And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. (Genesis 49:1)
This is one of the most amazing prophecies ever issued. If we are to understand “last day prophecies” we cannot do so without at least a slight understanding of history, both Biblical and secular. There is an old saying, “If we do not learn from the past then we tend to repeat it”. WWI and WWII being good examples.
Father of Many Nations
Abraham received a great promise of being the “father of many nations.” Isaac also had that promise renewed to him. Subsequently, Jacob obtained the same promise. We find that Jacob (Israel) pronounced prophecies upon all his sons in Genesis 49. Reuben was his first born but he was replaced because he was “unstable as water.” Levi was to get a portion of everybody’s blessing. Judah was chosen to bring in the Messiah and as the praise leader and so on. We all know the story of Joseph and how his brothers sold him as a slave. He was sent to Egypt where after several setbacks, made his way to third ruler in the Egyptian Kingdom. He managed to save his entire family from starvation during a seven-year famine. Joseph wasn’t left out of the blessing because his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh received his portion. Jacob said this of Joseph. “Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.” Genesis 49:22-26
Now we will find out just how accurate Jacob was concerning his sons. Jacob took his right hand and laid it on Ephraim and his left on Manasseh and Joseph tried to tell him that he had made a mistake for Manasseh was the firstborn. Jacob told him he knew that but proceeded anyway. Jacob said Ephraim would become greater and become a multitude of nations. Manasseh, on the other hand, would become a great people. Both Ephraim and Manasseh are brothers, but they parted ways. However, they would both become great and Manasseh would become greater. Jacob said they would be shot at by many people, but their own arms would become stronger. Then he says they will be blessed by God Almighty. He also says they shall have blessings from the sea and earth. Finally, he adds “of him that was separate from his brethren”. (Genesis 49:25-26) (It is important to note that all these things will take place in the last days.)
Beneficiaries of the Blessing
What is amazing is the fact that the British Isles is separate from the mainland of Europe where many of the tribes settled. Mainland Europe suffered through many revolutions during the 1700’s and the British Isles were spared mainly through the preaching of many early church ministers such as John and Charles Wesley, John Knox, and many others. Great Britain and the United States have enjoyed a massive freedom most other nations have never enjoyed and an unprecedented industrial expansion. The Anglo-Saxon peoples have enjoyed the fulfillment of these prophecies more than any other nation on this earth. Beginning in the 1500’s until the present we have witnessed the rise of Ephraim and Manasseh as powerful nations industrially, militarily, financially, and spiritually. Genesis 22:17 says Ephraim “shall possess the gate of his enemies.” They have held nearly every strategic point on the globe which has given us the advantage. Such places as Gibraltar, Malta, Cyprus, the Suez Canal, Aden, Ceylon, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Panama Canal all have been under the control of Great Britain and the United States. Imagine what would have happened if Germany, Japan or Italy had gained control of all these places? However, we need to notice one major thing God said through Jacob, that it would be Israel who would control these places.
The stage is being set even while we continue to sit in ignorance. We repeatedly elect ungodly leaders and erode our standing with God. Therefore, he is removing His protection from us. “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.” Jeremiah 30:7 This includes all the descendants of Jacob, not just the Jews. Despite all the blessings, we who are Anglo-Saxon Israel are turning our backs on God. The Bible warns us that war with Russia is inevitable, but God will come to our rescue again, for most will cry out to Him and repent. “So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.” Ezekiel 39:7-8
Blessed Nations
I highly recommend that you take the time to read Isaiah chapter 42. Please note how many times God mentions the isles and how they forget God. Let us look especially at verse 16. “And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.” (Isaiah 42:16) Did you notice those words of the Lord? The lost tribes of Israel wandered across Europe in paths they had never known before. In time they completely lost their identity and forgot their roots. They intermarried with the heathens and finally, they called themselves Gentiles. They became “blind in part.” Paul said. “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” Romans 11:25 God said for them to bring forth the blind and the deaf. If it was not for the British Foreign Bible Society and the American Bible Society, most other nations on the earth would never have even heard of the Bible or the God of the Bible. These two organizations print hundreds of thousands of Bibles every year and distribute them around the world. Most countries do not print the Word of God in their own language, but these two organizations print the Bible in over a thousand different languages. Jesus said this: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Matthew 24:14 No other countries in the history of the world has ever done what these two nations have done. “Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.” Jeremiah 31:10 True to this prophecy Israel moved into the isles. Now notice this prophecy too. “Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;” Isaiah 49:8 The desolate places of the earth were unknown in Isaiah’s day but not unknown to God. Right in line with this prophecy the British Isles, United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, were all established by Anglo-Saxon Israel and apart from the few native peoples already there, these lands were all virtually desolate. Now that is a slight overview of some part of history to get us here where we are today.
Look back at our scripture text and we see that Jacob told his sons to come together and he would tell them what would befall them in the last days. Notice God does not say what would befall other nations or people but what would happen to the Ten Northern Tribes (Israel). Humanity is fast plunging deeper, blind, pleasure ridden, and completely detached from reality into an abyss from which their only hope of escape is God. If the Western world leaders had even an inkling, they would rush to stop this downward trend. Most have opinions without answers. There are some who think they understand prophecy but cannot “rightly divide Word of truth” because they remain in man-made dogmas. They are blind as to what is life-changing knowledge. Many awe-inspiring prophecies that were recorded long ago have already been fulfilled; there are others yet to occur. These prophecies involve the greatest nations on the earth and a divine purpose beyond even the wildest imaginations of the most brilliant minds. Ironically about one-third of the Bible involves prophecy, that is history written in advance. It is very sad that a mass of Bible scholars today is completely unaware of the awesome impending world events that will soon unfold. The Bible says “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:” 2 Corinthians 4:3 Many people are living in false hopes and darkness completely unaware that events happening today were prophesied thousands of years ago. The few that declare they want to know and understand prophecy are tied in a “Gordian knot” (muddled mess). They remain disjointed, confused, and skipping along in popular ideas and dogmas.
Fulfillment of Prophecy
If God did not intend for these prophecies of these two great nations to be revealed in these last days, then he certainly would not have had them recorded. People are always trying to prove that the United States and Great Britain are not mentioned in the last days prophecies. However, that is because they do not understand prophecy, nor do they understand history. The events that have led us to this point in time could not have ever happened by the hand of man but only by the providence of God Almighty. The fulfillment of all these prophecies does not hang on the intelligence of man or on the thinking of world leaders. God’s Word is sure, and we would do well to take heed unto what it says. The most prosperous, educated, and powerful nations arose on this earth in the exact sequence as predicted by the Bible. Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome all rose, fell, and no longer rule. Will America’s fate be the same?
You can, and indeed, you must understand what lies ahead for hundreds of millions of people on this earth. The cataclysmic events which are about to be poured out on this world should not take Bible-believing people by surprise. The Bible is like a jig-saw puzzle; as the pieces fall in place it will interpret itself. I often say, “The Bible is the only book ever written that actually proves itself by itself”. When laid out in proper order the prophecies concerning Great Britain and America are easy to understand. It is amazing how so few have been able to understand these prophecies and sadly how so many still refuse to even listen often invoking rejection and closing their ears. God left us a clear message and a “plain path” to follow in his Word. “Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.” Psalm 27:11 Again I must refer to the Prophet Daniel because he saw these things coming upon the world and tried to make sense of them, but God told him to seal the book until the “time of the end.” (Daniel 12:4) God told Daniel “the wise will understand.” (Daniel 12:10) The powerful governments of the western world do not know or understand what lies ahead but we, as God-fearing, Bible-loving, history-understanding people can know what to expect.
Turmoil, fear, wars and rumors of wars, famine, and confusion plague most of the world, along with political unrest, and new diseases and the reappearance of old ones. Many believe the world is hurtling toward absolute calamity. We are producing more and more weapons of mass destruction to inflict on mankind. Since 9-11 happened the entire world is on edge. We have given up our rights to privacy for a false sense of security. Nothing and no one is safe from evil men and seducers. If history would teach us anything it should be that all the world powers before us fell because they were deceived by greed and a misplaced idea of prosperity and a head full of knowledge about things unnecessary to life. Many are unfazed by the events taking place and cannot discern they are Biblical and prophesied thousands of years ahead of time. Many live with a false sense that everything will turn out alright in the end. Yes, it will, but the main question is “Will you be lost in the shuffle?” Assuredly things will get worse in the short-term on the world stage. But God’s people have nothing to fear.
Quest for Peace
Why is it the ones considered the brightest minds by human standards cannot find peace? Most young people cannot even locate nations on a map. Both Isaiah in the Old Testament and Paul in the New Testament outright state it is because “men do not know the way to peace.” (Isaiah 59:8 and Romans 3:17) This vital knowledge has been missing for over 2000 years. The institutions of higher learning headed by men and women are woefully uninformed, lacking in perspective, and filled with a lust for power and material wealth. Diplomacy and war have never worked for any length of time. While men proclaim they want peace they continue to resort back to bloodshed. No one is willing to concede their ignorance. General Robert E. Lee warned us at the end of the War Between the States, “It is a good thing that war is so terrible or else we should get too fond of it.” In the world today, nations have grown fond of war. For about six thousand years humanity has proven unable to break the vicious cycle of war and find the ever-elusive peace.
Amid growing fears and willing ignorance, mankind is asking more frequently, “What is going to happen to the United States and Great Britain?” The world recognizes the extraordinarily rapid growth of both nations in power and prestige. They seemingly arose to power from out of the mists of turmoil and have reached unprecedented, dominate and enormous power. Among the mighty nations that have come and gone on the world stage, these two could not and have not been ignored by God. Because so few can “rightly divided God’s Word” they turn to their highly educated ministers for answers and they are quickly disillusioned by the fact their ministers have no idea. These preachers will stumble along and finally say, “Well, I guess God removes all of us in the rapture.” Which is then followed by a long, long diatribe of meaningless words offering a soothing answer and false hope. Still, others turn to crystal balls, star-gazers, horoscopes, palm-readers, psychics, seers, self-proclaimed prophets, and prophecy experts, departing just as confused as they were when they approached with their questions. These preachers have reached a certain stage and they will not ever study or dare to go past that point for fear of making their organization officials angry or losing their congregations. A large number of the educated religious leaders of this present world are spiritually deficient in the knowledge of God’s Word. We have hundreds of commentators, educators, columnists, generals, and scientists, yet all their knowledge offers no answers. They are just like the wise men in Daniel’s day when they could not answer the King’s questions. They are willingly deceived and are deceiving others through their ignorance. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” Hosea 4:6
Defense of Freedom
Many do not want to believe that it is possible we descended from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. It is popular to believe and teach that there are really no absolutes, however, truth is absolute, math is absolute, and history is absolute. It is hard to believe that just a little over two hundred years ago Great Britain and the United States were little bitty weak sisters on the world stage. No one took them seriously. The Dutch, the Spaniards, and the French were world leaders and controlled commerce around the world. Spain and France controlled nearly all North and South America and the islands of the world. Then one day the tiny British Navy defeated the mighty Spanish Armada and Great Britain became the Queen of the Seas. Great Britain ruled North America until one day a rag-tag army led a revolt and a rag-tag navy beat back the British navy. (OOPS! We do need to look at history!) Thirteen little colonies suddenly form thirteen independent and yet united states.
By 1812 Great Britain tried again to defeat these puny people here in the “Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.” France also hired the Indians to defeat us. The Spanish tried as well, but somehow this insignificant, little, floundering, nation survived and grew by leaps and bounds.By 1860 this nation was divided, and a war ensued. Unlike popular belief it was not a war concerning slavery, it was about state’s rights. By the end of the 1800’s, we were at war with Spain again. In 1917 we went to war in Europe supposedly “to fight the war to end all wars.” (This war was predicted by Jesus in Matthew 24:7, “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” and guess to whom he was talking. Yes, he was talking to his chosen people!) Not long afterward we are right back at war again but this time on a larger scale in WW2. Soon after that, we are involved in Korea, then Vietnam, then the Middle East and on and on it goes. But we have remained, and we still are the major superpower of the world.
Image Credits: Old Book Art.
