1 "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. . . .
2 And Joseph took both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him. 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.
3 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.
4 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. And Joseph said unto his father, 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 also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
5 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall
Israel bless, saying,
God make thee as Ephraim and
Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh."
Genesis
48:5-20
6 The above passage speaks of
Israel's adoption of
Joseph's the two sons,
Ephraim and
Manasseh, and his blessing of them before he died. And so speaks of Israel's rightful inheritance
or, lineage of that nation, which is The Church: i.e., ". . . let my name be named on them."
Genesis
48:16 This is elaborated further when Israel blesses Joseph:
7 "Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose
branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: but his bow abode in strength, and
the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of
Jacob . . . by the
God of thy father, who shall help thee . . . 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: The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the
blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of
the head of him that was separate from his brethren."
Genesis
49:22-26
8 This clearly suggests
Israel's main inheritance or blessing will be passed on to
Joseph, instead of
Reuben, who was firstborn, which was customary. This is due to
Reuben's default [n8:16]. As Israel says, "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."
Genesis
49:3-4
9 And so prompts what I said about Great Britain and the United States in chapter 1: where Great Britain represents the 5th Church [n35], and the United States represents the 6th Church [n36]. It thus becomes clear these are the two sons of Joseph: Great Britain who is Ephraim: ". . .his seed shall become a multitude of nations," i.e., the British Commonwealth; and the United States who is Manasseh: ". . .he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great." And, being two of the greatest nations to ever exist, it's easy to see the correlation. Especially when we see the Judeo-Christian ethic, in accord with the Bible [n1:30], has survived here more than elsewhere.
10 While in biblical times, the tribe of Ephraim was a single tribe, living close to its neighbors. It wasn't even a nation, let alone a multitude of nations. Obviously then, we have ask at what point this should occur? It hasn't been until recent history, with the advent of Great Britain, that we can even begin to consider it. And, as Israel "set Ephraim before Manasseh," it follows that a single "great nation," which is Manasseh with, distinct ties to his brother, should also appear. This is the United States. And in modern times, the United States has become the anchor to the world and, the support of what preceded it: Great Britain or the British Empire [n1:36].
11 Which brings up my analogy of the walnut tree in chapters 1 [n35] and 6 [n58]. And here, the stem appears first and takes rootin the soil. This is Manasseh, the firstborn. But, as the foliage proceeds from the stem, it appears set before the stem, as new growth replaces old. Actually that's not quite what happens but, by grafting the English walnut (Ephraim) to the black walnut (Manasseh), the English walnut—its fruit the desired fruit—takes precedent and, indeed is set first. Therefore Ephraim was set before Manasseh.
12 As for my reference to the Mormon Church in chapter 1 [n38], it's uncanny how the descendants of Lehi, the Nephites and Lamanites, the ancient peoples who came to America, were descendants of Manasseh! And in Alma 10:3 it says: "And Aminadi was a descendant of Nephi, who was the son Lehi, who came out of the land of Jerusalem, who was a descendant of Manasseh, who was the son of Joseph who was sold into Egypt by the hands of his brethren." I have no way to verify this myself but, in creating such a myth, it fills that spiritual void that would have existed upon arriving in this new land. While it's curious that its founder's name was Joseph Smith, the namesake. Besides, who's to account for the Native Americans? Surely God didn't put them here arbitrarily! i.e., we are all descendants of the human race.
13 Whereas Israel had twelve sons, and by adopting Ephraim and Manasseh it became fourteen: Manasseh became the thirteenth and Ephraim the fourteenth. Thus it's significant that the United States, which is Manasseh, originally had thirteen colonies. And here's something truly amazing. If you look at the back of a one dollar bill, you'll notice thirteen five-pointed stars above the eagle, which form into a six-pointed star [n1:20]. So here the United States is Manasseh, the thirteenth son and, the 6th Church! While the six-pointed star itself forms the fourteenth star, comprised of the thirteen five-pointed stars. And here Great Britain is Ephraim, the fourteenth son and, the 5th Church! And so it follows the thirteen five-pointed stars should represent the thirteen colonies of Great Britain. Wow!
14 The number 13 is also harmonically the same as the number 6
[n4:3,38], which is the
United States or, the 6th Church. And as I already said, both the
United States and the number 6 correspond to the bride to be [4:66] or, one's free will
[n1:34]. While here,
Revelation
7:1-8 refers to the 144 thousand of the
tribes of Israel sealed with the seal of God in
their foreheads, and Manasseh is the 6th tribe sealed. Which, as
Swedenborg says in The Apocalypse Revealed, Manasseh, together with
being listed 6th, signifies the voluntary of the church—which, is one's free will. Which clearly alludes to the United States,
the freest nation to ever exist!
15 Speaking of which, the first battle of the Civil War, which was fought over slavery, was fought in
Manassas, which is nearly the same as Manasseh. While Manasseh is called Manasses in
Matthew
1:10. And of course the thirteenth amendment, which was later added to the U.S. Constitution—abolishes slavery.
Plus it's interesting how Manasseh sounds like Vanessa,
the 6th aspect of Gerarai, who also portrays free will: with the letter "V" incorporated in the letter "M."
16 Also, when looking at the colors of the American flag, red, white and blue, which are the colors of Great Britain's flag—and now Russia's—it brings up the number 146, as shown on the front cover. Which happens to correspond to the number 6 of Gerarai [n4:1] which, is the United States. And so shows the 6th Church proceeding from the 5th Church, which is Ephraim or Great Britain, the 14th son—i.e., 14 + 6. While the dream I had with the red, white and blue race cars, prior to the rebirth experience [n5:6], suggests exactly this: The Advent of the 6th Church. As an automobile represents one's freedom or, free will.
17 While I credit
Roy Masters [n4:59-65], an
Englishman—and a Jew—who immigrated to the
United States, with the task of transplanting
The Church [n1:7] to North America. I'm not sure he ever became a citizen? Thus we have
Ephraim (Roy), transferred to
Manasseh (myself), symbolized by the walnut tree in chapter 1
[n35-36]. And so reminds me of the story of King Manasseh, the corrupt king of
Judah, who committed grievous abominations in the Lord's
sight, and was carried off to Babylon. Where he humbled himself greatly, and was forgiven his sins, and later returned to
Jerusalem.
2
Chronicles 33
2
Kings 21 In many ways I'm reminded of my youth, as I relate in the next chapter [n11:1].
Whereby the nature of repentance itself, occurs through one's understanding (Ephraim), together with what one hopes or longs
for, which is of the will (Manasseh).
18 Manasseh was also the thirteenth biblical king, in succession to
Saul,
the first. And although for different reasons, i.e., drugs—thus signifying my corruption—I had the number 13 tattooed on
my left arm as a youth. Similar to Israel placing his left hand on Manasseh's head above? [n2-4].
Known for introducing polytheism prior to his exile, Manasseh later withdrew from this and reinstituted monotheism. And afterwards:
". . .the people did sacrifice still in the high places, yet unto the Lord their God only."
2
Chronicles 33:17 In many ways it reflects my presentation of the
Greek deities here: and, although I recognize and accept the truth of
other religions, I still only believe in One God [n1:3].
19 As for
Roy Masters' church,
The FHU, I don't see it as the real church, for we're speaking of the 6th Church.
And apart from Roy being British, in affiliation with the 5th Church, there are numerous falsities associated: what I view correspondently with the
Church of Smyrna, the 2nd church in
Revelation
2:8-11; and, what
Swedenborg calls the church of false doctrine in the Apocalypse
Revealed [n11:79-87,107,144;
n12:10,40,46].
And so it seems fitting that their church correspond to the 2nd church (Smyrna), as this is the medium or, second segment of the cross, which
joins the 5th Church to the 6th Church: the understanding to the will [n1:44;
n6:58]. Though I also portray Roy as the 5th Earl of Roy [n6:62],
which signifies the understanding, as does Great Britain. Indeed it's the mainstay
of what he preaches
[n11:59] and, it's the kind of impact he's had on my life.
20 One thing of more recent interest, was the pact that existed between the
United States,
Great Britain and
Israel, in the Gulf War of 1991. A close-knit alliance existed between these three as
they had the most at stake, as did Saudi Arabia. So is it only a coincidence that 146 American troops died in this war? although it was
later revised to 148. Thus we have
Manasseh,
Ephraim, and
Judah (the Jews): and, in
Israel's blessing of Judah he says: "Judah,
thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down
before thee. . ."
Genesis
49:8 Surely since the advent of modern Israel, since after World War II, this has been the case. But, were it not for the
vast amount of aid received from the United States and Great Britain, Israel simply wouldn't exist. (It's clear all three are
affiliated.) Thus I see an alliance between Ephraim, Manasseh and Judah, that will likely continue—for always.
21 The Soviet Union or Russia also played an integral role in the war: more of a silent partner or role of non-interference—for a change. Which leads me to what I believe will be the next phase of The Church [n1:7]. And, as I said in chapter 1 [n44-46], the 7th Church represents Russia, confirmed in part by my rebirth experience along the Russian River in Northern California [n5:4]. Also, by looking at a map showing the tribal divisions of ancient Israel, there were two territories associated with Manasseh: one to the northeast and one to the southwest. Thus it occurred to me they should correspond to Russia, to the northeast, and the United States, to the southwest.
22 This may not seem that substantial, but when considering the close ties Russia has had with Great Britain and the United States, it portrays a real connection. Take for example all the marriages between the royal families of Great Britain and Czarist Russia: what would have been the reign of Ephraim. While consider the recent economic ties between Russia and the United States: representing the current reign of Manasseh, with Russia dependent on the United States more than ever. Nor must we forget the close ties these three countries had during World War II. Also, the symbol for both the United States Czarist Russia was the Sbald eagle.
23 While in his book, Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville, French author and statesman, writes about the similarities that would likely occur between the United States and Russia. And this was in the middle of the 19th century! He said these two giants would be reared at the same time and, although they approached each other as opposites, they would someday effect a merger in ideologies and become very much alike. So here we are today, having adopted numerous socialist policies into American culture, even more so with Great Britain, while the Soviet Union itself has collapsed, to form a loose coalition of states—to restructure and go on to a free market economy [n1:45].
24 When speaking in terms of Gerarai [n4:1], the numbers 33, 34 and 343 are brought to mind: which correspond to the 5th, 6th and 7th. While in chapter 6 [n58,67], I portray the symmetry of the cross, with these numbers plotted accordingly. Which shows the 5th state joined the 6th state—through the 2nd segment—as it becomes the extension of the 6th state. Thus by joining the numbers 6 and 2, the number 62 is formed, which corresponds to 6 itself! And, where the two are are joined, it corresponds to the 7th state and, the number 343. Therefore both the United States (34) and Russia (343) are viewed correspondently as Manasseh.
25 I've also said the number 146 represents the
United States [n16]. So the
next number after that, 147, would represent Russia. An interesting number, that corresponds to the age
Israel died.
Genesis
47:27-31 It also signifies the first, middle and last, i.e., red, white and violet. Thereby depicting the lineage
of Israel.
26 Due to the nature of its people, it seems fitting that Russia represent the Seventh Church [n1:44]. For I've already stated it signifies the marriage of the 5th Church to the 6th Church: the understanding to the will. And when speaking of marriage, it brings to mind adherence. And here I would venture to say the Russian people are conditioned towards adherence more than any other. And once released from the yoke of tyranny, i.e., communist dogma, and they find a system that really works, I doubt they will err from it.
27 And so brings up the
Church of Laodicea in
Revelation
3:14-22, the seventh and lukewarm church. And in terms of what lukewarm means, it refers to one's faithfulness or,
fidelity. The
seventh commandment says, "Don't commit adultery." It also suggests
a state of vacillation, between what one truly believes, and going off and doing something to the contrary, which is also a
form of adultery.
28 As communist dogma adulterates the truth, it represents what is lukewarm, not necessarily the people under its dominion. And once cast off, the Soviet or Russian people, are likely to experience the kind of freedom they've always longed for. Which may only be a matter of recognizing their ties with Ephraim from above, British Royalty, and Manasseh from below, the American economic and justice system. And once it occurs, it's likely to be the final statement, or reflection, of what the western church entails. I honestly can't conceive of any further development here—not to say there won't be!
29 One thing I should also mention is the book, The United States and Britain in Prophecy, by Herbert W. Armstrong, the host of the Bible prophecy program, The World Tomorrow, that aired back in the 70's and 80's .
30 I don't normally subscribe to this type of material, but I saw it on TV at least once, and it made sense regarding the specific prophecy in Genesis above [n1-8] and, the book was free, so I went ahead and ordered it. And I'm glad I did, for it helped consolidate my ideas regarding Great Britain and the United States which, are the only two nations in history remotely close to fulfilling this prophecy. In fact I doubt I would have written this chapter if I didn't come across the book when I did [n1:20]. So I think it's only reasonable that I disclose it here.
Here is a link where you can download it below: