A Sure Foundation
The modern church is not built on the foundation the Bible recommends. That foundation is described in Ephesians 2:19-22. “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” Many modern congregations have Jesus Christ as the corner stone and the apostles as solid stones to help create the foundation. They call themselves New Testament churches. However, they do not have the complete foundation of the prophets. Their foundation has holes in it.
As we understand prophecy, we endeavour to understand the mind of God. The prophet Amos explained how God works with prophecy. “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7. By that statement we know that the Reformation should be mentioned in the Bible. However, most preachers cannot tell you where it is. They either totally ignore the prophets or say everything the prophets predicted is in the future. The Reformation is mentioned in the tenth chapter of the book of Revelation and Pastor Jory Brooks pointed out that it is mentioned in the thirty-seventh chapter of Ezekiel.
The British Empire, followed by the United States of America, have spread the Bible throughout the world, by which God has created hundreds of millions of Bible believing Christians, and the work is still going on, but modern preachers cannot point to where the British Empire or the United States of America are mentioned in the Bible. I believe the best reference to them is in God’s promise to Jacob. “And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;” Genesis 35:10-11. The great nation is the United States of America and the company of nations is the British Empire which later became the British Commonwealth. These are the “Joseph” nations. They do not contain all of the Israelites of the world. For instance, the Scandinavian countries are not part of the “Joseph” nations, but I believe they are part of Israel. The most influential tribes in the “Joseph” nations are the half tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, descended from the two sons of Joseph. “Now the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright. For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph’s:” 1 Chronicles 5:1-2. As inheritors of the birthright, Ephraim and Manasseh were given great wealth and the responsibility of rescuing and providing for their brothers when in need. Joseph did this when he took the tribes of Israel into Egypt to save them from starvation. In the twentieth century, the British Empire and the United States rescued their brethren in Europe from the tyranny of Hitler. This was another example of Joseph saving his brothers. Modern preachers do not understand these truths because they do not understand the words of the prophets. They are trying to build a building without a proper foundation. They do not have the prophets in their foundation.
Modern preachers think they must build congregations separate from all nations of the earth, and they regard all nations as heathen. Preachers should be working at building a holy nation in whatever Israel nation God has placed them. That should be the objective of every congregation of believers. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;” 1 Peter 2:9. Modern preachers need the same desire for Israel that God has for Israel. “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.” Exodus 19:6.
