Introduction

The Fall and Rise of Britain and America

Introduction

What Lies Ahead for Great Britain and the United States?

Ezekiel’s Warning

God gave Ezekiel a powerful message regarding his responsibility in warning the house of Israel in his time. He said to Ezekiel: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me” (Ezekiel 3:17). Hosea confirms: “The watchman of Ephraim is with my God… Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke; Among the tribes of Israel I make known what is sure” (Hosea 9:8; 5:9).

According to comments made by the New Open Bible Study Edition Commentary, Ezekiel’s principal Godly-ordained mission was to speak out to the ancient Israelites, including the nation of Judah and those who were born during the days of Judah’s exile in Babylon; and to (a) tell them the reason for Judah’s destruction by a gentile nation and (b) encourage them regarding their future restoration. For although God punished them and all Israel for their national sins; He would not forever forget them because of His eternal abiding love and mercy.

It is important to understand that Ezekiel’s prophecies were dual in nature, thus they also foretell the forthcoming punishment, and rescue, of the modern houses of both Israel and Judah. Just who are these people today? What was it that Ezekiel was to warn them about, and what does it have to do with us today? Why should we be concerned about something that happened in “Old Testament times”? This booklet will address these issues and in doing so, will have cast forth the warning that God gave to Ezekiel, so that perhaps some might take heed and be saved from an otherwise certain demise.

Chapter 1

Biblical Identity of the British Commonwealth and the United States

It is not the purpose of this booklet to give the reader ALL of the existing material available from archaeology, history and the Holy Scriptures that prove that the United States and the British Commonwealth nations belong, in fact, to the modern descendants of the ancient house of Israel. Many historians and scholars have understood this truth over the centuries and much has been written about it. The evidence is overwhelming and is readily available should one choose to pursue an in-depth study.

The focus of this booklet, instead, is to bring to the forefront the imminent downfall of the modern house of Israel, unless they turn to God and repent. At times, we will give the reader a sample of the evidence as to modern Israel’s identity, but the main intent of the booklet is to discuss what comes next in the near future for those nations.

The Modern House of Israel is Not the Present-Day Jewish Nation

We will explain later in this booklet how and why the modern house of Israel will play a major role, according to Biblical prophecy, in end-time events. It is important to note at this juncture, however, that the modern “Israelites” are not the Jewish people! As it will be explained in more detail, the Jewish people comprise just ONE tribe of the original TWELVE tribes of Israel. The present-day Jewish people are the descendants of the tribe of Judah. They, together with the tribe of Benjamin and parts of the tribe of Levi, formed the original house of Judah, which is altogether different from the house of Israel. The people of the present-day Jewish nation, known by the name of Israel, with its capital in Jerusalem, are actually descendants of the house of Judah, NOT the house of Israel. It is necessary for the reader to understand, then, that when we refer to the house of Israel in this booklet, we are not referring to the present-day nation of Israel and we include here just some of the references that substantiate this fact.

The ten tribes of the house of Israel were lost from public view by the time of Jesus. Jesus referred to them as the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:6). Today, most people still have no idea where these “lost” tribes of the house of Israel are located. As we will see, the modern nations of the United States and the British Commonwealth, mainly Great Britain, Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, have been identified as being major tribes of the house of Israel. As the Jewish Encyclopedia points out: “If the ten tribes… have not disappeared, obviously they must exist under a different name.”

Under King David and King Solomon, the house of Israel and the house of Judah were united as one nation. It is critical to understand, however, that under King Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, the nation of Israel became divided following the death of Solomon. Two separate nations began to develop, known as the “house of Israel,” with its capital at Samaria, north of Jerusalem, and the “house of Judah,” with Jerusalem as its capital. We read in 1 Kings 12:19–20 (Authorized Version): “So Israel (being ruled by King Rehoboam, son of King Solomon) rebelled against the house of David… And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam (a prominent officer) was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.”

King Rehoboam of Judah tried to reunite the two kingdoms—the house of Israel and the house of Judah—by force, but God prevented him from doing so. We read in 1 Kings 12:21, 24: “And when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah with the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred and eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, that he might restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon… ‘Thus says the LORD: “You shall not go up nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel. Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me.”’ Therefore they obeyed the word of the LORD, and turned back, according to the word of the LORD.”

The two houses or kingdoms did not unite again throughout their history. They remained as two separate kingdoms. The “house of Israel” comprised the ten northern tribes and the “house of Judah” comprised the southern tribes of Judah. The house of Judah was later joined by the tribes of Benjamin and part of the tribe of Levi (compare 1 Kings 12:21).

We read also in 2 Kings 16:5–8 about a war between Israel and Judah. Later the northern ten tribes, led by the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph, became “lost” from public view. These two tribes can be found today mainly in English-speaking nations around the world, a provable fact that is not widely perceived around the world.

To reiterate, many people believe that the Jews are identical with the modern house of Israel, but this is simply not true. Christ spoke of the “LOST sheep (tribes) of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:6). Note that the tribe of Judah was never “lost” from sight. James referred to all of Israel and Judah as “the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad” (James 1:1; compare Revelation 7:4–8). Note also that the tribe of Joseph, one of Jacob’s twelve sons, consists of Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. We read that at some point in the near FUTURE, the houses of Israel AND Judah will be reunified in the Promised Land. Note, once again, that this will be after they come out of the prophesied future captivity (Jeremiah 30:3, 33:7).

The ancient house of Israel went into captivity in 721–718 BC by the hand of the Assyrians (2 Kings 17:5–6, 23). The house of Judah did not go into captivity until about 120 years later by the hand of the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 25:1–10) for the same reason the northern tribes were deported; i.e., because of their persistent practice of disobeying God.

But the ancient house of Israel did not return to the Promised Land. Josephus wrote in about 100 AD: “The entire body of the people of Israel remained in that country, wherefore there are but two tribes in Asia and Europe subject to the Romans, while the ten tribes are beyond the Euphrates till now and are an immense multitude, and not to be estimated by numbers.” So we see that the ten tribes of the house of Israel did not return to the Promised Land after their captivity; only the house of Judah subsequently returned.

The Jewish Quarterly Review, vol. 1, p. 15, added: “The captives of Israel exiled beyond the Euphrates did not return as a whole to Palestine along with their brethren the captives of Judah; at least there is no mention made of this event in the documents at our disposal.”

And the Jewish Chronicle wrote: “The Ten Tribes are certainly in existence. All that has to be done is to discover which people represent them.”

Historical records show without doubt that after they were freed from their captivity by the ancient Assyrians, the ancient ten tribes of the house of Israel migrated to Western Europe and to the British Isles, where mainly the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh settled. Note from the Old Testament that Ephraim and Manasseh were two of the sons of Joseph. In time, the tribe of Manasseh migrated to the “New World,” which eventually became known as the United States, while the tribe of Ephraim stayed in the British Isles and, from there, colonized other countries, such as Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The Bible shows that while Manasseh was to become one great nation, Ephraim was to become a company of nations (compare Genesis 48:19).

Notice carefully what happened in Genesis 32:28: Following his all-night wrestling match with the God of the Old Testament—the One who became Jesus Christ; the One who spoke with the prophets—Jacob’s name was changed to “Israel” by that same divine being: “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

Birthright Blessings of Abraham Were Passed On

Israel (Jacob) had 12 sons, among whom were Joseph and Benjamin, the sons of Rachel (Genesis 35:22–26). In time, Joseph took his sons Manasseh and Ephraim to see their grandfather Jacob. Joseph had been told that Jacob was sick. When Joseph presented his sons to their grandfather, Jacob or Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed. Then Jacob told his son Joseph in Genesis 48:5: “And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt… are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine” [i.e., Jacob adopted the two lads.].

The account shows that Joseph, facing Jacob, took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Jacob’s left hand, and Manasseh (the firstborn) with his left hand toward Jacob’s right hand, and brought them near him. Then Israel, crossing his hands over the lads, stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head (who was the younger) and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the first-born. This is notable because normally the first-born is given the greater blessing. So Jacob blessed Joseph and said: “Let my name [Israel] be named upon them” (verse 16). Now when Joseph saw that his father had laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim [his second-born], it displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head and to lay it on Manasseh’s head. And Joseph said to his father: “‘Not so, my father, for this one [Manasseh] is the first-born; put your right hand on his head.’ But his father refused and said, ‘I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude [or a company or a “Commonwealth”] of nations’” (compare Genesis 48:17–19).

So the birthright of Abraham was passed to Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph. Manasseh was to become a single great nation, known today as the United States. Ephraim was to become a multitude or a company of nations, which we know as the Commonwealth nations of the British Empire. The birthright was indeed Joseph’s and was passed on to his two sons. Notice: “Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel [Jacob]—he was indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that the genealogy (in this case) is not listed according to the birthright… the birthright was Joseph’s” (1 Chronicles 5:1–2).

We also read in Genesis 27:28–29 that the blessings of the birthright to Jacob and his descendants (i.e., Joseph and his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh) included the following: “Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you!”

Blessings Withheld for Disobedience

It should be noted that because of their sins, the immediate descendants of Joseph did not receive the full blessings of the fabulous wealth and power of the birthright through Abraham. The kingdom of the house of Israel was taken captive by the Assyrian Empire as a result of God’s anger with them. “Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight; there was none left but the [southern] tribe of Judah alone” (2 Kings 17:18; emphasis added throughout Biblical quotations).

How long were the blessings of the birthright to be withheld from Ephraim and Manasseh (Great Britain and the United States) because of their disobedience of the laws of God?

The Bible teaches that because of ancient Israel’s continued disobedience, the blessings that God originally promised unconditionally to Abraham’s descendants (compare Genesis 17:5; 21:3; 22:17) would be withheld for a certain period of time, after they would first have to be punished by having to go into Assyrian captivity (in 721–718 BC). A principle of the withholding of a blessing because of sin can be found in Numbers 14:34 when ancient Israel was not allowed to enter the Promised Land for forty years after the spies had explored the Promised Land for forty days: “According to the numbers of the days… forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know my rejection.”

Beginning with the Assyrian captivity (compare 2 Kings 17:23), God would withhold the birthright blessings for seven times (Leviticus 26:18), or seven years (the Hebrew words for “times” and “years” are used interchangeably). A year consists of 360 days, according to the Hebrew calendar. God’s blessing would be withheld for seven times 360 days, but since this is a prophecy, it would be withheld for seven times 360 years, or 2,520 years. In prophecy, a day represents a year. Compare Ezekiel 4:4-6: “I have laid on you a day for a year.” This principle of a day for a year, and vice versa, can be seen throughout the Bible. We read, for instance, that the restored Roman Empire would rule for 42 months (compare Revelation 13:5). Since a month has 30 days, the restored Roman Empire was prophesied to rule for 1,260 prophetic days or years, which it did from 554 AD under Justinian until 1814 AD when the fall of Napoleon I occurred. (For more information, please read our free booklet, “Europe in Prophecy.”)

God pronounced that Israel’s blessing to become a world-ruling power would be withheld for “seven times.” The 2,520 prophetic days, or literal years after the Assyrian captivity of the house of Israel, brings us to the beginning of the 1800’s. It is no coincidence that at that time, Great Britain, and then the United States, became world powers. Great Britain began her rise to tremendous wealth and power as the worldwide British Empire. At the same time, the United States more than doubled in size in 1803 through the Louisiana Purchase from France. Eventually the United States began to take over leadership of the birthright during World War II, which has continued even to this day.

Once God had fulfilled His promises that He had given to Abraham, He was no longer bound to continue to bless Israel, if they should continue to sin. Note that both Great Britain and the United States are now in a state of continuous decline, a decline that they can owe to their own persistent sins of disobedience to God; sins that they have literally “heaped up” against themselves. The United States, though still all-powerful from a military standpoint, has lost a great deal of prestige, especially in recent years. Many nations no longer have confidence in the United States because of its involvement in the conflicts of Korea, Vietnam, and more recently, Afghanistan and Iraq. Americans and Britons have also steadily reneged on their God-given responsibilities to observe God’s Commandments. They have progressively forgotten God as their leader, their provider and their protector.

As former American President Abraham Lincoln once said: “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.”

Throne of David to Continue Until the Return of Christ

In addition to the birthright blessings, God promised that the kingly rule would not depart from Judah (Genesis 49:10), and that a descendant of the house of David (David was a descendant of Judah) would always rule over at least one tribe of Israel (2 Samuel 7:13; 2 Chronicles 13:5). When Nebuchadnezzar conquered the house of Judah and dethroned Zedekiah, a descendant of David, and killed all of his sons, it seemed like God’s promise failed. But the opposite is true.

Let us carefully notice what happened. God had promised King David: “… your house (dynasty) and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16). This promise was unconditional: “…I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom… If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you” (2 Samuel 7:12, 14–15). God spoke to King David about his son Solomon in 1 Chronicles 22:10: “He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son, and I will be his Father, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.”

This promise to King Solomon was conditional: “Only may the LORD give you [Solomon] wisdom and understanding, and give you charge concerning Israel, that you may keep the law of the LORD your God. Then you will prosper, if you take care to fulfill the statutes and judgments with which the LORD charged Moses concerning Israel…” (1 Chronicles 22:12–13).

King Solomon, however, broke his Coronation Oath. God later said to King Solomon: “Because you have done this [gone after other gods], and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant” (1 Kings 11:11).

Although Solomon’s son remained king over the house of Judah, Solomon’s servant Jeroboam became king over the house of Israel. Also, we find that Mary, mother of Jesus, did not descend from Solomon, but from David’s son Nathan (compare Luke 3:31, explaining that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a descendant of “Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David, the son of Jesse…”).

Even in the very last generation, at the time of Christ’s return, there would still be a king sitting on the throne of David. God says, through the prophet Jeremiah: “‘Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land—even the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—with drunkenness! And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together’, says the LORD. ‘I will not pity nor spare nor have mercy, but I will destroy them’… Say to the king and to the queen mother, ‘Humble yourselves; Sit down, For your rule shall collapse, the crown of your glory’” (Jeremiah 13:13–14, 18).

And again: “Hear the word of the LORD, O King of Judah, you who sit on the throne of David, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates! Thus says the LORD: ‘Execute judgment and righteousness… But if you will not hear these words, I swear by Myself,’ says the LORD, ‘that this house shall become a desolation’…[Why?] “Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshipped other gods and served them” (Jeremiah 22:2–3, 5, 9).

The Coronation Oath, the condition by which King Solomon ruled in Israel, has been God’s measuring stick for the kings of the dynasty of David as to whether they are to be beaten with the rod of men: “Behold, I am setting a plumb line In the midst of My people Israel; I will not pass by them anymore” (Amos 7:8). Note that God’s people were expected to be true to His standards, but, as the New International Version Commentary put it, were completely “out of plumb” [not straight] when tested. “The high places (of pagan worship) of Isaac (Jacob’s father, and by extension, Jacob himself, i.e., Israel) shall be desolate, And the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste. I will rise with the sword against the house of Jeroboam” (Amos 7:9).

The prophet Amos continues: “On that day [alluding to a future restoration in the Millennium] I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins” (Amos 9:11). The word “fallen” in Hebrew means to cease, to perish or to become fugitives, according to Strong’s #5307. The word “ruin” in Hebrew means “demolished, destroyed, thrown down utterly” (Strong’s #2034, 2040). The final king of the house of David, prior to Christ’s return, may cease to rule for a very short period of time: “At dawn the king of Israel Shall be cut off utterly” (Hosea 10:15).

But this does not mean that the throne of David will ever cease to exist, as clearly explained in Scripture: “For thus says the LORD: ‘David shall never lack a man [a descendant or a person] to sit on the throne of the house of Israel’” (Jeremiah 33:17). God had promised David that a descendant of David would always occupy his throne. And this has been the case from the dynasty of David to the present dynasty of Queen Elizabeth II.

God promised David that a descendant of his line would rule over Israel from the time he put David on the throne until the actual return of Jesus Christ. This promise has seen fulfillment in the line of David ruling over at least one tribe from all the tribes of Israel, either, as was the case until the Babylonian captivity over the house of Judah, or has been the case thereafter, over the house of Israel.

David’s Throne Overturned?

The Bible foretells that the throne of David would be overthrown or transferred three times (compare Ezekiel 21:27). And so it happened. As we will discuss now, it was transferred from Jerusalem to Ireland, then from Ireland to Scotland, and finally from Scotland to England. Today, it is in ENGLAND, from where the Queen rules, sitting on the throne of David, over one of the tribes of Israel (i.e., Ephraim).

Ezekiel tells us: “And Thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown; this shall not be the same; exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it; and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it [to] him” (Ezekiel 21:25–27, Authorized Version).

The Hebrew word for “overturn” means to be overthrown for committing iniquity leading to ruin (Strong’s #5762). This happened three times to David’s dynasty from the time Ezekiel wrote this prophecy. The first “overturn” involved King Zedekiah, the last king of David’s dynasty in Jerusalem, who became exalted, but was to be made low. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, and all of his army came against Jerusalem and besieged it. King Zedekiah fled out of the city but was captured by the Babylonians. The King of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes in Riblah, as well as all the nobles of Judah. Moreover, he put out Zedekiah’s eyes and carried him off to Babylon (Jeremiah 39:1, 4–5, 6–7). “But Johanan (a warrior) took…the king’s daughters (of Zedekiah)…and Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah [and] they went to the land of Egypt” (Jeremiah 43:5–7).

God stated that “none …shall return [from Egypt] except those who escape” (Jeremiah 44:14). Subsequently Jeremiah, Baruch and the king’s two daughters [known in history as Tea and Scota] did escape from Egypt. They were taken to Ireland.

It was Jeremiah’s commission to uproot and to plant (Jeremiah 1:10). He had to uproot the kingship of Zedekiah over Judah, and he had to plant the kingship of Zedekiah’s daughters over another tribe or tribes of Israel. According to Irish records, shortly after the time of Jerusalem’s fall in 600 B.C., two princesses arrived in Ireland from Egypt with two wise men. We are even told that the one princess, identified as Tea or Tea-Tephi, married the Irish king, Eochaidh, while Scota married into a noble family, perhaps giving her name to Scotland. Irish scholars maintain that the later kings of Ireland knew that they were descendants of King David. Both princesses feature in many Irish poems, songs and legends.

Thus David’s line continued the new dynasty in Ireland. This dynasty was later moved to Scotland, which, in accordance with prophecy, was the second time the crown was “overturned.” Ultimately, it was moved to England, thus fulfilling the prophetic third time it was “overturned,” when the Stewart line of David came to England in 1603 in the person of James I. Two monarchs of this line, Mary, Queen of Scots, and James II both tried to re-impose the Catholic religion on England, contrary to God’s plan. Satan also tried to thwart the blessings of the promised birthright of Abraham that were to be given to Great Britain and the United States of America in the course of time. But Satan could not prevent God from fulfilling His promise to bless Abraham’s descendants in due time. With regard to America, this did happen in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase from France, greatly expanding the nation—after 2,520 years of the promised blessings being withheld because of Israel’s sins. The blessings were, indeed, finally given to modern Ephraim and Manasseh, not that they were righteous or deserving of these special blessings, but only because God had unconditionally promised Abraham that He would bless his descendants in due time.

But it doesn’t end there. Remember, this is a dual prophecy and the line of David was prophesied to continue ruling over the house of Israel up until the return of Jesus Christ, Who will then take over this same throne. God has this to say about this future event: “Your eyes will see the King in His beauty” (Isaiah 33:17).

Are the “Lost” Ten Tribes Really Lost?

Biblical prophecies tell us clearly where the ancient house of Israel would settle after their Assyrian captivity, and where the throne of David would be: “For surely I will command, And will sift the house of Israel among all nations, As grain is sifted in a sieve; Yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground” (Amos 9:9). Notice that this prophecy is talking about the house of Israel, not just the Jewish people. The house of Judah would be sifted among many nations as well, and we still find today many Jews outside the borders of the state of Israel, but the prophecy in Amos specifically addresses the modern descendants of the house of Israel, actually, the “lost” ten tribes.

How Do We Identify Today Where These “Lost” Ten Tribes Are?

The tribes of the house of Israel went to a new land. In prophetic context, God said to King David: “…I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously…” (2 Samuel 7:10). When David wrote these words, ancient Israel had already taken possession of the Promised Land. But God inspired David to write that God would, in the future, appoint a place for the house of Israel from which they would no longer have to move. Where was this place to be located? “Listen, O isles (Ephraim)…Behold, these [tribes] shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west…” (Isaiah 49:1, 12, Authorized Version).

Keep in mind that geographical references are always to be judged from the location of Jerusalem. That is, when we read that someone appears “from the north,” we understand that the meaning is “north of Jerusalem.”

The appointed place was northwest of Jerusalem in the “isles of the sea;” that is, the British Isles (compare Isaiah 24:15 in the Authorized Version).

God prophesied that He would uproot the house of Israel from the Promised Land and “scatter them beyond the [Euphrates] River” (1 Kings 14:15). But they would not stay there. Rather, God’s Word was to be proclaimed in these last days to God’s people “toward the north” (Jeremiah 3:11–12). They would come back to the Promised Land, in the future, “from the north and the west” (Isaiah 49:12). That is, from an area “northwest” of Jerusalem. We are also told that Israel would have migrated to the west: “Ephraim… pursues [or follows] the east wind” (Hosea 12:1), the wind that comes from the east and blows west. David was also inspired to write that his throne would be established “over the sea” (Psalm 89:20, 25).

Also, Jeremiah 31:8 (Authorized Version) states that God would, in the future, gather modern Israel from “the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth,” and that He wants His word proclaimed in “the isles afar off” (verse 10). Isaiah 41:1 addresses modern Israel (compare verse 8) in saying: “Keep silence before me, O islands (Authorized Version).”

If we were to take a world map and draw a line from Jerusalem in a northwest direction, it leads us to the British Isles, where the throne would be located. But we are also told that once some of the ten tribes of the house of Israel, especially Ephraim and Manasseh, had reached the British Isles, they would continue to colonize other countries, to possess land and sea gates—strategically important ports and passages—controlling crucial military and trade routes, such as Gibraltar, the Suez and Panama canals (compare Genesis 22:17). And so we see that the modern tribe of Manasseh settled in the United States of America, while those from the modern tribe of Ephraim migrated to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and other nations. Yair Davidy wrote in his book, “The Tribes: The Israelite Origins of Western People”: “In the course of time they [some of the tribes of Israel] reached the British Isles and north-west Europe.”

Even Christ told His early apostles to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (compare Matthew 10:6). It is interesting that historical records prove that the apostles Peter, Simon the Zelot, and James actually preached the gospel in Britain.

For instance, Caves wrote in Antiquitates Apostlicae that Peter stayed for a long time in Britain; that Simon the Zelot preached in Britain; and that James reached England and Ireland. Eusebius reports in Evangelical Demonstrations that some of the apostles preached the gospel in the British Isles. Jesus most certainly knew where the lost ten tribes were located, and so did the early apostles. James wrote his letter “to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad” (James 1:1). He undoubtedly knew where they were and felt confident that his letter would reach them.

So we can actually trace the migration of ancient Israel—under the names of Celts, Scythians and Anglo-Saxons—from Assyria (northeast of Jerusalem in what is now Iraq), passing northwest through Europe, and centuries later, to the British Isles. Ultimately, part of ancient Israel would then migrate to the United States of America. So the “lost” ten tribes are not lost at all. They are identifiable if one follows the records of history and the Biblical accounts.

In this chapter we have given you a brief overview of the roots of the peoples of Britain and the United States. This understanding provides the backdrop for the rest of this booklet, which is to show how the prophecies are unfolding for present-day Britain and its associated Commonwealth countries, as well as for the United States.

Historical Developments of the Houses of Israel and Judah

Abraham (Genesis 17:5–6, “father of many nations…
kings shall come from you”)

Isaac (Genesis 22:17, “possess the gate of their enemies”)

Jacob (Israel) (Genesis 32:28)

Jacob’s Twelve Sons in Egypt (Genesis 46:8–27)

Jacob (Israel) blesses Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh
(Genesis 48:5, 19, “a [great] people and a multitude of nations”)

Nation of Israel’s Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 12:31–42)

Church of Israel in the Wilderness (Acts 7:38)

Nation of Israel’s Possession of the Promised Land (Joshua 3)

Nation of Israel under the Judges (For instance,
Samuel “judged Israel,” 1 Samuel 7:15)

The combined Kingdom of Israel and Judah under
Saul, David and Solomon

First Godly-ordained King Saul (1 Samuel 10:1)

Second Godly-ordained King David (1 Samuel 16:13)

Third Godly-ordained King Solomon (1 Kings 2:12)

Division of the Kingdom (1 Kings 12:19–21; 2 Chronicles 11:13–14)

Chapter 2

The Soon-Coming World War III

A Call to Repentance

This booklet is a call to repentance to the nations of the British Commonwealth and the United States, as well as to everyone who is willing to listen and understand the gravity of the world scene. A call to repentance from what? As we will show, repentance from national AND personal sins that have been committed against the great God and Creator of all things visible and invisible. Why? So as to avoid total destruction, the inevitable penalty for sin. Sin is defined by God Himself in His Holy Word as “lawlessness” or “transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4, Authorized Version).

Romans 6:23 tells us that “…the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” As Solomon tells us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death” (Proverb 14:12). God’s prophet Isaiah called for repentance: “Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him… ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways’”, says the LORD. “‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:6–9).

If modern Israel and other nations REFUSE to repent, rejecting God’s way of life in favor of doing whatever they want to do, then they WILL BE DESTROYED by the prophesied rising superpower in Europe (the last and final resurrection of the ancient Roman Empire). The surviving peoples of the modern house of Israel will be scattered—actually enslaved by other nations. Ultimately, only one-tenth of the population will remain alive. Hard to believe? The Bible is unequivocal and does not lie. Israel’s sins will result in this disastrous punishment if they do not repent.

In the context of the commission God gave His prophet Isaiah to declare what is to come upon ancient AND modern Judah, as well as the nations of the house of Israel, Isaiah questioned God as to how long he must warn the people. God’s reply to him was: “Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, The houses are without a man, The land is utterly desolate” (Isaiah 6:11). God said in Isaiah 6:12 and 13: “The LORD has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. But yet a tenth will be in it, And will return…”

The New International Version completes verse 13: “it will again be laid waste.” These prophecies are dual. They pertained to ancient Israel, but they also pertain to the modern nations of Israel, including Judah, thus the reference “will again be laid waste.” This remnant will only be saved from death by the return of Jesus Christ to this earth as King of kings to take over rulership of the earth, along with His saints, following 3½ years of GLOBAL destruction!

Understanding the Prophecies of Ezekiel

In a Church of God member letter dated November 19, 1976, Herbert W. Armstrong (1892–1986), former human leader of the Worldwide Church of God, explained how he came to the vital understanding of the meaning of the prophecies of Ezekiel in the early years of his
conversion and ministry:

“In those early days I was especially interested in the book of Ezekiel. A special reason was that I saw Ezekiel was first given God’s message in PROPHECY, while he was a Jewish slave, by the River Chebar in the land of Babylon. Now this was close to 120 years after the House of Israel had been taken captive to Assyria. My astonishment was aroused when I saw that his message was to be taken to the House of Israel. Now Ezekiel was a slave among the House of Judah—not Israel. By this time many of the ‘lost sheep of the House of Israel’ had migrated north and west from Assyria. They were, by Ezekiel’s time, in Britain and Western Europe.

“The first message, or instruction from God, comes, beginning [with] the second chapter [of the book of Ezekiel, AV], ‘And He said unto me, son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation… [and they shall know] that there hath been a prophet among them’ (Ezekiel 2:3, 5. In Chapter 3:1 God says,’…GO speak unto the House of Israel.’ Again in verse 4, ‘Son of man, GO, get thee unto the House of Israel, and speak with My words unto them.’ NOWHERE in the Bible are JEWS called ‘the House of Israel.’ This term applies ONLY to the TEN-tribe Kingdom of Israel taken into Assyrian captivity more than a hundred years before Ezekiel and the Jews of the House of JUDAH. Nowhere in the book does Ezekiel record his journey from where he was in Babylon to those of the House of Israel who were then in Britain and Western Europe. Nowhere does he record his giving of the message to them. He merely RECEIVED the message. He merely RECORDED IT IN WRITING. There is no reason to think his message was ever delivered to the House of Israel in Ezekiel’s time. The message in fact is dual and is for us at this end-time—and contained a WARNING of things to happen to Britain, America and the other Israelite nations including parts of western Europe NOW in OUR DAY.”

What we should notice very carefully from the foregoing is that Ezekiel, a young Jew, was in captivity in Babylon when he received messages from God to be delivered to the house of Israel and other nations, including the ancient Ammonites (Ezekiel 25:2), Moabites (Ezekiel 25:8), Edomites (Ezekiel 25:12), the Philistines (Ezekiel 25:15), and the people of Tyre (Ezekiel 26:2–3) and Egypt (Ezekiel 29:2)—all a great distance from his location in Babylon. Note, too, that Ezekiel saw visions of impending destruction upon Israel “in the fifth day of the month,” which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity” (Ezekiel 1:1–3). Jehoiachin went into captivity in 596 B.C. The fifth year brings us to about 592 B.C—over 125 years AFTER the removal and captivity of the house of Israel in 721–718 B.C.! Ezekiel, then, was given a future prophetic message for the modern house of ISRAEL, including a message about their future punishment and slavery. This message had been given AFTER the removal and captivity of the ancient house of ISRAEL. The ancient house of Israel had already been punished and gone into captivity. Ezekiel’s prophetic message was never delivered to the ancient house of Israel.

As explained in our free booklet, “The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord,” the modern tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh are comprised of mainly the English-speaking nations in the world, including the United States of America, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. God has given His end-time Church the commission to proclaim the “Ezekiel warning message” in Ezekiel 3:16–21 to those very peoples! This is a charge that we in God’s Church MUST take seriously! It is part of the gospel message of the Kingdom of God that must be preached before the wonderful world tomorrow can be ushered in (Matthew 24:14). The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord, which will be a time of terrible trouble for the modern nations of the houses of Israel AND Judah, as well as the entire world, must first be fulfilled. Notice what Paul told Timothy, “…know this that in the last days perilous times will come” (2 Timothy 3:1).

In Ezekiel 2:3–5 we find this commission from God to His prophet Ezekiel: “…Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

This warning from God, through Ezekiel, was written for OUR day! It MUST BE PROCLAIMED to the people whom God designated. The responsibility to proclaim the message has been passed along to the true Church of God, which is still in existence today. You are reading that message in this booklet.

Watchman for the House of Israel

The prophet Ezekiel is referred to as a “watchman” (Ezekiel 3:17). And since this prophecy is for OUR time, it is, therefore, God’s end-time Church that is to function as “a watchman” or “watchmen.” Notice, for example, Ezekiel 33:7, “So you, son of man, I have made you a WATCHMAN for the HOUSE OF ISRAEL; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me.”

Additionally, consider these Scriptures that explain the job of a watchman: “I have set WATCHMEN on your walls, O Jerusalem; THEY shall never hold THEIR peace day or night. You [plural in Hebrew] who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent” (Isaiah 62:6).

“Yes, proclaim against Jerusalem, that WATCHERS come from a far country. And raise THEIR voice against the cities of Judah” (Jeremiah 4:16).

“Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls.’ But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ Also, I set WATCHMEN over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’ Therefore hear, you NATIONS, and know, O congregation, what is among them. Hear, O EARTH! Behold, I will certainly bring calamity on this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not heeded My words nor My law, but rejected it’” (Jeremiah 6:16–19).

God’s Church, then, is to WATCH current events all around us (Matthew 24:42), discerning the times in order to be effective WATCHMEN in God’s service (compare Amos 3:7), warning others of what will surely come to pass. Notice Hosea 5:9: “Ephraim [modern Great Britain] shall be DESOLATE in the day of rebuke; among the TRIBES OF ISRAEL I make known what is sure.” Hosea 7:12 adds, “I will CHASTISE THEM [the people of Ephraim] according to what their congregation HAS HEARD.”

Ezekiel 33:2–6 explains to us WHY God’s Church is to proclaim His warning message: “When I bring the sword upon the land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their WATCHMAN, when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet… [and] takes the warning will save his life. But if the WATCHMAN sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the WATCHMAN’S hands.”

God instructs His Church to teach that God’s Kingdom will be established here on this earth, one element of the true Gospel message. (For more information on this subject, please read our free booklet, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God.”) This assignment includes “blowing the trumpet” and warning of impending disaster. Some will listen and change their ways so that they, too, may ultimately enter the Kingdom. Many others, however, will not heed the message. Still, if God’s Church shrinks back from its God-given responsibility, God will have no pleasure in it (Hebrews 10:37–39).

World War III

God is completely fair in His dealings with men. He will give them time to repent of their sins and false way of life and turn to Him and the true way of life that yields blessings. Failure to heed His warnings and repent will eventually bring on the most destructive time in all of human history—World War III. It will be a time of GLOBAL DESTRUCTION and it is ominously near at hand! As Christ warned: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be [again]. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved [alive], but for the elects’ sake those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:21–22).

Who are the “elect”? Those whom God has called, chosen and sanctified to be His “firstfruits” (compare Romans 8:23). They will be part of the Kingdom of God, ruling under Christ on this earth (not in heaven) following Christ’s return (Revelation 5:10; 20:6).

A prophesied World War will occur just prior to the return of Jesus Christ. As the prophet Ezekiel warned, “…prophesy against the land of Israel; and say to [them], ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I am against you, and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off both righteous and wicked from you… You therefore, son of man, prophesy, And strike your hands together (a sign of grief). The third time let the sword do double damage (in punishment)… I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, That the heart may melt and many may stumble…’” (Ezekiel 21:2–3, 14–15). God’s warnings are not mere words! They have great force!

God’s servants, His true ministers, must “Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob [Israel—as noted, Jacob’s name was changed by God to Israel] their sins” (Isaiah 58:1). This is what they are to tell the people: “‘Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,’ says the LORD God. ‘Therefore turn and live!’” (Ezekiel 18:31–32).

Why? Because God yearns for the modern houses of both Israel and Judah to turn to Him and repent. Speaking of the house of Judah, the house of Israel, and, in fact, all nations, God says through the prophet Jeremiah: “It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the adversities which I purpose to bring upon them, that everyone may turn from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin… It may be that they will present their supplication before the LORD, and everyone will turn from his evil way. For great is the anger and fury [a reference to the seven last plagues in the book of Revelation, compare Revelation 15:1] that the LORD has pronounced against this people” (Jeremiah 36:3, 7).

Blessings and Cursings

Today the birthright blessings that God bestowed on modern Israel because of Abraham’s obedience are being gradually removed from Great Britain and the United States and the other Israelite “birthright” nations of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. There is a reason for this. In the context of blessings for obedience and cursings for disobedience, God told the ancient Israelites, and He is likewise telling the modern-day Israelites: “The LORD will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me” (Deuteronomy 28:20).

We cannot avoid noticing the burgeoning tide of wars, sexual perversion, crimes, abortions, hedonistic and homosexual lifestyles, and idolatry. These various forms of evil fill our theaters and TV screens and news reports. God promised vast blessings upon the nation of Israel IF they obeyed Him, and contrasted these blessings with curses for disobedience (compare chapter 28 of the book of Deuteronomy). We are now witnessing the blessings being removed and, as a result, inevitable cursings.

Notice also Leviticus 26:14–20 where God warned the Israelites following their release from slavery in Egypt, giving them specific instructions on how to worship Him. He also told them—as He is telling modern Israel and Judah today—that if they disobeyed Him, they would suffer certain penalties: “But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all [My] commandments, and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you. And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens like iron (hot and without rain) and your earth like bronze. And your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its produce, nor shall the trees of the land yield their fruit.”

God states in 2 Chronicles 7:14: “… if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and heal their land.” But to the United States and Great Britain, as well as modern Judah, He says: “For Israel has forgotten his Maker, And has built temples; Judah also has multiplied fortified cities; But I will send fire upon his cities, And it shall devour his palaces… Ephraim provoked Him to anger most bitterly; Therefore his Lord will leave the guilt of his bloodguilt upon him, And return his reproach upon him” (Hosea 8:14; 12:14).

God has been preparing for the prophesied end-time events, “…that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act…for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a consumption [destruction], even determined upon the whole earth” (Isaiah 28:21–22, Authorized Version). The United States and Great Britain, as well as the rest of the world, will not escape, unless they repent of their sins.

On the international level, and being mindful that Biblical prophecy is quite frequently dual in nature, an ancient fulfillment and a modern end-time fulfillment become evident by historic events: “Look among the nations and watch—Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you. For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans [originally referring to ancient Babylon, but in modern times, it is referring to the descendants of the Babylonians, which can be found today in Europe], A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful…” (Habakkuk 1:5–7).

The end result of this is explained in Hosea 8:8–10: “Israel is swallowed up; Now they are among the Gentiles… For they have gone up to Assyria [prophetically alluding to modern Germany and other German-speaking nations], Like a wild donkey alone by itself; Ephraim has hired lovers. Yes…they have hired among the nations…” This might be a prophetic reference to the temporary present-day relationship between Ephraim—the United Kingdom—and the developing European Union.

We also read that “… the Assyrian shall be his [captor] king, Because they [Israel] refused to repent” (Hosea 11:5). A descendant of ancient Assyria—a modern German-speaking leader—will conquer and rule over Great Britain and the United States. Judah also will fall to them. “Therefore Israel [mainly Manasseh—the United States] and Ephraim [Great Britain] stumble in their iniquity; Judah also stumbles with them” (Hosea 5:5).

On the national level, in the northern ancient kingdom of Israel, prior to their captivity, the people settled into spiritual demise and a state of apostasy, riddled with sin and idolatry. God spoke to them through His prophet Hosea: “…I will be like a lion to Ephraim [the major tribe of the house of Israel at that time, but since this is a dual prophecy, it refers today to Great Britain], And like a young lion to the house of Judah [the southern kingdom of the house of Judah, today the modern Jewish nation]. I, even I, will tear them and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue” (Hosea 5:14). Prophetically national destruction will likewise come upon the modern houses of Israel and Judah in the days ahead if they do not repent of their sins.

On the personal level, God is testing every individual. “Go over what is left of Israel’s vineyard, scan her as a gardener scans twig after twig; is there a man whom I can warn…?” (Jeremiah 6:9–10, Moffatt translation). A twig represents an individual person, as Ezekiel 17:22 explains: “I (the LORD) will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and will plant it on a high and prominent mountain.”

From these passages we see that God is greatly concerned and occupied with carrying out His master plan. The modern houses of Israel and Judah will most likely reject God’s warning messages, if we judge based on the experience of history, although, if they were to repent, God’s terrible punishment would not have to be carried out. Notice Jeremiah 18:7–8: “The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it.”

But looking at history, God warned ancient Judah by the prophet Jeremiah over a period of 40 years of their many sins: “…I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen’” (Jeremiah 6:17). The same warning, and likely response, applies to the houses of Judah and Israel today.

The question for you, the reader, is this: Will you personally reject these warnings given by a loving God? Notice Solomon’s blunt assessment: “… he who hates correction is stupid” (Proverb 12:1). God says in Hosea 7:8–11: “Ephraim [Great Britain and the former Commonwealth nations] has mixed himself among the peoples; Ephraim is a cake unturned [a metaphor describing unwise policies, as the NIV commentary points out]. Aliens have devoured his strength, But he does not know it; Yes, gray hairs are here and there on him, Yet he does not know it. And the pride of Israel testifies to his face, But they do not return to the LORD their God, Nor seek Him for all this. Ephraim also is like a silly dove, without sense—They call to Egypt, They go to Assyria.”

In the context of political idolatry, God says in Hosea 8:9: “Ephraim has hired lovers.” Hosea 7:12 adds: “Wherever they go, I will spread My net on them; I will bring them down like birds of the air; I will chastise them According to what their congregation has heard.”

The only solution for the nations of Israel and Judah; for the entire world; and for individuals—whatever their heritage, ethnic background, color, race, or religion—is to sincerely and fully repent for their transgressions of God’s way of life. This must include rejection of the customs and norms of this world, if they are in contradiction to God’s standards. The Bible refers to this process of repentance as change or RETURN. We are called upon to RETURN to God whom we have forsaken. If this world repents, then there is hope. If it refuses to repent and to return to God, destruction and desolation WILL come. The Bible leaves no doubt about that.

Chapter 3

Impending Downfall of Great Britain, the United States and Other English-Speaking Nations

At this point, you might be wondering why God would be so angry with the modern houses of Israel—including Great Britain and the United States—and Judah; that He would ultimately bring them to their knees, literally.

Listen to this indictment from God: “Hear the word of the LORD, You children of Israel, For the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: There is no truth or mercy Or knowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying, Killing and stealing and committing adultery, They break all restraint, With bloodshed upon bloodshed. Therefore the land will mourn; And everyone who dwells there will waste away With the beasts of the field And the birds of the air; Even the fish of the sea will be taken away. Now let no man contend, or rebuke another; For your people are like those who contend [strive] with the priest. Therefore you shall stumble in the day; The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night; And I will destroy your mother [the whole nation of the modern house of Israel]. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (Hosea 4:1–6).

Note what the prophet Isaiah said when he spoke of the house of Israel, both ancient and modern: “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your [Israel’s] iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies; Your tongue has muttered perversity. No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity” (Isaiah 59:1–4).

Penalty for Sins

Those in ancient Israel who contended with the priest were sentenced to death. We read in Deuteronomy 17:12: “Now the man who acts presumptuously and will not heed the priest [today God’s true ministers who rightly teach God’s Law and teach the people to obey God] who stands to minister there before the LORD your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall put away the evil from Israel.” This sentence of death was, and still is, upon the modern houses of Israel and Judah. It even applies to God’s true end-time Church. In Revelation 3:16, Christ condemns those among His Church who are complacent. He says to them: “…because you are lukewarm…, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”

How will God’s awesome sentence of death be carried out upon the modern nations of Israel? This is revealed in Ezekiel 5:2 and 6:6: “You [God, compare Ezekiel 5:8] shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are finished; then you shall take one-third and strike around it with the sword, and one-third you shall scatter to the wind: I will draw out a sword after them… In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, so that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, your idols may be broken and made to cease, your incense altars may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.”

Notice Ezekiel 5:12 and 13: “One-third of you shall die of the pestilence, and be consumed with famine in your midst; and one-third shall fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter another third to all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them. Thus shall My anger be spent, and I will cause My fury to rest upon them, and I will be avenged; and they shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it in My zeal, when I have spent My fury [God’s seven last plagues mentioned in the book of Revelation] upon them.”

This great siege is described prophetically in Deuteronomy 28:47–48, 52: “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you… They shall besiege you at all your gates until your high and fortified walls, in which you trust, come down throughout all your land; and they shall besiege you at all your gates throughout all your land which the LORD your God has given you.”

Notice the very graphic horror spoken of in verse 53: “You shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and your daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you.” Can you believe that the world will come to such devastation that people will actually be eating their own children in order to stay alive? God says it WILL happen!

About 60 million people live in the British Isles. How can one-third, as Ezekiel 5:12 said, that is, about 20 million die within a short period of time? In addition to famine and disease, Psalm 91:3 refers