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William Shakespeare, in his work King Richard II, expressed so very well the essential feelings of the British people about their unique island home, which they fervently believe was given to them by God:
This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle,> This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,> This other Eden, demi-paradise,> This fortress built by Nature for herself> Against infection and the hand of war,> This happy breed of men, this little world,> This precious stone set in the silver sea,> Which serves it in the office of a wall> Or as a moat defensive to a house,> Against the envy of less happier lands, -- > This blessed plot, this earth, this realm,> this England.
Of course, many other peoples feel the same way about their homelands, and why shouldn't they? This is who they are, the inheritance from their hard-working fathers, the lands of their youth, the very soil that sustained them, for which their families, friends and neighbors fought. Why should such proud history be lost? Would it not be ungrateful to turn one's back on such hard-won treasure?
Brexit is not a repudiation of Europe, far from it, but more a love of family, of hearth and home and history. Strange as it might seem, the English, Welsh, Scots and Irish are all originally of one stock that came to these island countries in waves over a long period of time. There were the Celtic Cymric and Gaelic invasions, the Anglo-Saxon and Danish and Norman, finding their way over land and sea until they found their resting place and put down roots in this fertile land. They are brother nations in one family home, different but the same; squabbling, but having mutual respect.
And they respect their squabbling cousins too -- the French, Dutch, Belgians, Scandinavians and others on the continent of Europe -- and are more than happy to trade with them and interact in so many different ways.
But they do not wish to lose their identity, nor for their friends in Europe to lose theirs. Yet they are afraid that was exactly what was happening -- they were becoming, as it were, one common country.
There may well be highly intellectual people throughout Europe who think that such amalgamation into one homogenous whole is no bad thing. But the heartfelt conviction of common people is that it is wrong, and quite unnecessary -- why couldn't they just have a Common Market, which was the idea they accepted in the first place?
The fear now is that other nations will feel the same way and also elect to leave. It is a question of distinct identity and of sovereignty. The Brits are feeling that all the rules and regulations are coming from outside their parliament, and they would just as soon govern themselves. Economic cooperation is not the issue, for it provides for a free exchange of goods and services and a healthy and enjoyable variety all around, to everybody's benefit.
Sure, there have to be rules and regulations regarding tariffs and exchange rates, etc., but a total immersion into one all-encompassing political entity, a United States of Europe, is outside British sensibilities, as it might well be beyond the desire of other nations. Time will tell.
But there is a source of news, written in advance, that does not auger well for the immediate future. Trouble is in store because the related peoples of Britain, Europe, the United States and elsewhere have forgotten where they came from.
They forget God at their peril. It is He who provided the Brits with this beautiful, bountiful homeland set in the silver sea. It is He who has overseen the course of their history, expanding their influence into the vast British Empire and Commonwealth, giving them favor in many lands -- so that they and others might learn, eventually, that it is He who sits above the circle of the earth, with men like grasshoppers (Isaiah 40:22).
He removes kings and sets up kings (Daniel 2:21). From one man He made all the nations, that they should inherit the whole earth, and He marked out their appointed times in history and the bounds of their lands (Acts 17:26).
The happy breed of men who came to inherit the "sceptred isle" came little by little over land and sea, over many centuries, which makes for fascinating history since the ancient people from whom they derive were reputed to have been lost -- having vanished from their original homeland following defeat and deportation.
You may read more about this in our free study guide The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy . And our study guide Why Were You Born? explains vital truths which have been obscured for centuries. Request them today, and they will be sent to you without charge.
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