Part I: Birthrights and Promises

There are two biblical concepts that are critical to a proper understanding of Armstrongism's brand of Anglo-Israelism: birthrights and promises. Indeed, the teaching is based on these two concepts. Hence, a thorough understanding of the biblical perspective on birthrights and promises is essential to evaluating the claims which the supporters of Anglo-Israelism make about that teaching's biblical foundation.

In Scripture, the Hebrew word "bekorah" has traditionally been translated into English as "birthright." In its most basic application, this is the right of the firstborn son to inherit the bulk of his father's estate. Now, although this "right" is not specifically delineated in Scripture, it is the assumed standard of the Torah and appears to be the accepted standard throughout most of what follows. For example, we see this standard in the story of Esau selling his birthright for a bowl of soup in the twenty-fifth chapter of Genesis, and in the numerous allusions to the firstborn in Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

In the book of Deuteronomy, the principle is affirmed in the twenty-first chapter. We read there: "If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have borne him children, and if the firstborn son belongs to the unloved, then on the day when he assigns his possessions as an inheritance to his sons, he may not treat the son of the loved as the firstborn in preference to the son of the unloved, who is the firstborn, but he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the firstfruits of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his." (Verses 15-17, ESV) Ironically, as it relates to Anglo-Israelism, the most pertinent passages relate to the contravention of the principle!

In fact, the entire narrative surrounding the inheritance of the birthright begins with God setting aside Abraham's firstborn, Ishmael, and making Isaac his principal heir (see Genesis 17:18-21). God promised to bless Ishmael, but he told Abraham that he would establish his covenant with Isaac (his son by Sarah). Then, later, in the twenty-first chapter of the same book, we learn that Ishmael and his mother were forced out of Abraham's household after Isaac was weaned. This, of course, was a source of some consternation for Abraham. Even so, once again, we read that God assured the patriarch that "through Isaac shall your offspring be named." (Verse 12) In other words, Abraham's heirs would be figured through that line of descent, not the other!

Then, in the very next chapter, we learn that God instructed Abraham to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice (Genesis 22:1-2). We are further informed that Abraham complied with God's instructions, but that God sent an angel at the last minute to prevent Abraham from killing his son (see verses 3-12). As a consequence of this act of complete devotion and obedience to God, we read that "the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, 'By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.'" (Verses 15-18)

In this connection, it is especially important to note the obvious parallels and applications to the story of Jesus Christ. Just as Abraham willingly offered up his beloved son (his only son in terms of the birthright), God offered up his only Son for the sins of all of humankind (John 3:16 and I John 4:9)). In other words, JESUS (the offspring of Abraham) would be the means by which ALL the nations of the earth would be blessed! Indeed, Paul wrote to the saints of Galatia along these lines. He said: "Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, 'And to offsprings,' referring to many, but referring to one, 'And to your offspring,' who is Christ." (Galatians 3:16) Now, admittedly, some biblical scholars claim that Paul misappropriated that passage in Genesis which he references here, but the epistle to the Galatians is part of the canon of Scripture accepted by the vast majority of Christians. So, according to the Apostle Paul, this promise to Abraham was fulfilled in Christ!

Moreover, it is important to point out that Jesus Christ told his disciples that he came to this earth to FULFILL the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17). How was Jesus of Nazareth the fulfillment of all of this? We know that Christ was a physical descendant of Abraham (Matthew 1 and Luke 3), but there is a much deeper and more profound sense in which Jesus fulfilled this role. Under the terms of God's covenant with Israel, God declared that every firstborn among his people was reserved for himself (Exodus 13:2, 22:29). Why the firstborns? Because of what he had done to rescue Israel from bondage in Egypt (Exodus 11, 12 and 13:15), and this was all intimately associated with the Passover. And, as all good Christian students of the Bible know, Jesus represents the fulfillment of the Passover (Matthew 26:17-35, Mark 14:12-25, Luke 22:7-23, I Corinthians 5:7 and 11:23-26)! In fact, Jesus Christ represents the ultimate fulfillment of the entire sacrificial system of the Torah (Hebrews 9:11-28)! After all, hadn't Abraham himself told Isaac that God would provide a sacrifice for them at Moriah? Was the ram that was caught in the bushes the reality or simply a shadow/figure of the real sacrifice?

Likewise, in addition to fulfilling the meaning and purpose of Isaac's sacrifice and the various elements surrounding the Passover, it should be noted that Christ is repeatedly referred to as the firstborn in the New Testament! Jesus was Mary's firstborn son (Matthew 1:25 and Luke 2:7). Paul told the saints at Rome that God intended for Jesus Christ to be "the firstborn among many brethren" (Romans 8:29). He also said that Christ was "the firstborn of every creature" (Colossians 1:15), and that Jesus was "the firstborn from the dead" (Colossians 1:18). In the epistle to the Hebrews, the Christian community is referred to as "the general assembly and church of the firstborn" (Hebrews 12:23). So, we see that Jesus Christ was very clearly associated with the concept of the firstborn by his early followers and was also seen by them as the fulfillment/culmination of these patriarchal origin stories recorded in the Torah.

Nevertheless, we might still wonder within ourselves how a birthright could be transferred to someone who was not, strictly speaking, the legitimate firstborn. Well, we have already noted how God set aside Ishmael's birthright and gave it to Isaac, but I think that it is also important to underscore the fact that the exception was the rule in the book of Genesis with regard to the birthright! In the very next generation, we have the story of how Jacob stole his brother Esau's birthright (Genesis 25). Likewise, among Jacob's sons, we see that Reuben was the firstborn, but we are told that Joseph actually inherited the birthright (Genesis 35:23, 46:8, I Chronicles 5:1-2). The same thing happened with regard to the birthright of Joseph's oldest son (see the story of Manasseh and Ephraim in Genesis 48). Moreover, the irregularity in the application of the birthright did not end there! We see this phenomenon repeated in the way that David's throne was inherited after his death (Solomon was not David's firstborn). Hence, although the right of the firstborn to inherit the bulk of his father's estate was recognized in the Torah, the rule was often set aside in actual practice. In other words, the legitimate heir was whomever God decided he should be!

Now, having thoroughly examined the concept of the birthright in Scripture, let's return to the question of those promises which God made to Abraham and take a closer look at them. The first thing that should be noted in speaking about those promises is the fact that they were repeated and expanded upon a number of times. The initial promise to Abraham, of course, is recorded in the twelfth chapter of Genesis. We read there: "Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'" (Verses 1-3) Initially then, God's promise to Abraham was conditional - If you will go where I tell you to go, I will do this for you. Notice too, that there were a number of distinct promises made within this brief statement - that God would make of him a great nation, bless him and make him famous, make him a blessing to others, bless his friends and punish his foes, and make him the source of God's blessing for all of humankind! Hence, we see from the get-go that at least part of the promises made to Abraham would be fulfilled in Jesus Christ! As we proceed, however, we will see that ALL of the promises made to Abraham would find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus!

After Abraham left his homeland and went to the place which God had designated, we read that God appeared to him again and made yet another promise. We read: "So Abram went, as the Lord had told him...Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, 'To your offspring I will give this land.'" (Genesis 12:4, 7) Later still, we read that: "The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, 'Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you." (Genesis 13:14-17) Notice here that the parcel of land promised to Abram was quite specific - he was promised the land surrounding him at that moment (the land that would become Israel, the Promised Land).

As the narrative continues, we learn that Abram didn't have any children of his own at the time - that one of his servants was his heir at the time all of this was happening (see Genesis 15:1-3). Continuing, we read: "And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: 'This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.'  And he brought him outside and said, 'Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.' Then he said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.'  And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness." (Verses 4-6) So, we see that Abraham is promised an heir and an innumerable multitude to inherit the promises made to him! In this connection, we should also note that any male descendant is regarded as the "son of" their ancestor in Scripture (as in Jesus the son of David).

These promises to Abram, of course, eventually resulted in God making a formal covenant with him. Thus, in the seventeenth chapter of Genesis, we read: "When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.' Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, 'Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.'" (Verses 1-8) Here, we see that Abraham was promised that he would be the forefather of "a multitude of nations," and that kings would descend from him (which would be fulfilled through both the kingdoms of Israel and Judah and Jesus Christ and his followers). But what about this covenant that God mentions?

As the narrative continues, we read that God gave to Abraham a physical manifestation of the covenant between them - circumcision (Genesis 17:9-11). Notice too, that God elaborated: "He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant." (Verses 12-13) In this connection, it is interesting to note something that is recorded in the Gospel of Luke about Jesus Christ. We read there: "And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb." (Verse 21) Moreover, in connection with what we have already noted about the firstborn, it is instructive for us to also note the verses in Luke which immediately follow that one. We read: "And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, 'Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord')." (Verses 22-23) Now, isn't that interesting? The author of the Gospel of Luke clearly associated Christ with this covenant with Abraham, and the fact that the firstborn belonged to God!

We have already mentioned the passage about God's promise to Abraham in the twenty-second chapter of Genesis. Even so, since we are chronologically reviewing the promises made to Abraham, it is essential that we remind ourselves that God promised to multiply his "seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore," and that "thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies." (Verse 17, KJV) And, in the very next verse, God said: "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (verse 18, KJV). Now, while we have already seen how that promise of blessing for all the nations of the earth was fulfilled in Christ, it is reasonable to wonder how Christ could fulfill an innumerable multitude of descendants, or how he could possess the gate of his enemies.

To understand, we must take a moment to look at a few other passages. Earlier, we looked at Paul's epistle to the Galatians to demonstrate that Christ was the offspring referred to in this promise. However, a little later in the same passage, we read that "if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise." (Galatians 3:29, ESV) Hence, from Paul's perspective, ALL Christians have been made Abraham's offspring through Christ. Likewise, a little earlier in the letter, Paul actually quoted from one of those passages which we referenced in Genesis and made clear that those who belong to the Christian faith are the children of Abraham (Galatians 3:6-9)!

As for possessing the "gate of his enemies," we should take a moment to look at the Hebrew word translated into English here at "gate." The word is "saar" and it literally refers to the opening, door, entrance, the point of access to what lies within. Hence, this passage suggests that Abraham's offspring would have access to/control of the strongholds of his enemies. In the book of Hebrews, we are told that Jesus Christ took on flesh and blood, so that he could destroy the one who had the "power of death" - the devil (Hebrews 2:14). In other words, death and the grave are the "strongholds" of Satan. In this connection, it is interesting to note that Christ told John that he was the one who possessed the "keys of hell <the place of the dead, the grave> and death (Revelation 1:18).

Returning now to the narrative about the promises, we see that Abraham left his entire estate to Isaac when he died - in accordance with God's instructions (see Genesis 25:5). Once again, we have already discussed the fact that Isaac had two sons, Esau (his firstborn) and Jacob, but that the birthright had passed to the younger son, Jacob (see Genesis 25). In similar fashion, by deceit and manipulation, Jacob also managed to steal Esau's blessing from their father (see Genesis 27). This, of course, is significant in that Jacob (NOT Esau) became the heir to all of those promises which God had made to Abraham. Indeed, this was confirmed when God appeared to Jacob at Bethel. At that place, Jacob dreamed that he saw a staircase extending up into heaven (Genesis 28:11-12). Next, we read that "the Lord stood above it and said, 'I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed." (Verses 13-14)

And, just so that there would be no misunderstanding the fact that Jacob had inherited the promises which God had made to Abraham. we have the record of yet another appearance of God to Jacob at Bethel later in the same book. In the thirty-fifth chapter of Genesis, we read: "God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. And God said to him, 'Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.' So he called his name Israel. And God said to him, 'I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.' Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel." (Verses 9-15) To be clear, the following promises were reiterated to Israel: 1) the multiplication of his descendants, 2) that a nation and a company <ASSEMBLY> of nations would derive from him, 3) that he would be the ancestor of kings, and 4) that he and his descendants would inherit the same parcel of land which God had promised to his grandfather.

Later, we know that Israel and his family ended up in Egypt and were subject there to his son, Joseph. Thus, in the forty-eighth chapter of that book, we read: "After this, Joseph was told, 'Behold, your father is ill.' So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. And it was told to Jacob, 'Your son Joseph has come to you.' Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed. And Jacob said to Joseph, 'God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.’ And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are." (Verses 1-5) Continuing with the account, in the same chapter, we read: "And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn). And he blessed Joseph and said, 'The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth." (Verses 14-16) As we pointed out earlier, once again the birthright is ignored, and the promises are transferred to the younger heir. Also, of great significance to our next topic, notice that Ephraim and Manasseh are made an integral part of Israel by this act.

In this instance, however, we read that Israel's disregard for the birth order of his sons displeased Joseph (verse 17-18). Even so, Israel could not be persuaded to amend his decision to give the preeminent position to the younger heir. In the same account, we read that "his father refused and said, 'I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.' So he blessed them that day, saying, 'By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, ‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.' Thus, he put Ephraim before Manasseh." (Verses 19-20) Now, since so much attention has been focused on the phrase "multitude of nations" by the supporters of Anglo-Israelism, some attention to this phraseology is warranted here. First, the Hebrew word translated into English as "multitude" is NOT the same word translated as "company" <assembly> in the earlier referenced Scriptures. In this instance, the Hebrew word "melo" suggests FULNESS, as in that which fills. Thus, we see that this passage does NOT suggest a "commonwealth" of nations as some have proposed - Hence, the wisdom of the translators in employing the more amorphous term "multitude" here is demonstrated.

Now, admittedly, this has constituted a rather deep dive into the subject of birthrights and the promises made to the patriarchs, but I felt that this was necessary to rescue these subjects from some of the misconceptions which the proponents of Anglo-Israelism have attached to them. In the next post, we will explore the reasons that God chose to work through Abraham's descendants (Israel), and we will demonstrate that they were always a means to an end - NOT the end itself. In a subsequent post, we will examine how this family eventually grew into two nations, and how they reacted to God's purpose(s) for them. Next, we will explore the promise that God made to Abraham regarding the fact that kings would descend from him, and the role that David and his house/dynasty played in fulfilling that promise. After that, we will explore the subject of how Israel, Judah, David, and his dynasty all failed to fulfill the purposes which God had assigned to them, and how God eventually redeemed them from that failure and ensured that his purposes were realized anyway. Finally, in the last part of this series, we will flesh out in greater detail exactly how Jesus Christ embodied the fulfillment of God's promises to Abraham. Stay tuned!