THE UNION JACK
‘THOU hast given a Banner to them that fear Thee that it may be displayed because of the Truth’ (Psalm 60:4).
THIS IS OUR UNION JACK which once floated over more than one-third of the world and over more than half the ships that sailed. It was the Standard of Empire as distinct from the Royal Standard.
From the dawn of history man has used ensigns, standards and flags for both national and religious uses and these ensigns have come down to modern days. It cannot be over-emphasised that the heraldry of other nations is just as significant as that of Britain and Israel.
The British flag, which stands for Liberty, Equality and justice to all, brought benefit to all wherever it flew. The growth of the Empire and its Missionary enterprise is coincident with the advent of this Flag, the Sign of the Cross. It is the Flag of that Nation which was predestined to take the Gospel of Salvation and its complementary Gospel of the Kingdom to every land till the Kingdom of this world becomes the Kingdom of our Lord.
Originally the Flag had only the red cross of St George on a white ground and it became the National Symbol in A.D. 1189 in the reign of Richard I. It was under this plain flag that the Spanish Armada was defeated in A.D. 1588. The First ‘Union Jack’ was formed in A.D. 1603 when Jarnes VI of Scotland became James I of England. The two crosses of St George and St Andrew (the flag of St Andrew was a white diagonal cross on a blue ground) were combined, and it was under this flag that the beginnings of our Empire were laid in India, Canada, etc. In 1801 the Flag of St Patrick was added when Ireland joined the Union, and it was under this Flag that the miraculous growth of the British Empire took place after the seven times of Punishment on Israel ran out in 1800-1801. While, like the Prodigal son in the parable, (“for Ephraim is my first born,”) Israel was still a long way off, God our Father hastened to meet us and has showered the promised blessings on the Nation – For this My Son was lost and is found again.
The symbolism of the Union Jack or Union of Jacob is important. Its colours are Red, White and Blue.
Red is the syrnbol of Blood (Isa. 1:18; I John 1:7). The shedding of Christ’s Blood which has redeemed us.
White, the symbol of Purity (Rev. 7:13,14). The white robe of Christ’s righteousness.
Blue, the syrnbol of Service in Holy Things on behalf of the people (Exod. 26:31).
The colours of the curtains in the Tabernacle were Scarlet and Blue. The Cross of St George with the two crosses of St Andrew and St Patrick form a star and symbolise the promises of God to Abraham. Also “There shall come a Star out of Jacob” (Num. 24:17).
The Two Crosses combined represent the eight spokes of a wheel. Eight is the number of our Lord – the Alpha and Omega – the first and the last.
The Red Cross of St George, the centre of the Flag, is the sign of addition, the adding of land and territory. That of St Andrew, the White Cross, is the sign of multiplication, signifying increase of seed, “his seed shall be in many waters,” and is the cross Jacob formed when he crossed his hands to bless Ephraim and Manasseh. These three Crosses are the monogram of the Name of Christ, 888, the Aleph and Tau of the Hebrew alphabet.
Here is the Nation of whom God has said, “Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war.”
