Your British-Israel Questions and Active Bible Church of God Answers

1.      When was The Stone of destiny stolen?

2.      The ancient Irish annals do not exist.

3.      America cannot be Manasseh.

4.      Do you support the Neo-Nazi Identity Movement?

5.      Did any British realize that their blessings came from God, and their responsibility to serve Him?

6.      Is the Blarney Stone part of the Stone of destiny?

7.      Could the identification of Jeremiah with Ollam Folla be mistaken?

Question: The "ancient Irish annals" to which the B.I theoreticians refer, do not exist. At least, no one has ever found them (this has been pointed out by the .... Ministries).
Reply: The "Annals" of Irish History (Annals of Ulster, Annals of the Four Masters, etc.) are only reliably historical from 1,000 A.D. onwards. All material relating to time periods before the time of St. Patrick (430 A.D.) is legend. Poor copying of manuscripts and alternative possible translations complicate matters. Irish legend is not conclusive, only suggestive.
According to an Astronomy magazine, the description of "part of the sun obscured" in A.D. 689 is definitely an eyewitness account of the eclipse of Friday, 3 July A.D. 688. This event was recorded in three separate annals, the Chronicon Scotorum, the Annals of Tigernach and the Annals of Ulster. The narrow band of annularity went through N. Ireland, the Island of Iona and all the way to Archangel, Russia, but there is no record of it outside Celtic sources. Tigernach, who died in 1088, was abbot of Clonmacnoise and reputed to be "the most accurate and most ancient prose chronicler of the northern nations."

 

Question: I hope you don't think I am mocking British-Israelism, which I consider a very valuable theory, an ideal building block for those that are interested in prophecy. However, I think that there is no way that the claim that America is Manasseh can stand.
Reply: As for the identification of the USA with Manasseh, there is no stronger case for any other nation. Either the USA is Manasseh, or this prophecy is yet to be fulfilled, or it will never be fulfilled because it has been superseded (as some claim). Some claim that the USA is a multitude of "nations" (states) and so corresponds to Ephraim. The Pledge of Allegiance contradicts this sophistry.

 

Question: By preaching that the USA and British Commonwealth are modern-day descendants (as nations) of Joseph's sons Manasseh and Ephraim aren't you propagating the racist views of neo-Nazis such as the "Christian Identity" movement?
Reply: We propagate God's truth as best we understand it. We vehemently oppose racism, anti-Semitism and everything else that is opposed to Christian love and fellowship. We preach that modern-day Jews are national descendants of Judah. (Of course, every Jew is not a physical descendant of Judah, but that did not matter in Biblical times nor does it today). Similarly many other modern-day nations are national descendants of the other sons of Jacob (Israel).


Question: Did any British realize that their blessings came from God, and take seriously their responsibility to use their blessings in His service?
Reply:

God of our fathers, known of old,
Lord of our far-flung battle-line,
Beneath whose awful Hand we hold
Dominion over palm and pine -
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget - lest we forget!

The tumult and the shouting dies;
The captains and the kings depart:
Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice,
An humble and a contrite heart.
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget - lest we forget!

Far-called, our navies melt away;
On dune and headland sinks the fire:
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday
Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!
Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,
Lest we forget - lest we forget!

If, drunk with sight of power, we loose
Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe,
Such boastings as the Gentiles use,
Or lesser breeds without the Law -
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget - lest we forget!

For heathen heart that puts her trust
In reeking tube and iron shard,
All valiant dust that builds on dust,
And guarding, calls not Thee to guard,
For frantic boast and foolish word -
Thy mercy on Thy People, Lord!

Rudyard Kipling, June 22, 1897

Here is an excerpt from a sermon entitled "True Imperialism", delivered by John H. Jowett, London, ca. 1900. Printed as Chapter 2 of "Apostolic Optimism", London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1901

"Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knewest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee, because of the Lord thy God, for He hath glorified thee" (Isa. 55:5). What does that mean? It means that a true and glorified national life is to create a true and glorified Imperialism. "Nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God."

That is the true imperialism - empire by moral and spiritual sovereignty, allurement and dominion by the fascinating radiance of a pure and sanctified life. "Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising." What is the vulgar imperialism of to-day? It is empire by grab. It is expansion by coercion. It is aggrandizement by the power of the sword. Mark the contrast. "Nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God." Such is to be the imperial gravitation of a people exalted and inspired by the purifying and energizing presence of the Eternal God.

This, I repeat, is the true imperialism, the imperialism which I covet for my nation; the glory which constitutes a fadeless dignity; empire - not by the aid of Maxim guns, but by great and heartening evangels proceeding from a redeemed and glorified people. When are we going to learn that this is the shining goal of all worthy national ambition? The mission of a truly great people is to be "a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander to the peoples" (Isa. 55:4),

a "witness," ceaselessly reiterating the glad tidings of the eternal love which she herself has proved in the power of her own redemption;

a "leader," a pathfinder, going out among the benighted peoples who are groping blindly for the way that leads to liberty and light, and revealing unto them the road whose entrance-gate is the beginning of the gladsome dawn;

a "commander," commanding her willing and waiting servants to go here, there, and yonder, bearing her shining lines through all the earth, and her words to the end of the world.

"Thou shalt be called the restorer of paths to dwell in" (Isa 58:12). That is a glorious title, and it describes a glorious mission of a great nation which has "hearkened diligently" (Isa. 21:7) unto God, and has surrendered herself to a glad and invincible obedience. "Her soul shall live" (Isa. 55:3) and her life shall be "the light of men" (Matt. 5:16, John 1:4).

 

Question: Is the Blarney Stone part of the Stone of destiny?
Reply: Blarney Castle was built in 1446 by Dermot Lá MacCarthy. It stands on a rock high above the River Martin most probably on the site of a Norman fortress. Blarney Castle is a magnificent building set in lovely grounds, and has breathtaking views from the top. This Castle is famous for the Blarney Stone, a piece of limestone, apparently of the same type as the rest of the Castle, (but the story is that the current Blarney Stone is a fake, substituted for the real one.)
According to one story, Cormac MacCarthy received half of the Stone of Scone in gratitude for his support of Robert Bruce's troops at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. It was set into the castle keep just below the battlements and came to be called the Blarney Stone. But King Edward I of England took the Stone of Scone to London 18 years earlier. (But legend says Edward I took a fake to London.)
There is no mention of its magical properties until early 19th century. It is said that anyone who kisses the Blarney Stone will receive the gift of eloquence. To do so involves hanging head-first over the castle wall, the legs firmly held by two strong men. The orgin of the legendary power of the stone is a mystery. One tale tells of a king of Munster who saved a witch from drowning. In return she promised that if he kissed the stone he would have such a persuasive tongue that his subjects would obey his every command.
See http://www.ifi.ntnu.no/~oshea/ireland.htm.

 

Question: I have read various material that proves that Jeremiah was not Ollam Folla and thus there is no evidence in the Irish annals to support the view that Jeremiah travelled to Ireland with Zedekiah's daughters (see www.biblemysteries.com/library/jeremiah.cfm). It seems that it is only a legend. Do you know of any evidence that proves the knowledge of this legend in past centuries and the possibility of its truth? I think that the evidence can only definitively prove that Jeremiah with Baruch and Zedekiah's daughters travelled to Egypt. But from there the evidence and history is really silent.
Reply: You are correct. The identification of Jeremiah as Ollam Folla depends on coincidences and historical reconstructions. But something more became of Jeremiah because his commission included "to build and to plant". As the book of Jeremiah ends, Jeremiah has gone to a whole lot of trouble to achieve basically nothing. Perhaps that's the end of the story, but we doubt it - in just the same way as we doubt that the end of Acts is the end of the story of Paul and the Apostles. History shows us that it is much easier to point out the problems in any theory (scientific or not), than to construct a new theory which explains those problems. At present, the Ollam Folla theory of what became of Jeremiah, though obviously flawed, is the best available. If we encounter a stronger theory, we will be sure to publish it! "Bible Mysteries" say "In my research I have NOT FOUND a single British-Israelite book that actually gives a REFERENCE to WHERE in the Irish and Scottish annals the supporting material may be found!" [There capiralization]. May we respectfully point them to the book by F.R.A. Glover.

 

Question: The Stone of Destiny was stolen by Scots in 1950 , can you tell me what day that took place.

Reply: The Stone of Destiny was soon recovered after that theft, but it was recently returned to Scotland and is now in Edinburgh Castle, see www.aboutscotland.com/stone/destiny.html. I have not been able to obtain exact details of the 1950 theft. You could contact: http://www.alba.org.uk/liafail.html.

"Seven centuries after Edward the First marched triumphantly out of Scotland with the ancient symbol of Caledonian nationhood effectively tucked under his arm, the Stone of Destiny has crossed the border again, receiving an emotional homecoming in Edinburgh. The sandstone slab, also known as the Stone of Scone, was the seat for all Scottish kings. But in 1296, the English King Edward the First ordered it be seized and taken south, where it has been held since at Westminster Abbey. The Stone was incorporated into the English - now British - throne, and from the 13th century, kings and queens have been crowned on it.

"The fact that the Stone was not being returned to its natural home in Scone, a little north of Perth, is irksome to the Scots. Instead, it will be housed alongside the Honours of Scotland - effectively, Scotland's Crown Jewels - in Edinburgh Castle. Historians are rumbling that the Stone will never rest easy there "as it has no connection with Edinburgh at all". The Scottish Office responds briskly that it would be impossible to install the necessary level of security at Scone Palace, as it continues to be used as a private home by the Earl of Mansfield. So Edinburgh Castle it is, with all the trimmings that go with it. It is an emotional moment for Scots, at home and abroad.

"But while we might feel a satisfying glow that the Stone has come back to Caledonia, we will also find time for a wee grin as well. For the Stone came back in 1950, thanks to some daring young students from Glasgow University, who sneaked into Westminster Abbey in London and nicked it on Christmas morning. There were roadblocks set up across England; border patrols were stationed at the main crossings into Scotland; yet still the Stone made it north to Glasgow. For a moment, these thirsty students carried it out of the car and placed it on the bar of the Arlington Pub whilst they took a quick pint. Some historians argue the Stone should be displayed here, instead of Edinburgh! Within two weeks, the game was up, and the police were tipped off that the Stone could be found at Arbroath Abbey. The students, under enormous pressure, had decided to hand it back. Or did they? Stories abound across Scotland that the students had a replica made, and THAT was the one the police picked up in 1951. The "real" Stone, depending on which story you believe, is in a stonemason's yard in the west end of Glasgow, or part of the portal at a church in Dundee.

"Experts are studying the Stone to see if it needs any restoration work done before going on public display on November 30, 1996, St. Andrew's Day. And perhaps one of the first visitors will be the one who quietly knows the truth, passed down from father to son over the centuries. Perhaps this visitor knows that King Edward was the one who was cheated; that he stole the wrong Stone; that the Stone of Destiny, the real Stone of Scone, remains, to this day, on the Isle of Iona..."
Charles Fletcher (11-18-1996)

"While standing and looking at the Jacobs Stone for a long period of time in Westminster Abbey, a curator of the museum, a lovely older woman, inquired about my prolonged interest in the stone. I told her a little bit about our unusual theological ideas about the stone, at which she surprised me in knowing of the USBC theory quite well. Apparently every COG person who has ever been there has laid the theory on her, as well as others. I asked her if there are any unusual legends or facts about the stone. She said that there is a legend that the stone can actually SPEAK! It is said that if a usurper to the thrown attempts to be crowned on the chair that the stone will "Groan and Moan" and cry out "NO!!!" It is stated that this has happened on at least a couple of occasions, although the last was supposedly several hundred years ago."
Bill Lussenheide, Menifee,CA USA

[There is a similar legend about the stones of the 2nd Temple, which, according to Jewish legend, cried out at least 3 times against blatant injustice. It may have been to this that Jesus referred when He said: "The very stones would cry out."]

"I remember two years ago geochemical analysis of the stone of Scone indicated that the rock was a (pelitic) schist that has geochemical signature particular to Scotland (the highlands!?) and not of origin in the land of Palestine."
Caleb Ames

In Jacob's Pillar, p.53, E. Raymond Capt writes, "Dean Stanley, one-time custodian of the Stone , in his book Memorials of Westminster Abbey, sums up its historical importance in these words; "It is the one primevel monument which binds together the whole Empire . The iron rings, the battered surface, the crack which has all but rent its solid mass asunder, bear witness of the English Monarchy -- an element of poetic, patriarchal, heathen times... carries back our thoughts ... a link which unites the Throne of England to the traditions of Tara and Iona".
For a full account, see lausdnet.lausd.k12.ca.us/~rkeith/rkeith5d.htm