God has spoken to us through many prophets and messengers throughout the ages, including those whose works are included in the Holy Bible. However, God’s use of prophets to deliver His message did not cease with the writers of the Bible.
In the Bible we read of messages that will be revealed to future generations (Joel 2:28-29, John 16:12, Habbakuk 2:3, Jeremiah 23:20, Daniel 12:4), and we are told that “there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known” (Matthew 10:26). Accordingly, God has equipped different prophets or messengers with different messages throughout the modern age, each with their own calling (Amos 3:7).
Throughout the Bible there is a strong theme of the calling and promises to the twelve tribes of Israel, in particular, to the lost ten tribes who have been scattered throughout the world and have lost their identity as Israelites. God promises that the lost ten tribes of Israel will be found and gathered together again (Isaiah 11:11-12, Jeremiah 31:10, 32:37-38, Romans 9:27), and that he will make a new covenant with them (Jeremiah 31:31, Hebrews 8:8).
God has used a number of prophets to spread His message to Israel to begin the work of the in-gathering of the lost tribes and to establish His new covenant with them in readiness for the return of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Of significance is the prophet John Wroe, the founder of the Christian Israelite Church.
‘I was born in a small village called Bowling, in the parish of Bradford, Yorkshire, September 19th, 1782, and baptised and registered at Bradford church. I was a tender child, much despised and abused by my father, and before I was fit, put to the drudgery in the land.’
John Wroe’s early life was characterised by difficulties and ill-treatment, but in his later life he began to have many divine visions and dreams describing God’s calling on his life. Although John was a reluctant messenger who described himself as ‘wrestling with God’, the visions drew him closer to the Lord, who told him to ‘go forth into all nations, and kingdoms, and states, and declare the last covenant that shall be made with man.’ Thus commissioned, John Wroe founded The Christian Israelite Church in 1822, purposed to continue his work of gathering God’s Elect until the second coming of Christ. John preached the Christian Israelite faith across the world until 1863, when he died in Melbourne, Australia, at the age of 80.
Christian Israelites believe that God, through John Wroe, established the new covenant for Israel that is spoken of in Jeremiah 31:31 and Hebrews 8:8. The original records of John’s revealed word have significantly contributed to both the Church’s calling and the member’s understanding of the Bible. The legacy of this work is the continuation of the Christian Israelite Church and its faith as originally laid out through John Wroe. The glory, however, will always remain God’s, and for this purpose John Wroe’s grave was deliberately left unmarked. He is, however, remembered as a humble, ordinary man through whom the message of an extraordinary God was given.