The Banner of the Netherlands
Just as Canadians had some controversies about a new flag there was quite a flag fight in Holland before the last world war. There was a trend to change the old red-white-blue flag into orange-white-blue without an orange ribbon. This ribbon was and is used only when the Dutch flag flies during festivities in connection with the Dutch royal family (i.e. the birthday of the Queen.
This fight suddenly came to an end, when a greater fight started and the Germans took our country and occupied it for five years. During those years 1940-1945 the red-white-blue flag was forbidden by the Germans. Instead they flew the swastika and a pseudo-Dutch flag invented by some Dutch collaborators in black- red colours.
Try to imagine that you don’t see your own flag flying in your own country during five years of oppression. What would that arouse in you? Imagine then that from all your buildings were hanging, well, for instance a hammer and a sickle. Would that put you to sleep or awaken you?
Well, strangely enough the Germans were used without knowing it, to awaken a sort of unconscious Israel-identity within the Dutch people. Many Dutch flags were confiscated, but most people had hidden their flag somewhere. So, when the day of the liberation came, suddenly from everywhere the red-white-blue flags appeared, and they jubilated, so to speak, from official buildings and private homes. There were the ancient colours of Israel again! The free Anglo-Saxon world had given them back to an oppressed country, and all together they had conquered the swastika flag and the black-red one.
Now, these years had awakened many Dutch, and the controversy about the flag colours had stopped. Although still blind as to their true meaning, they chose for their Israel-identity unconsciously, and in the year 1949 the Dutch government officially decided the national colours to be a combination of vermilion red, white and cobalt blue. Here again Holland gave a proof of being connected with the true Kingdom.
Why is the banner of the Netherlands red-white-and-blue? To us, as Israelites, this is very clear. They are the colours of every Israel-country [Ed. Sadly Canada dropped the colour blue from their flag], the red-white-blue of the curtains of the tabernacle (Ex. 25:4) and for us this is a symbol of Holland being connected with the lost Ten Tribes of Israel of old. But all this is unwritten, sacred history, so far.
What does recorded history say? The encyclopedia and some books and some books on the Dutch flag cannot trace it further back than the year 1572, when it was used by William the Silent, who as you may know was our great hero. He fought for religious freedom against the supremacy of Papal Rome and the Spanish conquerors. The Dutch Protestants fought during 80 years for their freedom. As a result of this fight, won by the “Hollanders”, the Netherlands became noted for their religious freedom and tolerance. This also was the reason why hundreds of years later these Israelites who would become the Pilgrim Fathers, fled to Holland (Leiden) first. From there they sailed to the New World aboard the Mayflower.
