To illustrate some of the major reasons I believe the USA is predominantly Ephraim, I am putting an article at the end of this e‑mail. But in brief, consider:
1). As you pointed out, Ephraim was to vastly out‑number Manasseh (Deuteronomy 33:17), ten to one. The population of the USA is 280 million, compared to England's 60 million and Canada's 28 million.
2). The USA is the "YOUNGER" nation to rise; England is like an OLDER brother, though both dwelled together for many centuries. Of course, Ephraim was the younger brother. It only makes sense that the younger would rise up later than the older brother. Of course, when Ephraim was "fully grown," he excelled his older brother, even as the USA has excelled England, and has grown much greater.
3). Many nobility also came to the USA. Our presidents have virtually ALL had links with English royalty; and our leading entrepreneurs, the Abbots, Astors, Carnegies, Rockefellers, Mellons, etc., have family lies that go way back.
4). Ephraim was to become a people who drank too much WINE. (Isaiah28:1) Wine is produced in abundance in the US, California, Oregon, etc. The British are not known as wine‑bibbers, but their drink of choice is BEER; a completely different beverage. This again points to the US being Ephraim, in the majority.
5). Ephraim was to posses the greatest natural resources and beauty ‑‑ including "verdant valleys" (Isaiah 28:1). The US is the most fertile nation in the world, called the "breadbasket" of the world. Our valleys like the Shenandoah, the Piedmont, the Central Valley of California, the Willamette Vallley of Oregon, are world famous; we are a nation of awesome valleys, agricultural fruitfulness, and abundance. (Deuteronomy 33:13‑16)
6). Ephraim and Manasseh together have "pushed the peoples to the ends of the earth." (Deuteronomy 33:17) Manasseh is like a firstborn (which he was literaaly) bull, and the bull is a symbol of England. Ephraim is more like the "wild ox" of this verse; younger, wilder, less settled, you've heard of the "Wild West," and the "wild American," like many younger brothers, we tend to be a little on the "wild side," and therefore many Europeans look on us with a little distrust, consternation, and even bewilderment.
7). Ephraim's very name literally means "doubly fruitful." Well, look at the evidence! The US has been VERY fruitful during the 20th century; abundantly so. DOUBLY so. Joseph is a fruitful bough (Geness 49:22), so Manasseh is also fruitful; but Ephraim (USA) doubly so! So it should be: Ephraim was given the BLESSING of the firstborn (Genesis 48:13‑14), even though Manasseh was the actual firstborn. The firstborn historically was to inherit a DOUBLE PORTION. So it stands to reason that Ephraim; the USA, should have a double portion of blessings, which we certainly to; geographically, agriculturally, economically, militarily, population‑wise, etc. It is said that if America catches cold, the whole world sneezes.
8). Jacob said Manasseh also would be great: England and Canada, etc. But he said "truly his YOUNGER brother shall be GREATER than he, and his descendants shall become a MULTITUDE OF NATIONS [I.E., "STATES"]." (Genesis 48:19) Many have misunderstood this. In Hebrew, the word for "nations" here is goyim, and means "peoples, nations, states, a troop, a flight," a word that has the sense of "massing."
Thus Jacob really said the descendants of Ephraim would become a TROOP of people, a MASS of people, MANY states, families, or groupings. Thus we have in fulfillment of this prophecy THE FIFTY STATES of the United States; we became 50 different states, UNITED, but ONE PEOPLE. Each state has its own constitution and government.
At its greatest, the British Empire or Commonwealth did control vast parts of the earth, when you include India, but these were nonIsraelitish nations under British rule: they were not Josephite people at all. The blessing of Jacob was not that Ephraim would rule over many nations, per se; it was that Ephraim would reproduce and BECOME a multitude or troop or massing of people; by having a greater multitude of descendants, becoming many groupings, i.e., fifty STATES: UNITED!
9). Ephraim always was distrustful of royalty, particularly of the house of David. Jereboam, an Ephraimite, led the rebellion against the house of David. On the oher hand, many Manassites were among the first men to join up with David, when he was estranged from king Saul. These same characteristics are seen in the two brothers today. English royalty can be traced back to the line of David, thus David still has descendants sitting on a throne, fulfilling in part God's promise to him. (Psalm 89:20, 29‑37)
So it is that England/Manasseh still has an affinity for David and his throne dwells among them; USA/Ephraim, however, still has a distrust of all things royal, and George Washington refused to be made a "king." Thus we have elected "presidents" as apposed to a Davidic "king" reigning over us.
10). Geographically, in ancient Israel, the house of Manasseh was divided, separated into East Manasseh and West Manasseh, with the Jordan River the dividing line. West Manasseh stretched to the Mediterranean Sea. Ephraim was south of Manasseh, stretching from the Jordan to the Mediterranean.
Today, we have the same juxtaposition of the two tribes. Manasseh is once again in the north; West Manasseh is Canada, north of the US, with both of them stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans; and East Manasseh is England, lying EAST of the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic, like the ancient Jordan River, divides East and West Manasseh.
11). Ephraim was prophesied to become "joined to idols" (Hosea 4:17). Idols abound in modern USA; Hollywood stars, rock music stars, sports stars, automobiiles, and physical things of every description. We are a nation of idolaters, as Ephraim was prophesied to become.
"Harlotry" is so rampant it is another sign of Ephraim; we qare the pornography capital of the world, the San Fernando Vallley in California, just west of "Hollyweird" (verse 18). Bribery of government officials is rampant; only they call it 'pollitical contributions" (verse 18). Ephraim was to be "broken in judgment" (Hosea 5:11).
American courts of justice are a travesty: witness the O.J. Simpson trial, the trial of the police who arrrested Rodney King, the ridiculous sham of the Florida Supreme Court wanting to count "chads," "dimpled chads," "hanging chads," "pregnant chads," etc., etc. Ruling that Queer are the same as ordinary people. America truly fits the end‑time description of Ephraim.
12). Ephraim was to be a "mixed" people. God said "Ephraim has MIXED himself among the peoples; Ephraim is a cake unturned [burnt on one side, white on the other]. Aliens have devoured his strength, but he does not know it" (Hosea 7:8‑9). America, the USA, is the "melting pot of the world." We have mixed ourselves weith Gentiles more than any other nation.
Europeans tend to be xenophobic, like Japan; racial mixing is frowned upon, and foreign laborers are distrusted and persecuted. Whereas in America, we welcome foreigners of every description; blacks from Africa, Europeans, Chinese immigrants who helped build our intercontinental railroads, and Vietnamese, Cuban refugees, and of course many people from Central America, not to mention millions of Mexicans, both legal and illegal, without our borders. Truly we fulfill this prophecy of being "mixed;" more so than any other nation! Plus the fact that "aliens" in our midst are devouring our strength, getting free education, medical benefits, and bringing their own polluting customs and practices.
I could go on and on. But just two more "proofs" that the US is predominatly EPHRAIM:
13). Ephraim was the 13th tribe. He was born last, of the tribe heads, born to Joseph in Egypt, after Manasseh, the 12th tribe. The US flag has 13 stripes, the US originally had 13 colonies, in the US seal we find 13 stars above an eagle [symbol of the "king of the air," or airpower], also 13 arrows clutched in his left claw, and an olive branch with 13 leaves in its right claw, with a shield of 13 red and white stripes. The number 13 is associated with Ephraim AND with America!
14). The northern tribes of Israel were taken into captivity by Assyria in 718‑721 B.C. God foretold Israel would be punished for "seven times" (Leviticus 26:18, etc.; see also Daniel 4:23). Prophetically, a "time" can equal a "year" in fulfillment (Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 6:4‑5). A perfect "prophetic year" is 360 days; each day is a year in fulfillment.
This apparently is based on the original year, as it was in the days of Noah. Noah was in the ark from the 17th day of the second month till the 17th day of the seventh month; a total of 150 days (see Genesis 7:11‑13; 7:24; 8:3‑4).
Thus five months equalled 150 days; or 30 days per month. Obviously, Noah was not using the modern Jewish calendar! If we extrapolate, then a year of 12 30 day months would equal 360 days. Therefore, Israel's punishment was 360 X 7 = 2520 years in fulfillment. If we count 2520 years from 718‑721, we come to A.D. 1800‑1803.
At that time the punishment would be terminated, and God would begin to BLESS the tribes with their intended blessings; the blessings He gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and the tribal fathers, including Joseph.
What happened in 1803 in the world that was of any prophetic significance? What great blessing occurred in that year? Who received it?
In 1803 Thomas Jefferson, the third US president, purchased the Louisana Purchase from Napoleon of France; all the land stretching from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. This vast tract was bought for pennies to the acre. The Lewis and Clark Expedition traversed this huge tract, finally arriving on the Pacific Coast, at the mouth of the Columbia River.
Never in history has a nation expanded so quickly, so vastly, and for so little. The birthright promises were to accrue to Ephraim; and this was a mighty geographical extension of the United States of Ephraim! So, now, perhaps you see more clearly now why I truly believe the U.S.A. is and must be, by all rights, and prophetic understanding, the nation that best represents the younger son of Joseph; Ephraim, with a mixture of all the tribes dwelling in her, including of course many of Manasseh!