Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher inadvertently predicted the outcome of the second Gulf War 10 years before it was fought. Interviewed on an American morning television program, Lady Thatcher observed: "The great lesson of the 20th century is that whenever the American and British peoples stand together, they always win."

Certainly, the first two wars of the new century in which both have been involved were also won. The victorious allies triumphed over the radical Islamic Taliban in Afghanistan and over the fascist regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

Prior to the 20th century, the great 19th-century German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck predicted that the most important geopolitical fact of the coming 20th century was that Britain and America spoke the same language. This was to prove fateful for the German-speaking peoples, defeated in two world wars by the two English-speaking allies.

Britain and America do not always speak the same language, of course. Sir Winston Churchill, whose father was British and mother American, remarked that "English is the common language that divides us." There are often subtle differences between the two language variations (as with English elsewhere around the world) that can lead to misunderstandings.

Figuratively, America and Britain do not always speak the same language either. Their national interests sometimes fail to coincide. Geographical location has a lot to do with this—sometimes the British more readily see the European perspective in matters than their American brothers do. This has been more the case since Britain joined the European Union (formerly the EEC) in 1973. There are many British people who remain fully committed to the ideals of European unity, though many others are either anti-European or skeptical, at best.

But Mrs. Thatcher's dictum remains true, nonetheless. In both world wars and throughout the Cold War, the United States and Britain usually fought together—and won. Two notable defeats were Vietnam (a conflict from which Britain refrained) and Suez (where America's president did not support British action against Egypt). These two failures only serve to underscore the truth of Mrs. Thatcher's observation.

Baroness Thatcher's insight parallels something that was revealed in your Bible thousands of years ago. It's a prophecy about the "latter days" and the military role that both the United States and United Kingdom would play.

Joseph's historic role

In Genesis 49 we see Jacob calling his sons together in order that he might tell them what would happen to them "in the last days" (verse 1). Jacob (Israel) had 12 sons from whom the 12 tribes of Israel are descended. The Jews are descendants of just one of those sons, Judah. Together with the descendants of Jacob's youngest son, Benjamin, these two tribes remained as the Kingdom of Judah, following the division of the 12-tribe kingdom after the death of King Solomon. The 10 other tribes formed a new kingdom, the Kingdom of Israel. This kingdom went into captivity more than a century before the peoples of Judah. Since then, they have been lost to the world; historians often refer to them as the lost 10 tribes of Israel.

Lost to the world, but not to God. In Genesis 49 we note that God foretells the destiny of these tribes "in the last days" prior to Christ's return. In other words, in our time, now. God knows where the descendants of these ancient tribes are today and knew thousands of years ago the significant role they would play at this time.

In verse 22, we begin reading a description of Joseph's destiny. "Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well; his branches run over the wall." The physical descendants of Joseph were destined to be a fruitful people, a productive people who would bring economic prosperity and development wherever they went.

In the previous chapter, chapter 48, we read more detail about Joseph's destiny.

Jacob here is giving his blessing to the two sons of Joseph, promising them future greatness. Although Jacob had 12 sons, Joseph was his favorite. Of Joseph's two sons, Jacob says, "Bless the lads; let my name be named upon them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth" (Genesis 48:16).

We should take careful note of the wording here. "Let my name be named upon them." What was Jacob's name? His name was changed by God to "Israel" (Genesis 32:28). Israel (Jacob) is the father of the 12 tribes of Israel. The Jews are just one of those tribes, although most people today assume that the Jews constitute all of Israel. The modern Jewish nation in the Middle East calls itself Israel, but a more accurate name would be Judah. Jacob's new name, Israel, was to be carried by his favorite son and that son's two boys, Manasseh and Ephraim.

Jacob upset his son Joseph by promising the greater part of the birthright promise to Ephraim, the younger son. Israel's action overrode the custom of primogeniture, whereby the eldest boy receives the birthright. The inheritance passed down from Abraham through Isaac to Jacob and now to Joseph's two sons, the present-day peoples of the United States and Great Britain, as well as some nations that were formerly part of the British Commonwealth.

Under God's inspiration, Ephraim was to become "a multitude of nations," while Manasseh was to "become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he... And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh" (verses 19-20).

The multitude of nations was to become great before the great single people/nation. It would also be greater in size, in wealth and in duration.

This prophecy was never fulfilled in the Jewish people.

It was, rather, fulfilled in the British Empire and the United States of America, two brother nations that are the modern descendants of the tribe of Joseph (for more information on this, be sure to request our free booklet, The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy).

The United States has been the dominant nation in the world since World War II, a period of almost 60 years. Before American preeminence, the British Empire was the dominant power for two centuries. In size and population, the British Empire was greater than the United States. British territory at the fullest extent of its empire was a total of 13.9 million square miles. America's today is 3.9 million, 10 million less. America's population is also smaller than was that of the British Empire.

Although the prophecy in Genesis 48 shows that the British Empire—"a multitude of nations"—and the United States were to be separate political entities, the following chapter does not mention Ephraim or Manasseh. Rather, the prophetic term used to describe both of these peoples "in the last days" is Joseph, their shared common ancestor.

Genesis 49:22 prophesies that Joseph would be fruitful, bringing economic development wherever his descendants went. When we look at the British Empire a century ago and at the United States as the American people moved westward, we see that this has been very much the case.

Verse 23 adds a further prophecy of the role these two peoples would fulfill. "The archers have bitterly grieved him, shot at him and hated him. But his bow remained in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob" (verses 23-24).

Keep in mind the setting for this prophecy is "the last days." Here we see Joseph having a powerful military role to go along with its dominating economic power.

The implication of these verses is that the sons of Joseph would fight many conflicts, but that God would give them victory. Interestingly, the term "archers" is used, suggesting attacks from afar. One of the great blessings the British and American peoples have enjoyed is a long period of peace at home. For the most part, the wars they have fought have been overseas, sparing their own people from much of the suffering that comes from conflict.

Joseph's historic mission

When we look back at the wars of the United States and Britain, we find a common theme. These two nations have fulfilled a common purpose. At first, it was the British Empire—their Commonwealth of independent nations, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa, together with the colonies that were ruled by Britain itself—which fulfilled this destiny. Since World War II the United States has supplanted Britain in this role, but Britain and oftentimes those same Commonwealth nations have supported the United States as partners in an alliance of common purpose. In the latest conflict, Australia was the third military force supporting the United States and Britain.

What has been that purpose?

To understand this, we have to go back to the time of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. During a tumultuous period in English history, the nation was able to break away from Rome, initially under King Henry VIII, but more completely under the rule of his daughter, the first Queen Elizabeth (1558-1603). This year marks the 400th anniversary of her death, the death of one of the most significant monarchs in world history.

Protestants got their name from the fact that they were protesting against the corruption of the Roman church and the church's hierarchy. They broke the power of Rome, which for over 1,000 years had dominated and held back the development of the continent of Europe. Not only did they break Rome's authority, they also gave us the Bible. A banned book under the Roman church, the Bible was given lip service by the Protestants, as being a higher authority than the church.

The enthusiasm with which the people greeted the publication of the King James Bible in 1611 lasted for centuries, right up until 1900, the first year in which more secular books were published in England than books of a religious nature. This English translation of the Bible gave people ideas that led to fundamental changes in society, including the form of governance. Democratic institutions, already in place, were gradually strengthened as an educated and self-disciplined Christian people began increasingly to rule themselves. Wherever the British went in settling the world, they took with them their Bibles and established parliaments. Thirteen of these parliaments, or Houses of Assembly (or House of Burgesses) later formed the United States of America.

Meanwhile, continental Europe remained largely under the influence of Rome, with absolute monarchs claiming rule by "divine right." Encouraged by Catholics in England, some of these monarchs attempted to bring the nation back under the authority of Rome. This was the reason King Philip II of Spain, the most powerful monarch in the world at the time, launched the Spanish Armada against England in 1588—and lost. Numerous other similar struggles were to take place in the following centuries against the forces of despotism. At first these wars were mainly, or partly, over religion. Later, as Britain became a global power, they were mostly against tyrants and despots trying to expand their control over other nations and peoples.

The historical role of the British peoples was to fight for freedom against despotism. A cornerstone of British foreign policy for four centuries was to stay out of Europe and rather concentrate on its empire beyond the seas. The only times Britain would involve itself in European affairs was when one European country was becoming so powerful it threatened the balance of power on the Continent.

Through the centuries, the British defeated, among others, the forces of Louis XIV of France, who tried to extend his influence into the Iberian Peninsula during the War of the Spanish Succession; his great-grandson, Louis XV, who tried to conquer the American colonies during the French and Indian Wars (1755-63); and Napoleon, who brought two decades of war to Europe in an attempt at continental subjugation, ending in 1815. They thwarted Russian Czar Nicholas I's attempt to take over the crumbling Turkish Empire in the Crimean War (1854-56), a move that would have given Russia control over the Middle East. And later, together with the nations of the British Empire, fought against Kaiser Wilhelm II in World War I and Hitler in World War II. Many of these major conflicts were against powers that saw themselves as a continuation of the ancient Roman imperial system.

Additionally, there were numerous smaller wars around the world, as the British often tried to keep warring tribes apart in the interests of peace and trade.

After World War II, exhausted, the British retreated from their global responsibilities, instead choosing to support the United States, which had effectively taken over Britain's role. The Cold War followed for over 40 years, with the United States and Britain as allies. In the aftermath of the fall of the Soviet Union, nations fell apart and new despotisms reared their ugly heads. Again, these two nations were at the forefront in defeating tyranny.

Mistakes have been made and errors of judgment committed. Although descended from the tribe of Joseph, the two peoples have moved significantly away from God's laws in recent decades, but God has still chosen to bless their military efforts. Will this continue?

Will America and Britain continue to win wars?

The Bible warns these two nations, the nations upon whom Israel placed his name, of the consequences of turning away from God. God is a very patient Father. He does not always punish immediately when sin is committed. But there are always consequences for sin that naturally follow the action without any divine intervention to bring them about. And the peoples of the United States and Britain, once nations dedicated to the Bible, even though they did not always interpret it correctly, have turned progressively further and further away from God, reveling in sin.

"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people," Proverbs 14:34 tells us. When the United States and Britain were perceived as righteous, Christian peoples, they enjoyed great respect around the world. Today the perception is very different, as the two nations turn their backs on God and churn out endless filth and violence in the name of entertainment, which is then exported around the world. This greatly fuels the rhetoric of radical Muslim elements, whose terrorist actions now threaten the American and British peoples at home, removing their long-enjoyed sense of security.

This is a message for these nations, if they do not turn back to God: Eventually, "the LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them; and you shall become troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth" (Deuteronomy 28:25).

God alone will decide when that moment has arrived, the time when He removes His hand from these two nations, whose alliance has been such a formidable force for as long as anybody alive today can remember.

Most people today do not appreciate God's involvement in the history of the British and American peoples, the descendants of Joseph. But the Bible makes it clear. Joseph's great military strength, witnessed again in the latest Persian Gulf conflict, was directly attributable to God. "And the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob" (Genesis 49:24).

What God gives, He can also take away. —WNP