The Amazing and Awesome Foreknowledge of God
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| In loving memory of my father Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023 |
The objective of this word is two-fold: First, hopefully to increase our awareness of what a mighty, amazing God we serve, and second, to see how all of the following specifics from scripture point to the time in which we live, and therefore what action we should take. This word was very recently sparked by the Holy Spirit. When I first received this word, I was awestruck by the amazing foreknowledge of God. When I shared part of this word with my wife, she likewise was awestruck for the same reason that I was.
In the King James translation of the Bible, the English word "foreknowledge" occurs only twice, although the same Greek root word (prognosis) occurs a few more times. In addition, the word "foreknow" (proginosko, the verb form of prognosis) occurs in Romans 8:28, which we will look at shortly.
From Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, (quote) "Foreknowledge is one aspect of omniscience; it is implied in God's warnings, promises, and predictions. God's foreknowledge involves His electing grace, but this does not preclude human will. He knows the exercise of faith which brings salvation." (end quote)
The word, determinate, means decreed or ordained. It was God, the Father, not man, who sacrificed the Son. We can see that also in Isaiah 53:4 - He was smitten of God. God the Father, because of His foreknowledge of what Adam and Eve would do, ordained for men to crucify and kill Jesus on the cross. Revelation 13:8 says that the Lamb, speaking of Jesus, was slain from the foundation of the world.
This word was written to the elect of God over all of time. The "elect" does not speak about all professing Christians.
First, note the 10 occurrences in those two verses of the words "He" and "Him." That likewise speaks of the sovereignty of God. Perhaps more importantly, those two verses seem to clarify the confusion concerning "predestination." It is certainly true that man has free will. Even after we have been born again, we still have free will; otherwise we simply become robots. We have free will to receive and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We also have free will, after we have been born again, to reject Jesus as our Lord. A number of scriptures verify that truth, such as Hebrews 3:14 and 2 Peter 3:17. More specifically,
It is one thing to accept Jesus as our Savior; it is quite another thing to accept, in reality, Jesus as Lord as more than a mental agreement. It is one thing to start a race; it is quite a different thing to finish that race.
(It is important to remember that all these things were to take place in the last days, or the Church age. When Jacob said, "that which shall befall YOU in the last days," he meant their posterity.)
(They were sons of Jacob, but their father was Israel. In scripture, Jacob speaks of the natural man and Israel speaks of the spiritual man.)
(Joseph is portrayed as a nation having fertile land. More importantly Joseph was, in himself, a fruitful bough. Joseph received blessings that overflowed to other nations ... branches running over the wall).
(In the current and past generation, it is fair to say that many nations, particularly Muslim nations, have hated the United States.)
(Joseph received spiritual blessings (blessings of heaven above); and God's protection (God of your father who will help you). Again, it is fair to say that both Great Britain and the United States have been blessed, above all other nations, with prosperity, fertile land, peace, and blessings. The United States also has had a strong military in the natural realm.)
Manasseh, which means "causing forgetfulness," was the first son of Joseph. Ephraim, which means "doubly fruitful," was the second son of Joseph. Manasseh and Ephraim were Jacob's Gentile descendants, since both were children of an Egyptian mother, named Asenath, which means "gift of the sun god." There are many prophetic parallels between his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and the United States and Great Britain. This is recorded in Genesis, Chapters 37 through 43. These parallels contribute part of the picture of Ephraim's prophetic fulfillment.
Ephraim was always foremost of the tribes of the northern kingdom. For four hundred years in early history, Ephraim and Manasseh held the preeminence in the northern 10 tribes of Israel. Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom, was a beautiful city on a prominent hill. It was also a city of luxury and indulgence. Historically, it was the so-called "ten lost tribes" of the Northern kingdom of Israel that carried the Gospel to the world. The Southern kingdom of Judah and Benjamin did little, if anything, to spread the Gospel. A central truth of the faith, which is under attack by religion in America, is that the Kingdom of God with Christ at its head is not divided. The division of the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom is the specific historic event that foreshadows the division of the body of Christ into the kingdoms of men (denominations) and the Kingdom of God. Part of the significance of the tribe of Ephraim was that after the death of Moses, Joshua, from the tribe of Ephraim, led the Israelites into the Promised Land.
Numbers Chapter 2 describes a desert camp where twelve tribes were arranged in order around the tabernacle. The tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin (in that order) were grouped together on the west side.
Although Great Britain (Manasseh) is older than the United States (Ephraim), the United States eventually surpassed the U.K. in population and power. The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States. Those Articles describe America as a confederation of states, with very little power given to the federal government. My, how the times have changed! Now, of course, power has been increasingly taken by the federal government. This agrees with Jacob's prophecy that the descendants of Ephraim will become a "group of nations," now a group of 50 states.
Most of the first settlers of the US came from Great Britain. That included a remnant from both Ephraim and Manasseh. From a spiritual perspective, for most of their history both countries have been known as Protestant nations and have honored the Lord Jesus Christ. The US is now the more powerful and the younger of the two nations. Its association with Ephraim is clear.
The puritans of Europe were the spiritual forefathers of the United States. They practiced a simple faith in Jesus Christ devoid of the trappings of Catholicism. They espoused godly living, the sanctity of marriage, the Protestant work ethic, local church government, and teaching children to read and write so as to become more responsible citizens. Puritan ministers were expelled from official state approved churches. They were at times persecuted, humiliated, and resisted by the state and Catholic elites. To resolve the tension, puritans were permitted to emigrate - which they did. Under God's hand, the United States of America prospered under their influence. Many years later Europeans have come to America asking for food and other help. America indeed became the breadbasket of the world, exporting much food to all. Benjamin signifies the modern state of Israel. America has been its staunch defender for many long years.
The average American is not only well fed but surrounded by every possible convenience and personal service. As is seen over and over in Scripture, when a nation gets fat it kicks against the commandments of God (Deuteronomy 32:15). It becomes self-absorbed and believes riches and military power will save it from any calamity. This is part of the explanation of how such a great nation under God as the United States could lose its faith. In 2009, President Obama in a speech in Turkey said that the United States is no longer a Christian nation. Sadly, I cannot disagree with that.
The color of the three coverings of the tabernacle were Ram's skins dyed red; white Goat's skins; and blue porpoise skins. These are the same colors as the flags of the United States (Ephraim) and of Great Britain (Manasseh): red, white, and blue. The flag of the modern state of Israel has only the colors white and blue, but is missing the red (blood). They do not know personal salvation through Jesus' blood as did believers in the (historically) predominantly Christian countries of the United States and Great Britain. It is fair to say Americans love their country and they express that on many occasions. One of the possible pitfalls of a nation being as great as America is its citizens might fall into a love of country that surpasses their love for God. The only way to make America great again is by repentance and returning back to God.
When citizens begin to look to their government for protection, and not to God, they put their trust in the wrong place. Instead of "In God We Trust" it is "In our Military We Trust", "In our Government We Trust", or "In America We Trust". The great nation of the United States, as well as every nation, depends for its existence and prosperity on the blessing and protection of God, not the government of the day.
Ephraim was granted the blessing of divine protection. In the Bible this is signified by the figure of an eagle. The Lord said that he protected Israel on the exodus from Egypt "on eagle's wings" (Exodus 19:4). Therefore, the eagle is a symbol of God's protection. The great seal of the United States, first used in 1782, displays an eagle with a clutch of arrows in the left claw and a fruitful bough in the right claw. The eagle's breast displays a shield (allusion to spiritual protection); the eagle's head is turned to its right, facing West (allusion to the West side of the camp or Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin). Over the eagle's head is a cloud (allusion to the cloud of God which traveled with the camp).
Although Ephraim had been blessed beyond all measure, it all too soon went after the desires of the flesh. Remember that Ephraim is prophetic of Christians in the United States.
Why did Ephraim stumble?
Now consider some spiritual applications of wine. We can be intoxicated with our own importance. Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 were intoxicated with their clever cunningness when they lied about the price of the land they sold. We can be intoxicated with success in any realm, such as education, athletics, entertainment, singing or those who are in a position of ruling or power. David became intoxicated with the beauty of Bathsheba. That finally resulted in his murder of Bathsheba's husband, Uriah. Moses became intoxicated with even a good motivation of avenging a Jew when he killed an Egyptian.
Because of the wickedness that was in the earth in the days of Noah, God, in His wrath sent a flood that destroyed all mankind except for Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives.
The Levitical priests were not to depend on anything except the light that the Holy Spirit would bring with respect to their service in the house. What caused them to stray from the truth? Christians are supposed to be a kingdom of priests. What has caused us to stray from the truth?
The word, "lees," means something preserved, i.e., the settlings or dregs of the wine. For us Ephraimites in the United States, what have we preserved? For one, we like the traditions of men. We like for the pastor, not the Lord, to tell us each Sunday what the Lord is saying. In essence, we Christians are still living under the Old Covenant, where man, not Christ is our minister.
There are literally dozens of scriptures, both in the Old and New Testaments which declare that God's chosen people have forgotten the Lord and His ways. We Protestants have also forgotten why we protested against the Roman Catholic Church. Remember that Manasseh means forgetful. Therefore the United States has some of the posterity of Manasseh in our midst.
I wonder how many billions of dollars we Christians have spent on building large, beautiful temples. Those structures are not to glorify God but to glorify man. What are fenced cities? Anything in the natural realm designed to protect man. But one day the Lord will bring down all of those temple structures and fenced cities.
What does "our pasture" refer to? In the natural realm it refers to the natural food that we devour. According to the Center for Disease Control, two-thirds of all Americans are obese or overweight. In the spiritual realm, our pasture refers to all of the prolific amount of Bible teaching to which we have been exposed. That, of course, gives us a false sense of security.
Who did you exhort today? Who exhorted you today? How many times do you hear exhortations through the pastor of your church on Sunday mornings?
In the book of Ezekiel, 25 times we see the phrase, "and they shall know that I am the LORD." The Hebrew word, "know," means to ascertain by seeing.
The Lord is working all things, including the corona-virus, after the counsel of His own will in order that we might know that He is the LORD.
What an amazing and awesome God we serve!
In the King James translation of the Bible, the English word "foreknowledge" occurs only twice, although the same Greek root word (prognosis) occurs a few more times. In addition, the word "foreknow" (proginosko, the verb form of prognosis) occurs in Romans 8:28, which we will look at shortly.
From Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, (quote) "Foreknowledge is one aspect of omniscience; it is implied in God's warnings, promises, and predictions. God's foreknowledge involves His electing grace, but this does not preclude human will. He knows the exercise of faith which brings salvation." (end quote)
Acts 2:23, "Him [Jesus], being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:"
The word, determinate, means decreed or ordained. It was God, the Father, not man, who sacrificed the Son. We can see that also in Isaiah 53:4 - He was smitten of God. God the Father, because of His foreknowledge of what Adam and Eve would do, ordained for men to crucify and kill Jesus on the cross. Revelation 13:8 says that the Lamb, speaking of Jesus, was slain from the foundation of the world.
In John 19:11, "Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above [from the Father]: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin."
Of course, it was Judas Iscariot who was the proximate man who delivered Jesus to the Pharisees. Scripture tells us that Satan entered into Judas Iscariot and caused him to betray Jesus. However, from Acts 4:26-28,
"The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done."
Those verses, and a multitude of others, emphasize the sovereignty and foreknowledge of God. A number of years ago the Spirit quickened that those three verses in Acts will be repeated soon with respect to us Christians; namely that the political leaders, along with people in the world (the Gentiles), and the Pharisaic Jews will all unite for the purpose of killing true Christians.
The second use of the word, foreknowledge, is in 1 Peter 1:2,
The second use of the word, foreknowledge, is in 1 Peter 1:2,
"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied."
This word was written to the elect of God over all of time. The "elect" does not speak about all professing Christians.
In Matthew 24:24, Jesus said, "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."
In Matthew 24, Jesus speaks about some rather specific end-time events. But four different times in that Chapter, Jesus speaks about deception, which I believe is the major emphasis for us Christians in Matthew 24.
Romans 8:29-30, "For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified."
First, note the 10 occurrences in those two verses of the words "He" and "Him." That likewise speaks of the sovereignty of God. Perhaps more importantly, those two verses seem to clarify the confusion concerning "predestination." It is certainly true that man has free will. Even after we have been born again, we still have free will; otherwise we simply become robots. We have free will to receive and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We also have free will, after we have been born again, to reject Jesus as our Lord. A number of scriptures verify that truth, such as Hebrews 3:14 and 2 Peter 3:17. More specifically,
1 Timothy 4:1 says, "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;"
It is one thing to accept Jesus as our Savior; it is quite another thing to accept, in reality, Jesus as Lord as more than a mental agreement. It is one thing to start a race; it is quite a different thing to finish that race.
Genesis 18:17-19, "And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him."
In Verse 19, the Lord said, For I know him, that is Abraham. That is a good example of the foreknowledge of God. Jesus said, in
John 10:14, "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine."
That is another example of the foreknowledge of the Lord. Jesus knew that Judas Iscariot would betray Him but He still chose Judas as one of the original twelve disciples, so that the word and will of God might be fulfilled.
We should always remember that everything in the Bible has been written as examples for us today. This is recorded in 1 Corinthians 10:11, 1 Thessalonians 1:7, and 1 Peter 5:3. So many of the events in the Old Testament are prophetic of the time in which we live. History repeats itself because human nature has never changed and God has never changed. Now we want to share with you one specific example from scripture which illustrates not only the sovereignty of God but His awesome and amazing foreknowledge of everything and everyone He has created, and how this applies to us today in these end times. We will use the specific example of Jacob, Joseph, his two Gentile sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and Benjamin, the brother of Joseph. We will see the amazing prophetic significance of those five men. I believe all of those five men are types of five groups of persons related to the kingdom of God. Of course, there are no perfect types in the Bible. Specifically, Jacob (or Israel) is an imperfect type of God the Father; Joseph is a type of Jesus; Ephraim is a type of Christians in the United States; Manasseh is a type of Christians in Great Britain or the United Kingdom; and Benjamin is a type of those Jews over all of time who receive Jesus as their Messiah. Please keep this in mind as we proceed.
To briefly review, the name, Jacob, means "heel-catcher" or "he that supplants." Before Jacob was sovereignly apprehended by the Lord, he was a deceiver, selfish, and full of evil doing. However, Jacob had two remarkable spiritual experiences, one at Bethel and the other at Peniel. Scripture records that "no man can see God and live" (Exodus 33:20), but in Genesis 32:30, Jacob said that he had seen God face to face, and his life was still preserved. Jacob was blessed with 12 sons who became the foundation of a nation. The Hebrew nation is spoken of as "the sons of Jacob" and "the children of Israel" (Genesis 48; 49; and Numbers 24:19).
Jacob had twelve sons. In Genesis 49, Jacob prophesied over his 12 sons.
We should always remember that everything in the Bible has been written as examples for us today. This is recorded in 1 Corinthians 10:11, 1 Thessalonians 1:7, and 1 Peter 5:3. So many of the events in the Old Testament are prophetic of the time in which we live. History repeats itself because human nature has never changed and God has never changed. Now we want to share with you one specific example from scripture which illustrates not only the sovereignty of God but His awesome and amazing foreknowledge of everything and everyone He has created, and how this applies to us today in these end times. We will use the specific example of Jacob, Joseph, his two Gentile sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and Benjamin, the brother of Joseph. We will see the amazing prophetic significance of those five men. I believe all of those five men are types of five groups of persons related to the kingdom of God. Of course, there are no perfect types in the Bible. Specifically, Jacob (or Israel) is an imperfect type of God the Father; Joseph is a type of Jesus; Ephraim is a type of Christians in the United States; Manasseh is a type of Christians in Great Britain or the United Kingdom; and Benjamin is a type of those Jews over all of time who receive Jesus as their Messiah. Please keep this in mind as we proceed.
To briefly review, the name, Jacob, means "heel-catcher" or "he that supplants." Before Jacob was sovereignly apprehended by the Lord, he was a deceiver, selfish, and full of evil doing. However, Jacob had two remarkable spiritual experiences, one at Bethel and the other at Peniel. Scripture records that "no man can see God and live" (Exodus 33:20), but in Genesis 32:30, Jacob said that he had seen God face to face, and his life was still preserved. Jacob was blessed with 12 sons who became the foundation of a nation. The Hebrew nation is spoken of as "the sons of Jacob" and "the children of Israel" (Genesis 48; 49; and Numbers 24:19).
Jacob had twelve sons. In Genesis 49, Jacob prophesied over his 12 sons.
Genesis 49:1-4, "And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
(It is important to remember that all these things were to take place in the last days, or the Church age. When Jacob said, "that which shall befall YOU in the last days," he meant their posterity.)
2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.
(They were sons of Jacob, but their father was Israel. In scripture, Jacob speaks of the natural man and Israel speaks of the spiritual man.)
3-4, "Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch."
Because of the incest, instability, and unreliability of Reuben, the birthright, or the right of the firstborn, was transferred from Reuben, to Joseph (Deuteronomy 21:17). As a result, Joseph, in his posterity had a double portion assigned to him in the form of Ephraim and Manasseh. So Joseph became the spiritual firstborn. As we read earlier, in Romans 8:29, Jesus, not Adam, is called the firstborn.
"Joseph," means "may God add" or "the Lord increases." Joseph was the eleventh son of Jacob and the first son of Rachel. Rachel, who died in giving birth to Benjamin, with her last breath named him Benonin, or "son of sorrow." Those Jews, like the Pharisees, who never accept Jesus as their Messiah are indeed sons of sorrow. Jacob, in Genesis 35:18, changed Benonin's name to Benjamin, which, means "son of the right hand." Who sits at the right hand of God? the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:6 says that all true Christians are seated with Him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Joseph was one of the most outstanding men mentioned in the Bible. I am at a loss to find any negative aspects in scripture concerning Joseph, one of the almost perfect types of Christ. He was a spiritual man with a spiritual gift. His brothers were not spiritual. His brothers were also jealous because their father Jacob loved Joseph more than them. His brothers threw Joseph in a pit and plotted to kill him, but because of Reuben's insistence they sent him to a far-off land named Egypt. Joseph suffered greatly in that far-off land for a season. But Joseph eventually rose to the height of power in that far-off land. Many years later Joseph's brothers came to the far-off land looking for food. Joseph was willing to give them food if they would bring Benjamin. Eventually they brought Benjamin and Joseph fed them all. Before proceeding, consider the parallel between Joseph and Jesus. Joseph was silent amid foul accusations; He resisted temptation; He manifested brotherly love, great wisdom, and submission to God. The United States is also a land "far off" from geographical Israel.
In Genesis 49:22-25, we read about the blessing of Jacob to Joseph.
"Joseph," means "may God add" or "the Lord increases." Joseph was the eleventh son of Jacob and the first son of Rachel. Rachel, who died in giving birth to Benjamin, with her last breath named him Benonin, or "son of sorrow." Those Jews, like the Pharisees, who never accept Jesus as their Messiah are indeed sons of sorrow. Jacob, in Genesis 35:18, changed Benonin's name to Benjamin, which, means "son of the right hand." Who sits at the right hand of God? the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:6 says that all true Christians are seated with Him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Joseph was one of the most outstanding men mentioned in the Bible. I am at a loss to find any negative aspects in scripture concerning Joseph, one of the almost perfect types of Christ. He was a spiritual man with a spiritual gift. His brothers were not spiritual. His brothers were also jealous because their father Jacob loved Joseph more than them. His brothers threw Joseph in a pit and plotted to kill him, but because of Reuben's insistence they sent him to a far-off land named Egypt. Joseph suffered greatly in that far-off land for a season. But Joseph eventually rose to the height of power in that far-off land. Many years later Joseph's brothers came to the far-off land looking for food. Joseph was willing to give them food if they would bring Benjamin. Eventually they brought Benjamin and Joseph fed them all. Before proceeding, consider the parallel between Joseph and Jesus. Joseph was silent amid foul accusations; He resisted temptation; He manifested brotherly love, great wisdom, and submission to God. The United States is also a land "far off" from geographical Israel.
In Genesis 49:22-25, we read about the blessing of Jacob to Joseph.
22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
(Joseph is portrayed as a nation having fertile land. More importantly Joseph was, in himself, a fruitful bough. Joseph received blessings that overflowed to other nations ... branches running over the wall).
23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
(In the current and past generation, it is fair to say that many nations, particularly Muslim nations, have hated the United States.)
24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
(Joseph also had a strong military (strong bow and arrows), which was the Lord Himself.
The "Shepherd" is the Lord Jesus Christ, who came out of the line of Jacob.)
25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
(Joseph received spiritual blessings (blessings of heaven above); and God's protection (God of your father who will help you). Again, it is fair to say that both Great Britain and the United States have been blessed, above all other nations, with prosperity, fertile land, peace, and blessings. The United States also has had a strong military in the natural realm.)
Manasseh, which means "causing forgetfulness," was the first son of Joseph. Ephraim, which means "doubly fruitful," was the second son of Joseph. Manasseh and Ephraim were Jacob's Gentile descendants, since both were children of an Egyptian mother, named Asenath, which means "gift of the sun god." There are many prophetic parallels between his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and the United States and Great Britain. This is recorded in Genesis, Chapters 37 through 43. These parallels contribute part of the picture of Ephraim's prophetic fulfillment.
In Genesis 48:5, Jacob said to 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."
They shall be mine; that is, by adoption.
Ephesians 1:4-5, "According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will."
Also in Genesis 48, we read that Joseph brought Manasseh and Ephraim to Jacob to be blessed.
17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.
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.
Ephraim was always foremost of the tribes of the northern kingdom. For four hundred years in early history, Ephraim and Manasseh held the preeminence in the northern 10 tribes of Israel. Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom, was a beautiful city on a prominent hill. It was also a city of luxury and indulgence. Historically, it was the so-called "ten lost tribes" of the Northern kingdom of Israel that carried the Gospel to the world. The Southern kingdom of Judah and Benjamin did little, if anything, to spread the Gospel. A central truth of the faith, which is under attack by religion in America, is that the Kingdom of God with Christ at its head is not divided. The division of the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom is the specific historic event that foreshadows the division of the body of Christ into the kingdoms of men (denominations) and the Kingdom of God. Part of the significance of the tribe of Ephraim was that after the death of Moses, Joshua, from the tribe of Ephraim, led the Israelites into the Promised Land.
Numbers Chapter 2 describes a desert camp where twelve tribes were arranged in order around the tabernacle. The tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin (in that order) were grouped together on the west side.
Although Great Britain (Manasseh) is older than the United States (Ephraim), the United States eventually surpassed the U.K. in population and power. The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States. Those Articles describe America as a confederation of states, with very little power given to the federal government. My, how the times have changed! Now, of course, power has been increasingly taken by the federal government. This agrees with Jacob's prophecy that the descendants of Ephraim will become a "group of nations," now a group of 50 states.
Most of the first settlers of the US came from Great Britain. That included a remnant from both Ephraim and Manasseh. From a spiritual perspective, for most of their history both countries have been known as Protestant nations and have honored the Lord Jesus Christ. The US is now the more powerful and the younger of the two nations. Its association with Ephraim is clear.
The puritans of Europe were the spiritual forefathers of the United States. They practiced a simple faith in Jesus Christ devoid of the trappings of Catholicism. They espoused godly living, the sanctity of marriage, the Protestant work ethic, local church government, and teaching children to read and write so as to become more responsible citizens. Puritan ministers were expelled from official state approved churches. They were at times persecuted, humiliated, and resisted by the state and Catholic elites. To resolve the tension, puritans were permitted to emigrate - which they did. Under God's hand, the United States of America prospered under their influence. Many years later Europeans have come to America asking for food and other help. America indeed became the breadbasket of the world, exporting much food to all. Benjamin signifies the modern state of Israel. America has been its staunch defender for many long years.
The average American is not only well fed but surrounded by every possible convenience and personal service. As is seen over and over in Scripture, when a nation gets fat it kicks against the commandments of God (Deuteronomy 32:15). It becomes self-absorbed and believes riches and military power will save it from any calamity. This is part of the explanation of how such a great nation under God as the United States could lose its faith. In 2009, President Obama in a speech in Turkey said that the United States is no longer a Christian nation. Sadly, I cannot disagree with that.
The color of the three coverings of the tabernacle were Ram's skins dyed red; white Goat's skins; and blue porpoise skins. These are the same colors as the flags of the United States (Ephraim) and of Great Britain (Manasseh): red, white, and blue. The flag of the modern state of Israel has only the colors white and blue, but is missing the red (blood). They do not know personal salvation through Jesus' blood as did believers in the (historically) predominantly Christian countries of the United States and Great Britain. It is fair to say Americans love their country and they express that on many occasions. One of the possible pitfalls of a nation being as great as America is its citizens might fall into a love of country that surpasses their love for God. The only way to make America great again is by repentance and returning back to God.
When citizens begin to look to their government for protection, and not to God, they put their trust in the wrong place. Instead of "In God We Trust" it is "In our Military We Trust", "In our Government We Trust", or "In America We Trust". The great nation of the United States, as well as every nation, depends for its existence and prosperity on the blessing and protection of God, not the government of the day.
Ephraim was granted the blessing of divine protection. In the Bible this is signified by the figure of an eagle. The Lord said that he protected Israel on the exodus from Egypt "on eagle's wings" (Exodus 19:4). Therefore, the eagle is a symbol of God's protection. The great seal of the United States, first used in 1782, displays an eagle with a clutch of arrows in the left claw and a fruitful bough in the right claw. The eagle's breast displays a shield (allusion to spiritual protection); the eagle's head is turned to its right, facing West (allusion to the West side of the camp or Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin). Over the eagle's head is a cloud (allusion to the cloud of God which traveled with the camp).
Although Ephraim had been blessed beyond all measure, it all too soon went after the desires of the flesh. Remember that Ephraim is prophetic of Christians in the United States.
Isaiah 28:1, "Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!...7 But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment."
Why did Ephraim stumble?
Leviticus 10:8-9, "And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:"
Although the priests were not allowed to drink wine when they were officiating, those verses speak about much more than drinking literal wine. Verse 1 of Isaiah 28 says the cause was the crown of pride, which manifests itself in a variety of different ways.
Strong drink, drunkards, and habitual drinking has been called a curse of society.
Strong drink, drunkards, and habitual drinking has been called a curse of society.
Proverbs 20:1, "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise."
Now consider some spiritual applications of wine. We can be intoxicated with our own importance. Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 were intoxicated with their clever cunningness when they lied about the price of the land they sold. We can be intoxicated with success in any realm, such as education, athletics, entertainment, singing or those who are in a position of ruling or power. David became intoxicated with the beauty of Bathsheba. That finally resulted in his murder of Bathsheba's husband, Uriah. Moses became intoxicated with even a good motivation of avenging a Jew when he killed an Egyptian.
Because of the wickedness that was in the earth in the days of Noah, God, in His wrath sent a flood that destroyed all mankind except for Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives.
Genesis 6:8-9, "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God."
1 Peter 3:18-20, "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."
Genesis 9:20-22, "And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without."
In Leviticus 18, the Lord cautions that no one should uncover the nakedness of his father. But because of the drunkenness of Noah, he became a co-conspirator to the transgression of Ham. Some have even suggested that Ham himself may have uncovered the nakedness of his father, Noah. If so, that would have been the start of homosexuality in the new world after the flood.
Ephesians 5:18, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;"
(Where there is no excess). A man who gives himself to drink literally cannot walk straight. If we are partakers of a strong drink or anything that is a substitute, it will cause us to completely depart or stray from the ways of the Lord. So wine in many scriptures speaks of substitutes.
The Levitical priests were not to depend on anything except the light that the Holy Spirit would bring with respect to their service in the house. What caused them to stray from the truth? Christians are supposed to be a kingdom of priests. What has caused us to stray from the truth?
Jeremiah 48:11-12, "Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will send unto him wanderers, that shall cause him to wander, and shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles."
The word, "lees," means something preserved, i.e., the settlings or dregs of the wine. For us Ephraimites in the United States, what have we preserved? For one, we like the traditions of men. We like for the pastor, not the Lord, to tell us each Sunday what the Lord is saying. In essence, we Christians are still living under the Old Covenant, where man, not Christ is our minister.
There are literally dozens of scriptures, both in the Old and New Testaments which declare that God's chosen people have forgotten the Lord and His ways. We Protestants have also forgotten why we protested against the Roman Catholic Church. Remember that Manasseh means forgetful. Therefore the United States has some of the posterity of Manasseh in our midst.
Hosea 8:14, "For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof."
I wonder how many billions of dollars we Christians have spent on building large, beautiful temples. Those structures are not to glorify God but to glorify man. What are fenced cities? Anything in the natural realm designed to protect man. But one day the Lord will bring down all of those temple structures and fenced cities.
Hosea 13:6, "According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me."
What does "our pasture" refer to? In the natural realm it refers to the natural food that we devour. According to the Center for Disease Control, two-thirds of all Americans are obese or overweight. In the spiritual realm, our pasture refers to all of the prolific amount of Bible teaching to which we have been exposed. That, of course, gives us a false sense of security.
Hebrews 12:5-6, "And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him: For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth."
Hebrews 3:13, "But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."
Who did you exhort today? Who exhorted you today? How many times do you hear exhortations through the pastor of your church on Sunday mornings?
Isaiah 28:8, "For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.10 For precept must be upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little.
11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people.12 To whom He said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing; yet they would not hear.13 But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken."
Today, the charismatic church has emphasized teaching ... precept upon precept. But we have used that wine as a substitute for knowing the Lord. The great apostle Paul, after ministering for 30 years, said, "That I may know Him" (Philippians 3:10). If the major objective of every Christian were also to know the Person of the Lord Jesus, rather than squabbling about the interpretation of scripture, would the church be in a far better state of unity?
Now to summarize ... Jacob (Israel) is an imperfect type of God the Father. Joseph is a type of Christ. Benjamin, although part of the Southern kingdom, is prophetic of those Jews who have already and those who will later receive Jesus as their Messiah. Ephraim, the son of Joseph, speaks prophetically of the United States and the fulness of the Gentiles or Christians. Half of the tribe of Manasseh, the other son of Joseph, took their inheritance east of the Jordan River and half on the west side of the Jordan River. So Manasseh prophetically is split between those Christians who have never experienced their personal Pentecost and those who have.
True to all of the prophecies, Great Britain and the United States have been blessed with many spiritual awakenings over the years. They have been blessed with good lands and the highest living standards of any nations of the earth. Great Britain was spared the misery and suffering of revolution during the 18th century, because of the great spiritual awakening under John Wesley.
Great Britain and the United States have enjoyed freedom such as other nations have never known. Contrast this with continental Europe over recent centuries, where we see bloodshed and revolution instead of freedom, and tyranny under dictatorial systems which have risen and fallen over the generations. However, we in the United States have recently seen a marked increase in bloodshed and dictatorial systems in our own countny.
Despite the fulfilment of the promised blessings of God upon the United States during this age, today we, the U.S., and the people of Great Britain, by and large, are a spiritually backslidden people. As a result, this is the time of Jacob's trouble. (Jeremiah 30:7).
Now to summarize ... Jacob (Israel) is an imperfect type of God the Father. Joseph is a type of Christ. Benjamin, although part of the Southern kingdom, is prophetic of those Jews who have already and those who will later receive Jesus as their Messiah. Ephraim, the son of Joseph, speaks prophetically of the United States and the fulness of the Gentiles or Christians. Half of the tribe of Manasseh, the other son of Joseph, took their inheritance east of the Jordan River and half on the west side of the Jordan River. So Manasseh prophetically is split between those Christians who have never experienced their personal Pentecost and those who have.
True to all of the prophecies, Great Britain and the United States have been blessed with many spiritual awakenings over the years. They have been blessed with good lands and the highest living standards of any nations of the earth. Great Britain was spared the misery and suffering of revolution during the 18th century, because of the great spiritual awakening under John Wesley.
Great Britain and the United States have enjoyed freedom such as other nations have never known. Contrast this with continental Europe over recent centuries, where we see bloodshed and revolution instead of freedom, and tyranny under dictatorial systems which have risen and fallen over the generations. However, we in the United States have recently seen a marked increase in bloodshed and dictatorial systems in our own countny.
Despite the fulfilment of the promised blessings of God upon the United States during this age, today we, the U.S., and the people of Great Britain, by and large, are a spiritually backslidden people. As a result, this is the time of Jacob's trouble. (Jeremiah 30:7).
Ezekiel 39:7 says: "So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel."
In the book of Ezekiel, 25 times we see the phrase, "and they shall know that I am the LORD." The Hebrew word, "know," means to ascertain by seeing.
The Lord is working all things, including the corona-virus, after the counsel of His own will in order that we might know that He is the LORD.
What an amazing and awesome God we serve!
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