11:11
“…the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people…”
This restoration is not sudden, nor confined to one moment, but part of a larger divine process.
Jesus speaks of His people as sheep:
John 10:27
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
And again:
John 10:16
“…other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring… and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”
The emphasis is not on a single geography or ethnicity, but on hearing the voice of the Shepherd and being gathered into one.
So the conclusion is not a fixed date or event, but a living call:
- The call to come out still stands
- The gathering is still unfolding
- The Shepherd is still calling
Those who hear His voice—
whether from Israel or the nations—
are gathered as one flock under one Shepherd.
“Come out of her, my people…”
Not only from Babylon,
But unto Him.
