It was first Britain that was used to help fulfill biblical prophecy by strongly supporting the future state of Israel through the famous Balfour Declaration of 1917.

Then, just after World War II, U.S. President Harry Truman picked up the baton and made possible the reestablishment of a Jewish state after almost 2,000 long years in exile when he recognized the Israeli provisional government on May 14, 1948. American support for Israel has continued virtually unabated ever since.

Side by side, the United States and Britain fought two world wars during the 20th century. The Roosevelt-Churchill special relationship continued with the Reagan-Thatcher alliance and more recently the Bush-Blair partnership. Yet this remarkable triangular relationship has been severely threatened by events over the past several months and more.

Israel's enemies are now rejoicing. The Economist stated: "Palestinians have gleefully watched two of Israel's main allies rebuking it. They have rejoiced, too, as the peacemaking Quartet (the United States, the European Union, Russia and the UN) roundly condemned Israel's building plans in East Jerusalem" ("A Wall of Suspicion," March 17, 2010).

We conveniently forget "that the US had previously expressly agreed with Israel that it would continue building in east Jerusalem while stopping building in the West Bank, an agreement for which it was warmly praised by Hillary Clinton" (Melanie Phillips, "Why Truth Beats Diplomacy," The Jewish Chronicle, March 19, 2010).

We now see regular headlines such as "The Ties That Bind America to Israel Are Beginning to Fray and Break" (The Observer, March 21, 2010). That "wall of suspicion" between the United States and Israel appears to be rapidly forming. The recent White House meeting between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ended in diplomatic rancor.

Britain's relationship with Israel has also suffered in recent months. Many of Israel's top leaders cannot now enter Britain without fear of arrest. Wrote journalist David Blair: "One of the highest priorities of the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem is to persuade Britain to amend the law that allows our courts to order the arrest of much of their political leadership ... Israeli diplomats are convinced that the real reason lies in a campaign to rob their country of legitimacy in the eyes of British public opinion"  ("Shunning Israel Will Not Turn It Into a Moderate Nation, Thirsting for Peace," The Tablet, March 6, 2010, emphasis added throughout).

Earlier in his article he had incisively written: "Many Israelis fear that a global campaign is steadily robbing their country of legitimacy. This is a gradual but insidious process" (ibid.).

A recent Sunday Telegraph report reveals that "a charity praised last week by [British Prime Minister] Gordon Brown and the Prince of Wales [Prince Charles] has channelled hundreds of thousands of pounds to groups linked to Hamas, the banned terrorist organisation, according to security sources" (Andrew Gilligan, "Hamas Link of Charity Praised by Brown," March 28, 2010).

Meanwhile, a Jewish Chronicle articlenotes that "Britain has become a hub for Hamas activities in Europe, including virulently anti-semitic propaganda" ("Britain Now Nerve Centre for Hamas Support," Feb. 26, 2010).

This triangular breakdown threatens the very existence of Israel as a nation. As The Sunday Telegraph put it, "Today Israel faces an Israel-hating Islamist coalition of Iran, Hizbollah and Hamas, which may soon have nuclear weapons—but does so without any certainty about American goodwill and protection" ("America and Israel: The End of a Special Relationship," March 28, 2010).

But it gets worse. The long relationships America and Britain have had with Israel aren't the only ones faltering. Perhaps of even greater concern is the rather sudden decline of the special relationship the United States and Britain have had with each other.

Wrote Tim Shipman, deputy political editor of the British Daily Mail: "Britain no longer has a 'special relationship' with the United States, senior MPs [members of parliament] declared yesterday. The Foreign Affairs Select Committee said the phrase, coined by Sir Winston Churchill, should be ditched because Britain's influence in Washington had declined" ("Our Special Relationship With U.S. Is Dead, Say MPs," March 29, 2010).

Earlier, regarding a speech by President Barack Obama at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York, in which he outlined plans for Afghanistan, a Daily Mail reporter observed: "There wasn't a single mention of America's main ally in the region, Britain. Never mind that we have 10,000 troops on active service there" ("Does Obama Have It in for Britain?" Dec. 9, 2009).

In a British Spectator article titled "A Special Form of Disrespect," veteran journalist Con Coughlin observed, "It says much about Britain's rapidly disappearing 'special relationship' with America that when I happened to mention to some of our senior military officers that I was visiting Washington, they begged me to find out what the Obama administration was thinking about Afghanistan" (Nov. 21, 2009).

Most people don't have knowledge of the biblical, historical and ethnic roots undergirding this previously treasured special relationship. These nations' common origins reach back into the book of Genesis to the patriarch Joseph, whose two sons Ephraim and Manasseh were prophesied to be a great nation and a company of nations. This whole fascinating story appears in our free booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy.

Another important aspect here is the fact that the present state of Israel owes its ethnic roots to Joseph's brother Judah. Both brothers are numbered among the 12 tribes of Israel. A somewhat obscure scriptural prophecy highlights the tragic breakdown of this triangular relationship. Speaking figuratively, "Manasseh [the United States] shall devour Ephraim [Britain] and Ephraim Manasseh: Together they shall be against Judah [the modern state of Israel]" (Isaiah 9:21).

The context places the ultimate fulfilment of this prophecy in a time of devastation and ensuing captivity, when all of these peoples will be fighting for their own survival. Nevertheless, the breaking of the bonds that we see going on today between these longtime allies may well be sowing the seeds of the bitter infighting to come when conditions grow dire.

In any case, the present fracturing of these bonds weakens all three nations and massively erodes global stability. If these three key democratic countries continue down their troubled road to nowhere, the whole world will soon find itself in deep trouble indeed.

To fully grasp the purpose and meaning of this whole prophetic scenario, request or download our free booklets You Can Understand Bible Prophecy and The Middle East in Bible Prophecy. (Sources: The Sunday Times, The Sunday Telegraph, The Observer, The Tablet, Daily Mail, The Economist, The Spectator, The Jewish Chronicle [all London], The Truman Library.)