Holland-Israel

HERALDRY: THE CLUES TO HISTORY

ZEBULUN: THE HAVEN DWELLER

By

Valerie Martlew

ZEBULUN was Jacob's tenth son and Leah's sixth. His name means “dwelIing” or “wished for habitation” - (Genesis 30:20). At his birth Leah, rather sadly said: “Now will my husband dwell with me”. However, Jacob still loved Rachel best and Leah was doomed to be disappointed. In Genesis 49:13 we read of Jacob’s blessing to Zebulun:

"Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for a haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon"

When the territories were allotted to the tribes in Canaan, Zebulun had no outlet to the sea. The prophecy of the blessing was intended for much later times, after the tribe had left Palestine. The tribal banner depicted a ship, in spite of the fact that there was no harbour in the tribe’s area. It is possible that some members of the tribe joined with Dan in their sea faring, and gained experience in this way, which was to stand them in good stead later on in their history.

Moses’ blessing in Deuteronomy 33:18 was very short, and may have been significant of the fact that Zebulun was going forth from Palestine:

"And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice Zebulun in thy going out. They shall call the people unto the mountain, there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness, for they shall suck of the abundances of the seas and of the treasures hid in the sand"

In Deborah’s prophetic song in Judges 5:18 she mentions that:

"Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field"

This was said at the same time that Deborah was criticising Dan for “abiding in ships” when they should have been helping their brethren’s defence, so it was obvious that the tribe had not left Palestine at that time.

The tribe of Issachar was associated with Zebulun, being under the Banner of Judah. The emblem of Issachar is an ass.

"Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:" - (Genesis 49:14)

It seems that this refers most aptly to the Finnish people, who have historically been squeezed between Germany and Russia. The heraldry of the Finns shows their lsraelitish origins, but not all of Issachar is represented in Finland, for there are certain authorities who believe that an element of Issachar settled in Friesland. They were therefore associated with their brethren of Zebulun, for both tribes were descended from the sons of Jacob and Leah.

The late Miss Helene van Woelderen did extensive research on the tribe of Zebulun, believing that they became the bulk of the Dutch people, and her research has unearthed many instances which support her theory.

The tribes which settled in the Lowlands in ancient times were Celtic, and were largely the Frisians, the Belgae, the Kennemers (which is surely a corruption of Cimmerians or Cymri), the Chatti or Katten, the Suevi and, later, the Saxons. These are all of Israelitish stock, and many went on to the British Isles.

Holland is situated north and west of Palestine just as the British Isles are, and as the Hebrew word which is translated as “islands” in our Bibles is also translatable as “coastlands”, the prophecies of Isaiah 41:1 and Jeremiah 3:18 refer equally to the Netherlands.

The Belgae later gave their name to Belgium, and a branch settled in the British Isles, centred on Colchester. They introduced the heavy plough to Britain, so it can be seen that, as with all the Celts, they were advanced in farming techniques.

Their symbolism gives us clues to their Israelitish origin. A ship is the ancient emblem of Holland, and the country has an extensive coastline and a strong maritime history. The ship also appears in the arms of many towns in England (not all of which are by the sea - so it cannot be argued that the arms were chosen because the town was a port). It is the emblem of nineteen places in Scotland, and appears on the arms of over twenty of the Scottish clans. The ship appears as a heraldic emblem in Ireland and in Denmark too.

In the Wilderness, the tribe of Zebulun came under the aegis of the brigade leader Judah, but it appears that after the captivities there were few members of the tribe left in Judah. It is possible that they threw in their lot mainly with the Northern House and were dispersed throughout Asia Minor and Europe.

The present day emblem of Holland is a lion (Judah), and Zebulun was in the brigade of Judah, another pointer to the Israelitish origins of the Dutch people. According to ancient Jewish tradition, quoted in the "Jewish Encyclopedia", the jewel for Zebulun on the High Priest’s breastplate was a diamond. Amsterdam is the world headquarters of skilled diamond cutters and traders.

Being a sea-faring nation, the Dutch were colonisers like those of their other Israel brethren and spread abroad as prophesied. They colonised in the Dutch East Indies and in Africa, particularly in South Africa, where the Boers (which means "farmers") established themselves in an empty land. The Zulus came from the North at about the same time to settle in those parts. There were inevitable conflicts with them, and with the British who were beginning to settle there as well. These culminated in the Boer War. Regrettably being brother Israelites did not prevent strife. The brothers have often been at loggerheads throughout history. Nevertheless, the Dutch are basically a peaceful people, like the Britons. They prefer to fight only in self-defence and are not actively aggressive in pursuance of land. The Dutch Empire, like that of Great Britain was founded on trade.The ensuing trade with their colonies made the Dutch people prosperous, in spite of being only a small country territorially.

Isaiah also has a prophecy about Zebulun in Isaiah 9:1;

"Nevertheless, the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterwards did more grievously afflict her by way of the sea"


With acknowledgements to Real Israel Press

Holland has been afflicted by the sea, which led to the Dutch being the world leaders in dyke building and land reclamation. They were able to farm the particularly fertile land that resulted, and are great dairy farmers. In this way they have ".. sucked the treasures of the sea and of the treasures hid in the sand..". as Moses prophesied. They were some of the first to drill for oil in the North Sea, also.

Holland was one of the first countries to adopt the reformed Protestant faith, and suffered much persecution as a result. After the country became independent of the Habsburg (Catholic) dynasty, it became a refuge for those people who were suffering religious persecution, such as the Huguenots, Walloons, etc.. thus becoming a “haven” in another sense. The "Mayflower" settlers stayed in the Netherlands before going to the New World.

Deborah’s prophecies also referred to Zebulun in Judges 5:14,

"Out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer."

Holland had the first printing presses, which facilitated the wide distribution of the printed word; this led in a great measure to the Reformation, as more and more people were able to own and study the Bible for themselves, without having to rely on the interpretations of priests. Printing is still a large industry in the Netherlands, and serves the world in providing this source of education. This fulfils another prophecy about Zebulun in Isaiah 9:2;

"The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined."

Although this prophecy was particularly meant for Zebulun and Naphtali, it refers also to all the people of Israel stock who have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Redeemer, and who have worked to carry the wonderful Good News of the Gospel to all the corners of the earth.

HOLLAND IDENTIFIED WITH ZEBULUN -

WHO WAS ZEBULUN?

In the firstbook of the Bible, Genesis 30:20,an account of his birth is given. Zebulun is the youngest son of Jacob and Leah being the sixth son. "God has endued me with a good dowry, now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons, and she called him ZEBULUN." What is in a name? Let us learn about the hidden information of Zebulon in connection with a mill.



The Dwelling:- which hooks up water - with the movement

J.B.L

A DWELLING PLACE

Indeed the Dutch have been famous for their interiors throughout the ages, claiming to have invented decoration. Famous Dutch paintings of the 16th and 17th centuries show "Holland's Binnenhuis" and its unique atmosphere, of which the highly emancipated Dutch woman was the vital centre, as many a foreigner in those days has described. Rembrandt, Pieter de Hoogh and Vermeer painted rich Dutch family scenes and interiors with light streaming through stained glass windows colouring the white and black tiles, the decorated walls, carved oak, beautiful china, copper utensils and magnificent arrangements of flowers, step gabled houses with winding staircases (a Dutch invention) along clean Dutch canals. Dutch family dwellings were later imitated by other countries Denmark, South Africa and the early settlers in America.

And not only in the past! The Dutch are even now renowned for their home making. They like large windows, open curtains at night, which surprises the tourist, showing lots of lamps and lights (advertising Philips light bulbs!) Going through Holland by train at night gives the traveller an impression of homeliness and life in the Dutch dwellings different from Belgium, France and other European countries.

The Dutch have to build "elevated houses." Their houses are all built on sand, clay and mud, as there is no rock sub-strata underneath Holland's soil. So they have to be built on piles. The entire city of Amsterdam has been built on piles: an elevated city with a Dutch ancient dwelling-culture, and in contrast, still below sea level. By

lack of space, dwellings are made in house boats on the canals of Amsterdam which are very numerous, numbering 2500 in all. One of our royal princes lives on one of them.

SUCKING THE WATER BY A WINDMILL THROUGH THE POWER OF THE WIND

What is more Dutch than the sight of a working windmill in a flat green Dutch landscape? Although those who have studied the history of the windmills have traced them back to Medo Persia - you remember Zebulun as one of the ten tribes which was deported to that area - the Dutch have refined the buildings and engineering of windmills from at least as far back as 1200 A.D. The invention of the water-windmill for drainage purposes, with the screw action lifting or "hooking" the water from a lower to a higher level is exclusively Dutch.

Apart from this, the variety of windmills in the Netherlands is greater than anywhere else in the world. On the power of the wind their age old wooden engines worked as flour, spice and oil grinders, as sawmills, as papermakers, as printing presses and as gin-distillers. In the golden 17th century the Netherlands had thousands of turning windmills with the always blowing west wind sucking and sighing harder through its sails, making the wheels to turn harder and more efficiently, than many a modem machine even after the invention of electricity.

"God created the world, the Dutch created Holland"; is an old Dutch saying. Anyhow Dutch engineers have been asked to give advice on drainage projects throughout the ages.

Prof. Ch. Wilson devoted a chapter (page 80 91) in his book "The Dutch Republic" to the areas reclaimed by the Dutch in Western Europe and England from the 13th to the 17th centuries. For instance the Royal Park at Windsor, the Lincoln and Cambridge Fens, parts of Kent, Somerset, East AngIia, but also parts of France, Italy and Germany.

The Dutch know how to grow crops on reclaimed land and how to remove excess salt.

"At the same time" according to Wilson, "the famous breed of Friesian cattle was making its appearance in Britain. Mortimer, writing in 1707, remarked that the long legged short horned cow of the Dutch breed found in Lincolnshire and Kent was the best breed for milking."

Zebulun would live at the seashore. Since prehistoric times the Lowlanders have been inventive and skilled in building. Unlike other regions the Dutch don't possess a single local stone! All their houses had to be built from clay, which they, like the Israelites of old in Egypt, baked (they must have had their own factories as innumerable 'Roman' tiles have been found in the Scheldt area), or, as ancient farms still show, they built from wattle and daub, a skill which eventually they must have brought under the names of "Belgium" tribes into Somerset in Britain! The Lowlanders could never dwell in caves, because these did not exist.

There is not a single rock formation in the Netherlands, and there is hardly any danger due to the almost stagnant waters and the small differences in tides. Moreover the Dutch Flanders's coast is the longest range of natural dunes without rocks in the world, consisting of some 170 miles, of which the Netherlands form two thirds, while the remainder are man made dykes. Nowhere can one find a more natural parallel with Jacob's blessing to Zebulun!

DUTCH PILERS

To be a piler ("heier") is a very ancient skilled job in Holland, and now it is a well known Dutch surname "den Heier." All the foundations of most Dutch houses are piles piled deep into the ground. From prehistoric times the Lowlanders have been very advanced in building houses on piles along quays and roads built on wattle and piles. Dutch engineers were often asked for advice and actually built castles and estates in watery areas, as on Fuenen in Denmark (Egeskov) or in England near the Thames, Yarmouth and the Cambridge Fens to name but a few.

The reason for mentioning this is to show that Dutch always have been renowned for building dwellings (Zebulun) in watery areas and alongside havens, ditches, quays and seashore. (blessing given to Zebulun is to dwell at the seashore and natural harbours)

A SHIP, ZEBULUN'S SYMBOL AND HOLLAND'S FOLKLORE

"Zebulun shall be a haven of ships". The Hebrew word for ship is aniah. It means ship, but also fleet, conveyance, galley, navy.

What about the "Flying Dutchman" and our first AIRSHIP?

Unconsciously the Dutch tourist offices are advertising exactly what Zebulun had prophesied he would be doing! Exporting reclaiming land, putting fingers in dykes, living in windmills sucking water, and all the Dutch being shown as blond cheese heads milking their Friesian cows or making cheese and butter in some fancy national costume, everybody with smiling faces, rejoicing, with Dutch tulips in their hands - goods for export. Yes indeed, modern export propaganda and exploitation of past Dutch folk lore still shows in a mirror a strange parallel with Zebulun!

THE DUTCH ARE "SUCKERS" AND "MILKERS". ROTTERDAM, LARGEST WORLD PORT

Speaking about haven in the modern sense, is it so strange that small Holland has the largest port in the world within its borders, namely "Rotterdam Europoort"? It has surpassed London, New York and Hamburg. Willynilly it is becoming the premier port of the European Community.The name itself, "Europoort" is the Dutch abbreviated word for "gate of Europe." It is too far fetched to remind you that Israel, living in the Isles of the West, will possess the (sea) gates of their enemies, as prophesied in Genesis 22:17; 24:60. Incidentally, as far as our comparison with Zebulun is concerned it is a nice little touch that Rotterdam Europoort has as its modern symbol a large watch lower called Euro mast, like the mast of a ship.

At Rotterdam the international rivers Rhine and Meuse become confluent. According to ancient legend it was Ratherius in 90 A.D.who founded Rotterdam, being a descendant of the Royal Trojans, who again claimed to belong to the tribe of Judah. (see Rev.W.M. H. Milner's The Royal House of Britain an enduring dynasty, 13th edition 1964, Covenant Books, London).

The identification of one of Israel's tribes with a country and a particular nation is not new. At Hoorn, north of Amsterdam, there are three 17th century step-gabled houses with a decorated frieze showing the battle of the Dutch at Hoorn against the Spanish Admiral Bossu. The houses are now called Bossu Huizen with inscriptions saying that the Hollander identify themselves with Israel and the Spanish with Amalek, who is always Israel's antagonist in the Bible.

One inscription reads:

"0, loffebike daed, O! schoone guide tijden. Wie dat er aen gedenckt, die moet hem nog verblijden, Het land dat schut, en beeft, den viland die komt aen, Hil wil met Amelak gantsch Israel verslaen,Hij koomt met groote magt, maer Godt heett ons gegeven Ook arons ende hurs wiens namen ziln geschreven."

"Oh glorious deed, oh golden times, who ever thinks of them, he is rejoicing still, the land that shakes and trembles, the enemy is nearing fast, he will with Amalek aIl Israel defeat, he comes with greatest might, But God has given us Aarons, even Hurs, whose names are written."

In that "golden" 17th century when the Dutch had won the battle for religious (Protestant) freedom, they were conscious of being literally Israel. They were enlightened Bible readers.

The 17th century "Chronicle of Zealand" by Smallegange, shows how historians in those days were convinced that the early inhabitants of the Netherlands, the Batavians, the Frisians, the Menapians and others were descended from the Hebrews and father Noah.

"Chronicle of Leeland" - by A.V.Scriecle showing the curios of the Greeks and Latins about the beginning of common origin.

That the Low-landers, the Gaels and the Germans were called Celts, descended from Hebirous in the North on the Celtic side of the world, who are much older in age and language that the Greeks or the Romans.

From the beginning, till the time of Charles the Great - over 4000 years.

DEBORAH'S BLESSING TO ZEBULUN:WIELDING THE PEN OF THE WRITER

This time a woman, being a judge in Israel, is singing her prophecy regarding the children of Zebulun, now being free and at home in their Promised Land. The Zebulunites had received a portion of the land by lot and they had taken an active part in the fight to sweep the country and to throw off the tyranny of Jabin the Canaanite, for which battle Deborah, the woman judge, had summoned 10,000 Zebulunites of whom she now says:

"Zebulun's men risked their lives to death." - (Judges 5:18) and

"Come to me with Zebulun wielding the writer's pen" - (Judges 5:14).

This means handling the pen of the writer, or skilled in writing. It sometimes has been translated as "the recruiter's staff" which means a military call. On this different level it has the same function by writing or by recruiting one is calling others to mental or physical action and jointly to enlist or to enrol into something. Recruiting a small Gideon's band of people who will stand for real Israel.

However these Hebrew words still have another meaning. The "pen" is here literally "branched stick or scion for punishing," (Strong Concordance) for writing, for fighting, for ruling.

It was especially used in this sense to inscribe, to recount, to number. The word used here is "sepher," which is known in the Bible as the word for a book or a roll.

It is therefore not out of place to associate it with the means for producing books and printing letters.

HOLLAND'S SHIP OF STATE

The arms of the Seven provinces are on the side of the ship which has the Bible on its prow. The words (by William the Taciturn) in the circle are: "Quiet in the midst of the roaring waves" Poem -

''At The Bottom":-

"In all pressure and mourning

Offer each other the hand.

Be faithful in everything

God's Church and the Fatherland."



THE DUTCH CLAIM THE INVENTION OF THE PRINTED WORD

Prior to the Middle Ages, the Lowlands were already renowned for their beautifully calligraphic breviaries on parchment. What became the means ofr producing books since the 14th century? Small "branched off" sticks of lead and moulds of letters! Movable letters of tin and lead, still used by printers nowadays. Do you realise what a far reaching and revolutionary invention it has been to obtain the means for duplicating books?

Who would be the first to get this brilliant idea which was going to revolutionise the intellectual mind? It would lead up to the freedom of the printed word and availability of the Bible to the common citizen. The first English bible was printed in Amsterdam. Zebulun was to be blessed with the skill of numbering "branched off" sticks or letters. Here is the strange parallel:

The Dutch claim to have invented this!

For ages this has been a controversial historical question, and it is still generally accepted in the Anglo Saxon world that it was a German, Gutenberg, who invented the printing press. The Dutch have always disputed this on good grounds, and recent discoveries in Germany give even more credit to the Dutch claim!

IAURENS JANSZOON COSTER OF HAARLEM

Here is the Dutch story behind it, which by the way, millions of Dutch have been taught at school to be the truth!

In the cityof Haarlem there is a statue in the market place of a man with a letter block in his hand. On the stone is inscribed:

1440 A.D. "Typographiae letteris mobilibus a metallo fusis inventor," or the inventor of the art of printing with movable letters, made of cast metal.

Coster having invented this primitive way of printing with lead types was robbed of his invention onChristmas night of 1440 A.D.by his servant Jan, who fled with it to Mainz in Germany, where it eventually came into the hands of Gutenberg, who seems to have refined the method and produced the famous Gutenberg Bible in 1448.



HOLLAND HAS ALWAYS BEEN A HAVEN FOR THE FREEDOM OF THE PRINTED WORD

Where refugees in the 16th 17th century could freely print their religious ideas? Don't we have a remarkable combination here of Jacob's blessing to Zebulun, of being a haven, and Moses' words of "being blessed in thy going out with joy" (think of all the Dutch books having gone the world over!) and Deborah's prophecy that Zebulun's talent for the "sepher," the book, will be blessed? The Dutch have been and still are greatly blessed in finding new methods of printing. From the 15th and 18th centuries they were the leading nation. From the Encyclopaedia Britannica I quote, (vol 18,1960 Edition) "Even England was completely dependant for type on the Dutch"

Recently Dutch colour printing and the latest methods of photo-type have been developed in the Netherlands. Orders for the highest quality of art -printing from all over the world are being placed by the United States and Great Britain as well. This again is drawing a far sighted parallel with the "light" prophecy for Zebulun.






GLORY OF THE GOSPEL BROUGHT "BY WAY OF THE SEA"

On yet another level of interpretation the light of the Gospel has been brought to these islands by means of the sea as early as A.D. 50 and again in the 5th and 6th centuries by Irish and English monks, long before Rome claims to have converted these barbarous and heathen "Germanic" tribes. This is a subject in itself. The earliest missionaries to the Lowlands came in boats and established centres along the coast of the Netherlands, "where the glory shone."



ISAIAH'S PROPHECY FOR THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LIGHT IN THE NETHERLANDS

But in the midst of judgement there is the promise and the certainty of the Lord's deliverance there shall be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time the Lord brought into contempt the land of Zebulun ... but in latter time He will make it glorious, by the way of the sea ... The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of intense darkness and the shadow of death, upon them light shines ... (different translations)

(Isaiah 9:1) This reminds us of the fact that the land of Zebulun in latter days became part of Galilee. Is it so strange that the prophet is having two visions simultaneously? He sees the depopulated wasteland of Zebulun west of the river Jordan, where one day the Messiah will walk. He also sees the Zebulunites, afflicted by the sea in a land of dimness and darkness, seeing light.

THE LOWlANDS AFFLICTED BY THE SEA

Is there any land in the western world that has had so many disastrous floods since times immemorial as the Netherlands? No regularly rising rivers here as in India, but sudden afflictions by a roaring and thundering sea attacking the land and its civilization. Legends tell us about dramatic disasters, one of them being called the "Kimbrian flood" of all names! More recently, in 1953 the land was afflicted more grievously. Was this applicable to Zebulun's land, which never bordered on the sea in Biblical times?* Orthodox Dutch fishermen and farmers at the latest disastrous breach of dykes cited this very verse of Isaiah when whole families in Zealand were drowned in the sea, fifteen hundred in one night, 1st of February, 1953. A people that fled in darkness on the top of their houses and saw the house high waves running towards them. "In the land of shadow and death, upon them light has shined." To those among the Dutch who remember those days they themselves are the people of whom Isaiah spoke.

THE STRANGE PARALLEL BECOMES A TRUE PARALLEL

Holland, country of light, has to be cleansed first from its sickness, in order to become Zebulun, the dwelling of the elevated. If it is true the destruction will come by fire to many parts of the earth, the atmosphere will be so dim and dark that the sun will be blackened. When this comes, says the Bible "go into your dwellings and wait." There will be light inside. There will be light in each inner home that has been cleansed. As it was in Moses' time when Egypt sat in darkness, while the Israelites were surrounded by the Shekinah light, so it will be in times to come Zebulun will see the light first.Those in the Netherlands, who are aware that this strange parallel is a true one, will behave as children of Zebulun. Being cleansed, they will dwell safely,and they will receive the grace of seeing the return of the Light.

A RISEN LOWlAND, AN ELEVATED ZEBULUN, ONE DELIGHTFUL PEOPLE, INDWELLED BY HIS LIGHT

"What then of these people, these north western Europeans living in the flat lands of Holland?Are they descended through the ages from the People of Zebulun? If they be of Zebulun, then they are of Israel. Down the long corridors of time, beyond the 21st century, the prophets foresaw a wondrous future, for Zebulun, as Isaiah foretold, would see the LIGHT FIRST."

The Light of the world did His first miracle in CANA GALILEE (country of Zebulun). He the Living water, changed the 6 water jars (meant for cleansing) into blood of the VINE. Jesus being the True VINE and Israel the branches who have to produce much fruit. I'll show you now some deeper symbolic and numeric explanations. He the GREAT SON. SON has the number value 52. So has the word wine. The fruit of the VINE being UNFERMENTED grape Juice as the BLOOD of JESUS was UNDEFILED, became the symbol of cleansing ISRAEL and it provides for the NEW COVENANT with ISRAEL. Cana Galilee has the numeric value of 145. In Psalm 145 it says: "Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom" The task of Zebulun is spreading the LIGHT.The numeric value of Zebulun is 95. So do we read in Psalm 95: "0 come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our God; ...".and we are the sheep of His pasture.

Vinefruit has the numeric value of 423 that is 3 times 141. In Psalm 141 it says: "Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth... But mine eyes are unto Thee 0 God the Lord: in Thee is my trust".

Jesus BLOOD came down, during His crucifixion, from His left side, into the split in the rock (due to the earthquake at His death) and dropped down on the MERCY SEAT in the cave below. Only the golden MERCY SEAT on top of the GOLDEN ARK WITH THE OLD COVENANT WRITTEN ON STONE IN IT, could do service for the PRECIOUS BLOOD of CHRIST on behalf of HIS OWN PEOPLE ISRAEL; Forgiving their sins, breaking the bill of DIVORCE once given to her and bringing ISRAEL into His NEW COVENANT, "writing His LAW in the Hearts and minds of all Israelites".

Will that LIGHT first appear in the nation of Zebulun, at the border of the sea? Then it will enable them to CALL THE NATIONS (of Israel) to the mount. That word MOUNTAIN has also a deeper meaning of PROMOTION (Do you get it)? Promotion of' "a company of nations".

Netherland means LOWLAND - the numeric value of that word is 415 or 5 times 83. In Psalm 83 it says:

"That men may know that thou, whose name alone is YAHWEH, art the MOST HIGH over all the earth."

That LIGHT will surely NATIONALY go forth from my LOW LAND.



Dutch National Emblem "I will maintain God and my Right"

We are heirs of the Father, we are joint heirs with the Son. We are children of the Kingdom. We are a family, we are ONE.

FRISIANS - SONS OF ISSACHAR!

By

Bert Otten, Holland

THIS study is to show that the Frisians are descendants of the tribe of Issachar, one of the lost ten-tribes. Many books have been written to show the nations of north-western Europe to be of Israelite descent in general, and Great Britain (Ephraim) and the United States of America (Manasseh), to be Joseph in particular.

The Celts
There are numerous parallels between the Celts, who surfaced in Europe from about 600 B.C.onwards, and the ten-tribed Northern House of Israel (also called
Ephraim and Samaria), which was taken into Assyrian captivity from 721 to 718 B.C., and which broke loose from their captors after the Assyrian Empire fell to the Babylonians.

609 B.C.
The Celts are descended from the House of Israel, Samaria, Bit Khumri (Assyrian for Beth Omri, the House of Omri), hence 'Khymri' or 'Cimmerians'. There is quite an astonishing analogy between the Northern House of Israel with their Levites/priests on the one hand and the Celts and Druids on the other.

Among the Celts, the Druids were the only teachers of religion, like the priests/Levites were in Israel. The Druids offered sacrifices as the priests did in Israel. Among pagan nations it is normally the civil government that judges criminals, especially so in murder cases but this was not the case amongst the Celts. Like the priests in Israel, it was the Druids, and not the kings or heads of tribes, that decided about life and death.



Dutch Frisian Islands

Similarly, the Druids had their high priest as did ancient Israel and like the priests and Levites, the Druids were in charge of religion. Another strong link is the fact
that both Levites in Israel and Druids among the Celts were exempt from military service and paying taxes.

The Celts seem to have raised commemorative stone monuments as the Israelites did, and the oak tree played a significant role in the lives of both Celts and the
idolatrous Israelites of the Northern Kingdom.

The Celts had special feasts in May and October, a corruption of those of the Eternal (Leviticus Ch.23). Their day started at sunset, as it did in Israel, whereas the year commenced, according to certain historians, in autumn, as the year still does with the Jews. They also used a solar-lunar calendar, with alternating months of 29 and 30 days similar to the Jewish solar-lunar Calendar of today.

The most gruesome analogy is the one of human sacrifices. For this reason Julius Caesar considered the Celts barbaric and it was one of the reasons why God drove the Ten Tribes out of the Promised Land. Could it be that Baal and Moloch, the gods the apostate Israelites turned to worship, were in essence the same as the Celtic gods Belenos (Baal) and Lug (Mo-loch)? Human sacrifices were made to both Moloch and Lug.

Zebulun and Issachar
Those who write about the Lost Tribes are quite unanimous over the identity of the Dutch as Zebulunites. Zebulun's prophecies (see Genesis Ch. 49 and
Deuteronomy Ch.33) strongly focus on a tribe obtaining a living from the sea. The Bible is supported in this by the apocryphal Testament of Zebulun, The Testament of the TwelvePatriarchs, in which the very first sailing-boat is ascribed to Zebulun and in which Zebulun encourages his tribe to be compassionate.

The love for water, for the sea, and compassion for fellowmen, are strong national characteristics in Holland. In Deuteronomy Chapter 33, Issachar shares Zebulun's prophecy concerning maritime and naval blessings. In the Testament of Issachar, the patriarch Issachar calls his tribe to simplicity and goodness (eenvoud, rechtdoor zee!) and encourages his descendants to breed cattle! Where Zebulun is, Issachar cannot be far away.

Strong and Brave Fighters
Just before his death the patriarch Jacob prophesied about his sons' descendants in the Last Days. Jacob's blessing for Issachar is mentioned in Genesis 49:14-15,

"Issachar is a strong ass" (KJV),"a rawboned donkey" (NIV), "un ane robuste" (Louis Segond), "un ane osseux" (TOB), "een bonkige ezel" (NBG),"eensterk gebeende ezel" (SW = Staten VertaIing).

The Jewish Encyclopaedia states about Issachar, "...Jacob in blessing his children before his death compared Issachar to a strong and bony ass (Genesis 49:14). This expression is a prophecy referring to the tribe of Issachar."

Physical Apparel
The descendants of Issachar are described as robust, vigorous people and the Romans wrote about the Frisians likewise. M.D.Teenstra describes the Frisians in
'De Kroniek van Groningen, Fries and en Drenthe',

" ... De Romeinen beschreven de Friezen aIs ruw en woest, groot van lichaarnsbouw en sterk gespierd ..."
(The Romans described the Frisians as rough and fierce, of big physique and very muscular). (All translations from Dutch works are by the author).

Brave Fighters!
Issachar being a raw-boned donkey, not only referred to the physique of his descendants but also to their military ability. Although not an aggressive people by nature, they were reliable fighters whenever they were called upon.

Judges Ch.l describes how the tribes of Israel took possession of the Promised Land and how each tribe failed to drive out certain Canaanites living in its area. The only tribe not mentioned in this account is Issachar! This could be either because Issachar was included in Zebulun or because it was the only one to remove the
Canaanites. It is unknown whether the Issacharites actually achieved this but they are not accused of not having done so.

In the days of David the tribe is described as very populous; able to supply more able men to fight for Israel than any other tribe (except for Judah!).

Frisians - Brave People
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 9th and 11th Editions, states of the Frisians,

"In the 13th book of his Annals, Tacitus tells how the chiefs, Verritus and Malorix, as he calls them, excited the amusement and admiration of the people by taking, unasked, their seat among the senators in Pompey's theatre, when they heard that strangers from nations distinguished by their bravery and friendship to the Romans were advanced to that honourable position." - (9th Edition).

"The Frisians struggled against Roman overlordship somewhat longer, and it was not until A.D. 47 that they finally submitted to the victorious arms of Domitius Corbulo. The Frisian auxiliaries were likewise regarded as exce/lent troops." - Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition Vol. 19, p.413.

Stubbornness
Why are they compared to a strong and bony ass? Probably because it also refers to their stubbornness. In English there is the expression 'as stubborn as an
ass', or in Dutch 'zo koppig als een ezel'. In Holland, in Dutch the Frisians are also known for their stubbornness, "Friese stijfkop" (stubborn Frisian).

A Couching Down Between Two Burdens

"Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: And he saw that the rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute" - (Genesis 49:14-15).

Tillage and Tribute
With regard to Issachar, Genesis 49:14-15, Matthew Henry's Commentary states the following:

"That the men of that tribe should be strong and industrious, fit for labour and inclined to labour, particularly the toil of husbandry, like the ass, that patiently carried his burden, and, by using himself to it, makes it the easier. Issachar submitted to two burdens, tillage and tribute. It was a tribe that took pains and thriving thereby, was called upon for rents and taxes."

Scott's Commentary, Vol.1, concerning the same two verses states:

"Issachar is described under the emblem of a strong ass, as Judah had been under that of a fierce lion. This implied that the tribe of Issachar would be industrious and unambitous; bearing labour or tribute peaceably, of which burdens others grievously complained. He was sensible that rest, not from labour, but from war and contention, was profitable; and, being satisfied with the pleasantness of a remote part of the country, he little intermeddled with the affairs of the state, or of war."

Another excellent comment is found in the Dutch Staten Bijbel met kanttekeningen, translating as:

"In comparison with a strong but lazy and easy-going ass, he predicts Issachar's descendants to become strong and of great capacity though, by the fatness of their land, however so much inclined to ease and peace, that they would not accomplish much, yes even become tribute to others."

Frisians - Not Aggressive
Compare this with what the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 9th Edition, says about the Frisians.

"Frisians,... a people of Teutonic stock, who at their first appearance in history, are found in possession of the same district of Europe which they still, at least partially, occupy. So far as can be judged they have never been of an aggressive disposition "he saw that the rest was good" and it is not improbable that at one time they may have possessed a much wider territory, than history usually assigns them. For this neglect the principal reason is undoubtedly the fact that the people have, at least in modern times, displayed no strong political individuality (bowed his shoulder to bear), but now allowed themselves peacefully to be merged in more powerful nationalities (and became a servant unto tribute)."

These more powerful nationalities are the Dutch and the Germans. Most of Issachar's descendants live either in the Netherlands or in northern Germany. If one draws a line from Ijmuiden in the Netherlands to Bremen in Germany then north of that line is Issachar country.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15th edition, Micropaedia Vol.5, p. 14-15 states this:

"Frisian, member of a Germanic people speaking a language closely related to English and living in the Frisian Islands, in Friesland, a northern province of the Netherlands and in Ostfriesland and Nordfriesland in Germany... From the 1st to the 5th century A.D., they were more or less tributary to the Romans; their land was then infiltrated by Angles and Saxons on the way to England and subsequently conquered by the Franks under Charlemagne, who converted them to Christianity. In subsequent centuries (in the Last Days) they were territorially divided between two campfires (NIV, margin); in the 16th century the western Frisians joined the union that was to become The Netherlands."

Courtesy of Kingdom Digest, USA.