...."The principal belief of Anglo/British Israelism is that the British (and by extension Americans, Canadians, Australians, and others) are the spiritual and literal descendants of the ancient Israelites.
Anglo-Israelism has a long history. The Puritan colonists in America also viewed themselves as spiritual descendants of the ancient Israelites. However, it was not until 1840 that John Wilson published "Lectures on our Israelitish Origin" and first proclaimed that the British people were the actual genetic descendants of God's chosen people.
The Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) records how a schism occurred among the ancient Hebrews, separating the land into:
|
The Southern Kingdom of Judah which included the tribes of Benjamin and Levi, and |
|
The Northern Kingdom of Israel which included the remaining ten tribes. |
About 721 BCE, the latter was captured by the Assyrians. According to historians and archeologists, its population was taken into captivity, and assimilated. Non-Hebrews were imported in the region and the Northern Kingdom ceased to exist. However, British Israel writers developed the belief that these "10 tribes" retained their identity, became lost to history, and wandered far from the Middle East. "......
Viv. Here is where modern "rascism" started, with British Israelism, in the mid 1800s. Identity churches including the clan and posse comitatus are directly descended from here.Herbert Armstrongs World wide church of God had links to British Israelism and British Israelism can be unearthed in numerous charismatic churches such as the "Revival Centres International"