THE U.S. IN BIBLE PROPHECY
WAS THE RISE OF BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES PROPHESIED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT?
Can We Read About the United States and Great Britain in Bible Prophecy?
Was the prosperity which the USA & Great Britain have enjoyed, prophesied
in the Old Testament? Many British-Israelites have thought so. Moreover,
this movement has had some effect on those who celebrate Jesus as their
saviour. Certainly the movement is now in great decline, and yet, a number
of people in various sects continue to embrace it. The reasoning is that
the great blessings promised to Abraham, and to his children, could only
have been fulfilled through the British people, and those closely associated
with them. But is this really true?
During this study let us take a close look at those Old Testament Scriptures
which - it is claimed - foretold the great rise to prominence of the Anglo-Saxon
peoples.
We need to start off in Genesis 12, at the original calling of Abraham;
"Get out of your country, from your kindred and from your Father's
house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you;
and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed" (Gen 12:
1-3)
We should immediately notice two things here;
a. The name of Abraham himself is to be made great. (Vs 2), and,
b. All the families of the earth will be blessed because of the work that
God will do. In fairness, it should be said that many (but not all) British-Israelites
did admit that this part of the promises referred to Christ (Vs 3.)
In fact,there is no need even for a moments hesitation in asserting that
this is a reference to Christ since Acts 3: 19-25, especially verse 25,
points this out quite clearly!
The promises to Abraham are enlarged somewhat in Genesis 17: 1-8.
The promise of 'kings' coming from Abraham is stated (Vs6) and Canaan
is promised as an 'everlasting possession' (Vs 8.)
It soon becomes evident that Isaac, the son of promise, is somehow involved
in these promises. His birth occurred, of course, as the result of a miracle.
Again, the promises are mentioned in Genesis 22. Because Abraham has demonstrated
his faithfulness - even to the point of being prepared to take his own
son's life, should God have required it - the promises are now confirmed;
"In blessing I will bless you; and in multiplying I will multiply
your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on
the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gates of their enemies.
In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you
have obeyed my voice" (Vs 17-18)
Genesis 24: 60 makes it plain that these promises would be passed on through
Rebekah. When she is later pregnant with her twin boys, she has an intriguing
experience and receives a revelation from thr Lord to explain it, but
we shall return to that later for we need to press on in tracing the Abrahamic
promises!
Now we find the promises passed on down to Jacob. (It might initially
seem, only as the result of trickery but, in fact, there was a valid reason
for the deception and the Lord's will was certainly being done). Here
is Jacob's blessing;
"Surely, the smell of my son is like the smell of the field which
the Lord has blessed. Therefore may God give you the dew of heaven, of
the fulness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve
you, and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, and let
your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you,
and blessed be those who bless you" (Gen 27: 27-29)
We also may note an interesting antithesis in that Esau, Jacob's twin
brother, necessarily receives an inferior blessing (Vs 39-40). Again,
we must return to give some further consideration to this later.
Isaac repeats the substance of the blessings to Jacob in Gen 28: 3-4.
Finally, God appears to Jacob again in Gen 35: 9-13;
"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. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to
you; and to your descendants after you..." (Vs 11-12.)
Here then we see the lineage of the Abrahamic blessings, culminating in
Jacob. We should also note carefully that when the promises are confirmed
to Jacob by God Himself in Gen 35, Jacob's name is now changed to Israel!
(Gen 35: 10). We should, therefore, reasonably expect to see some fulfillment
of these promises in Israel! This, after all, is simply what the inspired
text would lead us to expect. Too many times the biblically naive have
presumptuously imposed their own schemas and concepts upon these sacred
Scriptures!
It has been stated by some that it is a simple fact of history that these
promises were never fulfilled in Israel - but is that really so? We shall
see.
Let us start to go a little deeper;
It is too often not noticed that these promises strongly echo the original
blessing which God gave to Man. In the first chapter of Genesis we already
have this;
"God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill
the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over
the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth"
(Gen 1: 28)
This is repeated, following the flood, in Gen 9: 1, 7.
The Abrahamic promises are plainly telling us that God's greatest blessings
on mankind would be fulfilled through the line of Jacob - but not that
no others would receive some blessings. But certainly, the greatest blesings
would come to mankind through that line. But what one can never say is,
'that nation or people is highly prosperous so they must somehow be included
in the promises of Jacob' - in fact, this is plainly flawed logic!
The great mistake which many make is to look at the Jews and expect to
see the entirety of the blessings fulfilled in them. Indeed, up to this
point one can agree with the British-Israelites! But now we must sharply
deviate from their approach in the interests of biblical integrity. For
while we can agree that these promises were not entirely fulfilled among
physical Israelites (though they were to a degree), we should be able
to perceive that they have indeed been fulfilled among spiritual Israelites
- the Church!
Let us start with the concept of 'a nation and a company of nations';
It is too easily fogotten that Israel were considered a company of nations;
each tribe being a separate nation in its own right. Matthew Henry is
one of several Bible expositors who have pointed this out. It is also
overloked by some, just how wealthy and powerful Israel became during
the reigns of its various kings, including Solomon! This was indeed a
'promised land', a land 'flowing with milk and honey' In purely physical
terms (we must soon consider the spiritual!) one does not need to look
elsewhere for a fulfillment of the patriarchal promises. Again, kings
did indeed come from Abraham - many of them! The noblest surely David,
the most prosperous probably Solomon. The land of Canaan did indeed come
to belong to the people of Jacob and many of them returned to it in the
20th century having been dispossessed by the various captivities. Without
doubt the Jews have also proven an exceptionally fertile people (which
they showed even during their captivity in Egypt!) The tribes of Jacob
have spread around the earth and normally enjoyed great success, arousing
the jealousy of many! In business they have mostly been industrious and
prosperous, frequently heading banking and business empires. Can any seriously
argue with this?
Yet even many British-Israelites admitted that 'in your seed shall all
the families of the earth be blessed' is a plain reference to Christ (which
it is, as we have already noted). But their great problem has been in
failing to perceive that whatever might not have been entirely fulfilled
in physical Israel certainly has been fulfilled in spiritual Israel. Sometimes
it is the dispensationalist teachings of JN Darby which have been to blame
for this (Darby insisted on maintaining a sharp biblical dichotomy between
Israel and the Church). An even more serious problem, perhaps, has been
the imposition of modern concepts of nationhood upon the Scriptures. The
truth is; the Bible has not concerned itself with modern nations like
the USA or Great Britain. Rather, it states principles which can be applied
to all peoples of all time. It paints national pictures, sure, but is
only interested in using the nations and states of the periods of its
various writers in doing so. Therefore Daniel and Revelation, between
them, identify such kingdoms as Babylon, Greece, Persia & Rome quite
clearly and God's final punishment is pictured as being poured out on
the final 'Babylon' - but perhaps we are missing the point when we try
to closely identify modern nations with this 'Babylon'. The principles
will apply to whatever nation attacks God's people and attempts to prevent
any preaching of the Gospel!!
Another point is that it really is not as easy to identify modern nations
from their biblical ancestors as some would have us believe! But we will
not take the space here to expose the so-called 'proofs' that Britain
is descended from ancient Israel, or from about a tribe and a half of
it. Suffice it to say, such 'proofs' are no proofs at all, neither do
people with a particular axe to grind tell you about all the contrary
evidence which is available!
It is now time to illustrate to the reader what is clearly revealed about
the Church by the patriarchal promises.
Now, Abraham is clearly a type of God the Father, Isaac is a type of Christ
(hence the symbolism when Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son, also
his birth as the result of a miracle). Isaac's wife Rebekah, in like fashion,
is obviously a symbol of the Church. (Christ is to marry His Church).
Then, as Paul makes clear, Hagar is symbolic of the Old Covenant and Sarah
of the New Covenant. These two Covenants cannot co-exist since one replaces
the other, therefore the enmity between the two women. Moreover Abraham
dismisses the Old 'woman' in order to bring in the New 'woman'. (Hebrews
8: 13 says that the Old Covenant is now obsolete).
Perhaps we are moving a little fast for the reader here, if so, the reader
is advised to look up such Scriptures as Galatians 4: 21-31, Romans 9
& Hebrews 11: 17-19. Romans 9, especially verse 13, also makes clear
that Jacob, being renamed 'Israel', was typical - not only of the Jews
- but of the Church too. Jacob can be seen as the type of every Christian,
and Esau the type of every unbeliever! Again, hence the discord between
the two.
Let us now return for a moment to the passing on of the patriarchal blessings
to Rebekah. It might seem strange to some that the blessing is passed
from Abraham to Rebekah and then on to Jacob, omitting Isaac. But the
answer is surely in our recognition that, as a type of Christ, Isaac did
not need the blessings to be passed on to him since he was the source
of them anyway!
Let us now return to the event during Rebekah's pregnancy. Gen 25: 22
shows how the twin boys 'struggled' within her womb. Why was this event
recorded? Of course, fast growing twin boys within their mother's womb
might indeed struggle, but there is obviously more to this;
"And the Lord said to her, 'Two nations are in your womb, two peoples
shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the
other, and the older shall serve the younger" (Vs 23)
When Isaac later passes on Esau's 'blessing' we learn a little more;
"By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother;
and it shall come to pass, when you become restless, that you shall break
his yoke from your neck" (Gen 27: 40)
This proved to be the case. David brought the Edomites (descended from
Esau) into subjection for many years until they revolted (2 Chronicles
21: 8). However the statement that Esau's descendants would 'live by the
sword' needs to be seen in the light of the larger picture which shows
Esau to be a type of the unbeliever. Esau and Jacob ultimately 'strived'
because the one was symbolic of the unbeliever and the other (Jacob) symbolic
of the believer! Hence when talking about Election, God can say, 'Jacob
I have loved, but Esau I have hated' (Roms 9: 13). In like manner, in
our day, it could be said that Esau and Jacob still "strive".
As Paul pointed out, it is not possible for unbelievers to understand
the mind of a believer in the Christ, whereas those believers have little
trouble understanding sinners!
Of course, in Gen 25, the text says of Rebekah's twins that one would
be stronger than the other, and that the older (Esau) would serve the
younger. While this indeed proved to be the case at the time of David,
it is also true that - eventually, within God's plan - the Church does
survive, but unbelievers will perish! So here too there may be an application.
But let us now return to the matter of Jacob's trickery and connivance
with his mother in obtaining the birthright - was that really fitting
imagery for the man who would be a type of every Christian? Many have
pondered over this. Why did God allow Esau the infidel to be born first?
The answer has to do with God's Election and free choice in that! The
man who was to be typical of the Christian could not bear any indications
of 'achieving' or 'earning' on merit! Why? Because we are
justified by faith alone before God, works having no merit. Jacob was
not the 'firstborn' to whom certain rights and privileges were owed. This
demonstrates for us that we can never earn acceptance with God. This was
why God allowed the apparent deception to go ahead;
"...Rebekah also has conceived by one man, even by our father, Isaac
(for the children not yet being born, not having done any good or evil,
that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works
but of Him who calls) it was said to her, 'The older shall serve the younger'
- as it is written, Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated" (Roms
9: 10-13.)
So Jacob, like the Christian, was to be a child of grace. Of course, this
is not literally saying that God hated Esau as an individual - this refers
to his representation as the unbeliever!
So how may the patriarchal promises said to be fulfilled in the Church
and in Christians?
Well, we are to be 'as the sand upon the seashore'. Even though this is
colourful and poetic language, it is hard to escape the conclusion that
this goes beyond what the 12 tribes have achieved. It is hard not to think
of Revelation 7: 9 here with its description of the Church as,
'A great multitude which no one could number'
Indeed, 'a nation and a company of nations' also suggests a great number.
Eventually we inherit, as physical Israelites, the land of Canaan and,
as spiritual Israelites, the whole earth! Even the promise of 'kings'
might well be applicable for Christians since Revelation 5: 10 describes
us as 'kings and priests'!
Genesis 12: 3 says,
"I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses
you"
Surely it is difficult not to think of Matthew 16: 19 here;
"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever
you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth
will be loosed in heaven"
We know that this refers to the Church - is there not a strong
similarity? As a people, we represent Christ who is a stumblingblock to
many. We have - according to this - the keys to the very gates of heaven
in our possession! Some who might strive to attain Eternal Life could
be very vexed that it is we who hold the keys!! In this connection we
also need to consider what Genesis 24: 60 says about Rebekah (again, she
was a clear type of the Church).
"Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands;
and may your descendants possess the gates of those who hate them"
Okay, I am speculating a little now, but could that just be a reference
to the gates of heaven? Of course, British-Israelitism would see this
differently; the ardent British-Israelite and founder of the WCG cult,
Herbert W. Armstrong, had little doubt that these gates were places like
the Suez Canal and Straits of Gibraltar which came into the possession
of the British. And this is one of the great problems with this movement;
in trying to find purely national fulfillments of such prophecies, these
people have blinded themselves to the truly wonderful spiritual fulfillments!
Moreover, Genesis 27:28's reference to the luxuriant dwelling places of
Jacob, as being in 'the fatness of the earth' with 'plenty of grain and
wine' can certainly be compared to the prophecies in books like Isaiah
and Micah which describe the spiritual joys of the revelation of Christ
and the Church as well as the New Heavens and New Earth to come in very
similar language. (Premillenialists would apply much of this to the millenium).
So we can see that the divine promises to the patriarchs, culminating
in the divine instruction that Jacob should henceforth become known as
'Israel' have indeed been fulfilled, and are continuing to be fulfilled
in Israel - both on a national level, but more so on the level of spiritual
Israel! Again, putting all of the Scriptures together, this is what we
would be led to believe, and expect, and look for. We are not disappointed!
We need look no further.
Let us now look again at a point raised earlier in this study; In the
original exposition of these promises in Genesis 12: 1-3, two of the promises
seem pretty specific;
1. That through the fulfilment of these promises Abraham's name would
be made 'great'.
2. That through them, 'all the families of the earth shall be blessed'.
Now one could, we suppose, argue a long time about what a 'Nation and
company of nations' could be said to comprise, but surely here are two
points which should - in our day - be clear to all! In opposition to the
claims of British-Israelitism we must now ask the following;
Has the great power and prosperity which has come to nations like the
USA & Great Britain during the last 200 or so years, been associated
with the name of Abraham? Has that great patriarchs name been made 'great'
because of the power of these nations?
Secondly, can it really be concluded that 'all the families of the earth'
have been blessed through the British and Americans? Certainly our peoples
have been stalwart supporters of international charities, but surely this
promise looks beyond these factors. The true answer, of course, is that
Abraham's name has been made great through the Bible and through Judaism,
but then, and mainly, through Christianity!! On a purely national level,
Abraham is even more associated with the Jewish people than his grandson
Jacob, even though Jacob was the first to actually bear the name of Israel!
But Abraham is also justly famous for his association with Christianity!
He is known as 'The father of the faithful' among Christians. Paul is
very careful that Christians should see Abraham as an example to them,
much more so than Moses! For instance;
"That the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ
Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith...now
to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He does not say, 'And
to seeds' as of many, but as of one, 'And to your seed', who is Christ.
And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years
later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ,
that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is
of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by
promise" (Galatians3: 14-18.)
We see therefore that while a partial fulfillment of these promises was
enjoyed by the Jews, their true and ultimate fulfillment can only be expected
among Christians! We also see how both Israel and the Church (Spiritual
Israel) are stamped with the name of Abraham. It should also be clear
to all that 'all the families of the earth' are only blessed through Christ
and the message of salvation, as the Scriptures clearly show; (John 3:
16-17, Luke 16: 16, Revelation 7: 9-10 etc.)
So does this study conclude that there are no connections - race wise
- between ancient Israel and the Anglo-Saxons? Not necessarily, but we
do conclude that it is largely irrelevant! But let us be clear that so-called
'proofs' that British-Israelites have produced to back up their arguments
were never really 'proofs' at all, but - at best - evidences; but often
'evidence' highly reliant on folk-lore and legend and refusing to consider
counter-evidence!
Let us take joy in the wonderful revelation of Israel - both physical
and spiritual - which is confirmed in our day by what we witness all around
us.
Museltof
1995, 2001.
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