Edition 194. February 12th 2014
Identifying the nations of Prophecy:
In this edition I would like to identify the modern nations of the world which are major players in the end-time scenario. Some nations still have their original names, but many with modern names need to be identified from their original names, symbols and other clues.
How many times have you heard that the United States is not in Bible prophecy? What about Britain, Canada, Australia, South Africa, India, China, North Korea and others? They are right here in the Bible hidden in plain sight!
I'll also look at the role that the major nations have to play in the soon coming greatest drama of all and the fate of these nations.
The interpretive law of double reference:
It is very important to understand this and not take it too far. If you do, it leads to all sorts of fanciful speculation and conclusions that are wrong. Never take an allegory or additional meaning in Bible prophecy too far.
Double reference simply means that there may be two meanings in a prophecy, or two time frames to the same prophecy. You must NOT get rid of the original meaning in favour of the other. Both stand true, rightly divided and applied.
Case in point: There are certain prophetic verses dealing with Israel, which also apply to the church. You can't get rid of one in favour of the other. Both have valid applications.
Prophetic verses relating to the destruction of Babylon refer to ancient Babylon, but also have a prophetic fulfilment and application to the modern world system. The world system is currently led by the US, so, by extension we could accurately say that prophetic Babylon applies to the modern world and the US. There is a further application in religious Babylon.
The nations identified in just two tribes.
Genesis 48:4-19 "God said to me, Behold I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make you a multitude of people and give this land to you and your descendants after you, as an everlasting possession. And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh are mine. Verse 16 "Bless the lads (Ephraim and Manasseh). Let my name be upon them and let them grow into a multitude in the earth." Verse 19 "The younger brother (Ephraim) shall be greater than his brother and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations."
These two brothers, sons of Joseph, became two of the 'lost' tribes of Israel who were scattered abroad. It is fairly common consensus that Manasseh is identified as the USA and Ephraim as Britain. Some believe that Manasseh is Britain and Ephraim is the US. It really is not such a big difference at the end of the day.
Stop right here. There is a doctrine which has become a pure cult called British Israelism. It is also called the Brit / Am doctrine. This is not what this is about. That is a good example of how a double reference can be taken too far.
That said, Ephraim can be identified with Britain, in type due to the character of the verses. Ephraim is said to become a "multitude of nations". The name Ephraim means "double fruitfulness", which most certainly applies to the original British Empire / Commonwealth.
Isaiah 28:1-5 "Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower...Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one, like a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, like a flood of many waters overflowing, who will bring them down to the earth with His hand...In that day the Lord of hosts will be for a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of His people."
Has Britain become a "fading flower" in these last days? Most certainly! Can the "flood of many waters" be speaking prophetically of the severe relentless floods in Britain today? Yes, in terms of the double reference application.
Hosea 5:9 "Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke..." This verse relates to the tribulation period.
Jacob had 12 sons. Joseph was separated from them when sold into slavery in Egypt. But he (Joseph) had two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh while in Egypt. Jacob said that the two sons of Joseph and not Joseph himself would be counted among the tribes. That makes 14! But Levi was not given an inheritance; they were the nation of priests. So we actually have 13 tribes with an inheritance.
Jacob "set Ephraim before Manasseh", making Manasseh the thirteenth tribe.
This gives us a powerful type in identifying Manasseh with the US. The US is riddled with the number 13. In Bible gematria, 13 is the number of rebellion towards God.
There were 13 states originally; there are 13 stars above the eagle on the Seal. There are 13 leaves on the olive branch on the Seal. There are 13 olives on the left talon. There are 13 arrows on the right of the shield. There are 13 stripes on the shield. There are 13 letters in the motto E Pluribus Unum. There were 13 stars on the original US flag. There are 13 stripes on the current US flag.
Interestingly the name Manasseh means "forgetting, forgetfulness or causing forgetfulness." If Manasseh relates to the USA what could that mean? It means that the US has forgotten her God, the true God of Israel. She has forgotten the importance of God's word on Israel and she has most certainly forgotten God's requirements of holiness. America has forgotten that she will face God's wrath and judgement.
Isaiah 9:21 "Manasseh shall devour Ephraim and Ephraim, Manasseh, and together they shall be against Judah."
This is a shocking verse. If it is prophetic, as I believe it is, it indicates the US and Britain shall come against each other, but more tragically, both will come against Israel. This will most probably occur deep into the tribulation period.
Additional identification of Britain the US and others:
The book of Isaiah chapter 18 speaks of a nation that many, including myself, identify as the US. Bear in mind that the symbol of the US is an eagle.
Isaiah 18:1-7 "Woe to the land shadowed with buzzing wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, which sends ambassadors by sea...a powerful nation whose land the rivers divide. All inhabitants of the world; when he lifts up a banner on the mountains, you see it and when he blows a trumpet, you hear it...Before the harvest, when the bud is perfect and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he will cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches. They will be left for the birds of prey and for the beasts of the earth...In that time a present will be brought to the Lord of hosts from a people tall and smooth of skin...to the place of the name of the Lord of Hosts, to Mount Zion."
The chapter implies destruction by failed harvest, but it ends with a mysterious "gift" being brought to the Lord, to Mount Zion. What could this be? We can only speculate. It just may be something relating to the Temple Mount and the Third Temple.
A surprising prophecy for America:
Have you ever heard of the "child's prophecies"? They are held in high esteem, and called "holy" by the Jewish sages.
In the Second Temple era, a young boy born mute, named Nachan, miraculously only spoke once before dying young. This was five prophecies spoken miraculaously by him in multitudes of languages, making interpretation very difficult.
The "child's prophecies" were recently decoded by American Rabbi, Yaakov Nathan. The fourth prophecy, called Tzaddik says, "When the Idol of Rhodes is destroyed know that the end of the wicked kingdom is near". The Idol of Rhodes, was also known as the Colossus of Rhodes. It was built in honour of and worship of the Greek god Helios around 300 BC. The massive statue stood astride the harbour of an island called Rhodes, in the Greek city of Rhodes. One interpretation of the prophecy declares, "When the Idol of Rhodes is destroyed, Edom will fall". Another calls the "wicked kingdom", Rome.
Here is an artist's interpretation of the Colossus of Rhodes.
There is no doubt that the Idol of Rhodes is the Colossus of Rhodes. The Colossus was destroyed in a massive earthquake, and left in pieces on the ground for over 800 years. An Arab then sold the remains to an Israeli Jew who melted down the remains for scrap.
The little, Liberty Island was chosen as the site for the construction of the Statue of Liberty.
The words "The new Colossus" are engraved on a plaque on the side of the Statue of Liberty.
There are far too many "coincidences" between the original Colossus of Rhodes and the Statue of Liberty.
The original Statue of Liberty was designed and formed by the Frenchman Auguste Bartholdi. It was fashioned after a Greek goddess and dedicated to the gods of Egypt. It was originally designed as an Egyptian Arab woman with a veil hanging over her. The veil was dropped, but the Greek goddess-form remained the same.
The Colossus of Rhodes is most certainly the modern Statue of Liberty in a renewed form.
Can we now say that when the Statue of Liberty falls, the end of the "wicked kingdom" is hear. The end of Rome is here and the end of Edom is here. Can we also say that when this occurs, the Messiah is about to appear?
Rabbi Saadiah Levi Naman said in 2005 that "when the Statue of Liberty falls, we will know that the Messiah is about to appear."
This also ties in with the prophecy of Rabbi Kaduri who saw in a vision that when Ariel Sharon dies, the Messiah will appear soon afterwards.
Will the Statue of Liberty soon fall and be left ruined? Will it have some association with Israel?
None of these prophecies give us dates, but when we add all the things together, Biblical and extra-Biblical, the argument becomes compelling to say the least. We carry on watching!
A word of warning: We must be careful of extra-Biblical prophecy, but also not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
If you don't know it already, Lady Liberty is an idol-whore. She is riddled with the occult. If you think the American dream of life, liberty and happiness comes through this metal and concrete whore and related matters, you are wrong. If you have Lady Liberty in your heart you are cursed. If you have our Lord of liberty in your heart you are abundantly blessed.
You see, life, liberty and happiness come from knowing our Lord. America's enduring survival and all her goodness has come exclusively from her relationship to our Lord and His word and to Israel. Now, it's all being eroded!
Galatians 5:13 "For you brethren have been called to liberty; only do not use your liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."
John 8:36 "If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed."
The merchants of Tarshish:
Ezekiel 38:13 refers to the "young lions" that traded between nations that would be today's Spain and Britain. The symbol of Britain is a lion and the young lions would then be the commonwealth nations including the US, Canada, South Africa, Australia, India and a few others.
Interestingly these nations all have strong free market economies and are generally successful nations because of their historic good relationship with Israel. Some of these nations like Canada still have a very strong positive relationship with Israel, which will keep them blessed, even in the snow.
The end of the nations:
God blessed the nations that sprang out of Britain, but also predicted their downfall!
At the end of the day, the way a nation and its people deal with and treat Israel sets its fate. It will rise or fall based on this principle.
Israel (Jacob)and Judah become one finally, but Israel (Jacob) and Esau (Arabs) never unite.
Ezekiel 37:21-22 "Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land on the mountains of Israel and one king shall be king over them all. They shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again."
The' lost' tribes of Israel, become "found" in the end-times and reunite Israel, while the Arab side of Jacob's family remain in the ways of destruction except for a small group who get saved. (Isaiah 19.)
A major common factor with all end-time nations is that they will ultimately be in "distress". (Luke 21:25). All nations will ultimately stand united against Israel. The nations will have a heavy stone around their necks.
Zechariah 12:2-3 "Behold I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it."
Zechariah 2:7 "Up Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon."
What you must do:
Isaiah 60:2-3 "Behold, darkness shall cover the earth and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you; and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising."
Stay in the light of God's word, led by His Spirit.
Nahum 1:6 "Who can stand before His indignation, and who can endure the fierceness of His anger? His fury will be poured out like fire".
Isaiah 2:12 "For the day of the Lord shall bring down everything proud and lofty and everything lifted up and it shall be brought low."
Walk in humility before our Lord and His word.
Beware! God led the children of Israel out of Egypt, which is a type of the world. But many did not want to leave Egypt; many stayed behind. Egypt (the world) came after the children of Israel, but then God killed the pursuers! Why stay in a doomed situation. Why worry about a doomed enemy. Today the world may come after God's children, but let's remember what their fate is!
The call to the world is "Let my people go". And the call to God's children today is get out of Egypt, Babylon, the world system.
We are on the road to beautiful eternal peace, but there is much trouble along the way.
Deuteronomy 4:30-31 "When you are in distress and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice, He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them."
Psalm 33:12 "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, and the people whom He has chosen as His own inheritance."
Isaiah 60:12 "For the nation and kingdom that will not serve You shall perish, and those nations shall be utterly ruined."
I took this picture of the Marshall Eagle, with a Hasselblad camera, set below the landing site with a remote shutter trigger. To me these magnificent birds represent freedom, liberty, victory over gravity, and strength.
Isaiah 40:31 " Those who wait for the Lord will renew their strength; they shall mount up like eagles, they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."
Shalom and grow in grace!