The Birthrights
To Abraham, God promised:
“And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee” Genesis 17:6
Although the Birthright was conferred to Joseph, the Scepter had mysteriously eluded the final blessing given to Ephraim and Manasseh, “for Judah prevailed above his brethren,” and so it followed that the Scepter was given to the Tribe of Judah.
This was confirmed in 1 Chronicles 5:1 Now the . . . birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph . . . . 2 For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and from him came the chief ruler, but the birthright was Joseph’s.
But the Blessings demand special study. They are principally broken down into three divisions (1) a Cluster of Kings (2) a Great Nation, and (3) a Company of Nations
Judah
Under inspiration, Jacob prophesied that his children would bow down to Judah:
8 “Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.
9 Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as a grown lion; who shall rouse him up?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be.” Genesis 49:8-10
A scepter is a symbol of kingship. Judah will hold the royal scepter, and his descendants will always rule. Nations of the world, including those of his brothers will bring him tributes and bow down before him.
The scenario is very mysterious as this is talking of Judah as a tribe, thus rendering them a tribe of kings, but there will be one special King, the Messiah, the Son of God.
“And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written: King of Kings, And Lord of Lords” Revelation 19:16
The intriguing mystery is that the three times the word “lion” is mentioned as emblem conferred for the scepter or kingship of Judah, this lion symbol is taken up in the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom; a share of the same symbol in the crest of the modern state of Israel, which is of the tribe of Judah.
Great Britain
To Sarah, God promised:
“And I will bless her and give thee a son also by her. Yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her” Genesis 17:16
Before Jacob, God promised:
And God said unto him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins” Genesis 35:11
The Birthright composes of many blessings: a great multitude of people, exceedingly fruitful, control of sea-gates, dew of the heavens, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine; and although dominated by the posterity of Joseph, it was also dispersed throughout other sons of Jacob.
At the height of its power and influence early in the 20th century, Great Britain controlled an empire covered approximately one fourth of the world’s territory (in 1922 it incorporated 13 million square miles) and boasted of 54 territories and colonies—including Canada, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana and vast swaths of Africa, the land of Palestine, islands in the Caribbean, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific islands and others.
Great Britain at its Height
Great Britain was the most expansive empire in the history of the world, holding sway over some 460 million people—a fifth of the world’s population at the time. Moreover, following the defeat of Napoleonic France in 1815, Great Britain enjoyed a century of almost unchallenged global dominance through its vincible as well as its invincible Royal Navy rules the waves.
The British Empire also possessed or controlled several strategic sea gates—the Suez Canal, Gibraltar, the Cape of Good Hope, etc. Historians agree that Great Britain became the preeminent nation of the world as a consequence of wrestling itself from French dominance.
Indeed, after defeating Napoleon in 1815 it became clear that Britain was the undisputed ruler of the civilized world. Supported by unrivaled naval power, what followed was a century of peace—“Pax Britannica”—cut short only by the German militarism that triggered World War I in 1914-18, and again in World War II in 1941-45, and then its invincibility dropped out of any prominence.
The United States of America
Although the birthright blessing of national greatness were given to Manasseh, it was his younger brother Ephraim, and one that arrived later, identified and making an appearance as the thirteenth tribe, that will supplant him:
“I know, my son, I know, and he shall also be great; but his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations” Genesis 48:19
A new nation arriving last in the New World was to eclipse Great Britain. It would be Ephraim with seven fleets each with a co-ordinated strike force and numerous submarines beneath the waves roaming up and down the whole world, that, for decades, could threaten any rival into either submission or into oblivion.
Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth American President, said in a January 27, 1838 address,
“We find ourselves in the peaceful possession, of the fairest portion of the earth, as regards extent of territory, fertility of soil, and salubrity of climate…We…found ourselves the legal inheritors of these fundamental blessings. We toiled not in the acquirement or the establishment of them.”
But how long will America’s prosperity last? Is it indefinitely? Although Joseph’s modern descendants are seemingly on top of the world, are they destined for a fall? Are there cracks forming now? Can we know?
For further understanding who the modern tribes of Judah and Joseph are, the best book to have expounded this subject is “Judah’s Sceptre and Joseph’s Birthright” by J.H. Allen (1847-1930).
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“The sceptre shall not depart from Judah …” (Genesis 49:10); “but the birthright was Joseph’s” (1 Chronicles 5:2). Strictly speaking this birthright was not given to the Jews, nor to be inherited by all the other tribes of Israel! It was Joseph’s; the Jews has the law, the sceptre.
That is, only a part of the Israelites—the descendants of Joseph—was to inherit the birthright, a tremendous national promise!
When it was reported to Joseph that Jacob, his father, was ill, he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and hastened to the dying patriarch’s bedside.
2 And one told Jacob and said, “Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee”; and Israel strengthened himself and sat upon the bed.
3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, “God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me
4 and said unto me, ‘Behold, I will make thee fruitful and multiply thee; and I will make of thee a multitude of people, and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.’ (Genesis 48:2-4).
These promises are those of the birthright. These promises are of multiple seed—a multitude of people—and possession of the Promised Land.
Jacob, though blind so he could not see the lads before him, crossed his hands,
14 And Israel stretched 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 hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.
15 And he blessed Joseph and said, “God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who fed me all my life long unto this day,
16 the Angel who 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).
Notice, Israel did not confer this blessing on just one, but on both—“Bless the lads,” he said. This blessing went upon them jointly. “Let my name be named on them” was part of this blessing. His name was Israel. Thus the name Israel was to be stamped on Ephraim and Manasseh!
That is, Ephraim and Manasseh together received the right to the name Israel. It was to become the national name of their descendants. And their descendants were not to be confused with Jews!
Together the descendants of these two lads, Ephraim and Manasseh, were to grow into the promised multitude—the nation and company of nations. These national blessings are poured upon them jointly.
Jacob Crosses Hands
But at this juncture, Joseph noticed that Jacob’s right hand was not resting upon the head of the firstborn. He endeavored to remove it.
18 And Joseph said unto his father, “Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn. Put thy right hand upon his head.”
19 And his father refused and said, “I know it, my son, I know it. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.”
20 And he blessed them that day, saying, “In thee shall Israel bless, saying, ‘God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’” And he set Ephraim before Manasseh (Genesis 48:18-20).
Here the promises are no longer collective, possessed jointly. Jacob now was prophesying as to the blessings of each, individually. Notice that, before dividing the promises, this prophetic blessing indicated that the descendants of these lads should remain together, and together grow into a great multitude, then become separated, Manasseh becoming a great nation, and Ephraim a still greater company of nations.
Most Churches of God communities (including J.H. Allen quoted above), consider Great Britain as Ephraim and the United States as Manasseh. They derive their conclusion from Genesis 35:11, a blessing of a Nation and a Company of Nations from a simplistic observation that the United States is one Nation and therefore is Manasseh; and that Great Britain, a company or commonwealth of nations, is Ephraim.
But the word, nations, is goyim (from its root, goy, H1471), which, more often, would be translated Gentiles, usually of foreign nations, a group of peoples, an assembly of states, or even a flight of locusts. When it is translated into English, the United States is easily rendered as a nation, but the United States could be rendered as numerous states, that is, fifty goyim; a company of states.
The original twelve tribes of Israel grew to became thirteen when Joseph was subdivided into the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. Since Ephraim was younger than Manasseh, Ephraim has essentially became “the thirteenth tribe.”
The number “13” has uniquely been associated with the founding of America. The United States of America was born as a union of thirteen separate colonies, with its flag exhibiting thirteen stripes and thirteen stars. The prominence of the number “13” in the founding of America indicates a divine hand influencing world events to appropriately place the number “13” on this Ephraimite tribe.
Hence to conclude the United States as Manasseh is standing on shallow ground. It would be far prudent to search for other evidence. The Great Seal of the United States has thirteen Stars, thirteen Arrows, thirteen Letters in the phrase, “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” thirteen Stripes, thirteen Leaves and thirteen Olives; hence the Seal indicates their nation as of being the thirteenth tribe.
And the thirteenth tribe arrived late, very late, long after the other twelve had found their place and got themselves settled. The United States gained its independence from Britain in 1776 and, within fifty years, established the Monroe Doctrine, established seven that roam around the world and becoming a formidable force in the whole world.
Joel
A Prophecy of Esau and Jacob 