The book of Genesis laid out the foundations of the whole plan of God culminating in the life of Joseph. From then on, this plan has to be implemented through God’s chosen people without any bit of compromise. No promise is surer than God’s promises to Abraham. Those promises were given under oath in God’s own name for no one is greater than Himself.

Now let’s begin our journey with the young nation Israel and carefully watch out their development— physically and spiritually as they relate themselves to God as the promises rest on them.

Not only will we be watching the journey of Israel but also all the nations that came into contact with her. After all, the major players on the life of Israel were still the descendants of Abraham. At this point, it is helpful to review the origin of Ishmael and Esau (or Edom) in the book of Genesis.

The Exodus odyssey is perhaps the most popular stage on the development of the nation of Israel. More than four hundred years earlier, it was already prophesied to Abraham in Gen 15:13.

Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.

During the famine, the tribes of Israel had resettled in Egypt indefinitely until they grew in number. For a while, they lived peacefully in the land of Egypt for their brother Joseph once a high government official was greatly revered for many years. Later on, the people of Israel were enslaved and maltreated greatly. Those people are not exactly that bad or good, ideal and extraordinary. Their only distinct difference with other races was their rapid population growth. It brought fear of possible rebellion to the new Pharaoh who did not know Joseph since their own Egyptian population was being slowly outnumbered.

Well-preserved ancient chariot wheels on the Red Sea seafloor. Could this be one of chariot wheels used by Egyptian army in pursuing Moses and the Israelites while crossing the Red Sea?
Source: http://www.arkdiscovery.com

Then God called Moses and commissioned him to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. The great God of the Israelites revealed His great power unto Pharaoh and the Egyptians. It was the war between God and the enemy of Israel. That war was kind of slow punishment through plagues and finally, death of the firstborns. The victory of the nation of Israelites culminated in the crossing of the Red Sea that parted in two. Never before and the years following that God’s awesome power was displayed among great numbers of people. God did that for a purpose so that His own people and their enemies would fear Him and trust in Him. They were in the initial stage of forming their own government. That government as God emphasized should be God-centered, a theocratic form of government, that is, a nation whose king is the Lord. Thus, He gave them His Ten Commandments and other laws and decrees by which the nation of Israel cannot survive without.

Satellite view of probable Exodus route based on present research.
Source: http://www.arkdiscovery.com

The Lord God was firm and strict. Stiff punishment and penalties were required of those who disobeyed Him. The young nation of Israel had no king. They were ruled directly by God in constant communication with the people through the High Priest and Moses. High Priests came solely from the tribe of Levi and ruled by succession. The tribe of Levi had no territory of their own. They were dispersed among the other eleven tribes of Israel. There were in fact thirteen tribes. The tribe of Joseph was actually counted separately as two— the half-tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.

In those days, God had neither temple nor sanctuary on earth as the King of the nation Israel. God commanded Moses to make a mobile temple made of light materials called the Sanctuary. Within the Sanctuary is the tabernacle wherein God would dwell among the Israelites. The tabernacle traveled with Israel wherever they went. Only the High Priest was allowed to enter and communicate with the Lord. Aaron, a Levite, was the first High Priest. Before this, God descended on earth on mountaintops within thick clouds, smoke, fire and thunders.

God delights in festivals and holy celebrations. God had assigned annual feasts for them to celebrate. These are the Feast of the Unleavened Bread in the month of Abib, the month of the year in the Hebrew calendar (now between March and April); The Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of crops to offer before God; and the Feast of Ingathering in the end of the year when all crops from harvest were gathered for Thanksgiving.

Moreover, God also stressed many times to observe strictly the Sabbath. It was already one of the Ten Commandments and yet still, the Sabbath related festivals were to be observed. These are the Feast of Weeks (Lev 23: 15-22); the Feast of Trumpets (Lev 23: 24-25); the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev 23: 33-36); the Sabbath Year (Lev 25: 2-7); and the Year of Jubilee (Lev 25: 8-12). The Sabbath was a sign between God and the people of Israel for all generations and forever (Exodus 31:13,17). To the nation of Israel, it is their flag, their seal. Other nations would know them through their Sabbath. Simply put, without the Sabbath, their identities as God’s chosen people will be lost accordingly.

That is what had happened exactly and one of the causes why we are not able to identify them today-- they violated the Sabbath of the Lord.

The Hebrews, as the nation of Israel was called, were not that easy to train in the ways of the Lord. At the very start of the commission of Moses, they had manifested stubbornness. In spite of the great wonders and miracles God had done before their eyes, they were still filled with doubts, unbelief and sins. They complained too much and in some points tested the Lord wickedly. God punished them severely and delayed their entry to the Promised Land— The Land promised by God to Abraham and the patriarchs. For forty years they wandered in the desert. They were a nation without yet a territory. Although the promise was sure, it could be delayed according to how the Hebrews behaved toward the Lord. The life of Israel was accurately summarized by Nehemiah, the prophet just before the downfall of Israel. To give the readers a complete idea about the life of the Hebrews, read the account from Nehemiah 9: 6-37 which summarizes the life and journey of Israel.

This account covers the entire course of Israel’s history from Abraham to the downfall to the Assyrians. Indeed, in spite of the blessings and promises, there was really nothing different unto God’s chosen people. Their behavior was similar with the rest of humanity.

After the death of Moses, Joshua succeeded him in leading the Hebrews to the Promised Land. Moses himself was not able to set foot on the Promise Land . . . he just saw it from a distance (Deut 34:4). The entry to the Promised Land was marked by the crossing of the Jordan River. Again, the river dried up to give way to the people of Israel.

They conquered many territories and thirty-one kings fell one after the other no matter how powerful they were. Israel’s only effective weapon was their obedience to their God. Their destiny depended solely on their relationship with God through the promises and His mercy.

And so the people of Israel acquired the Promised Land, the land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8,17). They now have a territory of their own.

The kingdom of Israel at its zenith

Sometimes the people of Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord and the Lord inflicted upon them many punishments. One of the penalties is that the Lord God did not drive completely their enemies around their boundaries (Judges 2:21-23). From time to time God as their King raised forth judges who will save them from the hands of their enemies (Judges 2:16). During the times of the judges, Israel had experienced long years of peace (Judges 3:11,30; 5:31; 8:28).

At one point, the house of Israel almost lost the tribe of Benjamin. They went to war with Benjamin because one of their men raped and murdered a Levite concubine. The whole tribe of Benjamin refused to surrender the man responsible for the crime and instead, declared war against the rest of the House of Israel. With God’s permission, the rest of the houses of Israel went to war with the tribe of Benjamin. Benjamin lost 25,000 men and only 600 were left (Judges 20:1-48). That was why the house of Benjamin became the smallest tribe in all Israel.

After many years and generations, the people of Israel about their King, the Lord God. They begin to ask a human king to imitate their neighbors (1Samuel 8:1-22) with much misgivings of the Lord. It was a direct rejection of God’s leadership. So Israel’s kings and their works became the responsibility of the people. If the king is good, the whole land prospers, but if the king turns evil, the whole land suffers with him.

Saul was the first human king of Israel. He was a good king at first but later on he had sinned and rejected by God.

David, a shepherd boy, succeeded him as king but it was a hard way for David to ascend to the throne. During his time, the nation of Israel reached its pinnacle of glory as God promised to the patriarchs. It became a world power, militarily and economically. His son, Solomon succeeded him as king. He built the Temple of God, four hundred and eighty years after the exodus but after forty years of rule, Solomon as well sinned against the Lord.

The end of his rule marked the downfall of Israel. It was divided into two kingdoms— the northern part consisting of ten tribes excluding the tribe of Judah and Benjamin. The northern tribes became the House of Israel. The southern part consisting of the two tribes Judah and Benjamin with some people of the tribe of Levi became the House of Judah.

The divided kingdom of Israel close to its collapse.

There were nineteen kings after Solomon who ruled over the northern kingdom before it was invaded by King Shalmaneser V of the kingdom of Assyria, then the greatest world military power. All its inhabitants were taken captives to Assyria, never to return. Their own native land was repopulated by the Gentiles (2Kings 17:24), peoples who were non-Hebrews. In all, the House of Israel was able to exist only for two hundred forty years after Solomon. It did not prosper fully.

One hundred forty-five years later with the same number of kings, Judah also fell in the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylonian Empire sometime in 587 BC It was the next world power after the Assyrian Empire. Judah fell also due to its sins. All the inhabitants were taken captives to Babylon for seventy years. Unlike their northern brothers, they were allowed to return home after seventy years of captivity to their land of ancestry, the southern Kingdom of Judah. The tribe of Judah must be preserved to fulfill God’s plan that the Messiah shall come from Judah (Gen 49:10) and the generation of Judah shall continue until Christ’s physical birth within the House of Judah many years later. That will also finally fulfill God’s promise of spiritual blessings to all nations, the promise greater than the physical or birthright promises. All peoples shall become God’s children not through power and military might but by His Spirit.

They became two kingdoms ruled separately by their respective kings. Most of the time the two kingdoms were at war against each other. During their era, the full measure of material blessings promised them was withheld for they had sinned greatly against the Lord. God cannot at that time fulfill his promises because Israel did not obey God and never took His warnings by heart. During the succeeding years of the existence of those nations, they bear God’s punishments for disobeying at will His commandments.

So there is no question with the spiritual promise. It was fulfilled almost two thousand years ago when Jesus Christ died on the cross to redeem all mankind of their bondage to sin. When He shall come again, that completes both the spiritual and physical promises.

Meanwhile, what happens to the physical promise? How about the ten lost tribes? . . . the northern House of Israel?

Until the time of Jesus, their whereabouts were unknown. As fulfillment to the consequence of total disobedience, they lost their identity, their language, their land and faith, and specially their Sabbaths by which we would have been be able to identify them. What we know now as the nation of Israel is in fact, does not constitute the full twelve tribes of Israel but only the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, some Levites, and few remnants of other tribes. The ten other tribes are somewhere around the globe without our knowledge. They are actually what we refer now to be the lost ten tribes of Israel. They were the subject of Christ’s great commission to the twelve apostles when He said,

“ . . . Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel . . . ” (Matt 10:5-6)

Note that “sheep” here is used as plural form (Read also Matt 18:12). Apostle Paul, apart from the original twelve was the one commissioned to the Gentiles, their kings, and likewise the people of Israel (Acts 9:15). Peter himself was a part apostle to the Gentiles (Galatians 2:8).

Shortly before Jesus Christ's ascension to heaven, he was asked by the apostles if Jesus will start restoring the old Kingdom of Israel. After all he was prophesied to become their king.

So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:6-8)

The apostles knew that their brothers were dispersed among the countries and they want them back. They expected Him to fulfill the prophecies at that point but it was still too early... there was still a lot of work to do before the time of restoration of the old kingdom. Many things were yet to be explained to the apostles but the Lord Jesus was to be taken up to heaven and His mission on earth that time was completed. That's He simply answered that the Holy Spirit will guide and empower them. All because the ten lost sheep must first be found, know the Lord and be saved. Later in the last days, these lost tribes shall all be gathered from all nations that they were scattered back to the Promised land and then the old kingdom will be restored forever.

The Bible does not reveal directly where they are right now. Yet, definitely, we will be able to trace their identities, their whereabouts by understanding the passages of the Bible alone. There has not been the best time when we could successfully trace these peoples than now, the last days. All we need to remember are the promises, the warnings and the prophecies on the forefathers of Israel, what kind of people they will be in the end times, the time element and through the help of other prophecies in both the old and new testaments. If we indeed fully believe what the Bible says, then we do not even need history books or theological researches. This is simple thing to understand if we believe the Word of the Lord.

We have learned that after the destruction of the House of Israel (that is the Northern Kingdom) by the Assyrians, all of the Israelites of that kingdom were taken captives to Assyria settled there for many years. Others may have been able to escape to the southern kingdom or the House of Judah. The Assyrian Empire later on was overrun by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia to become the most powerful Kingdom at that time. The Israelites were further dispersed from thereon and never to return. Not a word was heard from them since then. That was a part of their punishment . . . to be lost totally. No one knows where they are except the Lord.

The New Testament speaks of places like Antioch, Pamphylia, Cyprus, Syria, Cilicia, Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, Phrygia, Galatia, Macedonia, Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinthia, Colossus and even to as far as Rome and Spain as part of Paul’s and his companion’s itineraries. These places are random locations along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

The winds of migration of the people of Israel can be traced through the missionary journey of Apostle Paul.

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel”

Even during the actual evangelization of the twelve Apostles when they were supposed to spread the gospel to these “lost sheep”, the Bible did not reveal their full activities or where they went particularly to allow us to locate these lost tribes.

So we realize that Paul was commissioned to spread the Gospel to the Gentiles their kings, as well as the people of Israel. Why did Paul go to those places instead of the rest of Middle East, the Near East or South Asia? Those where the places the lost tribe of Israel had migrated to after they were driven out of their homeland, Israel. Paul’s missionary routes clearly imply to us that the lost tribes were living with and among the Gentiles of Europe.

Paul journeyed to these lands not by his own decisions but by the command of the Holy Spirit. Read this account in Acts 16:6-7:

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.

So God was leading Paul to places where the lost tribes were and to the people who will open their arms to God's salvation. He was not only commissioned to the Gentiles chosen to become God’s children but also the lost tribes of Israel as well. It is understood therefore those among these places are the lost tribes of Israel! The lost tribes were intermixed with the Gentiles in many locations along the northern coast of Mediterranean Sea!

The lost tribes during Paul’s time were mingled with the Gentiles, lost completely their pure ancestral blood, their language, their religion, and their complete identity. No man was aware that they were Hebrews, probably not even Paul. As a sure consequence in a long course of time, majority intermarry with Gentiles so that their offspring became mixed race of Gentile and Hebrew as well. And since the great birthright or physical promise is endemic, it was passed on to the offspring and generations of those interracial marriages. Then the world knew them as Gentiles. No one will be able to identify them by the color of their skins anymore. Only God knows.

In the book of Revelation, the Lord God gave messages to the seven churches which are in Asia Minor, now the nation of Turkey. These are the churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea (Rev 1:11). These are the early Churches founded by Paul and the Apostles and they were so special to the Lord. In fact they were symbolized as the seven golden lampstands (Rev 1:12-20). There's no other reason why they are very special-- they are among the ten lost tribes of Israel!

Map showing location of the seven churches.
Source: http://www.biblestudy.org

We can now well reconstruct what happened during their captivity in Assyria. The Hebrews being captives suffered heavily under their Assyrian rulers for many years. They managed however to multiply and settle in the land of Assyria bearing the curse of disobedience to God already mentioned earlier. When the Kingdom of Assyria was destroyed by Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar sometime in 600 BC, the Hebrews were scattered furthermore. They had to escape anew farther from the land of Assyria to more friendly places until they found settlements along the eastern coast of Mediterranean Sea. Some went northward, southward and some simply settled along the nearby coastlines while others sailed by ship farther westward to coastal regions of Mediterranean Sea. During the time of Jesus Christ, their concentration was along the western coast of Asia Minor, Greece and to as far as Italy. They established settlements, started anew and intermarried with the Gentiles of those times. Having with them (Ephraim and Manasseh) the birthright promise of being a great nation and a group of nations, they multiplied faster than the original inhabitants just like in the days of Egypt of Moses’ time. After many years, their population became very large until the time of Jesus and Paul. No one knew that probably even their kings, even the Caesarian line of rulers of the Roman Empire had in their bodies trace of Hebrew blood as a result of past intermarriages between the Hebrews and the Romans. That is the reason why Europe was the priority destination of Paul. Toward the west and northwest of Judah were the only places Paul had been in his ministry for those were the places the wandering Lost Tribes settled. The Roman Empire became one of the longest lasting, most powerful and the largest empire in terms of population in history ever recorded in the Middle Ages. That could have not been possible unless it had the authority and blessing from above. Personally, I believed that some of those Roman kings in Jesus' and earlier times and later had Semitic blood in their veins.

Those peoples Paul went to therefore were both at the same time Hebrews and Gentiles by race and because the great physical promise was contagious, it was passed on to their offspring and generations as well since. Not only was the promise passed on to their descendants but also, all the lands they settled in were possessed through the physical promise . . .

“I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, . . .” (Gen 22:17).

Those are the places where the Spirit of Jesus was leading Paul to go into in spreading the Gospel so that the right condition of repentance may be fulfilled . . . that is, they had to know their God, they had to confess and ask forgiveness at the proper, appointed time.

“But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their fathers— their treachery against me and their hostility toward me, which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies— then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.” (Lev 26:40-42).

Note that the lost tribes lost even their spiritual inheritance. They knew nothing about the God of their ancestors. Repentance cannot be done unless the lost “Hebrew-Gentiles” shall come to know their God anew for their deliverance. That was exactly why Paul and the other Apostles were commissioned to them . . . to know the Lord, call upon Him and experience once more the great and mighty salvation of God. For how long does it require for these, the Hebrews need to suffer for their sins? Or how much time shall they wait for until the great promise shall be given finally in full measure? We’ll know that later.

Moreover, have you notice one thing about the words of advice of Jesus to His disciples?

When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. (Matt 10:23)

Obviously, the Lord Jesus was referring to the lost cities of Israel! Remember that the Israel in their time was not really Israel but only a remnant, the Southern House of Judah with the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and some Levites and it has only one city-- the City of Jerusalem. It was not the nation of Israel. The cities are somewhere else, lost but now it is clear that they are cities that these same apostles and disciples went to through their lifetime journey of evangelization. And could this also mean that all the places that Paul went to including Rome are actually the cities of His lost ten tribes of Israel?

We would know in history of the middle ages that the Roman Empire and the history of Europe had their own share of upheavals through wars and conquests. It never did have lasting peace. The Roman Empire had its pinnacle of glory close to the the time of Christ under the rule of Trajan. It was then divided into two kingdoms, east and west and finally Rome, capital of West Roman Empire fell in 476 AD. The East Roman Empire, also called the Byzantine Empire, survived a thousand years more, attained its golden age around 550 AD and finally in 1453 AD, it was captured by Muslim Ottoman Turks. Read the brief history of Western Europe and see how wars affected the migration of people from East to West and to the rest of Europe. Today, the memory of the old great Roman Empire is just a small place in Europe we call Italy with the capital city of Rome. Do we not know that it is the Roman Empire through Constantine the Great who is responsible for the swift spread of Christianity in many parts of the empire regardless of sect? And could we not understand why the Islamic religion was born just as when Christianity was spreading quickly across the globe? Islam however failed to penetrate the heart of Europe and many nations belonging to her until today… why? Of course, because that was the will of God! Europe is the place of God’s own chosen people. They had to know and believe the Lord until the birthright promise is fulfilled. The promise had to be fulfilled as in today’s lingo, by hook or by crook!

Constantine the Great was credited for the swift spread of Christianity across the Roman Empire, no matter how imperfect it was. From there Jesus Christ was known and spread throughout the world. Many sects have multiplied since then but only few have the true Spirit of the Lord.

We do not need to study long chapters of history but it is easy to understand that most of the European nations of today had their origins from the old Roman Empire. They were transformed to what they are today through many hardships and wars, all experiencing victories and defeats among themselves— the result of not knowing each other completely. It was to the lost sheep their birth pains preceding a great reward. Europeans were in fact mixture of races but definitely, they were or among them the ten lost tribes of Israel. The Lord bound them to as they are today, separate nations, languages, religions, and idealism but still, they are united. We now call them the European Union (EU) although as of now, not all of the nations in Europe is a member yet. In international community, they are force to reckon with, economically and militarily. United, they win wars, if they fall the world falls with them. They are the home of great minds, scientists, inventors, artists, sailors, kings in their own trades not equaled by any peoples on earth. That was to fulfill part of the prophecy . . .

And God said to him, “I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body.” (Gen 35:11).

Now, this is the key to understanding the prophecies of the Bible, the end times (as it is here already today) as accurate as possible. We had to accept the fact that the white race is the descendant of Shem, of Abraham, of Isaac and Israel. We will be even more surprised later as we find astonishing revelations correctly in parallel with today’s and past events as prophesied. All because the mystery is solved— identifying the “lost sheep” of Israel.

Identifying the ten tribes, is just half of the story. We need to trace down where the present tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh are. Their generations were the last biblical recipients of the baton of the great birthright promise. After them, their last day generations should be expected as the greater group of nations (Ephraim) and the great nation (Manasseh) as prophesied for them (Gen 48:19).

At this point it should be easier to identify them. First, let us adopt from Jesus’ own words,

Who among the European Community had a group or community of nations? The RSV Bible version has this term as “company of nations”.

At the turn of 19th century, Great Britain quickly rose to become a world power. It won the First World War, ruling many territories of the world in so short a period that is reminiscent of their successes in Joshua’s time. In 19th century, these territories became the British Empire which was the most extensive empire in all history and was also the greatest military and global power. It is later to become the company or Commonwealth of Nations. At the height of its power the commonwealth nations include Australia, New Zealand, East Papua New Guinea, Borneo, Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore, South Asia, South Africa, Canada, some Arab states and many more. The Second World War although a hard-fought one for the allied forces was likewise won. But many member nations have already gained their independence leaving the total number of members to 53 nations. Today, the "community of nations" promised to Abraham in Genesis 35:11 is the European Union. As a group, it is the richest nation on earth. It consisted of 25 member states across Europe and more countries are proposed to be admitted. These are all the countries associated with Ephraim and because Ephraim is the inheritor of the birthright promise, became the name representing the ten lost tribe of Israel. Read the prophecy in Ezek 37:15-19:

The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, take a stick of wood and write on it, 'Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him.' Then take another stick of wood, and write on it, 'Ephraim's stick, belonging to Joseph and all the house of Israel associated with him.' Join them together into one stick so that they will become one in your hand.

"When your countrymen ask you, 'Won't you tell us what you mean by this?' say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph—which is in Ephraim's hand—and of the Israelite tribes associated with him, and join it to Judah's stick, making them a single stick of wood, and they will become one in my hand.'

The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional color for Imperial British dominions on maps.
Source: Wikipedia Encyclopedia

Judah as mentioned in the above prophecy is the Israel of the Middle East that we know today because it consists mainly of the tribe of Judah.

How about Manasseh, his brother? His brother is of the same language, with same ideology and also a great nation. That can be no other than the United States of America! Together, they act as one in international community. They always go to war together, help starving nations together, decide and consult each other on international affairs just like real brothers. However, they hold separate international standards on weight and measures— the English and the metric system. Their currencies are likewise international standards, the dollar and the sterling pounds.

But take note that as we have learned in Chapter 1, Manasseh is also Egypt. America today is similar in many ways with the old Egypt. Egypt was the greatest military power on earth, the wealthiest, and the center of trade and commerce, a great infrastructure builder. Its GDP in 2005 as a nation is ranked highest in the world second only to the European Union, a group of nations or the other lost tribes.

So is America today. She is the world policeman, the place of refuge of exiles and melting pot of many nations. She is also the provider of food for the world’s poor, the nation of skyscrapers, the leader in space exploration. America is the world’s major producer of grains— wheat and rice. She is also the main producer of modern technology, weapons of war, computers, and many advanced machines. She is the home of world trade, the site of largest seaport and airports. She is investor’s heaven, the land flowing with milk and honey. Like the old Egypt, she is also rude and overpowering. Many alleges that it controls even the economy of the world and how it should operate and ran especially of the poor nations through financial loans from International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. What she does, the world follows. But like the Ancient Egypt, she is also the home of thousands of false religions, magicians and soothsayers.

The map of the European Union.
Source: Wikipedia Encyclopedia

The USA is the world leader in space exploration. Picture shows U.S. astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the moon, 1969.
Source: Wikipedia Encyclopedia

“. . . Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, . . . ” (Gen 48:19).

Definitely, America now is indeed more powerful militarily than Europe but the latter is the birthplace of Industrial Revolution and Agricultural Revolution. In fact, the British Empire was the world's greatest military power during its zenith in the late 19th century. Moreover, Europe set the pace of modern technology for economic development. America and the rest of the world simply followed after. Now Europe as a Union is the richest nation on earth. And yet greatness unto God is not measured on military and economic power alone but also on the obedience toward God. Later on we will discover why America is indeed a lower kingdom than his brother Ephraim.

It took centuries before those great material blessings promised to Abraham were fulfilled. As discussed earlier, those had never occurred even during the pinnacle of glory in David and Solomon’s reigns. That kingdom of Israel never lasted long to realize the fullness of the great promise. There had been greater kingdoms they had not possess— Kingdoms of Assyria, Babylon-- all were mightier than the Kingdom of Israel. We know that the chosen people of God were humbled. God was disappointed with them, they were conquered and scattered except for the House of Judah and some remnants of the House of Israel. The great majority was eventually vanished only to rise centuries later, these times.

Again, the birthright promise is purely physical in nature, separate from the spiritual promise.

America's meteoric rise to economic greatness beginning in 19th century as shown in this chart is obviously a blessing from God as a result of the promise to Abraham. The same is true to the European countries, home of the of the Ten Lost Tribes.
Chart Source: Wikipedia Encyclopedia

On the other hand, the spiritual promise is a way by which all nations shall be blessed through Abraham’s seed. This promise is completely independent from the physical promise. This one cannot be delayed. It was fulfilled at a time on God’s own discretion, that is, regardless of their physical or spiritual conditions because that is exactly the objective— to give spiritual salvation to the lost and the poor in spirit.

“ . . . and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” (Gen 22:18).

Note that the offspring or "offspring" (or seed in some manuscripts) is singular because it refers to Christ,

The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ. (Gal 3:16).

The spiritual promise was then fulfilled long ago with the coming of Christ and until this time and the coming generations on earth, God is fulfilling that to all who come to Him for salvation. Christ was physically born from parents in Judah's line of generations. Read Genesis 49:10.

Time will come when the "offspring" or "seed" Jesus Christ shall come again and rule over all nations ultimately fulfilling in full both the physical and spiritual promises forever.

We have known that Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph to an Egyptian wife were the last recipients of the promises, Ephraim being the greater and group of nations and Manasseh the great nation. Let us get into detail of the physical promise, and greatness.

Deuteronomy 28:1-13 outlined the rewards for obedience that are physical as well as spiritual blessings. These are subdivided into three categories: economic greatness (v.3-5), military power (6-8), and spiritual blessings as well (v.9-12).

In giving rewards, God also imposed severe punishments, short of the death penalty for disobedience (Deut 28:15-68). It is true that the birthright promise is sure and given under oath by God Himself but if Israel sins, then the promise cannot be given outright— it is delayed.

While all the people of Israel were still in the desert, before they actually begin their military conquest of territories beyond the river Jordan, God gave them His last very important instruction to all of them and the rest of their generations. Their lives will later on completely depend on these instructions and warnings for the rest of their generations. This was the great warning against disobedience on the commandments, laws and decrees God gave them in mount Sinai. This is found in Leviticus Chapter 26:14-39 provided here in full:

"But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, then I will do this to you:

I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and drain away your life. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you.

If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over.

I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of the land yield their fruit.

If you remain hostile toward me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions seven times over as your sins deserve.

I will send wild animals against you, and they will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle and make you so few in number that your roads will be deserted.

If in spite of these things you do not accept my correction but continue to be hostile toward me, I myself will be hostile toward you and will afflict you for your sins seven times over.

And I will bring the sword upon you to avenge the breaking of the covenant. When you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be given into enemy hands. When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will be able to bake your bread in one oven, and they will dole out the bread by weight. You will eat, but you will not be satisfied.

If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over.

You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters. I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor you. I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings. I will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who live there will be appalled. I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins. Then the land will enjoy its Sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. All the time that it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not have during the Sabbaths you lived in it.

As for those of you who are left, I will make their hearts so fearful in the lands of their enemies that the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. They will run as though fleeing from the sword, and they will fall, even though no one is pursuing them. They will stumble over one another as though fleeing from the sword, even though no one is pursuing them. So you will not be able to stand before your enemies.

You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will devour you. Those of you who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins; also because of their fathers’ sins they will waste away . . .”

The phrases seven times over were in bold text to emphasize the severity of God’s punishment against His chosen people. It was mentioned four times which clearly indicates that the succeeding punishment is seven times more severe than the previous one. What kind of punishment therefore is God imposing on Israel? Read carefully the paragraphs and notice that succeeding punishments are not really that seven times more severe than the previous ones. What was written in the passages were merely physical punishments for disobedience, none concerns spiritual punishment. Again, let us remember that God’s promises to Abraham and the patriarchs are sure without conditions. What do these warnings then mean?

The military might and technology of the US are today, the world's most powerful and most advanced.

“`But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their fathers— their treachery against me and their hostility toward me, which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies— then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. For the land will be deserted by them and will enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them. They will pay for their sins because they rejected my laws and abhorred my decrees.”

“Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the LORD their God.”

“But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the LORD.”

And so the promises therefore still stand. The warnings, more than physical punishments are meant only to delay the fulfillment of the promises. Notice the verse in bold letters in the above paragraph concerning the Sabbath. How God loved the day of Rest! The produce of the land depended on the observance of the Sabbath. Because of sin, the soil could turn barren and unproductive. So God drove the sinful people out to give rest to the land. It follows then that the punishment concerned mainly of time delay—the absence of God’s people from their land for a certain period. God was simply delaying material blessings. But for how long? Simple.

America's blessing of vast, fertile agricultural land propelled it to become an economic superpower.

There are four sevens, each succeeding one seven times more severe than the previous— that is the summation of the products of multiple sevens, multiplying seven over the previous. So that it becomes (7 + 7x7 + 7x7x7 + 7x7x7x7) which equals two thousand eight hundred (2,800). In what unit— days, weeks months or years? . . . absolutely in years. The Bible always refers to the time unit of years when it prophesies big historical events concerning Israel. That means if the people of Israel defied God’s warnings in full measure, God will mete a maximum of 2,800 years of delay in fulfilling His physical promises on top of physical hardships.

In all Israel’s history written in the Scriptures, Israel’s downfall began when King Solomon sinned against God. He had committed a great transgression directly against God— violating the first commandment. He worshipped foreign gods (Read 1Kings 11:4-8).

So the LORD said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son.” (1Kings 11:11-12).

The many years ahead after Solomon’s death were marked by sufferings for the people of Israel. They lost their glory and might. Almost immediately after the kingdom was split, the Temple that King Solomon built was ransacked by the king of Egypt (1Kings 14:25-26). They had great famine to the point that they had to resort to cannibalism (2Kings 6:28-29). That fulfilled the punishment in the great warning of the Lord.

After 19 kings and some 200 years after the death of Solomon, the Northern Kingdom or House of Israel fell into the hands of Assyrians.

There had never been a king who had pleased the Lord after King Solomon except King Josiah of the House of Judah. But did his righteousness turn away the Lord’s anger against the whole Israel? The Bible says no.

“Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did-- with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses. Nevertheless, the LORD did not turn away from the heat of his fierce anger, which burned against Judah because of all that Manasseh had done to provoke him to anger. So the LORD said, `I will remove Judah also from my presence as I removed Israel, and I will reject Jerusalem, the city I chose, and this temple,’ about which I said, `There shall my Name be.’” (2Kings 23:25-27).

It is just like a certain prisoner serving a sentence and while yet in prison again commits a sin worse that the first. His present good deeds could not be an excuse for his early freedom anymore due to the severity of his past offense.

King Manasseh was the worst king Judah or the whole Israel ever had. (Take note that he was not the same Manasseh, the son of Joseph, the recipient of the birthright promise.) Now, after 19 kings and some 330 years after Solomon, the southern kingdom or the House of Judah also fell, this time in the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar, the king of the Babylonians.

Then it is clear that the chosen people of God did not meet God’s requirement. They sinned all the way, worthy of God’s punishment to the fullest measure.

Finally, we can now approximately determine the year of their restoration, the time the birthright promise is to be fulfilled. The fall of King Solomon occurred sometime in 922 BC The fall of the House of Israel and the House of Judah occurred in 721 BC and 587 BC respectively. History books record it.

The United States' blessings of power and wealth had carried it the title "World's Policeman" or to some a bully. The picture shows an American soldier kneeling on the back of a man in Haiti suspected of throwing a bomb that killed nine people at pro-democracy rally in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Septembet 29, 1994.

The Lord’s punishment was a combination of emotional, physical sufferings, and time delay of the fulfillment of the promise. Soon after the breaking up of the kingdom of Israel into two, the North and South kingdoms, God had immediately imposed punishments to both kingdoms. That punishment as already stated above is the accumulation of four sevens in regression that adds up to 2,800 years. Counting from then, 2,800 years— 922 years before Christ (BC), we would jump on to 1,878 years Anno Domini (AD).

That may not be accurate to the nearest tens of years due to inaccuracy of the present day Gregorian calendar against the original Hebrew calendar but it would clearly reveal to us the sudden change of events throughout the world over near the turn of the century.

The nineteenth century was considered the age of reformation of the West and the rebirth of Christianity. Almost at an instant, the world saw the rise into world power of Great Britain, the age of agriculture and industrial revolution, the years of inventions, and likewise the very sudden rise of the United States of America. Many nations are much older but none rose successfully to world power as fast as these two nations.

There were two great world wars since the turn of the century, and both of them were won by the brother nations, the Allied Forces, led by the United States and Britain.

Great cities were born. They claimed to have the most beautiful natural and manmade spots on earth. They have abundance, great wealth and peace. They are the envy of all nations.

Definitely, the great birthright promise was fulfilled at last. But for how long again could these chosen people of God hold on to their God-given wealth and power? Is God fully pleased that His promise to Abraham is being fulfilled? The years ahead lie the answers but we shall them in advance in the next chapters.

Next, let us take a look unto Israel end-days adversaries, prophecies concerning Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh.