LONELINESS (see FRIENDS; see MARRIAGE)

LORD’S SUPPER
The Lord’s Supper has no saving grace, but is done in remembrance of Christ’s suffering for us on the cross. “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come” (1 Corinthians 11:26). The bread represents His body, and the cup represents His blood (see BLOOD). “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:26–28). When Christ said this, He was present with them and so did not mean that the bread or cup literally changed into His flesh and blood; but it remained the same substance. Christians are not cannibals and do not eat flesh or drink blood. The shed blood of Christ is only represented (symbolized) by the cup and His body by the bread. This ordinance was given to the church (1 Corinthians 11:20, 22–25). Some churches only allow Christians to have the bread, while the minister drinks the cup, but this is not taught in the Scriptures (see WINE).
          There is no set time of how often a church does this, just “as often” as a church does it (I Corinthians 11:26). Some churches do this once a year and some do this a few times a year. But partaking of the Lord’s Table every week turns it into a ritual and takes away from its purpose, importance, and solemnity as it was a time of repentance for the church (I Corinthians 11:26-31). Though it fits well at evening and before the resurrection of Christ (Easter) as when Christ instituted it, or when there is a need to cleanse the church.

LOST TRIBES OF ISRAEL
There are those who have taught that the northern ten tribes of Israel (which went into captivity about 140 years before the tribes of Judah and Benjamin) never returned to the Promised Land, and some even teach that they became the American Indians or even Japanese, or that England is Ephraim and America is Manasseh.
        Some teach that Israel is the name for America. But when Peter addressed the Jews, he said to them, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly” (Acts 2:36 and many other places); he calls these Jews Israel. Although parts of all the tribes did remain in captivity and did not return, as in James 1:1, written to “the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad,” they obviously had not been lost but remained a distinct people group as they do today. It is recorded in the Bible that tribes other than Judah or Benjamin returned to the Promised Land. The tribe of Asher is found in the New Testament at the time of Christ (Luke 2:36), the tribe of Levi returned after the captivity (Ezra 1:5), and the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh returned after the captivity (1 Chronicles 9:1–3). In the days of King Josiah (many years after the northern tribes had been taken captive) we find they had either returned to their homeland or some had never been taken, for in 2 Chronicles 34:6–9 we find the tribes of “Simeon, even unto Naphtali,” also the tribes of “Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel,” and also “Zebulun” (2 Chronicles 30:5–6, 10–11). “And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first” (Jeremiah 33:7).