"But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob… Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee .........” (Genesis 49: 24,25)

Thus, in addition to conferring the awesome responsibilities of the Birthright and the wonderful blessings upon the tribe of Joseph, God offered the descendants of Joseph His personal protection. Prior to this blessing, God had inspired Jacob to select the sons of Joseph as the beneficiaries of the name “Israel” (Genesis 49: 16) and said of them that they would form a “great Nation” and a “company [commonwealth] of nations.” Son Manasseh was to form that great nation and today, the United States of America is the greatest and most powerful nation ever formed. Ephraim was to form the company of nations and certainly, the British Commonwealth of Nations has impacted the world this past few centuries as no other nation.

It’s interesting to reflect upon these words of the late King George VI, delivered to his people on a national broadcast on June 6th, 1944. It is important to know that the king had called for a day of prayer seeking protection for the allied forces in preparation of the Normandy landing of the Second World War. He had said, "Four years ago our nation and Empire stood alone against an overwhelming enemy, with our backs to the wall. Tested as never before in our history, in God's providence we survived that test; the spirit of the people, resolute, dedicated, burned like a bright flame, lit surely from those unseen fires which nothing can quench. Now once more a supreme test has to be faced. This time the challenge is not to fight to survive but to fight to win the final victory to the good cause. That we may be worthily matched with this new summons of destiny, I desire solemnly to call my people to prayer and dedication." Of course, as history shows, although the invasion of Normandy was the most perilous undertaking of the Second World War, it was only made possible by a totally unexpected break in the weather. The Germans were caught flatfooted because their meteorologists were predicting a continuance of bad weather. It is a wonderful example of the power of prayer and the ensuing protection from the Lord God Almighty.

Still, it was the king’s next remarks in his June 6th, 1944 address to which we should pay particular attention, “We are not unmindful of our own shortcomings, past and present. We shall ask not that God may do our will, but that we may be enabled to do the will of God; and we dare to believe that God has used our nation and Empire as an instrument for fulfilling His high purpose." An instrument for fulfilling His high purpose! Do you suppose that King George was reflecting on the Covenant that God had made with Abraham? And particularly to that mandate where Abraham was selected to be a blessing to all nations of the world, a mandate which the Anglo Saxons went a long way to fulfilling, without even knowing who they are. Was the king referring to the company of nations Jacob had bestowed upon Ephraim? Do you think that King George VI knew that he was an Israelite? Most ceratinly he did! In a James Stuart article in the May/June, 1996 issue of “Wake Up”, Mr. Stuart referred to a facsimile of a letter that appeared in The Independent on April 6th, 1996, a letter written by George VI in 1922, when he was Albert, the Duke of York. In it, George VI wrote, “I am sure the British Israelite business is true. I have read a lot about it lately and everything no matter how large or small points to our being “the chosen race.”” So the king knew who he was and as learned as he was reported to be, he knew full well that God would answer the prayers of His People.

Why is it that some notable individuals, like King George VI, or War Hero Squadron leader Phillip Leith, or Professor Roger Rusk, the brother of former U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk, seem to grasp the Israel truth so quickly? Why is it that most subscribers to this magazine know full well that the Israelites of the Bible are the Anglo Saxon, Celtic, Scandanavian and kindred peoples? And yet, someone like Winston Churchill, who was a great student of history and the prolific writer of “The History of the Engish Speaking Peoples” appeared to have no clue whatsoever that he was an Israelite. He certainly sensed something, that’s for certain! Churchill was at the helm of government during two early Second World War examples of the Mighty Hand of God providing protection to the Tribe of Joseph. He held sway when the German forces were pounding his trapped forces at Dunkirk in 1940, pinned down along the rugged seashore amidst the cold, the rain and the German fire power. The cold, cloudy weather had showed no sign of letting up so rescuers could get through and it seemed that death or incarceration were the only two options for hundreds of thousands of valiant soldiers. Prayer brought our Protector to our rescue, as suddenly, a miracle took place. Nine days of calm weather came upon the English Channel, a calm unprecedented in the Channel’s history, and some 338,000 soldiers were rescued as military and small ships and boats made their way back and forth across the English Channel. Then too, Churchill was also there for the Battle of Britain and witnessed as the Royal Air Force turned back the Germans after being vastly outnumbered, valiant action that most certainly prevented an invasion of the island kingdom. Churchill later said, “I have a feeling sometimes that some Guiding Hand has interfered, I have a feeling that we have a Guardian because we have a great Cause, and we shall have that Guardian so long as we serve that Cause faithfully." You can almost sense Churchill's booming voice as he continued, "And what a Cause it is!"

Of course, for us, the answer to the afore-mentioned question is simple. For as great a man as Churchill was, the blindness in part spoken of by the Apostle Paul (Romans 11: 25) was not lifted from him. He was one of the vast majority of Israelites referred to in Isaiah 44: 18, “They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand.” This is why it seems so exasperating for those who know their identity to get others to understand. Yet, someday they will, but only when God so deems. For those of us blessed through having the blindness lifted, we can but plant the seed in others. It is a responsibility we must not shirk, regardless of the frustration. And we do have the confidence that no matter how sorrowful this world becomes, and it is has become very much so these past two decades, that the Mighty Hands of God will see us through.

Look what He did in Elizabethan times! It was 1588 and Spain had finally decided to descend upon Britain with the might of her military. Dispatching an overwhelming force of some 130 heavily armed ships and more than 30,000 soldiers, the Spanish Armada set off for battle. Great leader as she was, Elizabeth I rushed to the anticipated landing site of the enemy. And inspired her troops with her stirring speech, “…I have come amongst you, as you see, resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live and die amongst you all, and for my people, my honour and my blood, even in the dust…” England’s great generals, John Hawkins, Sir Francis Drake and Lord Howard, provided superior leadership and did much to rout the enemy. Yet, history has shown that it was the promised mighty hands of the Lord God Almighty who came to the aid of His Israel People by invoking weather conditions that crippled the Spanish forces, sent many of their larger vessels to the deep and sent the rest limping back to a Spain that would never again pose such a threat. A medal struck to commemorate the war said it all, “Affidavit Deus et dissipantur”, meaning, “God blew and they were scattered.” The gratitude toward God Almighty reached a peak in the few years after the battle. Indeed, religious emotion ran through the land as British Israel paid homage to the source of their greatness. It was a time of such triumph and pride for the entire English nation that it inspired Shakespeare to later write his immortal words, “Come the three corners of the world in arms, And we shall shock them, Nought shall make us rue, If England to itself do rest but true” (The Play “King John”). Oh, but if only this national awareness was rekindled today!

Many more examples of God’s protection of Ephraim Britain have been chronicled but now, what of Manasseh America? Of course, the great American war leader and future president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, was quick to point out God’s participation when he said of the 1944 D-Day invasion, “If there were nothing else in my life to prove the existence of an Almighty and Merciful God, the events of those next twenty-four hours of the invasion did it.” Still, there is nothing in Eisenhower’s life to indicate he had any inkling that it was the Mighty Hands of God protecting the Birthright tribe. President Harry S. Truman came even closer to the mark, when, in 1951, he made these comments in a speech, “I do not think that anyone can study the history of this nation of ours without becoming convinced that Divine providence has played a great part in it. I have the feeling that God has created us and brought us to our present position of power and strength for some great purpose…..” Although he correctly alluded to America’s great destiny, Truman too was seemingly not aware of his identity. In fact, as an aside, not many great men of history were aware. It seems the lifting of the blindness was reserved primarily for individuals like the majority of our subscribers. As the Apostle Paul said, “For ye see your calling, brethern, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called” (1 Corinthians 1: 26). As the Amplied version points out in verse 27, “No, for God selected – deliberately chose – what in the world is foolish to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame.” Simply put, “follow God or follow the world.” One of this century’s great evangelical leaders was brought to Christ by an identity pastor, yet never acknowledged the Israel truth. As effective as he was, either he was left blinded by God or diliberately chose the power and prestige of the world as his ministry flourished. I choose to think the former because, particularly in his earlier ministry, God used him most effectively.