[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]
Why Britain Became Great!
Switzerland was recently named the best place in the world to live. Canada was number two, the United Kingdom number three, and the United States, number seven. Of course, while presented as scientific, these surveys are subjective, due to which qualities are considered important by those who design them, but without a doubt, Switzerland, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States are desired places to live.
Eight of the top ten countries have a connection that few understand, and the story behind this connection is unknown to almost everyone. Yet, it is an amazing story that will be revealed right here, on Tomorrow’s World!
Last time, in the first of this series, I discussed how an unattractive block of red sandstone has become known as The Stone of Destiny. What is the connection between this stone and an empire about which it was said that the sun never set? Think about it. [Map showing the British Empire] The British Empire, ruled from a tiny Island, consisted of Canada, the second largest country in the world; India, the second most populous country in the world; Australia, an entire continent; the pastoral islands of New Zealand and mineral rich South Africa. It also controlled strategic harbors and ocean choke points, such as Hong Kong, Gibraltar, and the Suez Canal. These allowed Britain to control the sea lanes and thus, world commerce. And Britain’s brother, the United States of America, has grown into the most powerful nation on the face of the earth.
Did you know that the British and American rise to power was prophesied long ago, in of all places, the pages of the book known as the Bible? Why is this amazing truth understood by so few? Now if you’d like to be one of those few, stay tuned!
Abraham’s Destiny, Foretold!
Welcome to Tomorrow’s World, where today I’m going to give the second in a series showing that ancient Bible prophecies prove there is a supernatural hand at work; and today we are offering a special booklet that demonstrates this. It’s entitled: Prophecy Fulfilled: God’s Hand in World Affairs.
Last time I explained how the kings and queens of Ireland, Scotland, and England have been crowned sitting over this mysterious rock, known as the Stone of Destiny. Ancient Irish legends tell us that it arrived in Ireland sometime between the 8th and 6th centuries B.C. As one account has it, the Jewish prophet Jeremiah brought it there along with his scribe and young princesses. The online Encyclopedia Britannica adds:
According to one Celtic legend the stone was once the pillow upon which the patriarch Jacob rested at Bethel when he beheld the visions of angels. From the Holy Land it purportedly traveled to Egypt, Sicily, and Spain and reached Ireland about 700 bc to be set upon the hills of Tara, where the ancient kings of Ireland were crowned. Thence it was taken by the Celtic Scots who invaded and occupied Scotland. About ad 840 it was taken by Kenneth MacAlpin to the village of Scone. < www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/529248/Stone-of-Scone>
Also, as we saw on last week’s program the first book of the Bible, known as Genesis, traces the history of Abraham and his family. In each succeeding generation, God pronounced prophetic promises and blessings to his descendants. To Abram, whose name was changed to Abraham, God said…
No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations (Genesis 17:4–5).
Now consider! He would be the father of MANY nations, not only the single Middle Eastern Jewish State, as many people think. Just as Abram’s name was changed to Abraham, so his wife’s name Sarai was changed to Sarah; and on that occasion, God promised nations and kings would come from their descendants:
As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her (Genesis 17:15–16).
God also promised that their descendants would possess the gates of their enemies. Here it is, in a promise made to Abraham’s daughter-in-law. Genesis 24:60:
And they blessed Rebekah and said to her: “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands; and may your descendants possess the gates of those who hate them” (Genesis 24:60).
Anciently, controlling a city gate symbolized controlling the city. But in the latter-day fulfillment, the one who controls strategic geographical chokepoints, controls nations. Consider who had at one time controlled Suez, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, the Khyber Pass, Singapore, the English Channel and more? Who controlled the narrow passage between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden? It’s known as the Bab el Mandeb, Arabic for the GATE of Mandeb, or GATE of Tears.
Students of the Bible know that Abraham’s son was named Isaac, and Isaac’s son was named Jacob, and Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. Now Israel (or Jacob) had twelve sons and each became the father of a tribe of people. One son was named Judah. He’s the father of the Jews. But did you know that the first time the word Jew is used in the King James Version of the Bible that the Jews were at war with Israel? You can read this in 2 Kings 16:5–6. Judah is only ONE of twelve sons of Israel, and the Jews make up only ONE of the twelve tribes of Israel. Now if Jews are still around, what about the others? First century Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, tells us they did not simply disappear:
… wherefore there are but two tribes [of Israel] in Asia and Europe subject to the Romans, while the ten tribes are beyond Euphrates till now, and are an immense multitude… not to be estimated by numbers (Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus, xi, v, 2).
Where did this “immense multitude … not to be estimated by numbers” go? And who exactly are these ten tribes? And what were they doing beyond the Euphrates River?
I’ll answer these questions in a moment, but do you realize there is a guiding hand at work in world affairs? Prophecy Fulfilled: God’s Hand in World Affairs explains how God is behind the rise and fall of nations. You need this publication, and it’s yours, FREE for the asking. So, pick up the phone, write, or go to our website to order your copy. Just ask for Prophecy Fulfilled.
A Lineage Forgotten, But Not Unbroken…
When the twelve tribes of Israel came out of Egyptian bondage, they eventually settled in the area that we think of today as Israel. Over the course of time they grew into a regional power under king David and his son, Solomon; but shortly after the death of Solomon, what was once one nation, became two nations: the House of Judah (the Jews along with the tribe of Benjamin) and the House of Israel (the other ten tribes).
Both nations rejected God and were eventually overthrown and taken captive. [Show map of deportation] The first to go into captivity was the ten-tribed House of Israel around 721–718 BC. The powerful Assyrian Empire removed them from northern Israel and took them northeast to the other side of the Euphrates River, where Josephus attests a huge number were still there 800 years later! We must not assume that all of them still remained there, but an immense number did.
The House of Judah on the other hand, went into captivity to the Chaldeans over 120 years later and was taken to an area far south of where their northern brothers were. Because the Jews continued to keep the seventh day Sabbath (Saturday), they’ve kept their identity to this day, but the tribes making up the House of Israel cast off this identifying sign and have seemingly been lost for the past 1900 years. But are they truly lost?
The prophet Amos, in speaking of the House of Jacob (remember Jacob is Israel) says this in chapter 9, verses 8 & 9:
“Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth; yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” says the LORD. “For surely I will command, and will sift the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a sieve; yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground” (Amos 9:8–9).
We can see that these people traveled northward and westward, sifted as it were, through other nations, by tracing the names by which they were associated anciently. Langer’s Encyclopedia of World History, as quoted from John Ogwyn’s fine work, The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy, explains it this way:
Omri [one of the last kings of the House of Israel] established a long-lived dynasty. … The Assyrians called Israel after his name, Bit Omri (Khumri) (1968 edition, p. 44).
Mr. Ogwyn also points out the following:
The Assyrians, in their monuments, did not use the name “Israel,” but rather referred to the “Khumri.” This is the name by which Israel was known in captivity. This name, and variants of it in the languages of neighboring peoples, is the name by which the people of Israel are identified in secular history.
The people who were identified on Assyrian monuments as Khumri were called Gimmirra… Cimmerians (p. 26).
Mr. Ogwyn then shows through history that these people migrated northwestward into northern Europe and the British Isles.
Regarding the Cimmerii-Israelites’ entrance into northwestern Europe, M Guizot in The History of France from Earliest Times to 1848 states: “From the seventh to the fourth century B.C., a new population spread over Gaul, not at once, but by a series of invasions…. They called themselves Kymrians … the name of a people whom the Greeks placed on the western bank of the Black Sea and in the Cimmerian peninsula, called to this day Crimea” (p. 16). Called Gauls or Celts by the Romans, these people spread through what is modern France and into the British Isles (p. 27).
There’s a wealth of historical evidence linking the ancient House of Israel to modern nations in northern Europe, and especially to the British Isles. What we know is that these people were large in number and have to be found somewhere today, and it’s in the Bible that we find the keys to open our understanding.
We must realize that all the prophetic promises made of Abraham’s descendants do not, as most people believe, apply to the Jews. 1 Chronicles 5, verse 2 makes this plain:
For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but (notice this) the birthright was Joseph’s (1 Chronicles 5:2).
The most significant blessings passed to Israel’s sons were divided in two. From Judah would come a kingly line that would include the Messiah, but the birthright blessings of great national wealth would come through his brother, Joseph.
Many Christians are familiar with the kingly line and do understand that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the pinnacle of the promises made to Judah, as Jesus was of that tribe; but few seem to be aware of the other part of this prophecy—the birthright. Understanding the birthright promise is key to unlocking our understanding of major geopolitical events of the last three centuries, and more importantly, what is happening right now, and what WILL happen in YOUR near future. The birthright promises explain how a relatively small island nation could control one quarter of the earth.
But the birthright promises were also divided in two, as we learn from Genesis 35, verse 11:
Also God said to him: “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body” (Genesis 35:10–11).
Take careful note of the middle portion of that last sentence and consider what it means:
…a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you…
We’ll look at the significance of this shortly, but I want to remind you of today’s offer: Prophecy Fulfilled: God’s Hand in World Affairs. Major events taking place in our world are not accidental. While God allows mankind to go his own way, there are times when God intervenes to fulfill His plan. Prophecy Fulfilled: God’s Hand in World Affairs gives examples of HOW God’s intervention saved and destroyed nations. Call, write, or go online to claim your FREE copy. And stay tuned, because I’ll be back in 30 seconds to tell you about the significance of an ancient ceremony that explains much of our world today.
Two Brothers, Two Ancient Blessings
Let’s review some of the promises given to Abraham and his descendants that we’ve read today:
- They would be as the sands of the sea and the stars of heaven in number
- Kings would come from them
- They would possess the gates of their enemies
- And they would make up a single great nation and a company or commonwealth of nations
Another scripture tells us that their inheritance would spread far beyond the land of Canaan:
Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 28:14).
Near the end of his life, Israel was introduced to his grandsons, the sons of Joseph, and in this meeting, we find an amazing truth. After a long separation in which Israel thought Joseph was dead, there was a tearful reunion. Some 22 years had passed, and they were becoming re-acquainted. Israel learned that Joseph had two young sons: the elder was Manasseh and the younger was Ephraim. Now let’s read what happened:
And Israel said to Joseph, “I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!” So Joseph brought them [Ephraim and Manasseh] from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him (Genesis 48:11–13).
Joseph understood that his father was going to pass a God-inspired blessing onto his sons. He supposed that Manasseh, the elder, was to receive the greater blessing, but something unusual happened:
Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. And he blessed Joseph, and said: “God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my life long to this day, the Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; let my name be named upon them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth” (Genesis 48:14–16).
The name of Israel was to be placed on Joseph’s two sons. Now my friends, THIS is important! When Joseph saw that his father’s hands were crossed and the greater blessing was being bestowed on Ephraim, he tried to intervene:
“Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.” But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.” So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh (Genesis 48:18–20).
Manasseh was to become a single great nation, but Ephraim would become a company of nations. Now let’s notice one of the most amazing prophecies found in the Bible, or anywhere for that matter, that relates to these two brothers. Prior to his death, Jacob (that is Israel) called his twelve sons together. Notice that in Genesis 49:1, where it tells us the REASON for this gathering:
And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days (Genesis 49:1).
Here we are going to see what would become of each of these tribes “in the last days.” But how can we know when these “last day” are to come? Jesus speaks of the last days in this fashion:
For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved… (Matthew 24:21–22).
And Daniel refers to this time in this manner:
And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. … many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase (Daniel 12:1, 4).
So, both Jesus and Daniel speak of the greatest time of trouble in man’s history. Jesus predicted human-devised annihilation would be possible; and Daniel describes this time as marked by an explosion in knowledge and transportation. This could only refer to relatively modern times, so what we read in these prophecies is what we should expect of Joseph’s recent and current descendants. Here it is in Genesis 49, verses 22–24:
Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well; his branches run over the wall. The archers have bitterly grieved him, shot at him and hated him. But his bow remained in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel) (Genesis 49:22–24).
Joseph was to spread abroad like branches running over a wall that cannot contain them, and he would have many enemies who would shoot at him and hate him. Nevertheless, the God of Jacob would make him strong. We also read about the military strength of these two sons of Joseph in Deuteronomy 33:
His glory is like a firstborn bull, and his horns like the horns of the wild ox; together with them he shall push the peoples to the ends of the earth. … (Deuteronomy 33:17).
A few verses earlier, Moses also predicted this for Joseph’s descendants:
Blessed of the LORD is his land, with the precious things of heaven, with the dew, and the deep lying beneath, with the precious fruits of the sun, with the precious produce of the months, with the best things of the ancient mountains, with the precious things of the everlasting hills, with the precious things of the earth and its fullness, and the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush [reference to God]. Let the blessing come ‘on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers (Deuteronomy 33:13–16).
Before I specifically NAME who these sons of Jacob are in today’s world, I want to give you one more opportunity to order your copy of Prophecy Fulfilled: God’s Hand in World Affairs. It’s already been paid for by members of the Living Church of God, along with donors and co-workers who have volunteered of their own volition to help get this literature to all who ask for it. All you have to do is pick up the phone or go online and let us know you want it. It’s really that simple. And I’ll be right back to NAME the sons of Jacob in today’s world.
Who Are Ephraim And Manasseh Today, And What Is Their Future?
Before I NAME these two sons of Joseph, who they are in today’s world, let us quickly review how the Bible describes them. As we have learned on today’s program, they:
- Would be as the sands of the sea and the stars of heaven in number
That:
- Kings would come from them
And as we have noted, the royal families of the British Isles have endured from the distant past and have been crowned over a stone known as Jacob’s (Israel’s) pillar stone, which some claim to be the very rock that Jacob laid by his head some 3,800 years ago.
- They would [also] possess the gates of their enemies
- They would make up a single great nation and a company or commonwealth of nations
In the history of mankind, what two brother nations have ever fulfilled these prophecies? Furthermore, as we saw before the break, at the end of the age:
- These brothers would have great military might
When one considers the scope of what much of the world calls World War II, prophecies regarding the vast military might of the sons of Joseph come clear. While many nations were caught up in that horrendous conflict, what brother nations literally did in the end push their enemies to the ends of the earth? And as we also read prior to the break:
- They would possess great agricultural and mineral wealth
Again, I must remind you that this is NOT talking about the Jews. This is about the OTHER ten tribes, known as the House of Israel. The younger brother, Ephraim, is none other than Britain and the British-descended peoples. His older brother, the single great nation, is clearly the United States of America. They often refer to themselves as cousins, but they would be more appropriately called brothers, for that is exactly what they are.
America and the British Commonwealth have had a good ride, but that ride is coming to an end. The sun has already set on the British Empire, and the United States’ experiment in democracy is in trouble. We may want to be “Great Again,” but our rejection of the One whose hand guides world affairs shows otherwise. Be sure to call, write, or go online to order your copy of, Prophecy Fulfilled: God’s Hand in World Affairs.
And be sure to come back next time to hear the shocking conclusion to this three-part series. And watch us every week when Richard Ames, Wallace Smith, guest presenter Rod McNair, and I will give you more truth straight from the pages of your Bible. See you next week, same time, same place.
