The following is the introduction of the book Anglo-Israel Messengers: A History of Those Who Have Believed And Taught That The Anglo-Saxon And Kindred People Are Israel by Matthew D. Dyer.
Introduction
This book has been written to document the rich history of those who have believed and taught the Anglo-Israel message throughout the Christian era, and to reveal to both the believer and the critic this was not a belief which came into existence in the late 1800s or early 1900s, but has been believed for centuries. For those who are not familiar with what the Anglo-Israel message is, it’s simply the belief that the Caucasian, Anglo-Saxon, Celtic, Germanic, Scandinavian and kindred people are the true physical descendants of God’s Chosen People the Israelites and they are heirs according to the promises (Genesis 17) made with Abraham and his descendants forever. The Anglo-Israel message does NOT teach a person is saved by their race, or one must perform the works of the law in order to obtain salvation. A Christian is saved by the grace of God through faith and not of ourselves (Ephesians 2:8). The reason I mention this is because often when introduced to the Anglo-Israel message this is something that is assumed, even though this is not what is often thought about when someone says that the modern-day Jewish people are Israel. Those who adhere to the Anglo-Israel message believe there has been some mistaken identity, and it is important to know who Israel is, because it is important to God in both the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 4:20, Jeremiah 31:31) and the New Testament (Romans 11:1, 1 Peter 2:9) who these people are.
This book is not designed to layout the Biblical and historical argument for the Anglo-Israel message. There have been hundreds (maybe thousands) of books written teaching this, but this isn’t one of them. For the one who desires to learn more about the Anglo-Israel message and not just reject it outright, Appendix A in the back of this book has recommendations on reading material that will help you in your studies. I will say this though for you to consider, most Christians in this age believe the modern Jewish people make up all Israel in modern times, even though many of the identification marks of Israel found in the Abrahamic Covenant they have never fulfilled. There is also another group who believe that the “Church” is now a spiritual Israel, and God is no longer working with a physical seed of Abraham anymore. The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 31:31-36 (King James Version) the following words which all Christians need to read:
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.” (Underlining added by author)
From this passage in Scripture we see that as long as the sun, moon, and stars can still be seen, then physical Israel is still in existence, and they are part of God’s plan. At the time of this writing the sun came up this morning, and the moon and stars were out last night. We also see at the first part of this passage that the New Covenant, which was ratified at the cross with the blood of Jesus Christ, was to be made with the House of Israel and the House of Judah. So, it is clear that physical Israel is still part of God’s plan in the Earth today, and therefore important for us to know who those people are since this is clearly important to God Almighty. As you read the documentation of the men and women who believed the Anglo-Saxon and kindred people were Israelites and heirs according to the promise in the following pages, ask yourself if there is a possibility for there to have been some mistaken identity today with believing the modern Jews or the Church is Israel. If there is a possibility that there has been some mistaken identity, then we as Christians must take the time to search the truth out on this matter, since it is so important to God as seen in Scripture.
I also want to state that I do not agree with every belief held by every person mentioned in this book. The goal of this book is to document the fact that these men and women believed and taught that the Anglo-Saxon and kindred people are Israelites, not to focus on their denomination or personal beliefs. When reading this book, you will notice many Ministers and Pastors from a variety of denominational backgrounds, ranging from Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Baptist, Church of Christ, Pentecostal, Catholic, Independent, and many others. The reason I point this out is to prove that this truth traveled across denominational lines in history and doesn’t belong to a single denomination, a single person, or Church. I personally grew up in this belief of the Anglo-Israel message from a young child and have attended and even preached at Churches who taught it, along with conferences and camps where hundreds of people from all over the country and the world traveled to fellowship with likeminded Christians to learn more about God’s Word. Many of these people came from many different denominational backgrounds like many of the people in this book, but they all believed the Anglo-Israel message.
British-Israel or Anglo-Israel?
In this book you will find the term British-Israel and Anglo-Israel used interchangeably. Why is that? The Israel message has gone by many different names and terms through the decades and British-Israelism became a very popular term in use during the 1800s because primarily all those who taught it during those years were British. Many of those British ministers discovered that their people were Israel during a period of time when the sun never set on the British Empire and many of them began to think that the British Empire was the Stone Kingdom from the prophecy in Daniel chapter 2. This was indeed incorrect, and bad Eschatology, but one can understand a little why they came to that conclusion if you put yourself in their shoes during a time when there was a lot of Eschatological theories being made. It is often said by critics that British-Israelism believes that only the British are Israelites, and somehow someone who is Norwegian, French, or Irish are not. This is false, and simply comes from misunderstanding how the term British Israel was used. Another term that was coined and used during the 1800s and was used interchangeably with British-Israel was Anglo-Israel or Anglo-Israelism. I personally prefer this term as it best describes what the belief means and removes unnecessary confusion by using the term British Israel.
Another term for Anglo-Israelism that was coined around the early 1900s is Christian Identity. I personally do not care for this term because it has been used in recent years by those who believe the Anglo-Saxon and kindred people are Israel, yet promote a version of Christianity that doesn’t focus on Jesus Christ, but rather on their own racial identity as Israel. Many of these people are more pride driven, rather than Christ driven. It has also been demonized in the national media to mean something it is not. This doesn’t mean there are not people and Churches that use this term, and are completely Christ-driven, but those are the reasons I don’t use the term. The Anglo-Israel message has Jesus Christ as the main focus because it shows that God Almighty kept ALL the promises made with Abraham and his descendants and shows more of the beautiful love story between God and His people Israel, and the need for our Savior Jesus Christ to come and die on the Cross.
What about the Jews?
Many of the ministers in this book had differing views on the modern-day Jewish people, and their identity. Some believed they were of the tribe of Judah and that the Anglo-Saxon and kindred people were the other eleven tribes. Others believe that the Anglo-Saxons make up Israelites from all twelve tribes and that the modern Jewish people are descendants of the Edomites and or the Canaanites. I will not be laying out in detail who believed each viewpoint, as it is not important for the purpose of this book. The purpose of this book is to document those who believe the Anglo-Saxon and kindred people are physical Israelites.
Why do more people not believe Anglo-Israel?
This has been a question asked for many years by those who believe the Anglo-Israel message. The critic would say because it is not backed by historical evidence, when offered historical evidence, they say it is not backed by archeological evidence. When offered archeological evidence and then they say it is not backed by linguistic evidence. When offered linguistic evidence and then perhaps they say, “well it’s racist!” Or perhaps they may even lead with that, but the reason I think it is accepted by a remnant of people is because simply it is not “politically correct” and goes against everything the media and the “Judeo-Christian” churches are teaching today. To say that the Jews are not God’s chosen people, is to put into question the millions of dollars American Churches send to the nation of Israel every year. To say that the Jews are not God’s chosen people, is to put into question Zionist Israeli’s claim to Palestine and their unjustified murder of Palestinians every year. To say that the Jews are not God’s chosen people, is to put into question what the Seminaries have been teaching the last 120 years. To say that the Jews are not God’s chosen people, is to put into question most of today’s “Christian” Eschatology concerning the “End Times.” To say the Jews ARE God’s chosen people, is to put into question why God did NOT keep His word concerning the promises made with Abraham and his descendants the Israelites? Numbers 23:19 states that “God is not a man, that he should lie…” I believe God has kept his promises, and so did these well-educated men and women listed in this book. All I ask you to do is to consider; “could there have been some mistaken identity of God’s covenant people Israel?”
Anglo-Israel History Archive 