Hastings in Prophecy
The dramatic turning point of Hastings was not the result of human design or foresight. Those men who fought and died, both Normans and Saxons, could only dream that the consequences of the battle would last 950 years. It was not the product of vast impersonal forces shaping the outcome of nations. Hastings was the result of a very personal, direct force intervening in events.
The Great God used this battle to prepare the island race to fulfill some of the greatest prophecies in the Bible. The Norman conquest was the first phase of a systematic development of British character and institutions so that, when the time was right, the British were ready for world empire. All of the great historians quoted in this article point to the Norman invasion as the first step towards the development of English political liberty and the English language—the cornerstones of English genius.
Magna Carta was the foundation of the political culture of Britain and America—the two nations whose ideas of freedom and government now reach the four corners of the earth. The English language used by William Shakespeare, and the vision he sought to convey in his works, was the first consciousness of Englanders of a destiny beyond the borders of their island. Hastings was one of the first steps in God’s transformation of little England into Great Britain.
God guided the development of the English nation in order to keep an ancient promise. 3000 years before 1066 AD, a righteous man named Abraham was promised by God that his descendants would become a great people, controlling key sea gates and inhabiting the globe (Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 22:16-18). The children of Abraham would come to be called the nation of Israel; because of their disobedience, these blessings were not given until the beginning of the 19th century. Herbert Armstrong wrote in his book, The United States and Britain in Prophecy:
“It may not be generally realized—but neither Britain nor the United States became great world powers until the 19th century. Suddenly, in the very beginning of the 19th century, these two—until then small, minor countries—suddenly spurted to national power and greatness among nations, as no nations had ever grown and multiplied in wealth, resources and power before.”
This may seem too fantastic to believe, but it is the plain truth. You can prove all of this for yourself by reading Herbert Armstrong’s book, The United States and Britain in Prophecy.
The Battle of Hastings was a dramatic turning point God used to prepare England for its prophesied empire.
Today, we are in the midst of another turning point in history. The future seems uncertain, and the outlook bleak. But this history shows the kind of bravery we need to withstand the worst of times when they come. We can gain some measure of courage from the conduct of our ancestors; we may also gain some hope. If God is indeed in control of world affairs, and if God can effect changes such as the conquest of a nation and the sudden turning of the historical tide, we may have hope that one day God will turn the tide of history back toward peace. This is sure. God changed the course of the world at the Battle of Hastings. He will also change the world in the near future.
“But when, in this work, I speak of probabilities, I speak of human probabilities only,” Creasy wrote. “When I speak of cause and effect, I speak of those general laws only by which we perceive the sequence of human affairs to be usually regulated, and in which we recognize emphatically the wisdom and power of the Supreme Lawgiver, and the design of the Designer.” Creasy saw God in history. We should do the same.
Literature Offer
No comments:
Post a Comment