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Church of God Message 

DOES GOD EXIST?


CHAPTER 7


PROOF # 3(b) - PROPHECIES FULFILLED BY AMERICANS AND BRITONS


From the time Israelites came out of Egypt till the ‘last days’ God gave incredibly intricate prophecies which the House of Israel would fulfill along the way for more than 3,000 years. When blessing Joseph’s sons, Jacob said in Genesis 48:16, “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.” Jacob’s other name was Israel. So, most of the prophecies concerning Israel apply to the British and American peoples.

Here is a brief description of only some of the incredible prophecies fulfilled by the British and American peoples:

1)  The Northern Kingdom (House of Israel) would be lost from world view  


After the reign of David’s son Solomon, the Kingdom of Israel was divided into two kingdoms. The northern Kingdom was known as the House of Israel and the southern Kingdom as the House of Judah. The descendants of the House of Judah are still known as the Jews today. But the identity of the descendants of the northern Kingdom was not known. They became known to history as the ‘lost ten tribes.’  

The reason was that in Exodus 31:12-17 God instructed Moses that His Sabbaths were to be a sign between Him and Israel forever. A sign is something that identifies. The Sabbath is a perpetual reminder of God as the Creator and who His people are. As long as Israel kept the Sabbath, they maintained their identity. That is why the Jews have maintained their identity as “God’s people” throughout their history. But king Jeroboam of the northern Kingdom of Israel abandoned God’s Sabbaths. When they lost the identifying sign, they became lost to history as God’s people.

The other prophecies indicating that the House of Israel would lose its identity are:

Deuteronomy 32:26 where God warned Israelites through Moses: “…I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men.”   

Isaiah 8:17 says: “And I will wait upon the Lord, that hides His face from the House of Jacob [whose other name was Israel].”     

2)  House of Israel would lose its language, which was Hebrew  

This was prophesied in Isaiah 28:11 where God says He will speak to this people of Israel “11 …with…another tongue.” They now speak English, French, Dutch and the other north European languages. 

3)  House of Israel would lose its national name  

Isaiah 62:2 states: “2…You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will name.” This prophecy has already been fulfilled because the Israelites are known by different names today such as the British, Americans, French, Swiss, Dutch, Scandinavians, Belgians etc. The Jews are still known as Jews today.

4)  Birthright blessings of national prosperity would be withheld 2,520 Years  

After Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac, the blessings on his descendants had become unconditional promises from God.  

When Israel came out of Egypt, God through Moses told them that there were conditions to receiving His blessings. In Genesis 17:1-2 God told Abraham to walk before Him and become blameless and He would confirm His covenant with Him. When Abraham walked blameless, God did confirm His agreement with him. Similarly, for Israel to receive the promised blessings, the conditions were laid down in Leviticus 26, and also the consequences if they did not fulfill the conditions.  

Leviticus 26:3-12 states: “3 'If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them, 4 then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5 Your threshing shall last till the time of vintage, and the vintage shall last till the time of sowing; you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. 6 I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid; I will rid the land of evil beasts, and the sword will not go through your land. 7 You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you. 8 Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you. 9 'For I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm My covenant with you. 10 You shall eat the old harvest and clear out the old because of the new. 11 I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not abhor you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.”

The conditions God laid down for Israel to be blessed were to keep God’s commandments and statutes, which is what Abraham was required to do to have the agreement with God confirmed. However, if Israel failed to fulfill the conditions to receive the blessings, curses would follow. The curses are stated in the rest of Leviticus 26. God continues from verse 14 onwards:

“14 'But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, 15 and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, 16 I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you.”

The history of ancient Israel after it became established as a nation shows that she refused to keep God’s commandments. The nation did not receive God’s blessings but was cursed with terrorism and fighting with all the surrounding nations. Ancient Israelites even rejected God as their king and asked for a human king to be set up over them by Samuel the prophet. When their human king David obeyed God, Israel greatly prospered, and even in the early days of King Solomon when he obeyed God. But 1 Kings 11:1-4 says King Solomon loved many strange wives, marrying seven hundred and keeping 300 others as mistresses, and when he was old, they turned his heart towards other gods so that his heart was not perfect with the God of his fathers. Such disobedience kept Israel from continuing to receive God’s material blessings. 

Things became progressively worse with Israel and Judah for refusing to keep God’s commandments. God sent prophets to warn the nations, but they refused to repent. Therefore, God could not confer the blessings He promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. However, the blessings to Abraham were promised unconditionally. God would then fulfill the prophecy given through Jacob to confer the unconditional blessings promised in the last days, meaning in our time. In doing so a further incredible prophecy had to be fulfilled that is stated in Leviticus 26:18, “18 'And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.” 

In prophecy, a time refers to one year. So, seven times would be seven years. With 360 days in a prophetic year, seven years then would equal 2,520 days. But another principle of prophecy is a day being equivalent to one year in fulfillment of prophecy, as given in Numbers 13 and 14 when ancient Israelites were punished for forty years from entering the Promised Land, for the forty days they went and spied out the Promised Land, but refused to go in and possess it. Thus, seven years or 2,520 days of punishment of withholding the unconditional birthright blessings would in prophecy equal 2,520 years. 

The ten-tribe northern kingdom of Israel did not repent throughout the period of their kingdom at the preaching of the prophets. God then carried out His prophecy of punishing them by withholding the birthright blessings for 2,520 years. The ten tribes were carried into captivity by the Assyrians in 722-721 B.C. Then 2,520 years after that would bring us to the year 1800-1801 A.D. When the seven times duration or 2,520 years of punishment of withholding the birthright ended in 1800-1801 A.D., God began to confer the unconditionally promised blessings on the descendants of Joseph, USA and British Commonwealth nations as well as the nations of northwestern Europe. That is when Britain began building its empire and America burst forth into national greatness.

5)  Prophecies concerning David’s Throne

The story of how God kept His promise to David that his dynasty will continue unbroken till the return of the Messiah is an incredibly fascinating one. These prophecies are explained in detail in Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong’s book “United States and Britain in Prophecy.” Here is a synopsis.

i)  Descendants of David to rule over the House of Israel not Judah 

After the reign of David’s son Solomon over Israel, David’s descendants ruled over only the House of Judah (the Jews) and not the House of Israel till King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon carried Judah captive. But God prophesied in Jeremiah 33:14: "…thus says the Eternal: David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the House of Israel."

Notice, the descendants of David were prophesied to rule over the House of Israel and not the House of Judah, meaning the Jews. After Judah’s captivity, David’s descendants have never ruled as kings over the Jews, but have ruled over descendants of the House of Israel, in Britain.

ii)  Prophet Jeremiah transplants David’s Throne 

Jeremiah’s commission from God is stated in Jeremiah 1:10 (NKJV), “10 See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To ROOT OUT and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To BUILD AND TO PLANT."

Jeremiah prophesied about the end of Judah’s kingdom during the reign of the last kings of Judah. He was thus used to “root out” David’s throne from the House of Judah and to BUILD and to PLANT it in the Kingdom of the House of Israel. And that throne had to be planted within a generation according to God’s promise to David, or in Jeremiah’s lifetime.

After most of Judah was carried captive to Babylon, the remnant of Judah decided to go to Egypt for protection even though Jeremiah warned them not to do so. This is recorded in Jeremiah 43:5-7 “[And so Johanan] “took all the remnant of Judah…even men, and women, and children, and the king’s daughters…and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah [Jeremiah’s scribe, or secretary]. So they came to the land of Egypt.”

Here we see that the only “remnant” left for Jeremiah’s mission of transplanting the throne of David was the king’s daughters. The fascinating story of how Jeremiah did this is told in Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong’s book “United States and Britain in Prophecy” and an electronic booklet titled “The Throne of Britain: Its Biblical Origin and Future” published by the United Church of God, available at its web site www.ucg.org under booklets.

Briefly the story is this. King David was a descendant of Judah’s son Pharez. But Pharez had a twin brother Zarah. When King Nebuchadnezzar had besieged Judah, a son of the king of the Zarah line of Judah who reigned in Ireland was visiting Jerusalem.  This prince was acquainted with Tea-Tephi, one of King Zedekiah’s daughters. Shortly after the fall of Jerusalem he married her. From Egypt, Jeremiah took this royal party to Ireland where the prince ascended the throne of Ireland over a part of the descendants of Israel. Thus, a daughter of the Pharez line of Judah was grafted into the Zarah line of Judah in Ireland. This is how Jeremiah fulfilled the second part of his commission about David’s throne: TO BUILD AND TO PLANT.

iii)  Daughter to be used to transplant David’s Throne 

The fact that a daughter would be used to transplant David’s throne was also prophesied, in addition to many other detailed prophecies.

The truth of PLANTING and the REBUILDING of David’s throne was revealed in prophecy given in a “riddle and a parable” through the prophet Ezekiel.

First Ezekiel is told to speak a riddle, and then a parable. The riddle is found in Ezekiel 17 verses 3 to 10. Then beginning in verse 11, the Eternal explains its meaning. A great eagle came to Lebanon and took the highest branch of the cedar. This is explained to represent King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon who came to Jerusalem and took captive the king of Judah. The cropping off of the cedar’s young twigs and carrying them to a land of traffic is explained to picture the captivity of the king’s sons. “He took also of the seed of the land” means Nebuchadnezzar took also of the people, and the mighty of the land of Judah. He “set it as a willow tree. And it grew and became a spreading vine of low stature” means the Jews were given a covenant whereby, although they were ruled over by the Chaldeans, they might live in peace and grow. 

The other “great eagle” is explained to represent Pharaoh of Egypt.

Thus, the riddle covers the first half of Jeremiah’s commission. Now notice what is revealed concerning the second part – the PLANTING of David’s throne! It comes in the parable, verses 22-24: “Thus says the Lord God; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar.” From God’s own explanation we have learned that the cedar tree represents the nation of Judah; its highest branch is Judah’s king. The riddle told us Nebuchadnezzar took the highest branch – the king. The parable now tells us God – not Nebuchadnezzar, but God – will take of the highest branch. Not the branch, but of the branch – of Zedekiah’s children. But Nebuchadnezzar took, and killed, all his sons.

God, through his prophet Jeremiah, is now going to take of this highest branch and “SET IT (verse 22). “I will crop off from the top of his young twigs A TENDER ONE, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent,” continues the Almighty. The twigs of this highest branch represent the children of King Zedekiah!  Certainly a young tender twig, then, represents a DAUGHTER!”…and will PLANT it.” Symbolic language could not be more plainer in saying that this young Jewish princess is to become the royal seed for PLANTING again of David’s throne?  Where? “…upon an high mountain and eminent,” says the Eternal! A “mountain” in symbol always represents a NATION.

“In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it,” answers the Eternal. David’s throne now is to be planted in Israel, after being thrown down from Judah. After this Hebrew princess is “planted” on the throne, now in Israel, lost from view – that throne is to BEAR FRUIT. She is to marry, have children, and her sons are to continue David’s dynasty!

Israel had already been independent in Ireland for four centuries. Israel in Ireland already had a kingly line onto which Zedekiah’s daughter was grafted. The Irish Israelites were an ancient colony and had not gone into Assyrian captivity.

iv) Healing of ‘breach’ between the Pharez and Zarah 

The Bible mentions a mysterious ‘breach’ that occurred in the days of Judah (Genesis 38:28-30).

Judah was the father of twin sons. The firstborn was royal seed, for through him the scepter promise was to be carried down. It seems the midwife knew twins were about to be born. It is recorded that just before birth one of the twins ‘put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, ‘This came out first’.  But the child drew back his hand and the other was actually born first.”

The midwife exclaimed, “How have you broken forth? This breach be upon you: Therefore his name was called Pharez,” meaning “breach”. The other twin was named Zarah.

This strange occurrence was recorded in Bible history because this breach was to be healed between the sons or their descendants at some future time?

History shows the descendants of Zarah became wanderers, later migrating to Ireland.  But meanwhile, the Pharez-David-Zedekiah line possessed the scepter (rulership) – was HIGH – exalted. The Zarah line, feeling it rightfully should possess the scepter, and some day would, was low, abased – so far as royal power was concerned. 

Now consider another prophecy given in Ezekiel 21:25-26 (KJV) “And you, profane wicked prince of Israel [Zedekiah], whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, thus says the Lord God; remove the diadem, and take off the crown [from Judah, as did happen, through the first half of Jeremiah’s commission]; this [the crown] shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high.”  

“Remove the diadem, and take off the crown,” means that the crown was removed from king Zedekiah of David’s dynasty. “This shall not be the same,” means that the diadem is not to cease, but a change is to take place. “Exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high,” means that King Zedekiah of Judah, who is high is to be abased. He is to lose that crown. House of Judah has been “high” while the House of Israel has been “low” – these many years without a king (Hosea 3:4). The Pharez line has been “high”; the Zarah line “low.”

This prophecy thus points to the breach between the Pharez and Zarah lines of the Jews (descendants of Judah) being healed with the Zarah line possessing the scepter over the House of Israel through marriage with the Pharez line.

v)  David’s throne was prophesied to be overturned three times

Ezekiel the prophet continues his prophecy of Ezekiel 21 in verse 27: “I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: and it shall be no more [overturned], until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.” The diadem and the throne were to be overturned. Not once, but three times. It was to be overturned by abasing Zedekiah, the house of Judah and the Pharez line, and exalting the house of Israel, and one of the Zarah line! The first of the three overturns was performed as the first half of Jeremiah’s commission, by rooting out the throne of David from Jerusalem. 

“And it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him,” means that the throne would be no more overturned after the third overturn, and will be given to Jesus Christ, whose it is by right.

The prince and husband of the Jewish princess Tea-tephi ascended the throne of his father. The son of this king and the Jewish Princess continued on the throne of Ireland and this same dynasty continued unbroken through all the kings of Ireland. It was then overturned the second time and transplanted in Scotland, from where it was overturned the third time and moved to London, England, where this same dynasty continues today in the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Thus, the three overturns of the throne prophesied in Ezekiel 21:25-27 have been fulfilled.

vi)  Ephraim settled exactly where prophesied to settle

If God kept His promise to David, the throne of David was to be planted ‘in the mountain of the height of Israel’ (Ezekiel 17:22-23: “I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent: 23 In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it”). We should, therefore, find it in the leading nation of the descendants of Ephraim, the birthright holders. 

The precise location where Ephraim was to settle was also prophesied in the Bible.

The prophet Amos wrote in Amos 9:8-9 “Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom [house of Israel – Judah had not yet sinned], and I will destroy it [the kingdom, or government, not the people] from off the face of the earth…For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.”

This prophecy says that the ten-tribe House of Israel (not Judah) was to be sifted among the nations, losing their identity. It was during this time that the children of the House of Israel were to “abide many days without a king” (Hosea 3:4). Although many of them were still scattered among various nations in the first century A.D., a portion of them had become established in a definite location of their own by Jeremiah’s time – 140 years after their original captivity.

In prophecy, the holders of the birthright are distinguished from Judah (the Jews) by various names: “Ephraim,” “Joseph,” “Jacob,” “Rachel” (Joseph’s mother), “Samaria” (their former capital), “Israel.”

According to Hosea 12:1: “Ephraim…follows after the east wind.” An “east wind” travels west. Ephraim must have gone west from ancient Assyria to an area that is due west of Jerusalem. When the Eternal swore to David that He would perpetuate his throne, He said: “I will set his hand [scepter] also in the sea” (Psalm 89:25). The throne is to be “set” or planted “in the sea.”

Through Jeremiah the Eternal said: “Backsliding Israel has justified herself more than treacherous Judah. Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return you backsliding Israel, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 3:11-12). Thus, in these last days, messengers are to go “toward the NORTH (of Jerusalem where Jeremiah prophesied) in order to locate lost Israel and proclaim the warning message. So, the location, we now find, is toward the north, also west, and in the sea.

In Jeremiah 31:10, the message is to be declared “in the isles afar off” and is to be shouted in “the CHIEF OF THE NATIONS” (verse 7). Thus, finally, today, as in Jeremiah’s day, the house of Israel is in the isles, which are “in the sea,” the chief of the nations, northwest of Jerusalem, a coast-dwelling, and, therefore sea-dominant people. Certainly, there can be no mistaking that identity. 

Take a map of Europe. Draw a line due NORTHWEST of Jerusalem across the continent of Europe, until you come to the sea, and then to the islands in the sea! This line takes you directly to the British Isles!  These prophecies show us where the prominent nation from the northern ten tribes can be located in our days.

For fascinating and much more thrilling than fiction details on Jeremiah’s “planting” and the present location of “lost” Israel and David’s throne, please read the United Church of God eBooklet titled “The Throne of Britain: Its Biblical Origin and Future” and Mr. Armstrong book "The United States and Britain in Prophecy".

6)  Prophecies concerning wanderings of the House of Israel

i)  Tribe of Dan prophesied to leave clues about wanderings of the House of Israel

The Israelites were prophesied to leave highway signs or waymarks along the trail they traveled from the land of ancient Israel after being deported by the Assyrians. Speaking about Ephraim, the ancestor of the British people, God through the prophet Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 31:20-21: “20 Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For though I spoke against him, I earnestly remember him still; therefore, My heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, says the Lord. 21 "Set up signposts, make landmarks; set your heart toward the highway, the way in which you went.”

In Genesis 49:17, the patriarch Jacob blessing his sons prophesied what would befall them. He said about his son Dan: “Dan shall be a serpent by the way.” Another translation of the original Hebrew can also be “Dan shall be a serpent’s trail.” It is a very significant fact that the tribe of Dan named every place they went after their father Dan.  It started way back when they had just settled in their land. Joshua 19:47 records: 

“…the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it…and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.” 

Judges 18:11-12 records that the Danites took Kirjath-jearim and “called that place Mahaneh-dan unto this day.” Then the same company of 600 armed Danites captured Laish and “called the name of the city DAN, after the name of Dan their father (verse 29). This shows how the Danites left their “serpent’s trail” by the way as signposts by which they can be traced.

In Hebrew the vowels are not preserved. So, for Dan, if we leave the vowel a out, the Danites could be identified with names that could be spelled as “Dn”, meaning Den, Din, Don, or Dun in addition to Dan.

During the time of ancient Israel, the tribe of Dan occupied two different areas in the Holy Land. One part lived on the seacoast, and the other colony occupied the northernmost area. That is why Israel’s boundary is listed in the Bible as from Dan to Beersheba.  

When the Assyrians defeated Israel, the seacoast Danites sailed away in their ships to Ireland. Irish history shows that the new settlers in Ireland were the “Tuatha de Dananns”, which translates to “Tribe of Dan.” They left their sign posts in names such as Dans-Laugh, Dan-Sower, Dun-dalk, Dun-drum, Don-egal Bay, Don-egal City, Dun-gloe, Din-gle and Dunsmor.

The northern colony of Danites, however, was captured by the Assyrians along with the other nine tribes. They settled and later traveled from the land just west of the Black Sea and northwest of the Caspian Sea. They left their “serpent’s trail” in names of rivers such as the Danube, Dneiper, Dniester and the Don in Europe. From there they migrated further west, finally settling in Denmark, which means “Dan’s mark.”  So, the tribe of Dan has left a “serpent’s trail” as prophesied by Dan’s father Jacob, in his blessing of Dan. This enables us to piece together the wanderings of the northern ten tribes of Israel after their captivity and deportation at the hands of the Assyrians.

ii)  Part of Israel were to take their name from Isaac, the father of Israel

God promised that Isaac, the son of Abraham and Sarah, would leave the track of his name on history. Genesis 21:12 states: "In Isaac your seed shall be called." Ancient written Hebrew didn't include vowels, so the written letters for Isaac were the SC or SK sound.

After the Assyrian captivity, those Israelites migrating north around the Black Sea to Europe were called Scythians. Initially, the eastern branch between Persia and China were called the Sakka or Saka. Later in Europe they became Sacesones (sons of Saka) and finally Saxons —settling in England and later America. The SK/SC sound is found yet today among descendant nations of some of the tribes: Scotland, Scotia, Scandinavia, etc.

All Nations should Ponder these Promises

The God of the Bible has demonstrated through these incredible prophecies and promises to one man and his descendants that He is the Almighty God who has total and complete control over everything in the universe because He has created it all.  And the very reason He gave these astounding material and physical promises and fulfilled them is that you may have evidence of His almighty power so that you may believe the promises of salvation He offers. In contrast, the gods of other religions have not backed up their promises of salvation by a demonstration of their power. They have not proved to us that they are the Almighty. They have not foretold of any great events they would do in the affairs of mankind and demonstrated their Almighty power by fulfilling them exactly as foretold. 

But the God of the Bible has amply demonstrated that He is indeed the Almighty and has full and total control over the affairs of man. He has kept His promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Judah and King David over thousands of years and is still keeping them today. He has performed all this unconditionally for Israel so that you may believe his promises of universal prosperity to all nations in His soon coming Kingdom on earth; and His equally incredible promise of eternal life to each and every human being on earth as His own literal son or daughter.

With fulfillment of these incredible promises and prophecies, compared to the God of the Bible, the gods of Islam, Hinduism and other world’s religions stand proved as charlatans, deceivers and counterfeiters who have inspired scriptures which contain philosophies and cunningly crafted lies as offers of salvation which are destructive to human well-being, designed to lead them away from the true God.    

Now some may argue that gods of the various religions help their people. Hence it is natural for the God of the Bible to help Christian nations, or the British, American and Jewish peoples. In the past the Allah of Islam helped built the great Islamic empires of the past. Before that the gods of the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and Greeks helped them.

But, the gods of these peoples did not demonstrate they are the Almighty because they did not foretell their peoples’ rise to power. The God of the Bible on the other hand debunks this notion altogether because He foretold these nations’ rise to power centuries before it happened and brought it to pass exactly as He foretold. Thus, He demonstrated that He is the supreme God over all the earth.  

Rise of Arab and Ottoman Empires Prophesied 

Islamists should also know that the rise of the Arabs as a great nation, and then the Turks as a great empire have also been prophesied in the Bible.

The Arabs are the descendants of Ishmael the son of Abraham. God in His blessings on Ishmael stated in Genesis 17:20 (NKJV): “20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you [Abraham]. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.”

The promise to Ishmael is repeated through his mother Hagar in Genesis 21:17-17 (NKJV), “17 And God heard the voice of the lad [Ishmael]. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, "What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation."

The descendants of Ishmael never became a great nation until the Islamic Empire founded by Mohammad.  After the successors of Mohammad, the Umayyad Caliphate ruled from 661 – 750 A.D which was followed by the Abbasid Caliphate which ruled from 750 A.D till 1258 A.D. 

At the time of the Abbasids, Europe lay in the Dark Ages while the torch of civilization in the form of preserving literature and scientific learning in mathematics, chemistry, physics, medicine, geography and astronomy was kept burning by Islam. Thus, God fulfilled His promise to Ishmael to make him a great nation, one of the greatest on earth during the zenith of its power.

The Turks are descendants of Isaac’s son Esau or Edom, the brother of Jacob. They too became a great nation during the time of the Ottoman Empire. Their dominion was also prophesied in the Bible. 

Genesis 27:39-41 states, “39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, your dwelling shall be [other translations add ‘away from’] the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; 40 And by your sword shall you live, and shall serve your brother [Jacob]; and it shall come to pass when you shall have the dominion that you shall break his yoke from off your neck.”

Thus, the descendants of Esau were also to have dominion or rule, but they were not to be the ‘great nation’ of their time. The Ottoman Empire has not been the greatest Empire of its time whereas the Arab empire of the descendants of Ishmael was. But the Ottoman Empire was a great Empire. They did have dominion as prophesied in God’s promise to Esau. 

Though the Quran never prophesied the greatness of the Islamic Empires, the Bible did prophesy the rise of the Islamic Empires in the blessings to the original ancestors of the nations.  

Next, we will examine prophecies about the rise of the world’s other great empires.


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