Ephraim and Manasseh
One needs only to study the history of any movement that has as its objective the propagation of a truly newly revealed to recognize that, with the passing of time, subtle undercurrents begin to ebb and flow within the movement itself, creating confusion. An outstanding example of this is the present modernist subversion of the doctrines of the early fathers of the Church as taught by the apostles of Yashua at the opening of the Christian era.
Because of the undermining influence of modernism in the Church today, many Christians do not know what they believe and they are confused by the very subtlety of the attacks made upon the fath of our fathers. They are bewildered by the conflicting views expressed by the so-called leaders of the church, particularly by the use of terms which are construed to convey a meaning contrary to that which the words were orbitally intended to express. The result is that many have turned away from the Bible and have ceased to consider it inspired, or to have any bearing upon their daily living.
Born From the Pit
The Bible itself has declared that there would be a time in history when such an onslaught would be made in an endeavor to destroy the faith of the people and, if possible, deceive the very elect. (see “The Night is Far Spent, Destiny for July 1952, pp. 239-242)
Its source is stated to be the Bottomless Pit and Satan is its instigator. He has made a careful choice of those through whom false doctrines inspired by him were to be promulgated by selecting men and women of scholarly attainment, thus giving destructive criticism an outward cloak of respectability.
Schools and colleges have followed the lead set for them and theological seminaries have taught the findings of the modernists as truth in their courses. Many pertinent examples of the shallowness of modernist views are given in “The Crumbling Wall of Untempered Mortar,” and in “The Light That is Darkness.”
Acrimonious Conclusions
In the inception of the propagation of the Identity of the Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, Celtic peoples with the northern ten-tribed Kingdom, or House of Israel, the unanimity of belief among students working independently of each other in the United States and elsewhere was remarkable. With the exception of a few variations in minor details, they were all in agreement on the basic tenet that the United States has fulfilled all the requirements of the promises made to Ephraim and England those made to Manasseh, both sons of Joseph born in Egypt: “He (Ephraim) also shall become a people (England), and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother (Manasseh) shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations (50 separate nations, joined together to make one great nation).” (Genesis 48:19)
The testimony of these scholars is a striking example of the activity of the Holy Spirit, guiding these searchers after truth to the count of revelation that would give them the incontrovertible facts of the identity. Their study of the Scriptures and a comparison of the Prophetic Word with the records of history led to findings which were completely harmonious in their over-all conclusions and the result was a oneness in thought from diversified sources that has had no parallel in history. The movement was so spontaneous in its inception that one can only account for it as the work of the Holy Spirit inspiring men in different localities and countries to proclaim a truth when the time had come for it to be made known. For this reason also it is impossible to attribute original discovery to any one investigator.
We believe that is the time spoken of by Daniel the prophet when he told us: “But thou, O Daniel, SHUT UP THE WORDS, AND SEAL THE BOOK, EVEN TO THE TIME OF THE END: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” (Daniel 12:4)
Then John tells us in the Book of Revelation: “And he saith unto me, SEAL NOT THE SAYINGS OF THE PROPHECY OF THIS BOOK: FOR THE TIME IS AT HAND.” (Revelation 22:10)
Organization of the Kingdom
Following is a brief outline of the fundamentals accepted by those who have identified the descendants of the Northen Kingdom, the House of Israel, with the Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, Celtic peoples of today.
Yahweh called Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees and, in obedience to that call, Abraham took up his journey to Palestine. There he prospered, as did his descendants, until, due to a famine, Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, was compelled to take his sons and their families and go down into Egypt.
The Children of Israel in creased in numbers and influence in the land of Egypt and, because of their greatness, Pharaoh feared them and brought them under bondage. Yahweh raised up Moses to lead His people out of the land and in the accomplishment of this He overwhelmed the hosts of Pharaoh by the waters of the Red Sea. Moses brought the people to the foot of Mount Sinai where Yahweh came into their midst and confirmed His intention to make them His Kingdom on the earth.
Following forty years of wilderness wanderings, during which time Moses schooled the people in the administration of the perfect Law of the Lord, they entered the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua. So long as the people obeyed God’s commandments, statutes and judgments, the nation prospered. When they departed from their observance, times of suffering and tribulation followed. The history of the United Kingdom of Israel was one of alternating prosperity and trouble, according to whether they were obeying or disobeying the commandments, statutes and judgments of the Lord.
While in the Promised Land, the people were at first ruled by judges; afterward God selected David to become king and He established his posterity as the House of David form which the rulers were to come who were to occupy the throne in the Kingdom.
Assyrian and Babylonian Captivities
After the death of David’s son, Solomon, Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, came to the throne and the House of Israel, i.e., the northern ten tribes, revolted form the sovereignty of the reigning House of David, selecting the city of Samaria as their capital. From that day forward, the House of Israel, with Samaria as their capital, and the House of Judah (the remaining tribes), with Jerusalem as their capital, were two separate nations and from time to time they were at war with each other, sometimes in conjunction with a foreign ally.
The day came when the House of Israel had departed so far from the observance of the Law of the Lord that God allowed them to be carried away into captivity in the land of Assyria. (It was also time for them to move on to the real Promised Land for Palestine had been merely a stopping off place so the Israelites could gain their strength) Abut 130 years afterward the House of Judah suffered a similar fate and was carried away into Babylonian captivity. Seventy years later a remnant from those who had been carried away into Babylon returned to Palestine and became known as the Nation of the Jews. However, the House of Israel (from which no Jews are descended) did not return to Palestine again.
Christians have known and accepted the facts pertaining to the Israelites who returned from Babylon and rebuilt the temple and city of Jerusalem. (But all the while they had to guard against the Jews who were attempting to stop them) That nation, as the only recognized representative of His people at that time, were present in Palestine to meet the Messiah and He was crucified, with the result that Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D., and again in 135 A.D., the Jews who escaped the slaughter were scattered abroad, and many of them joined up with the Khazars who eventually adopted Judaism as their state religion.
Christians know little of the history of the House of Israel after they “disappeared” in the land of Assyria. It is the prophets of the Bible who take up the story at that point, telling of the dispersion of the House of Israel and of their future regathering and exaltation. Leaving the land of their captors, and under different names, the tribes of the House of Israel moved across southern and central Europe, some planting colonies upon the continent while others passed on to the isles north and west of Palestine, the British Isles. There in the Isles of the Sea the people began to renew their strength as foretold by the Prophet Isaiah.
“Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea.” (Isaiah 24:15)
“Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.” (Isaiah 42:10)
The Royal Line
Prior to this, and at the time Nebuchadnezzar came against Jerusalem in battle, destroying the city and the Temple, Jeremiah, with a few survivors and the daughters of King Zedekiah, had escaped to Egypt. There they took ship and eventually arrived at their destination in Ireland. (Study in Jeremiah) Thus, the royal House of David was planted in the Isles, fulfilling the promise made through the prophets. Queen Elizabeth II, was therefore a lineal descendant of Tea Tephi, one of the King’s daughters, the wards of Jeremiah, whom he brought with him to the isles.
Withstood The Test of Time
The evidence brought to bear upon the identity of the Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, Celtic peoples with the northern Kingdom, or House of Israel, has withstood the test of time and the attacks of its enemies. Every assault made upon this revelation has been based upon unbelief, unsupported by sustaining facts, with the result that the knowledge of the identity has grown until million today believe it. As pointed out in “What Saith the Scripture?,” with hardly an exception the objections raised are negative and based upon the assumption that the so-called “orthodox” belief that the Jews alone are Israel in the world today is correct simply because of its long acceptance:
“Furthermore, it is very noticeable that many of their assertions are made with out giving any sustaining evidence and, when scriptural quotations are used, it is with complete disregard of context. No regard is paid to whether they are messages addressed to the House of Israel or the House of Judah, a ruse that makes their treadmill of confusion even more confusing as one examines these objectives...
“The many contradictory statements of these critics often reveal gross ignorance of the subject matter under discussion, a fact that disqualifies them from sitting in judgment upon the issues.”
Boring From Within
Actually this type of criticism of the identity evangel has made no headway whatever against the truth. However, there is a more dangerous kind of foe of the truth who bores from within, attempting to undermine the very foundation upon which our case rests. The cunning of Satan has been recognizable in the subtle sabotage of the higher critic and modernist, the methods of these foes of Christianity being far more effective than the frontal attacks of the atheists and agnostics.
It is not surprising, therefore, to discover similar conditions arising within the fold of those who accept the evidence of the identity but who would seek to disrupt from within, introducing discord by propagation perverted doctrines which are a misapplication of the truth of the Scriptures. Attention was called to this trend in “Authors of Confusion,” from which the following is quoted:
“For some years now we have been watching with concern the mushroom growth of the would-be prophets who have been giving out as signs their particular brands of wonders as they predict coming disasters with great detail, even dating the time of their coming. As we have watch we have observed the number of people who have run after these prognosticators and we have seen the love of many grow cold who in the past were enthusiastic supporters of the Gospel of the Kingdom.
“They have turned away from the simplicity of the Gospel of Salivation and Kingdom redemption to follow the more sensational and momentarily exhilarating programs of these modern prophets. The attitude they have come to adopt is expressed in the explanation offered by one that he had progressed far beyond the simple rudiments of the fundamental teachings pertinent to the Kingdom of God.
“It cannot be too strongly emphasized here that Satan is endeavoring by every possible means to prevent Israel from awakening to her spiritual needs. He must at all costs stop those who are proclaiming the necessity for such an awakening. What better way is there to introduce confusion among the witnesses than to dangle before the ‘sings and wonders’ of false prophets which, if followed, will hinder the further support of the proclamation of the Kingdom and its requirements?
It is a common trick to divert attention from one object by pointing quickly to another in an opposite direction. The purpose is to throw the person off his guard. The pity of it all is that those who are thus being deceived are wholly unaware of the danger they face in falling short of attaining to the status of the elect who continue to faithfully point out their spiritual needs to His Kingdom people.”
Engendering Confusion
The next local step on the part of the enemy within appears to be to subvert the teaching of the identity as it has ben proclaimed by making radical changes in the application of terms. THIS PERVERSION TAKES THE FORM OF DENYING THE ACCURACY OF THE MODERN IDENTIFICATION OF EPHRAIM AND MANASSEH, reversing the nations to whom these terms have been applied. Some have even separated Joseph from his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, to make a special place for him apart from the inheritance that was to go to them. The result has to engender confusion, causing many to question and wonder. But what do the Scriptures say?
Jacob told Joseph:
“And now THY TWO SONS, EPHRAIM AND MANASSEH, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, ARE MINE; as Reuben and Simeon, THEY SHALL BE MINE. And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.” (Genesis 48:5-6)
Smith and Goodspeed render this:
“I DO THEREFORE ADOPT YOUR TWO SONS that were born to you in the land of Egypt before I joined you in Egypt; EPHRAIM AND MANASSEH SHALL BE AS MUCH MINE AS REUBEN AND SIMEON. But the children that were born to you after them are to be counted to you; upon receiving their heritage they shall be called by the names of their brothers.”
“And now your two sons who came to birth in Egypt before I came to you here, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, in the same way as Reuben and Simeon are.” (1965 Bible in Basic English)
“Jacob continued, JOSEPH, YOUR TWO SONS, who were born to you in Egypt before I came here, BELONG TO ME/ EPHRAIM AND MANASSEH ARE JUST AS MUCH MY SONS AS REUBEN AND SIMEON.” (Good News Bible)
"So YOUR TWO SONS, who were born in Egypt before I came here, ARE MY SONS. EPHRAIM AND MANASSEH WILL BE MINE JUST AS REUBEN AND SIMEON ARE.” (God’s Word Bible)
“And now your two sons, [Ephraim and Manasseh], who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine. [I am adopting them, and now] as Reuben and Simeon, [they] shall be mine.” (Amplified Bible, Genesis 48:5)
House of Joseph
What Jacob was saying is so clear it is difficult to understand how anyone can so twist the record to make it appear to mean anything else. Jacob was telling Joseph THAT HIS TWO SONS, EPHRAIM AND MANASSEH, WERE THEREAFTER TO BE RECKONED AS HIS SONS AND THUS BECAME THE HEADS OF TRIBES IN ISRAEL, but that the rest of Joseph’s sons were to be reckoned tribally with the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh and be called by their names. Therefore, wherever Ephraim and Manasseh are found, dwelling with them, and called by their names, will find the descendants of the remaining sons of Joseph. Language could not be more clear.
Furthermore, this is borne out in Joshua 14:4 where, in speaking of the sons of Joseph, they are all classified under the tribal names of Manasseh and Ephraim. Later, referring to the lot of children of Joseph, which would include all of his descendants, Joshua (chapter 16 and 17) again designates all of Joseph’s sons as being classified under the tribal names of Ephraim and Manasseh, just as Jacob foretold. Again, this fact is confirmed when Joshua spoke of the House of Joseph, which would include all of Joseph’s sons, but Joshua addressed them under the tribal names of Ephraim and Manasseh as follows:
“And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only.” (Joshua 17:17)
Accordingly, all the descendants of Joseph formed only two tribes, but these two tribes were a numerous and powerful people among the children of Israel.
It is upon the misinterpretation of the meaning of Jacob’s remarks pertaining to the other sons of Joseph that the subversion of the truth as to the inheritance of the descendants of Joseph apart from that of Ephraim and Manasseh is based. Had those who have injected this false doctrine into the teaching of the identity given honest heed to what the scriptures actually say, they would not have been guilty of the responsibility of causing so much confusion.
It is absolutely unscriptural to seek to find any of the descendants of Joseph outside of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. This was the command of Jacob and it is in conformity with this position that we find Ephraim and Manasseh always mentioned when Joseph’s descendants are listed. The prophets carefully adhere to this designation when predicting the future of Joseph’s posterity.
Jacob’s Blessing
Since we are only interested in what the Scriptures have to say so that we may make our beliefs conform with the Word of God, let us follow through and see if the above deductions are borne out by the facts. When Jacob blessed the two sons of Joseph, he was actually blessing Joseph, for the record states:
“And Israel stretch out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hand WITTINGLY; for Manasseh was the firstborn. And he blessed JOSEPH, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, the Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and LET MY NAME BE NAMED ON THEM, AND THE NAME OF MY FATHERS ABRAHAM, AND ISAAC; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.” (Genesis 48:14-16)
This blessing is in conformity with Jacob’s previous statement that Joseph’s posterity was to be represented in Ephraim and Manasseh only and all of his other sons were to be called by the names of these two sons. When Joseph saw that his father had crossed his hands so that his right hand rested upon the head of Ephraim, who was the younger son, and his left hand upon the head of Manasseh, his oldest son, he protested:
“Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he shall also be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. And he blessed them that day, saying, In the shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.” (Genesis 48:18-20)
Birthright Predominance
While Ephraim and Manasseh were joint recipients of the birthright, because together they inherited Joseph’s double portion, it is made emphatic by Jacob’s action that to Ephraim went the birthright leadership. The United States and no other branch of the Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, Celtic peoples, fulfills in every respect that the marks identifying Ephraim in the world today. The United States is a commonwealth of 50 nations, a fact recognized but not taught in the beginning of the inception of the propagation of the knowledge of its identity with the northern Kingdom of Israel. Because it was first taught that Britain was the Commonwealth of nations.
This is because of the belief and teaching that Ephraim must of necessity have in their mist the Throne of David that was to be established over the House of Israel forever. And it is believed that in Britain that a descendant of David’s line, Queen Elizabeth II, reigns n the Throne of David. Yet, it would appear, that the true throne of David is in Scotland, not England.
Joseph’s Inheritance
For many decades Great Britain and the United States has been declared the posterity of Joseph which was to be known in the latter days. Together they are the inheritors of Joseph’s birthright. When listing the tribes of Israel and their inheritance, the writer of the Biblical Chronicles states:
“Now the sons of Reuben, the first born of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright, for Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph’s).” (1 Chronicles 5:1-2)
The wonderful blessings accompanying the birthright were pronounced by Jacob and reiterated by Moses just before his death:
“And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.” (Genesis 33:13-16)
Moses then stated in clear terms that all this would be realized through Ephraim and Manasseh:
“His (Joseph’s) glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.” (Deuteronomy 33:17)
Smith and Goodspeed translate this last quotation as follows:
“So many these be the myriads for Ephraim, and these the thousands for Manasseh!”
Administration of the Birthright
When the throne and the Kingdom moved westward, Ephraim and Manasseh, being joint recipients of the birthright, must of necessity have been predominant in the migrations from the East toward the west, for dominion belonged to them.
“Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind...” (Hosea 12:1)
Numerical superiority was promised to Ephraim and this has ben so ever since his descendants became a Great Nation. However, perhaps it will clarify the application of terms to point out here that the fulfillment of the prophetic allotments to the descendants of the two sons of Joseph applies to their administration of the birthright, rather than in the genealogical descent of those residing in the respective nations.
The specific portions of the joint hegemony were not interchangeable, as shown by the lengths to which Jacob went when he crossed his hands in blessing the two young men. In carrying on the affairs of state, the Ephraim type of administration would govern the “company of nations, the United States” while the Manasseh form of administration would govern the “Great People.”
When, later on, Ezekiel listed the tribes of Israel, he named Ephraim and Manasseh and did not mention the name of Joseph, for he knew that Joseph’s double portion in the inheritance was represented in the tribal position of his two sons. In the sealing of the tribes as given in Revelation 7, Joseph is mentioned but Ephraim is not, for the birthright which was originally Joseph’s passed primarily to Ephraim who was set before Manasseh.