Thursday, March 10,2011
Numbers 1-4
Chapter 1: The Census of Fighting Age Men.
Census in the wilderness of Sinai of fighting age men (20 years old and above - Excludes the Levites):
1.Reuben: 46,500 - leader was Elizur which means "God is a Rock."
2.Simeon: 59,300 - leader was Shelumiel meaning "at peace with
God."
3.Gad: 45,650 - leader was Eliasaph, meaning "God has added."
4.Judah: 74,600 - leader was Nahshon which means "a diviner."
5.Issachar: 54,400 - leader was Nethanel, meaning "the gift of
God."
6.Zebulun: 57,400 - leader was Eliab, meaning "God is a Father."
7.Ephraim: 40,500 - leader was Elishama, meaning "God has heard."
8.Manasseh: 32,200 - leader was Gamaliel, meaning "God is a Rewarder."
9.Benjamin: 35,400 - leader was Benjamin, meaning "My father is
judge"
10.Dan: 62,700 - leader was Ahiezer, meaning "brother of help."
Genesis 49:17, "Dan will be a snake beside
the road, a poisonous viper along the path that bites the horse’s
hooves so its rider is thrown off."
11.Asher: 41,500 - leader was Pagiel, which means "event of God."
12.Naphtali: 53,400 - leader was Ahira, meaning "brother of evil."
13.TOTAL: 603,550 (same number as in Exodus 38:26)
The Levites are counted in chapter 3, but not here. The tribes are to pitch their tents by their tribes. Chapter 2 specifies how the camp is to be arranged and how they to be arranged when on the march.
Notice that instead of the tribes of Levi and Joseph being named and counted, the sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, are named and counted as the 12. Joseph was given the "double portion":
1 Chronicles 5:1-2: The oldest son of Israel was Reuben. But since he dishonored his father by sleeping with one of his father’s concubines, his birthright was given to the sons of his brother Joseph. For this reason, Reuben is not listed in the genealogical records as the firstborn son. The descendants of Judah became the most powerful tribe and provided a ruler for the nation, but the birthright belonged to Joseph.
Chapter 2: The Order of Encampment and Marching.
This chapter prescribes how the camp was to be arranged
and the order in which the tribes were to march. Surrounding the tabernacle
are the Levites: their arrangement is more closely described in chapter
3. They guarded the sanctuary from intrusions by unauthorized laypeople.
Beyond the Levites, the lay tribes are encamped.
The 12 tribes were divided
into four groups of three:
1.In premier position, east of the tabernacle
camp, were Judah with Issachar and Zebulun (2:2–9).
2.Next in rank
came the tribes camping to the south of the tabernacle, Reuben with Gad
and Simeon (2:10–16).
3.After them on the west came Ephraim with Benjamin
and Manasseh (2:18–24).
4.Finally, on the northern side of the tabernacle
camp were Dan with Asher and Naphtali (2:25–34).
The same sequence
was to be maintained on the march. The Judah group headed the march, followed
by the Reuben group. Then followed the Levites carrying the tabernacle.
After them came the Ephraim group of tribes, and the Dan group brought
up the rear (verse 31). It is not known what Israel's tribal banners and
standards looked like. A gap had to be kept between the lay tribes and
the tabernacle. From the English Standard Version Study Bible.
According to Rabbinical tradition, each had its own
standard with the crests of its ancestors:
•On the east, above the tent of Nahshon, there shone
a standard of green, because it was on an emerald (the
green stone) that the name of Judah was engraved upon the breastplate
of the high priest. Upon this standard was a lion,
according to the words of Jacob, "Judah is a lion's whelp."
•Towards the south, above the tent of Elizur, the
son of Reuben, there floated a red
standard, the color of the Sardius, the stone upon which Reuben's name
was written. Upon his standard was a human head, because
Reuben was the head of the family. And Reuben means, as we saw in Exodus,
"Behold a son," typical of Him who became the Son of man.
•On the west, above the tent of Elishama, the son
of Ephraim, there was a golden flag
on which was the head of a calf, because it was through
the vision of the calves or oxen that Joseph had predicted and provided
for the famine in Egypt; and hence Moses, when blessing the tribe of
Joseph (Deuteronomy 33:17) said, "Joseph has the majesty of
a young bull..."
•Towards the north, above the tent of Ahiezer, the
son of Dan, there floated a motley standard of red
and white, like the jasper, in which the name of Dan was engraven
upon the breastplate. In his standard was an eagle,
the great foe of serpents, because Jacob had compared Dan to a serpent. But Ahiezer had substituted the eagle.
Arrangement of the tribes:
•The tabernacle and its attendants were in the center.
•On the East side were Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. The standard of
Judah was always in the lead when the tribes set out to march.
•On the South side were Reuben, Simeon, and Gad.
•On the West side were Ephraim, Manasseh, Benjamin.
•On the North side were Dan, Asher, and Naphtali.
•Each tribe had its own standard and leader, or prince.
The Lord arranged the camp, with Judah facing
towards the sunrise; this indicates the promised goal and also
reminds us of the rising of the Sun of Righteousness, the coming of the
Lord, when the wanderings of His people will end. And Yahweh
was in the midst of His people to guide and protect them, to
supply their needs.
Chapter 3: Two Censuses of the Levites & Chapter 4: Duties.
The two censuses in chapter 3 count two different groups
of Levites: the first (3:1–51) counts every male Levite over one
month old, whereas the second (4:1–49) counts those between 30 and
50 years of age. The male Levites took the place of the firstborn males
of the other tribes in order to serve the Lord, so the first census ensures
that the number of the former matches the number of the latter. Transporting
the tabernacle requires strength, so the second census aims to find if
there are enough able-bodied male Levites for this task.
Luke 3:23: Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry...
John 8:57: The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?
Numbers 3:1–4 The Sons of Aaron. This census begins
with the priests, the most holy family of the Levites. The priests
were descended from Aaron, who belonged to the Kohathite clan within the
tribe of Levi (Exodus 6:16–25). Because of their high status,
they camped to the east of the tabernacle, guarding its entrance (Numbers
3:38); the tribe of Judah camped farther out (2:3). Despite their privileges,
two sons of Aaron (Nadba and Abihu) died as a result of giving an unauthorized
incense offering (3:4; see Leviticus 10:1–20). The remaining sons
of Aaron (Eleazar and Ithamar) served as priests of the Lord.
1 Chronicles 6:1: The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Numbers 3:11–13 Reason for the Levitical Census. In the last plague, every firstborn male Egyptian and every firstborn of their cattle died, but the Israelite boys and cattle were spared. So after this, all Israelite firstborn boys and cattle were dedicated to God. That meant the cattle were sacrificed and the boys should have served God in the sanctuary (Exodus 11:4–13:15). But after the golden calf incident, the Levites took the place of the firstborn boys (Exodus 32:25–29).
Numbers 3:14–39 The Clans' Numbers, Positions, and Responsibilities. The census results are listed by clan, specifying which parts of the tabernacle each clan was responsible for carrying and which side they had to guard:
•Moses and the priests camped on the east, guarding the tabernacle sanctuary and protecting Israel.
•Most privileged were the Kohathites (8,600), camping on the south side and responsible for guarding, carrying and placing the Ark of the Covenant, the Veil, the Golden Incense Altar, the Lampstand, the Showbread Table, the Laver and the Burnt Offering Altar, together with all the utensils these required (Numbers 3:31).
•Next in privilege were the Gershonites (7,500), camping on the west side and responsible for carrying and setting up the curtains of the Outer Court, the Coverings of the Tabernacle, the curtain Door to the Sanctuary, the curtain Door to the Outer Court, together with all the ropes and fixings required for securing these curtains (Numbers 3:25-26)
•Finally came the Merarites (6,200), camping on the north side and responsible for carrying and setting up the Boards, the Bars and the Pillars and Sockets of the Outer Court (Numbers 3:36-37)
The Kohathites were entrusted with carrying the furnishings of the Holy Place and Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle. While the Israelites were encamped, the Kohathites would encamp to the south of the Tabernacle, except for Moses, Aaron, and their households, who would encamp directly to the east.
The Gershoniteswere to take care of the outer coverings of the tabernacle and the curtains that marked the outer court and the altar (Numbers 3:25-26). Gershon is called Gershom in 1 Chronicles 6:16. The name means "exile".
The Merarites were charged with the care of the boards of the tabernacle & related items as well as the pillars of the court all around & related components. Merari means sad/bitter.
1 Chronicles 6:49-50: Only Aaron and his descendants served as priests. They presented the offerings on the altar of burnt offering and the altar of incense, and they performed all the other duties related to the Most Holy Place. They made atonement for Israel by doing everything that Moses, the servant of God, had commanded them. The descendants of Aaron were Eleazar, Phinehas, Abishua,
The total number of Levites (verse 39) is 22,000. The location of the priests at the east side of the tabernacle guarding its entrance (verse 38) may anticipate the role of Jesus as high priest, giving his people access to God's presence in heaven (Hebrews 9–10).
Numbers 3:40–51 Redemption of the Firstborn. The census showed there were 273 fewer Levites than firstborn males in the other tribes. To redeem these 273 Israelites who had no Levite to take their place, five shekels (verse 47) per person had to be paid. This is the tariff prescribed in Leviticus 27:6 for boys under five. Five shekels would have been about a year's pay for a herdsman.
Numbers 3:43 all the firstborn males . . . were 22,273. If the total population was over 2 million, as some hold, then this number would only represent the number of firstborn males born since the exodus. Other interpreters understand this figure as the total of all firstborn in Israel, which would then indicate a much smaller total population.
Who were the Levites? Levites are the descendants
of Levi. The term is generally used, from the perspective of
The Bible, to identify the part of the tribe that was set apart for the
secondary duties of the sanctuary service (1 Kings 8:4, Ezra 2:70), as
assistants to the priests, who were also Levites. Although all priests
were Levites, not all Levites were priests. There were three divisions
of the Levites, names for Levi's three sons, Gershon, Kohath and Merari.
Gershon had two sons, Kohath four, and Marari two.
Prior to the Exodus, when the Israelites escaped the slavery of the Pharaoh of Egypt (see Who Was The Exodus Pharaoh?), the ancient way of worship was yet observed, with the firstborn son of each household inheriting the priest's office. That was changed at Sinai when an hereditary priesthood from the family of Aaron was established (Exodus 28:1). The Levites were formally set apart after the now-infamous incident with the golden calf idol that the Israelites made while Moses was away receiving The Ten Commandments from The Lord (Exodus chapter 32). The Levites did not take part in the idolatry, and actually killed 3,000 of those who did, as ordered by Moses (Exodus 32:25-29). After the incident was over, Moses said of the Levites, "Then Moses told the Levites, “Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the Lord, for you obeyed him even though it meant killing your own sons and brothers. Today you have earned a blessing.”" (Exodus 32:29). The Levites were natural allies of Moses because Moses himself was of the tribe of Levi (Exodus 2:1-2,10). Levi had 3 sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. From those branches of the family, the Levites were organized into 3 levels of service:
•The first level was composed of Aaron and his offspring, who were descended from Levi's son Kohath. They formed the priesthood.
•The second level was made up of all of the other descendants of Kohath who were not descendants of Aaron. They were in charge of the most sacred parts of the Tabernacle (Numbers 3:27-32, 4:4-15, 7:9).
•The third level consisted of all of the descendants of Gershon and Merari, who were given lesser duties (Numbers 3:21-26,33-37).
The Levites served at the Tabernacle from age 30 to 50 (Numbers 4:3,23,30). They were not counted for military service in the armies of Israel, but were set apart for service to God (Numbers 1:45-50, 2:33, 26:62).
According to Numbers 20:28, the office of the high priest was transmitted upon death to the oldest living son of the high priest: "Moses removed Aaron's garments and put them on his son Eleazar. And Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain." And according to Numbers 25:10-13, God made a covenant with Phinehas, the eldest son of Eleazar, which guaranteed a lasting priesthood with the Aaronic line.
With their consecration to The Lord's service, the Levites were allotted no territorial inheritance of their own at the Division Of The Land; God was their inheritance (Numbers 18:20, 26:62, Deuteronomy 10:9). Once established in the Promised Land, they were supported, in the agricultural economy of the time, by the tithes of the produce of the land paid to The Lord by the other tribes.
The Levites were assigned towns to live in from the inheritance of the other tribes - forty-eight cities, thirteen of which were for the priests along with their other inhabitants (Numbers 35:2-5). Nine of these cities were in Judah, three in Naphtali, and four in each of the other tribes (Joshua chapter 21). Six of the Levitical cities were designated as Cities Of Refuge.
In Joshua, as in Numbers, the Levites consist of the clans of Kohath, Gershon, and Merari, and to each clan a large number of cities is assigned (Joshua 21). The Levites, as the servants of the Temple, appear next in I Chronicles, where David is represented as dividing them into "courses" to wait on the sons of Aaron by doing the menial work of the Temple because they were no longer needed to carry the Tabernacle (I Chronicles 23, especially verses 26-28). He also appointed some to be doorkeepers of the Temple, some to have charge of its treasure, and some to be singers (I Chronicles 25-26).
Chapter 4: Census and Duties of the Kohathite, Gershonite and Merarite clans.
Preparation of the tabernacle for travel:
1.Aaron and his sons take down the veil and cover the ark (no one else allowed to look at or touch these items).
Eleazar (Aaron's son) had charge of the fragrant incense, the grain offering, the anointing oil and had oversight of the whole tabernacle.
The immediate consequence of touching any of these objects out-of-turn, especially the ark of the covenant, was death.
The Kohathites were to carry these items:
◦The ark is then covered first by the veil, then by a covering of goatskin and then a blue cloth. Then the carrying poles were inserted.
◦The table of the bread of the presence is covered with a blue cloth, then the plates, etc and showbread are placed on it, the entire thing is covered with scarlet cloth and the goatskin and the carrying poles inserted.
◦The lampstand and its vessels are covered with a blue cloth and then covered with goatskin and put on a carrying frame.
◦The golden altar was covered with a blue cloth and then goats skin and then its carrying poles inserted.
◦The ashes from the altar are covered with a blue cloth and then all the utensils are put on it. Then it is all covered with goatskin and put in its poles.
2.The Gershonites were to carry:
◦The curtains of the tabernacle with its covering and the covering of goatskin and the screen for the entrance of the tabernacle and of the court gate (on two oxcarts per 7:7).
3.The Merarites were to transport the planks, poles, bases, etc (requiring four oxcarts per 7:8).
•The Kohathites between 30 and 50 years old numbered 2,750.
•
The Gershonites between 30 and 50 years old numbered 2,630.
•
The Merarites between 30 and 50 years old numbered 3,200.
•Total was 8,580.
Kohathites: While the Israelites were on the march, the Kohathites would march between the second and third ranks of the tribes and carry the ark of the covenant, the table of showbread, the seven-branched lampstand, the various altars, and the vessels of the Holy Place (Numbers 3:29-31). They needed to take care not to touch any of those articles until Aaron and his sons had prepared them properly for transport. The immediate consequence of touching any of these objects out-of-turn, especially the ark of the covenant, was death. (Numbers 4:15,17-20). Kohath's descendants included some of the most famous of the Israelites, and also some of the most infamous. Moses and Aaron were, of course, two of Kohath's grandsons. From Aaron came a line of high priests that continued nearly unbroken through the ages of the Judges, the United Kingdom of Israel, the Kingdom of Judah, the Babylonian Captivity, and the Restoration. Judge Samuel was another famous Kohathite. Yet another grandson of Kohath, Korah, led a mutiny against Moses; for that he was executed directly by God Himself. Two of the sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, died after they offered "strange fire" to God (in the Holy of Holies itself, the most serious breach of duty and discipline of which they were capable). Jonathan, a great-grandson of Kohath, established an illegal priestly line for the Danites that lasted until the land was captured by Tiglath-pileser III (Judges 17-18). The meaning of Kohath's name is unknown, although it may be related to an Aramaic word meaning "obey".
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Thursday, March 10, 2011
The United States as Ephraim
The United States as Ephraim
by William F. Dankenbring
"Although virtually no one has noticed it, God has left the identity of modern Israel in the most obvious place one could imagine -- in the very name of our great nation! Our nation is the only nation in the world directly named 'company of nations'! "Not only that, but Manasseh was to become a great nation, and only one modern nation is known as being 'great' in its very name -- Great Britain! "The official name of Great Britain is of course the United Kingdom -- a single great nation. The United Kingdom and the United States. A nation and a company of nations. "To those of us who have strongly believed that the United States is Manasseh this requires some adjustment in thinking. But if the reader will withhold judgment until all the evidence can be considered, it will be seen that the United States is Ephraim, and that once the mental adjustment is made, this understanding makes many times more sense than believing our nation to be Manasseh! "The important thing to grasp is that the United States fits both the type and the biblical interpretation of 'company of nations.'
The house of Israel was a company or union of equal members, none of whom were sovereign. This fits the United States. It does not fit Great Britain or the British Commonwealth. The British Commonwealth has never been a company of equal states. Britain has always been one great nation. Whereas the British Commonwealth is a collection of scattered, independent, satellite nations around the world under the authority of the single great nation Britain. The United States is an assembly of fifty united states who have given up their sovereignty in the interests of collective political union and are, for the most part, united geographically, as was the house of Israel anciently. The United States began with thirteen states. When we reached the West Coast we had 'filled up' our land with forty-eight states, perhaps paralleling the forty-eight cities for the Levites in ancient Israel. Then we added two more to reach a 'fullness' of fifty, or five times the number in the house of Israel of old [and the Jubilee number!]. The United States is the company, fullness, assembly, or convocation of states that Ephraim was to become" (ibid., p.87).
On the other hand, if Ephraim were the nations of Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, etc., then when the prophecies of Hosea speak of Ephraim "calling to Egypt" or "going to Assyria," which of those nations would be meant? (Hos.7:11). If Ephraim were composed of widely scattered nations, the prophecies of Hosea would be inexplicable; it would be impossible to determine to which "part" of Ephraim they applied, or how they could possibly apply to every "nation" of Ephraim! Obviously, the prophecies directed toward Ephraim in the Bible are directed to ONE UNITED COUNTRY, one sovereign nation, UNITED TOGETHER -- as Ephraim was historically, and as the United States is, today! The very words of the U.S. Constitution reveal our national identity! The Constitution begins, "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union…"
The U.S.A. -- A Union of "Nation-States" Ephraim was to become a united company or assembly of peoples. Isn't it interesting that the United States is famous around the world for being the "melting pot" of the nations? The United States has more emigrants from more diverse locations, than any other nation on earth! This is both a strength, and a fatal weakness. The prophet Hosea foretold this condition would describe Ephraim in the last days! Hosea wrote, "Ephraim MIXES with the nations; Ephraim is a flat cake not turned over [white on one side, baked black or brown on the other side!]. Foreigners sap his strength, but he does not realize it. His hair is sprinkled with gray, but he does not notice" (Hosea 7:8-9).
The United States began with thirteen colonies, and a flag of thirteen stripes and thirteen stars. Ephraim was the "thirteenth tribe" of ancient Israel! Mere coincidence? Ephraim's very name means "double fruit." It is the United States which exploded onto the world scene, becoming a world power in the days of Theodore Roosevelt at the turn of the century, and the twentieth century has been hailed as "America's Century," and world peace "Pax Americana." In a very short time, historically speaking, the United States grew, burgeoned, with rippling muscles, and grew past his older brother Manasseh, yet they are united by language and cultural ties unlike that of any other separate nations on the face of the earth! They are true brothers, sometimes arguing, squabbling, fighting, but back-to-back against any common enemy from the outside!
The Greatness of Ephraim
Jacob prophesied that the younger brother, Ephraim, was to be greater than his older brother, Manasseh. Manasseh, the firstborn, was the older brother. Which nation is older -- the United States or Great Britiain? That fact alone should tell us that Great Britain was the older brother, Manasseh, which was to be "great," and even has the word "great" in its name, unlike any other country on the earth today! But what about the United States? Is it greater than Great Britain, even as Ephraim was to be greater than Manasseh? Let's face this question honestly and squarely, without pride, pretence, or hypocrisy. The United States is the wealthiest nation in the world in terms of resources, business and assets, and gross national produced -- although we have also become the world's biggest debtor nation by far due to our sins and living beyond our means during the past decade. We comprise only six percent of the world's population, and yet we control over 40 percent of the world's wealth! We are the breadbasket of the world. Our gross domestic product is over $14.6 billion dollars annually. Either California or New York could be the world's fifth or sixth richest nation in the world. The state of Illinois produces more than the entire continent of Africa! The eight industrial states from New York to Illinois produce as much as the Common Market, the Soviet Union, or all of Latin America, Africa, most of Asia except Japan, and the Middle East combined! Gred Doudna writes concerning the greatness of America, versus that of Great Britain: "Jacob plainly, clearly, says Ephraim was to be greater than Manasseh.
The United States is greater than Britain by far. Britain is now no more than a second-rate power on the world scene. It is the United States which is the greatest and most powerful nation the world has ever seen. "Younger Ephraim was to be greater than older brother Manasseh. This alone, apart from anything else, should conclusively settle the question of which is Ephraim and which is Manasseh" (p.89). Ephraim's national wealth and prosperity in the End Time was prophesied by Hosea. The prophet foretold, "Ephraim boasts, 'I am very rich; I have become wealthy. With all my wealth they will not find in me any iniquity or sin'" (Hos.12:8). It has been the United States which has soared to the status of the richest of nations during the end times -- not Great Britain. The comparison in national wealth is meaningless -- there is no comparison. The economy of the United States has been the engine that has driven the free world since the end of World War II. It has led to postwar recovery of the entire Western World. Further, there is no comparison in military power between the two nations in the last days.
Hosea prophesied of Ephraim -- or the United States of America -- "When Ephraim spoke, men trembled; he was EXALTED in Israel. But he became guilty of Baal worship and died. Now they sin more and more; they make idols for themselves from their silver, cleverly fashioned images, all of them the work of craftsmen" (Hos.13:1-2). Some have suggested that since the United States is obviously greater than Britain, when Ephraim was prophesied to be greater, can be explained by the fact that Ephraim was to be a company of nations, whereas Manasseh was to be the greatest single nation. But that is NOT WHAT THE PROPHECY SAID! Jacob plainly said, without equivocation: "Nevertheless, his younger brother will be GREATER than he" (Gen.48:19). Now notice the time sequence of Jacob's blessing. Manasseh he mentioned first, that he would be great. THEN he mentioned Ephraim would be greater than his brother. Time wise, therefore, we see that Manasseh was to shoot to greatness first, even as Great Britain did. But then, later, his younger brother Ephraim was to shoot past him, and surpass him in greatness, wealth, and military might! This is just what happened! Britain became a great country, and colonizer, first; but then America suddenly grew up, burst her bonds, and became the economic, industrial, and military colossus of the world -- the greatest UNITED STATES the world had ever seen in all its history! What an amazing, incredible fulfillment of Jacob's prophecy, uttered almost 4,011 years ago, shortly before his death! In Genesis 35:11
God told Jacob that his progeny would become "a nation and a community of nations." Notice which came first -- the single nation. Then the community of nations, or "united states," were to follow. Again, this is exactly what history records. The single nation -- Great Britain -- came first historically and was great, and Britain "ruled the waves," the British pound was the international currency, and the "sun never set" on the British Empire. But then the "company of nations" or "united states" followed, and surpassed the greatness of the British Empire at its height. After World War II, no nation and no empire could compete with the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! It ruled the sea lanes of the world; its currency, the dollar, was the foundation of international trade. Thus Ephraim, the United States, surpassed his older brother, Manasseh, or Great Britain.
It was all prophesied long ago! Says Gred Doudna: "The British Empire used to rule the seas and the world, but God is concerned with the end-time in Bible prophecy, the time we are living in, the time the Bible was written for. That's now -- not 100-200 years ago or more. To explain Britain's supposedly being Ephraim by saying that Britain was at one time greater than the United States, that she used to be greater in the 1800's, is entirely unsatisfactory. What about now? Prophecy was written for the twenty first century, not the eighteenth or nineteenth. One of the strongest and most persistent objections to the whole 'Anglo-Israel' theory is this fact of Britain's ignoble decline and current second-rate status. Yet it confirms modern Israel's true identity and the truth of Jacob's words if we but realize that our nation, the United States, is Ephraim!" (p.90). Population Explosion! One of the tremendous blessings God promised the descendants of Israel in the end-times was great fertility and fruitfulness, the blessings of the womb (Gen.17:6, 22:17, Deut.28:4).
Jacob referred to Joseph as a "fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall" (Gen.49:22). The descendants of Israel in the End Time were to be "as the sand of the sea" (Isa.10:22). "Who can count the dust of Jacob, or number the fourth part of Israel?" (Numbers 23:10). The population of Britain is 62 million. The population of the United States is 310 million -- five times as much! The prophet Hosea indicated that of all the Israelite nations, Ephraim was to become the most fruitful; "even though he thrives ["be fruitful," KJV, "flourishess," Tanakh] among his brethren," God foretold, "an east wind from the Lord will come, blowing in from the desert; his spring will fail and his well dry up. His store house will be plundered of all its treasures" (Hos.13:15). "The more they increased, the more they sinned against me," God foretold (Hos.4:7, Tanakh). These Scriptures show that Ephraim was to be the MOST FRUITFUL of the tribes of Israel -- the MOST POPULOUS! The only nation descended from ancient Israel which can truly fit this description today in the United States!
Ephraim -- "Doubly Fruitful" If the United States is NOT Ephraim, the most populous, "doubly fruitful" Israelitish nation -- then who is? Fruitfulness, flourishing population, can also refer to the rate of growth. The growth rate of the United States has been nothing short of phenomenal -- from virtually nothing to 310 million in 411 years! During that time Britain has grown to 62 million. But the United States has grown from a population of 3,240,000 in 1784 to 310,000,000 in 2011 -- an exponential population growth of nearly 96 times over! No country in history has, like the United States, literally come from out of nowhere, and literally EXPLODED in population growth and power, both military and economic! Truly, the United States -- modern "Ephraim" -- has experienced a dramatic population increase. Truly it has lived up to its name -- and is "DOUBLY fruitful"! Vast Natural Resources Promised Recall that God promised outstanding natural resources and blessings to the descendants of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, with Ephraim receiving the "double portion" as the "birthright son" of the two. This promise of the choicest gifts of heaven above, of the deep below, of the everlasting hills and valleys, and most fertile fields, and precious metals, has been fulfilled nowhere like it has in the United States. God also promised national greatness, and prestige and honor among the other nations. Again, this promise has been fulfilled nowhere as much as in the United States! God said of Isaac's descendants, "May God give you of heaven's dew and of earth's richness -- an abundance of grain and new wine. May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed" (Gen.27:27). Although these blessings would accrue to all the children of Israel, as the primary inheritor of the BIRTHRIGHT, they would accrue to Ephraim most of all! For we read in I Chronicles 5:2, "the rights of the FIRSTBORN belonged to Joseph.
Balaam prophesied of Israel, "How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel! Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river, like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters" (Numbers 24:5-6). Isaiah was inspired to prophesy of Ephraim, "Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley -- to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine" (Isa.28:1). A land of hills and mountains, lakes and rivers, and fertile vast valleys, Ephraim is characterized. What land fits that Biblical description more than the United States? The KJV translates this passage "fat valleys," the Living Bible has "rich valleys." Either way, no nation on earth has richer, fatter, more fertile and vast valleys than the United States of America! "Fat valleys" is a symbol of rich agricultural bounty. Of the two, the U.S. and Britain, which is known as the "breadbasket of the world"? Of the two, which is known for its abundant wine production? Britain is famous for its ales and beer, and Scotland for its whiskey, but the United States is world famous for its wines -- especially California wine!
The United States has such world renown agricultural valleys as the San Joaquin, San Fernando, Oregon, Ohio, Cumberland, Shenandoah, etc. This passage in Isaiah 28:1 also speaks of the "flower" of Ephraim's "glorious beauty." What nation on earth is more famous for its "glorious beauty" and natural scenery than the United States? From sea to shining sea, from the redwoods and Sequoias of California to the majestic waters of Niagara Falls, to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Tennessee to the Mojave Desert, from the Grand Canyon of the Colorado to the paint pots and geysers of Yellowstone, from the Grant Tetons of Wyoming to the towering granite spires of Yosemite, from the Everglades of Florida and the Texas Big Bend Country to the waters of Waikiki, Hawaii, you name it -- no country on the face of the earth can compare with the glorious beauty of Ephraim -- the United States of America! We sing the song, "O beautiful for spacious skies, for ambers waves of grain; for purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain -- America, America, God shed His grace on thee; O crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea!" We sing the song, "God bless America, land that I love; stand beside her, and guide her, with the light from the light from above." We sing, "This land is your land, this land is my land, From the Gulf Stream waters, to the New York island, this land is made for you and me." But as we sing these inspiring, rich, bountiful songs, little do we realize that we are singing the songs of Ephraim -- the youngest son of Joseph, who was to inherit the blessings of the FIRSTBORN! The "glorious beauty" of Ephraim in the glorious and awe-inspiring beauty of the United States!
You can go on a summer trip. You can go to the National Parks of Mount Rainier, the Northern Cascades, Glacier in Montana, Yellowstone and Grant Tetons in Wyoming, and dropped down to the Canyon lands, Arches National Monument, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Park. There is also Yosemite, Sequoia, King's Canyon in northern California, or Crater Lake in Oregon. Also the Big Sur country along the California coastline, or the beautiful Oregon coast. You get overwhelmed by the greatness of the heritage of the beautiful places God has bequeathed to the children of Joseph, Ephraim in particular! The United States has the Great Plains, the Mississippi River system, the Great Lakes -- the finest breadbasket and grazing land, commercial water base and drainage system of the whole world. The Great Plains are the greatest area of useful land in the world. Half the fresh water of the world is contained in the Great Lakes system. Incalculably rich deposits of iron ore, coal and limestone lie along this great waterway. In this region was erected the world's greatest steel industry that helped make America the strongest and richest nation on earth. The famous words of Abraham Lincoln express the truth: "We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.
"It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness" (quoted in Ascent to Greatness, Raymond F. McNair pg.196). Hosea the prophet further describes the blessings that would come to Ephraim as the recipient of the blessings of the firstborn of Israel, and then to all Israel. God says of Ephraim, "I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre, planted in a pleasant place" (Hos.9:13). What nation on earth has a more "pleasant place" than the United States? What mercantile city today more resembles ancient Tyre, the mercantile hub of the ancient world, than New York City? Here again are further allusions to the identity of modern Ephraim -- the United States! Why were the vast, far flung resources of North America left virtually untapped and unused for millennia until the arrival of the Anglo-Saxon descendants of ancient Jacob, or Israel -- the peoples of Ephraim, and Manasseh? Was it all "manifest destiny," as our forefathers believed? Moses was inspired to write: "When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel" (Deut.32:8, NIV). God reserved the choicest portions of the earth for the birthright tribe of Israel. He gave the beautiful North American continent to the sons of Joseph -- Ephraim the part belonging to the United States, and Canada the portion He reserved for Manasseh, and some of the children of Reuben. Interestingly, it was Joshua -- an Ephraimite -- who led the children of Israel into the Promised Land.
Today America is a new "Promised Land" of our time. Millions of foreigners strive to emigrate here, legally or illegally, regarding this fair land as the "last best hope for mankind." Interesting, also, that Joseph was the brother that was "separated from his brethren" (Deut.33:16, KJV). Modern Joseph, also, is "separated" from his brothers -- other Israelitish nations -- by the Atlantic Ocean! Only Ephraim, and a portion of Manasseh, are located on the North American continent, thus "separated" from their brother nations in northwestern Europe! Hosea says of Ephraim, "like a wild donkey wandering alone" (Hos.8:9). Balaam said of Israel, "I see a people who LIVE APART and do not consider themselves one of the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob, or number the fourth part of Israel?" (Num.23:9-10). When Ephraim was born, Joseph gave him that name, saying, "It is because God has made me FRUITFUL in the land of my suffering" (Gen.41:52). Like his father Joseph, Ephraim has been fruitful in the land of his affliction or early suffering. The early colonists in North America underwent extreme privation and troubles, before the foundation was laid for a new land, a new nation.
The exploits of the voyagers on the Mayflower, most of whom perished en route to the New World, and the harrowing difficulties of the Pilgrims, and the settlers at Jamestown, in a sense duplicate the earlier sufferings of their forefather Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers, and cast into the dungeon of Pharaoh and virtually forgotten there. On the other hand, Manasseh means "Causing to forget." When he was born, Joseph said he named him that, "Because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household" (Gen.41:51). Notice how this name reveals the nature of Manasseh. Britain, the older of the two sons, has truly "forgotten all his father's household" -- and even his national identity, despite all the evidence around them! There are the historical records and legends of Jeremiah bringing the king's daughters to Ireland, where Princess Tea married into the royal line already established by early Israelites. There was the name of Tara, the ancient Irish capital, meaning "Torah." There was the Stone of Scone, or Jacob's Pillar Stone, and its traditions and history. There were the royal genealogies, which trace the British monarchy back to the line of King David! There was the very name "British" itself -- which is Hebrew for "Covenant man." And the very name "Saxons," which derives from "sons of Isaac." Over the centuries, God caused ancient Israel to go into captivity. While there, they eventually lost their true identity, being far removed from the land of Palestine. God later released their captivity, and led them to their new inheritances, in Western Europe, the British Isles, and the New World. He blessed them, and caused them to become great. But Manasseh, despite all the legends, history, and evidence, lost the knowledge of his own identity, and "forgot" who he really was, just as his name implies! Here then is more evidence that Manasseh is Great Britain, and Ephraim the United States of America!
These Biblical allusions would fit perfectly to two peoples, both descended from Joseph, both dwelling apart as he did from his brethren -- who was "separated from his brethren" (Deut.33:16, KJV) -- dwelling apart from the Old World countries -- in the island of England, and in the "New World," the Western hemisphere! The "Coastlands of Ephraim" The prophet Isaiah was inspired of God to write, "Ephraim is MY FIRSTBORN" (Jeremiah 31:9). He was to dwell in the "north lands" and "the ends of the earth" (verse 8). He was to dwell in the "isles afar" (v.10), and the "coastlands" (Isa.49:1, Tanakh). What description better fits the United States, with the longest habitable coastline of any nation? It is in the northern hemisphere; it is "far off" and at the "ends of the earth" from Jerusalem; and it is a long and valuable "coastland." No other land can combine all these qualifications, like the United States -- modern Ephraim! When God scattered His people in 718-721 B.C., he drove them among the peoples of the earth; "yet in DISTANT LANDS they will remember me," He foretold (Zech.10:9). He prophesied of them, "Stand silent before me, coastlands, And let nations renew their strength" (Isa.41:1). Did not the United States, free from the yoke of European wars and oppression, and the weakening influence of pagan religion, receive a NEW BIRTH in a NEW LAND of pristine opportunity and magnificent wealth -- free from the stifling influences of paganism and heathen customs?
God literally brought His people Ephraim to "distant lands," and "coastlands." The same Hebrew word yam is translated "sea" and "west." Therefore, the "islands of the sea" or "coastlands of the sea" could just as readily be translated as "coastlands of the west." Needless to say, the United States is a "coastland of the WEST"! -- far west of Jerusalem! Isaiah writes, "Look! These are coming from AFAR, these from the NORTH and the WEST, and these from the land of Sinim" (Isa.49:12, Tanakh). If you draw a line due north of Jerusalem to the North Pole, and due west, and followed both of them till they intersected, the section of the globe carved out would include Europe, and North America -- the portion of the globe which includes most of the Israelitish nations of the earth -- The United States, Canada, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium and France! Hosea the prophet wrote, "Ephraim feeds on the wind; he pursues the east wind all day…" (Hos.12:1, NIV). The east wind blows WEST. Thus Ephraim was prophesied to move to the WEST of Jerusalem.
The United States lies in part due west of modern day Israel and Jerusalem! God says of His firstborn son Ephraim, "How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel?...I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim. For I am God, and not man -- the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath. They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come TREMBLING FROM THE WEST" (Hos.11:8-11, NIV). When we look carefully at a map of the globe, we find that the Northern hemisphere and the western hemisphere -- North America -- most perfectly fulfills the description of "coastlands" afar off to the north and west of Jerusalem! To be candid, any reference which can apply to Britain applies with even more forcefulness to the United States! And to the far northwest from Jerusalem, we come to America's 49th state -- the state of Alaska, the largest state of all! In ancient times, Manasseh was divided into two parts -- one part dwelt on the other side of the Jordan river, and one part went with Ephraim, and settled near them. Isn't it interesting that in modern times, too, part of Manasseh chose to remain in England and Britain, while many others chose to come to the New World, and settled in Canada, near modern Ephraim?
The parallels are too striking to ignore! In ancient Israel, west Manasseh's southern border was Ephraim, and constituted the longest border between any two tribes of Israel. Even so, today modern Ephraim (the United States) still lies to the south of Manasseh (Canada), and the border between the two peoples is the longest unfortified, friendly border in the world! No passports are required to cross between the two countries. When Joshua gave each tribe its territory in ancient Canaan, we read, "There were towns belonging to Ephraim lying among the towns of Manasseh, but the boundary of Manasseh was the northern side of the ravine and ended at the sea. On the south the land belonged to Ephraim, on the north to Manasseh. The territory of Manasseh reached the sea…" (Josh.17:9-10). Isn't it also interesting that today the western borders of Manasseh and Ephraim STILL terminate at a western sea -- the Pacific Ocean? Greg Doudna points out: "West Manasseh had 'ten portions' of Canaan (Josh.17:5). Canada has ten provinces. West Manasseh's land area was larger than that of Ephraim's. Canada occupies a larger land area than the United States.
No geographic, social, or racial barriers separate our two nations. We speak a common language. We are each other's best trade partner. “We are just like brothers" (p.96). Moses said of Joseph's descendants, 'Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and such are the thousands of Manasseh' (Deut.33:17). The populations of the United States and Canada are about 310,000,000 and 34,000,000 respectively -- a ratio of ten to one -- just like the ratio or proportions used by Moses! Could anything be more striking? The 2,520 Years of Punishment The leader of the ten-tribed northern kingdom of Israel was the tribe of Ephraim, whose capital city was Samaria. The ten-nation kingdom went into exile in 718 B.C. by the Assyrians (I Kings 17). They were to be "punished seven times" for their sins (Lev.26:18, 21,24,28). A "time" equals a year in fulfillment of prophecy (Rev.12:6, 14-16). A promise to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and "Joseph." And it is our nation which has received these blessings! Writes Gred Doudna: "The ending of this seven times period of 2,520 years punishment marks the emergence of Ephraim alone as a separate nation in its own right -- apart from any other Israelite nations!" (p.112). Doudna continues: "It was not until the seven times were finished that God allowed Ephraim to rise to national greatness. It was our nation which has had to wait 2,520 years to receive the blessings, and it is also our nation which has received those blessings, abundantly, filled to the brim and running over. "At first Ephraim was just one of Israel's thirteen tribes.
After the split with Judah, Ephraim took its place as leader of the ten-tribe house of Israel. In the centuries following the captivity, Ephraim became particularly allied with his older brother Manasseh, as Jacob had predicted, and together they grew and prospered in Britain. "Britain before 1800 was Joseph -- both Manasseh and Ephraim combined. Why was Britain so great before 1800? Partly because Ephraimites were still there -- they had not yet migrated to America! "At this time of the ending of the prophecy of the seven times period, the final separation occurred in the process of several millennia. God set Ephraim apart as a sovereign and independent nation, signifying this by giving Ephraim the choicest land in the entire world on the very year ending the seven times period. After this, no further split or separation was possible. Ephraim was now by itself -- one indivisible nation. This is why the Civil War resulted in defeat for the Confederacy and victory for the Union. This is why the United States is one nation today, not many divided and conflicting, independent nations as it could have been. The history of the growth and preservation of the United States is a story of God's hand in history. "The separation of younger Ephraim from Manasseh occurred 235 years ago. The British nation continued as Manasseh and maintained its position throughout the 1800's as a great empire, as the fledgling United States struggled to survive, expand, produce, build, grow, and prosper in the new Promised Land. And prosper it has! "One day Britain woke up to realize her empire was gone, her prestige vanishing, and that she was no longer great. At the same time the United States grew until it found itself the greatest nation ever in history! "Manasseh had been surpassed by younger Ephraim!" (pp.
by William F. Dankenbring
"Although virtually no one has noticed it, God has left the identity of modern Israel in the most obvious place one could imagine -- in the very name of our great nation! Our nation is the only nation in the world directly named 'company of nations'! "Not only that, but Manasseh was to become a great nation, and only one modern nation is known as being 'great' in its very name -- Great Britain! "The official name of Great Britain is of course the United Kingdom -- a single great nation. The United Kingdom and the United States. A nation and a company of nations. "To those of us who have strongly believed that the United States is Manasseh this requires some adjustment in thinking. But if the reader will withhold judgment until all the evidence can be considered, it will be seen that the United States is Ephraim, and that once the mental adjustment is made, this understanding makes many times more sense than believing our nation to be Manasseh! "The important thing to grasp is that the United States fits both the type and the biblical interpretation of 'company of nations.'
The house of Israel was a company or union of equal members, none of whom were sovereign. This fits the United States. It does not fit Great Britain or the British Commonwealth. The British Commonwealth has never been a company of equal states. Britain has always been one great nation. Whereas the British Commonwealth is a collection of scattered, independent, satellite nations around the world under the authority of the single great nation Britain. The United States is an assembly of fifty united states who have given up their sovereignty in the interests of collective political union and are, for the most part, united geographically, as was the house of Israel anciently. The United States began with thirteen states. When we reached the West Coast we had 'filled up' our land with forty-eight states, perhaps paralleling the forty-eight cities for the Levites in ancient Israel. Then we added two more to reach a 'fullness' of fifty, or five times the number in the house of Israel of old [and the Jubilee number!]. The United States is the company, fullness, assembly, or convocation of states that Ephraim was to become" (ibid., p.87).
On the other hand, if Ephraim were the nations of Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, etc., then when the prophecies of Hosea speak of Ephraim "calling to Egypt" or "going to Assyria," which of those nations would be meant? (Hos.7:11). If Ephraim were composed of widely scattered nations, the prophecies of Hosea would be inexplicable; it would be impossible to determine to which "part" of Ephraim they applied, or how they could possibly apply to every "nation" of Ephraim! Obviously, the prophecies directed toward Ephraim in the Bible are directed to ONE UNITED COUNTRY, one sovereign nation, UNITED TOGETHER -- as Ephraim was historically, and as the United States is, today! The very words of the U.S. Constitution reveal our national identity! The Constitution begins, "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union…"
The U.S.A. -- A Union of "Nation-States" Ephraim was to become a united company or assembly of peoples. Isn't it interesting that the United States is famous around the world for being the "melting pot" of the nations? The United States has more emigrants from more diverse locations, than any other nation on earth! This is both a strength, and a fatal weakness. The prophet Hosea foretold this condition would describe Ephraim in the last days! Hosea wrote, "Ephraim MIXES with the nations; Ephraim is a flat cake not turned over [white on one side, baked black or brown on the other side!]. Foreigners sap his strength, but he does not realize it. His hair is sprinkled with gray, but he does not notice" (Hosea 7:8-9).
The United States began with thirteen colonies, and a flag of thirteen stripes and thirteen stars. Ephraim was the "thirteenth tribe" of ancient Israel! Mere coincidence? Ephraim's very name means "double fruit." It is the United States which exploded onto the world scene, becoming a world power in the days of Theodore Roosevelt at the turn of the century, and the twentieth century has been hailed as "America's Century," and world peace "Pax Americana." In a very short time, historically speaking, the United States grew, burgeoned, with rippling muscles, and grew past his older brother Manasseh, yet they are united by language and cultural ties unlike that of any other separate nations on the face of the earth! They are true brothers, sometimes arguing, squabbling, fighting, but back-to-back against any common enemy from the outside!
The Greatness of Ephraim
Jacob prophesied that the younger brother, Ephraim, was to be greater than his older brother, Manasseh. Manasseh, the firstborn, was the older brother. Which nation is older -- the United States or Great Britiain? That fact alone should tell us that Great Britain was the older brother, Manasseh, which was to be "great," and even has the word "great" in its name, unlike any other country on the earth today! But what about the United States? Is it greater than Great Britain, even as Ephraim was to be greater than Manasseh? Let's face this question honestly and squarely, without pride, pretence, or hypocrisy. The United States is the wealthiest nation in the world in terms of resources, business and assets, and gross national produced -- although we have also become the world's biggest debtor nation by far due to our sins and living beyond our means during the past decade. We comprise only six percent of the world's population, and yet we control over 40 percent of the world's wealth! We are the breadbasket of the world. Our gross domestic product is over $14.6 billion dollars annually. Either California or New York could be the world's fifth or sixth richest nation in the world. The state of Illinois produces more than the entire continent of Africa! The eight industrial states from New York to Illinois produce as much as the Common Market, the Soviet Union, or all of Latin America, Africa, most of Asia except Japan, and the Middle East combined! Gred Doudna writes concerning the greatness of America, versus that of Great Britain: "Jacob plainly, clearly, says Ephraim was to be greater than Manasseh.
The United States is greater than Britain by far. Britain is now no more than a second-rate power on the world scene. It is the United States which is the greatest and most powerful nation the world has ever seen. "Younger Ephraim was to be greater than older brother Manasseh. This alone, apart from anything else, should conclusively settle the question of which is Ephraim and which is Manasseh" (p.89). Ephraim's national wealth and prosperity in the End Time was prophesied by Hosea. The prophet foretold, "Ephraim boasts, 'I am very rich; I have become wealthy. With all my wealth they will not find in me any iniquity or sin'" (Hos.12:8). It has been the United States which has soared to the status of the richest of nations during the end times -- not Great Britain. The comparison in national wealth is meaningless -- there is no comparison. The economy of the United States has been the engine that has driven the free world since the end of World War II. It has led to postwar recovery of the entire Western World. Further, there is no comparison in military power between the two nations in the last days.
Hosea prophesied of Ephraim -- or the United States of America -- "When Ephraim spoke, men trembled; he was EXALTED in Israel. But he became guilty of Baal worship and died. Now they sin more and more; they make idols for themselves from their silver, cleverly fashioned images, all of them the work of craftsmen" (Hos.13:1-2). Some have suggested that since the United States is obviously greater than Britain, when Ephraim was prophesied to be greater, can be explained by the fact that Ephraim was to be a company of nations, whereas Manasseh was to be the greatest single nation. But that is NOT WHAT THE PROPHECY SAID! Jacob plainly said, without equivocation: "Nevertheless, his younger brother will be GREATER than he" (Gen.48:19). Now notice the time sequence of Jacob's blessing. Manasseh he mentioned first, that he would be great. THEN he mentioned Ephraim would be greater than his brother. Time wise, therefore, we see that Manasseh was to shoot to greatness first, even as Great Britain did. But then, later, his younger brother Ephraim was to shoot past him, and surpass him in greatness, wealth, and military might! This is just what happened! Britain became a great country, and colonizer, first; but then America suddenly grew up, burst her bonds, and became the economic, industrial, and military colossus of the world -- the greatest UNITED STATES the world had ever seen in all its history! What an amazing, incredible fulfillment of Jacob's prophecy, uttered almost 4,011 years ago, shortly before his death! In Genesis 35:11
God told Jacob that his progeny would become "a nation and a community of nations." Notice which came first -- the single nation. Then the community of nations, or "united states," were to follow. Again, this is exactly what history records. The single nation -- Great Britain -- came first historically and was great, and Britain "ruled the waves," the British pound was the international currency, and the "sun never set" on the British Empire. But then the "company of nations" or "united states" followed, and surpassed the greatness of the British Empire at its height. After World War II, no nation and no empire could compete with the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! It ruled the sea lanes of the world; its currency, the dollar, was the foundation of international trade. Thus Ephraim, the United States, surpassed his older brother, Manasseh, or Great Britain.
It was all prophesied long ago! Says Gred Doudna: "The British Empire used to rule the seas and the world, but God is concerned with the end-time in Bible prophecy, the time we are living in, the time the Bible was written for. That's now -- not 100-200 years ago or more. To explain Britain's supposedly being Ephraim by saying that Britain was at one time greater than the United States, that she used to be greater in the 1800's, is entirely unsatisfactory. What about now? Prophecy was written for the twenty first century, not the eighteenth or nineteenth. One of the strongest and most persistent objections to the whole 'Anglo-Israel' theory is this fact of Britain's ignoble decline and current second-rate status. Yet it confirms modern Israel's true identity and the truth of Jacob's words if we but realize that our nation, the United States, is Ephraim!" (p.90). Population Explosion! One of the tremendous blessings God promised the descendants of Israel in the end-times was great fertility and fruitfulness, the blessings of the womb (Gen.17:6, 22:17, Deut.28:4).
Jacob referred to Joseph as a "fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall" (Gen.49:22). The descendants of Israel in the End Time were to be "as the sand of the sea" (Isa.10:22). "Who can count the dust of Jacob, or number the fourth part of Israel?" (Numbers 23:10). The population of Britain is 62 million. The population of the United States is 310 million -- five times as much! The prophet Hosea indicated that of all the Israelite nations, Ephraim was to become the most fruitful; "even though he thrives ["be fruitful," KJV, "flourishess," Tanakh] among his brethren," God foretold, "an east wind from the Lord will come, blowing in from the desert; his spring will fail and his well dry up. His store house will be plundered of all its treasures" (Hos.13:15). "The more they increased, the more they sinned against me," God foretold (Hos.4:7, Tanakh). These Scriptures show that Ephraim was to be the MOST FRUITFUL of the tribes of Israel -- the MOST POPULOUS! The only nation descended from ancient Israel which can truly fit this description today in the United States!
Ephraim -- "Doubly Fruitful" If the United States is NOT Ephraim, the most populous, "doubly fruitful" Israelitish nation -- then who is? Fruitfulness, flourishing population, can also refer to the rate of growth. The growth rate of the United States has been nothing short of phenomenal -- from virtually nothing to 310 million in 411 years! During that time Britain has grown to 62 million. But the United States has grown from a population of 3,240,000 in 1784 to 310,000,000 in 2011 -- an exponential population growth of nearly 96 times over! No country in history has, like the United States, literally come from out of nowhere, and literally EXPLODED in population growth and power, both military and economic! Truly, the United States -- modern "Ephraim" -- has experienced a dramatic population increase. Truly it has lived up to its name -- and is "DOUBLY fruitful"! Vast Natural Resources Promised Recall that God promised outstanding natural resources and blessings to the descendants of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, with Ephraim receiving the "double portion" as the "birthright son" of the two. This promise of the choicest gifts of heaven above, of the deep below, of the everlasting hills and valleys, and most fertile fields, and precious metals, has been fulfilled nowhere like it has in the United States. God also promised national greatness, and prestige and honor among the other nations. Again, this promise has been fulfilled nowhere as much as in the United States! God said of Isaac's descendants, "May God give you of heaven's dew and of earth's richness -- an abundance of grain and new wine. May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed" (Gen.27:27). Although these blessings would accrue to all the children of Israel, as the primary inheritor of the BIRTHRIGHT, they would accrue to Ephraim most of all! For we read in I Chronicles 5:2, "the rights of the FIRSTBORN belonged to Joseph.
Balaam prophesied of Israel, "How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel! Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river, like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters" (Numbers 24:5-6). Isaiah was inspired to prophesy of Ephraim, "Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley -- to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine" (Isa.28:1). A land of hills and mountains, lakes and rivers, and fertile vast valleys, Ephraim is characterized. What land fits that Biblical description more than the United States? The KJV translates this passage "fat valleys," the Living Bible has "rich valleys." Either way, no nation on earth has richer, fatter, more fertile and vast valleys than the United States of America! "Fat valleys" is a symbol of rich agricultural bounty. Of the two, the U.S. and Britain, which is known as the "breadbasket of the world"? Of the two, which is known for its abundant wine production? Britain is famous for its ales and beer, and Scotland for its whiskey, but the United States is world famous for its wines -- especially California wine!
The United States has such world renown agricultural valleys as the San Joaquin, San Fernando, Oregon, Ohio, Cumberland, Shenandoah, etc. This passage in Isaiah 28:1 also speaks of the "flower" of Ephraim's "glorious beauty." What nation on earth is more famous for its "glorious beauty" and natural scenery than the United States? From sea to shining sea, from the redwoods and Sequoias of California to the majestic waters of Niagara Falls, to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Tennessee to the Mojave Desert, from the Grand Canyon of the Colorado to the paint pots and geysers of Yellowstone, from the Grant Tetons of Wyoming to the towering granite spires of Yosemite, from the Everglades of Florida and the Texas Big Bend Country to the waters of Waikiki, Hawaii, you name it -- no country on the face of the earth can compare with the glorious beauty of Ephraim -- the United States of America! We sing the song, "O beautiful for spacious skies, for ambers waves of grain; for purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain -- America, America, God shed His grace on thee; O crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea!" We sing the song, "God bless America, land that I love; stand beside her, and guide her, with the light from the light from above." We sing, "This land is your land, this land is my land, From the Gulf Stream waters, to the New York island, this land is made for you and me." But as we sing these inspiring, rich, bountiful songs, little do we realize that we are singing the songs of Ephraim -- the youngest son of Joseph, who was to inherit the blessings of the FIRSTBORN! The "glorious beauty" of Ephraim in the glorious and awe-inspiring beauty of the United States!
You can go on a summer trip. You can go to the National Parks of Mount Rainier, the Northern Cascades, Glacier in Montana, Yellowstone and Grant Tetons in Wyoming, and dropped down to the Canyon lands, Arches National Monument, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Park. There is also Yosemite, Sequoia, King's Canyon in northern California, or Crater Lake in Oregon. Also the Big Sur country along the California coastline, or the beautiful Oregon coast. You get overwhelmed by the greatness of the heritage of the beautiful places God has bequeathed to the children of Joseph, Ephraim in particular! The United States has the Great Plains, the Mississippi River system, the Great Lakes -- the finest breadbasket and grazing land, commercial water base and drainage system of the whole world. The Great Plains are the greatest area of useful land in the world. Half the fresh water of the world is contained in the Great Lakes system. Incalculably rich deposits of iron ore, coal and limestone lie along this great waterway. In this region was erected the world's greatest steel industry that helped make America the strongest and richest nation on earth. The famous words of Abraham Lincoln express the truth: "We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.
"It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness" (quoted in Ascent to Greatness, Raymond F. McNair pg.196). Hosea the prophet further describes the blessings that would come to Ephraim as the recipient of the blessings of the firstborn of Israel, and then to all Israel. God says of Ephraim, "I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre, planted in a pleasant place" (Hos.9:13). What nation on earth has a more "pleasant place" than the United States? What mercantile city today more resembles ancient Tyre, the mercantile hub of the ancient world, than New York City? Here again are further allusions to the identity of modern Ephraim -- the United States! Why were the vast, far flung resources of North America left virtually untapped and unused for millennia until the arrival of the Anglo-Saxon descendants of ancient Jacob, or Israel -- the peoples of Ephraim, and Manasseh? Was it all "manifest destiny," as our forefathers believed? Moses was inspired to write: "When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel" (Deut.32:8, NIV). God reserved the choicest portions of the earth for the birthright tribe of Israel. He gave the beautiful North American continent to the sons of Joseph -- Ephraim the part belonging to the United States, and Canada the portion He reserved for Manasseh, and some of the children of Reuben. Interestingly, it was Joshua -- an Ephraimite -- who led the children of Israel into the Promised Land.
Today America is a new "Promised Land" of our time. Millions of foreigners strive to emigrate here, legally or illegally, regarding this fair land as the "last best hope for mankind." Interesting, also, that Joseph was the brother that was "separated from his brethren" (Deut.33:16, KJV). Modern Joseph, also, is "separated" from his brothers -- other Israelitish nations -- by the Atlantic Ocean! Only Ephraim, and a portion of Manasseh, are located on the North American continent, thus "separated" from their brother nations in northwestern Europe! Hosea says of Ephraim, "like a wild donkey wandering alone" (Hos.8:9). Balaam said of Israel, "I see a people who LIVE APART and do not consider themselves one of the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob, or number the fourth part of Israel?" (Num.23:9-10). When Ephraim was born, Joseph gave him that name, saying, "It is because God has made me FRUITFUL in the land of my suffering" (Gen.41:52). Like his father Joseph, Ephraim has been fruitful in the land of his affliction or early suffering. The early colonists in North America underwent extreme privation and troubles, before the foundation was laid for a new land, a new nation.
The exploits of the voyagers on the Mayflower, most of whom perished en route to the New World, and the harrowing difficulties of the Pilgrims, and the settlers at Jamestown, in a sense duplicate the earlier sufferings of their forefather Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers, and cast into the dungeon of Pharaoh and virtually forgotten there. On the other hand, Manasseh means "Causing to forget." When he was born, Joseph said he named him that, "Because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household" (Gen.41:51). Notice how this name reveals the nature of Manasseh. Britain, the older of the two sons, has truly "forgotten all his father's household" -- and even his national identity, despite all the evidence around them! There are the historical records and legends of Jeremiah bringing the king's daughters to Ireland, where Princess Tea married into the royal line already established by early Israelites. There was the name of Tara, the ancient Irish capital, meaning "Torah." There was the Stone of Scone, or Jacob's Pillar Stone, and its traditions and history. There were the royal genealogies, which trace the British monarchy back to the line of King David! There was the very name "British" itself -- which is Hebrew for "Covenant man." And the very name "Saxons," which derives from "sons of Isaac." Over the centuries, God caused ancient Israel to go into captivity. While there, they eventually lost their true identity, being far removed from the land of Palestine. God later released their captivity, and led them to their new inheritances, in Western Europe, the British Isles, and the New World. He blessed them, and caused them to become great. But Manasseh, despite all the legends, history, and evidence, lost the knowledge of his own identity, and "forgot" who he really was, just as his name implies! Here then is more evidence that Manasseh is Great Britain, and Ephraim the United States of America!
These Biblical allusions would fit perfectly to two peoples, both descended from Joseph, both dwelling apart as he did from his brethren -- who was "separated from his brethren" (Deut.33:16, KJV) -- dwelling apart from the Old World countries -- in the island of England, and in the "New World," the Western hemisphere! The "Coastlands of Ephraim" The prophet Isaiah was inspired of God to write, "Ephraim is MY FIRSTBORN" (Jeremiah 31:9). He was to dwell in the "north lands" and "the ends of the earth" (verse 8). He was to dwell in the "isles afar" (v.10), and the "coastlands" (Isa.49:1, Tanakh). What description better fits the United States, with the longest habitable coastline of any nation? It is in the northern hemisphere; it is "far off" and at the "ends of the earth" from Jerusalem; and it is a long and valuable "coastland." No other land can combine all these qualifications, like the United States -- modern Ephraim! When God scattered His people in 718-721 B.C., he drove them among the peoples of the earth; "yet in DISTANT LANDS they will remember me," He foretold (Zech.10:9). He prophesied of them, "Stand silent before me, coastlands, And let nations renew their strength" (Isa.41:1). Did not the United States, free from the yoke of European wars and oppression, and the weakening influence of pagan religion, receive a NEW BIRTH in a NEW LAND of pristine opportunity and magnificent wealth -- free from the stifling influences of paganism and heathen customs?
God literally brought His people Ephraim to "distant lands," and "coastlands." The same Hebrew word yam is translated "sea" and "west." Therefore, the "islands of the sea" or "coastlands of the sea" could just as readily be translated as "coastlands of the west." Needless to say, the United States is a "coastland of the WEST"! -- far west of Jerusalem! Isaiah writes, "Look! These are coming from AFAR, these from the NORTH and the WEST, and these from the land of Sinim" (Isa.49:12, Tanakh). If you draw a line due north of Jerusalem to the North Pole, and due west, and followed both of them till they intersected, the section of the globe carved out would include Europe, and North America -- the portion of the globe which includes most of the Israelitish nations of the earth -- The United States, Canada, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium and France! Hosea the prophet wrote, "Ephraim feeds on the wind; he pursues the east wind all day…" (Hos.12:1, NIV). The east wind blows WEST. Thus Ephraim was prophesied to move to the WEST of Jerusalem.
The United States lies in part due west of modern day Israel and Jerusalem! God says of His firstborn son Ephraim, "How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel?...I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim. For I am God, and not man -- the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath. They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come TREMBLING FROM THE WEST" (Hos.11:8-11, NIV). When we look carefully at a map of the globe, we find that the Northern hemisphere and the western hemisphere -- North America -- most perfectly fulfills the description of "coastlands" afar off to the north and west of Jerusalem! To be candid, any reference which can apply to Britain applies with even more forcefulness to the United States! And to the far northwest from Jerusalem, we come to America's 49th state -- the state of Alaska, the largest state of all! In ancient times, Manasseh was divided into two parts -- one part dwelt on the other side of the Jordan river, and one part went with Ephraim, and settled near them. Isn't it interesting that in modern times, too, part of Manasseh chose to remain in England and Britain, while many others chose to come to the New World, and settled in Canada, near modern Ephraim?
The parallels are too striking to ignore! In ancient Israel, west Manasseh's southern border was Ephraim, and constituted the longest border between any two tribes of Israel. Even so, today modern Ephraim (the United States) still lies to the south of Manasseh (Canada), and the border between the two peoples is the longest unfortified, friendly border in the world! No passports are required to cross between the two countries. When Joshua gave each tribe its territory in ancient Canaan, we read, "There were towns belonging to Ephraim lying among the towns of Manasseh, but the boundary of Manasseh was the northern side of the ravine and ended at the sea. On the south the land belonged to Ephraim, on the north to Manasseh. The territory of Manasseh reached the sea…" (Josh.17:9-10). Isn't it also interesting that today the western borders of Manasseh and Ephraim STILL terminate at a western sea -- the Pacific Ocean? Greg Doudna points out: "West Manasseh had 'ten portions' of Canaan (Josh.17:5). Canada has ten provinces. West Manasseh's land area was larger than that of Ephraim's. Canada occupies a larger land area than the United States.
No geographic, social, or racial barriers separate our two nations. We speak a common language. We are each other's best trade partner. “We are just like brothers" (p.96). Moses said of Joseph's descendants, 'Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and such are the thousands of Manasseh' (Deut.33:17). The populations of the United States and Canada are about 310,000,000 and 34,000,000 respectively -- a ratio of ten to one -- just like the ratio or proportions used by Moses! Could anything be more striking? The 2,520 Years of Punishment The leader of the ten-tribed northern kingdom of Israel was the tribe of Ephraim, whose capital city was Samaria. The ten-nation kingdom went into exile in 718 B.C. by the Assyrians (I Kings 17). They were to be "punished seven times" for their sins (Lev.26:18, 21,24,28). A "time" equals a year in fulfillment of prophecy (Rev.12:6, 14-16). A promise to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and "Joseph." And it is our nation which has received these blessings! Writes Gred Doudna: "The ending of this seven times period of 2,520 years punishment marks the emergence of Ephraim alone as a separate nation in its own right -- apart from any other Israelite nations!" (p.112). Doudna continues: "It was not until the seven times were finished that God allowed Ephraim to rise to national greatness. It was our nation which has had to wait 2,520 years to receive the blessings, and it is also our nation which has received those blessings, abundantly, filled to the brim and running over. "At first Ephraim was just one of Israel's thirteen tribes.
After the split with Judah, Ephraim took its place as leader of the ten-tribe house of Israel. In the centuries following the captivity, Ephraim became particularly allied with his older brother Manasseh, as Jacob had predicted, and together they grew and prospered in Britain. "Britain before 1800 was Joseph -- both Manasseh and Ephraim combined. Why was Britain so great before 1800? Partly because Ephraimites were still there -- they had not yet migrated to America! "At this time of the ending of the prophecy of the seven times period, the final separation occurred in the process of several millennia. God set Ephraim apart as a sovereign and independent nation, signifying this by giving Ephraim the choicest land in the entire world on the very year ending the seven times period. After this, no further split or separation was possible. Ephraim was now by itself -- one indivisible nation. This is why the Civil War resulted in defeat for the Confederacy and victory for the Union. This is why the United States is one nation today, not many divided and conflicting, independent nations as it could have been. The history of the growth and preservation of the United States is a story of God's hand in history. "The separation of younger Ephraim from Manasseh occurred 235 years ago. The British nation continued as Manasseh and maintained its position throughout the 1800's as a great empire, as the fledgling United States struggled to survive, expand, produce, build, grow, and prosper in the new Promised Land. And prosper it has! "One day Britain woke up to realize her empire was gone, her prestige vanishing, and that she was no longer great. At the same time the United States grew until it found itself the greatest nation ever in history! "Manasseh had been surpassed by younger Ephraim!" (pp.
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