The Children of Israel Their Promises and Prophecies of Their Future.

CHAPTER 11 BIRTHRIGHT WITHHELD

IN LOOKING AT THE PROPHECIES IN SCRIPTURE, very seldom is the starting date for a prophecy given. For example Abraham was told his descendants would serve the people of the land they would be in for four hundred years, but Abraham is not told when it would begin (Genesis 15:13-16). The Mighty One sent Ahijah to tell Jeroboam—the first king of the separated Israel—that because of his sins, ETERNAL would give Israel up, remove them from the land, and scatter them abroad (1 Kings 14:9-16). Even for this momentous event no time frame is given. ETERNAL saved Hezekiah from the Assyrians and gave him an extra fifteen years of life. Later Isaiah told him that ALL the substance his fathers had stored, and ALL of his descendant sons, would be taken to Babylon as slaves, but no time frame is given (2 Kings 19:20-20:18). Hezekiah is also told that a remnant would escape from Jerusalem, but he is not told when it would happen (2 Kings 19:30-31). However, when it did happen, a prophesy was given that they would be in captivity for seventy years (2 Chronicles 36:21; Jeremiah 11:25). Even when Isaiah, speaking for ETERNAL, told Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, that he would be captured and taken to Babylon; no time frame was given (Jeremiah 34:2-22). The only way Zedekiah knew the time was when the Watchmen on the tower saw the enemy approaching and blew the shofar. A Year for a Day Many “scholars” use the principle of “a day for a year” and apply it to prophecy. Let us examine the subject a little to determine if that is a valid approach. When the Mighty One brought the Children of Israel to the brink of the Promised Land, Moses sent in spies to spy out the land. The spies were in the land for forty days and all brought back a bad report, except Joshua and Caleb. The people wanted to return to Egypt and ETERNAL sentenced them to wander in the desert for forty years, a year for each day the spies were in the land (Numbers 14:34-36). In verse 34, ETERNAL tells them that they will bear their iniquity for 40 years. The following verses speak of the “day of ETERNAL” and a “year of vengeance” (Isaiah 34:8, 61:2 and 63:4), but these also concern punishment. Another Scripture the “scholars” use to verify “a day for a year” approach is: Ezekiel 4:4. “Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the House of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity.” The Scriptures plainly state that the “day for a year” principle is concerning punishment. The question is “Does the day for a year for punishment carry over to include prophecy?” Regardless of what we have been told by “scholars,” there IS NO INDICATION anywhere in the Hebrew Scriptures that a day for a year carries over from punishment to prophecy—unless the prophecy is concerning a period of punishment, as in Numbers 14:36 and Ezekiel 4:4. In both of these cases, ETERNAL uses a day to equal a year, but that IS NOT a general rule for all prophecies. This is especially true for Daniel, chapter nine, where “scholars” try to convince us to accept the time they think the seventy weeks are. There is not space to cover the subject here, but see our article “Does Daniel 9 Prove That ‘Jesus’ is the ‘Christ’?” Before going forward, it is important to remember that Israel was taken into captivity in the 8th century BCE, which was over a hundred years before Ezekiel was even born in the 6th century BCE. Since Israel had been taken into captivity and dispersed by the time of Ezekiel’s prophecies, anything he has to say about Israel is for the future because Israel has never heard the warnings of Ezekiel, who is to be a Watchman to the House of Israel (Ezekiel 3:17). In addition, Judah was in captivity also, so we are left with a quandary. Either Ezekiel did what he did and wrote a history lesson, or it is an eschatological prophecy. Either it had already happened by the time of Ezekiel and he is just blowing smoke, or it is prophecy for the end time that will soon happen as the sure will of the Mighty One.... The choice is yours, to believe it or not. The last quoted Scripture is plainly a punishment situation and days and years are concerned. ETERNAL instructed Ezekiel to make a portrait (one translation says map) of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 4:1), then to build a siege wall and lay siege against it and put an iron plate between him and the portrait (vs. 2-3). Now notice carefully that Ezekiel is to bear the iniquity, not to symbolize it. He was ACTUALLY TO BEAR THE INIQUITY of Israel in his own body. Ezekiel 4:4-5 “Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the House of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days, so you shall bear the iniquity of the House of Israel. The iron plate Ezekiel is behind (Ezekiel 4:3) and the fact that he is tied up (Ezekiel 3:25; 24:7) show that what he is portraying is captivity. Notice that this is different from Numbers 14:36, in which Israel was to bear their own iniquity. This time EZEKIEL IS TO BEAR THE INIQUITY OF ISRAEL who, remember, had been taken captive over a hundred years earlier. Since Ezekiel personally bore the iniquity of Israel in his flesh, is Ezekiel the “suffering servant,” or is there something else at play here? In addition, notice: Ezekiel 4:6 “And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the House of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year.” This time, EZEKIEL IS PERSONALLY TO BEAR INIQUITY for Judah/Jerusalem. Since he was in captivity during the siege days, it shows that he bore their iniquity for much later—which would also be captivity. Also all the things that were to happen to Jerusalem in the latter days were to be a sign to Israel (Ezekiel 4:3). Days of Freedom for Israel and Judah To summarize the days of Ezekiel 4:4-6, Ezekiel personally bore in his flesh for 390 days the iniquity of 390 years for the people of Israel. During those 390 days, he was tied up behind bars as a captive; thus the days portrayed captivity. Since Ezekiel is future prophecy, when he suffered on his side 390 days he suffered for Israel’s future iniquity of a 390-year period. Likewise, Ezekiel personally bore in his flesh for 40 days the iniquity of 40 years for the people of Judah of Jerusalem, sometime in the future. Ezekiel was bound in cords for the entire period behind an iron wall (Ezekiel 3:25; 4:3,7). Since Ezekiel bore the iniquity for 390 days, so Israel would have FREEDOM 390 years in their own country. Likewise, he was bound for Judah for 40 days, so they would have FREEDOM for 40 years in their own country. Any punishment given to Israel or Judah would be administered by the stripes of men (2 Samuel 7:11-14). Therefore, if Ezekiel bore the punishment for Israel and Judah, what does that mean? For one thing, whatever they did as nations during those time-periods, they would not suffer at the hands of men—meaning that they would not be beaten in war. They might lose battles but they would win the wars and maintain their FREEDOM. The second consideration is that during this period of being successful at war and FREE from captivity, the Mighty One could finally confer the unconditional blessings to Abraham upon them. Remember that these blessings were promised to Abraham and would be unconditionally conferred on his descendants, regardless of their beliefs or religion at the time of conferral. The question is when did the Birthright and NameSake nations ever enjoy such a period of freedom from national captivity by other nations? If you have read our article “Does Daniel 9 Prove That ‘Jesus’ is the ‘Christ’?” you will remember that the people did not understand when the time frame of the prophecy was—until it was being fulfilled during the era of the Maccabees. The same is also true today. We can only look back into history to see when these two periods could have begun. Beginning in the days of Ezekiel, when could Israel receive the Birthright promises, while winning their wars and remaining free, for a period of 390 years and Judah for a period of 40 years? The demise of the Roman Empire left the British in England a free but disunited people to struggle through the Dark Ages with its many kings and kingdom.    “In 1533 Elizabeth I became Queen of England and Queen of Ireland. It was during her reign the English Navy began to ply the seas setting up vast trading companies. The original English colonies in the New World were plantations of English subjects in lands previously outside the dominions of the Crown. The first such plantation was in Newfoundland, where English fishermen routinely set up seasonal camps in the 16th century.”    “The early British colonies which later became known as the ‘Old Empire’ began in 1607 with the settlement of Jamestown, the first successful permanent colony in Virginia."1 The growth of the British Empire in the 19th century, to its peak in the 1920s, saw the UK acquire over one quarter of the world's landmass. Together, the British Commonwealth and the United States produced 60% of the crude petroleum, not including our vast foreign investments. By 1966 that 60% of the world’s crude petroleum output had been reduced to 32%. The year 1966 was a watershed year because during that year the British Colonial Office in London CLOSED ITS DOORS, marking the official death of the British Empire leaving the USA as the single great nation. It is interesting that the first permanent English settlement in America on May 14, 1607 CE, at Jamestown 2  marked the beginning of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh both) receiving the promises to Abraham. From that time forward, the unconditional Birthright to Abraham began to be bestowed on Joseph. England was destined to become a Commonwealth of Nations and later America was to be the world’s greatest single nation. If you count forward 390 years 3  from the Jamestown date, we come to 1997, which signaled the end of the Birthright promise to Joseph. That does not mean that our Israelite countries or our freedoms were to end in 1997, but that the Mighty One had completed His promise to Abraham, and that by 1997, He had completely removed the protective hedge around us.4   So beginning in 1997, we were totally on our own, in a hostile world that truly does not like us at all—in fact “hates” might be a better word. To understand this, all we need to do is look about us today and see what has been happening in the last few years. What about the NameSake promise? In addition to Judah maintaining the scrolls for his brother nations as mentioned earlier, the national homeland for the Jewish people was also to be set up. The League of Nations approved the Balfour Declaration in 1922. Great Britain, exhausted by seven years of war and eager to withdraw from overseas colonial commitments, decided in 1947 to leave Palestine and called on the United Nations (UN) to make recommendations. In response, the UN convened its first special session, and on November 29, 1947, it adopted a plan calling for the partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem as an international zone under UN jurisdiction.5  In 1948, the British pulled out and the Jews won their first war with the Arabs and became a free nation. Starting in 1947 and adding the 40 years represented by Ezekiel lying on his side for 40 days, this brings us to 1987 which is the date of the beginning of the intifada. Before coming to the prophecies concerning the NameSake and Birthright nations, remember they are a mighty nation, a Commonwealth of Nations, and the nation of Judah. In addition, Briton has always had a monarch and previously America has always had a president that are of the Davidic family. Then reading the rest of Ezekiel chapters four and five, we regrettably read that in Jerusalem, one-third of the people will die in pestilence and famine, one-third by war, and one-third will again be scattered abroad in captivity. In addition, all the things that are to happen to Jerusalem are to be a sign to Israel (Ezekiel 4:3). Birthright Withheld Many Years Notice again the original promise: “A nation, and a company of nations shall be of you” (Genesis 35:11). Remember, in passing on the Birthright, the dying Israel (Jacob) said of Ephraim and Manasseh, sons of Joseph, “...let my name be named on them” (Genesis 48:16). Hence, it is THEY—the descendants of Ephraim (the British) and Manasseh (Americans), not the Jews, who rightfully own the name “Israel.” Continuing (Genesis 48:17-20), Jacob added, “...and let them grow into a multitude.” In giving the blessing, Israel’s right hand was on Ephraim’s head, thus making him as the first born6 son, and his descendants are the ROYAL TRIBE.7 Then, speaking of Manasseh and his descendants alone, Jacob said prophetically: “...he also shall become a people [nation]. He shall be GREAT: but truly his younger brother [Ephraim] shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a MULTITUDE [company, or COMMONWEALTH] of NATIONS (Genesis 48:19). For awhile after coming out of Egypt, the Israelites went CREATOR’s way—but not very long. Soon they were adopting the customs and ways of the Gentile nations around them. After Solomon’s death, Israel rejected her king and split off from Judah, thus splitting the thirteen tribes into two nations. The House of Israel sinned first. Finally, after nine dynasties beginning with Jeroboam, and the reigns of 19 kings (not David’s dynasty, which was now in Judah), Israel was uprooted from its homeland of Samaria and taken captive to Assyria. Having refused the Sign of the Sabbath, they became lost in history. Then beginning in 1607 CE, the long years of national banishment from the Birthright inheritance ended. The Mighty One punished the people for their sins, yet kept His promises to Abraham. The promises must be fulfilled, and ETERNAL decided it was time because only He knew when He would give them the 390 years of freedom before the end of the age and the time of Jacob’s trouble. Remember that EZEKIEL BORE THEIR INIQUITY for 390 days in bondage, which ETERNAL said would equal to 390 years of no bondage, thus freedom. Little did the world, including the intended recipients of the promises, know that in 1607 CE, ETERNAL was about to begin the promised blessings to a free people. It took about 200 years before the blessing began to really grow. By 1800, the United Kingdom and the United States were small and insignificant among the nations of the earth. The United Kingdom had only the British Isles, a very small part of India and Canada and a few little islands. The United States consisted only of the original 13 colonies and three added states. Thus, neither nation possessed any great wealth or power. However, these two little nations began to sprout and to grow into vast national riches and power such as no people ever possessed. Soon Britain’s empire spread around the world, until the sun never set upon her possessions. Canada, Australia, and South Africa were given dominion status—made free and independent nations, ruling themselves independent of England—a company, or commonwealth, of nations connected not by legal government, but solely by the throne of David! Furthermore, the British Commonwealth of Nations is the only COMPANY OF NATIONS in all of the history of earth. Could we so exactly fulfill the specifications of the Birthright, and not be the Birthright people? The United States expanded rapidly in national resources and wealth after 1800, gaining a vast track of land in the Louisiana Purchase, but reached world dominance among nations later than the British Commonwealth. It became a giant world power by the end of World War I. Together Ephraim and Manasseh grew into a multitude according to Jacob’s prophetic blessing of Genesis 48. Only our people have fulfilled this prophecy. Continued in Chapter 12

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