Bill McMurdo

By Mark Swarbrick

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Pastor Bill McMurdo is a minister based in Scotland who leads a local congregation and is actively involved in training others for ministry. He conducts teaching sessions and courses for those preparing for pastoral work and regularly speaks on biblical topics. In addition to his work within the church, he produces online teaching content, including videos and written materials, which are distributed through his ministry channels and reach a wider audience beyond his local congregation.

British-Israel movement

Pastor Bill McMurdo is associated with the “Israelite Identity” or British-Israel movement. This ideology claims that white, Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and Scandinavian peoples are the true descendants of the biblical Israelites and thus the “Chosen People” of the Bible. He promotes the belief that certain European peoples are the true Israelites, a view widely rejected by mainstream Christian denominations. McMurdo argues that mainstream churches ignore or suppress what he sees as biblical truths about the identity and destiny of certain nations.

McMurdo did not invent this false teahcing. British-Israelism originated in the United Kingdom during the 1800s, where it was developed and popularized as a distinct movement. The teaching is most closely associated with John Wilson, whose lectures and his 1840 book Our Israelitish Origin began spreading the idea. Earlier figures such as Richard Brothers in the late 18th century expressed similar concepts, but it was in 19th-century Britain that the movement took recognizable form and began to spread.

An example of Bill McMurdo’s teaching on this can be found at:  https://youtu.be/pG_mP1lf-II?si=ABUhPrvzED1KQDq9

The audio is poor and is especially hard to follow for American listeners due to the heavy Scottish accent, but one can print the transcript and read what is said. Here are a couple of his statements made in that video:

“There was a miracle Supernatural intervention of God on behalf of his people to raise us to be higher than the other nations…When you read the word ‘Gentile,’ we need to understand ‘gentilized nations’ means the Nations of the dispersed ten tribes that went away – they are the Gentiles.”

That statement alone establishes beyond doubt that McMurdo is teaching that Brits are, in his view, “higher than the other nations.”And his assertion that “Gentile” means the ten lost tribes has no biblical or anthropological support. Indeed, the phrase “ten lost tribes” is a misleading misnomer, for they have never been lost. The idea that the “ten lost tribes” vanished is not supported by Scripture or evidence.

The Bible shows that members of all twelve tribes were still present after the Assyrian exile. For example, during King Asa’s reforms, people from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon were living among Judah (2 Chronicles 15:9), and in the New Testament, Paul speaks of “our twelve tribes” as still existing (Acts 26:7). Anna the prophetess is even identified as being from the tribe of Asher (Luke 2:36). Historically and scientifically, modern genetic studies of Jewish populations have consistently shown shared Middle Eastern ancestry across dispersed Jewish communities, indicating continuity rather than disappearance. Together, Scripture and genetics demonstrate that the tribes were never truly lost, but preserved and integrated within the Jewish people.

McMurdo also states: “We’ve had it in our history here in this nation of Britain and also in other Israel nations  – America and so on…” Here he is teaching that Britain and America are both “Israel nations.” This claim is patently false; neither the British nor the Americans are all ethnically Jewsish. The U.S. is only about 2 percent Jewish, and the U.K. is about 0.5 percent.

Scripture gives no support for identifying modern nations like Britain or America as Israel. The Bible consistently locates Israel in the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, centered in the land of Israel and among the Jewish people (Genesis 12:1–3; Romans 9:3–5). While the tribes were scattered, the Bible never teaches that they became distinct modern European or Western nations. In fact, the New Testament still speaks of Israel as an identifiable people (Acts 26:7; James 1:1), not as nations like Britain or America. There is also no historical, linguistic, or genetic evidence linking Anglo-Saxon or American populations to ancient Israel. The claim inserts modern nations into Scripture without biblical or factual foundation.

Christians and mainstream churches have widely viewed the British-Israel movement as unbiblical and have often criticized it for potentially promoting ethnocentric or racially based theology. That is not to say that Bill McMurdo is racist in any way, only that the teaching he promotes, besides being unbiblical and unscientific, could lead some toward racist thinking. A clear example of where this teaching can lead is seen in the Christian Identity Movement, which grew out of British-Israel ideas. In that movement, the claim that modern Western peoples are Israel developed into explicit racial hierarchy and exclusion. Beyond that, such teaching also diminishes the identity of the Jewish people by transferring Israel’s biblical promises to others without basis. This stands in contrast to Scripture, where Jesus warned of those “who say they are Jews and are not” (Revelation 2:9), highlighting the seriousness of falsely claiming that identity.

The “Israelite Identity” or “British-Israelism” promoted by McMurdo is not supported by mainstream Christian doctrine and is widely rejected by orthodox theologians as unbiblical and, in some cases, heretical. It is often criticized for distorting biblical teaching about the identity of God’s people and can be seen as potentially divisive, drawing attention away from the core message of the Gospel, which is centered on grace and unity in Christ rather than ethnic or national identity. This is not to suggest that McMurdo himself is racist or unkind, but the teaching itself departs from historic Christian doctrine and, by established biblical and theological standards, can be classified as false teaching.

Emrys Ministry

McMurdo is a associated with a group known as Emrys Ministry. Bill McMurdo’s website has an article on Emrys and what it is. Here is the link: https://billmcmurdoministries.wordpress.com/emrys-ministry/

McMurdo writes: “Probably the most famous Emrys in post Bible times was Merlin, the counsellor to King Arthur.“

The appeal to figures like Merlin and King Arthur exposes the weakness of McMurdo’s claim immediately. Neither man is established as a historical figure in any reliable, contemporary record. Merlin is plainly a character of legend, a wizard drawn from medieval folklore, not history. King Arthur, while possibly inspired by some unknown war leader, appears only in sources written centuries after his supposed lifetime—accounts filled with myth, magic, and literary embellishment. To build theological or historical claims on such figures is to move from Scripture and verifiable history into the realm of legend. It is difficult to see how doctrines presented as biblical truth can rest, even in part, on characters whose existence cannot be demonstrated and whose stories are inseparable from myth and imagination.

McMurdo further states: “Emrys ministry is apostolic and prophetic…”

Pretending to be an apostle is a common tactic of false teachers who attempt to cloak themselves in an aura of authority. Revelation 2:2 says: “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.” There are no apostles or Old Testament prophets today. See my article on that here:    https://christiananswerman.com/are-there-prophets-today/  and here:  https://christiananswerman.com/five-fold-ministry-in-the-bible/

The Bible makes clear that apostles were unique, foundational witnesses of Christ who could not continue beyond the first century. An apostle had to be an eyewitness of the risen Christ and personally commissioned by Him (Acts 1:21–22; 1 Corinthians 9:1), something no one today can claim. Paul himself declared that he was the last to see the risen Christ in this way (1 Corinthians 15:8), marking the close of that office. Furthermore, Scripture teaches that the church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets” (Ephesians 2:20), and once a foundation is laid, it is not laid again. The apostles delivered “the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3), and believers are told to remember what the apostles already taught, not to look for new ones (Jude 1:17). Therefore, by biblical definition and function, the office of apostle was limited to the early church and does not continue today.

McMurdo also writes: “The distinctive mark of a true Emrys ministry is allegiance to the Throne of David – the British Royal Throne.”

That claim has no biblical foundation either. Scripture consistently identifies the throne of David with the line established in Israel, ultimately fulfilled in the reign of Jesus Christ, not in any modern monarchy (2 Samuel 7:12–16; Luke 1:32–33). The New Testament never transfers David’s throne to Britain or any other nation, nor does it tie allegiance to a present-day royal family to faithfulness to God. To equate the British throne with the throne of David is to insert a modern institution into the biblical narrative without evidence, replacing what Scripture clearly teaches with a claim that cannot be supported from the text.

Dominion or Kingdom Now Theology

The doctrines expounded on McMurdo’s Emrys ministry webspage shows clear overlap with the false teachings of Dominion or Kingdom Now theology. Its emphasis on believers serving as advisors to rulers, exercising influence over government and culture, and “taking their rightful places” in the so-called Seven Mountains reflects a framework in which God’s people are expected to occupy controiling positions of authority in society now. The reference to “7M penetration” and national leadership further reinforces this dominion-oriented outlook. While framed in terms of ministry and service, the underlying concept closely parallels Kingdom Now teaching, which promotes present-day influence and authority over societal structures rather than awaiting the future reign of Christ.

The Assemblies of God has explicitly rejected this kind of thinking in its official “Kingdom of God” position paper. It warns against the idea that believers will establish the fullness of God’s kingdom on earth before Christ returns, stating that “certain groups today are expecting Christians to usher in the fullness of the Kingdom in an earthly rule,” and clarifies that “the Millennium… will not come without the physical return of Jesus Christ.” In other words, the Assemblies of God affirms that while believers influence society, the kingdom of God is not to be identified with present political systems and will not be established through human dominion. This directly contradicts any teaching that promotes taking control of societal institutions or exercising national rule as part of a present-day kingdom agenda.

You can view the full Assemblies of God position here:
Kingdom of God Position Paper

Association with Prosperity Gospel (Word of Faith)

Pastor Bill McMurdo also teaches the prosperity gospel. His writings and teachings explicitly promote the idea that God intends for believers to experience financial abundance, prosperity, and “economic dominion.” McMurdo has authored books on financial abundance and prosperity, and his ministry emphasizes equipping people to “walk in economic dominion and financial superabundance,” even using phrases like “You can walk in Abraham’s billionaire blessing!”

In his books and articles, McMurdo states that Jesus became poor so that believers might become rich, and he frames prosperity and wealth as gifts from God, accessible through faith and speaking God’s Word. He also asserts that “Poverty days are over. YOU CAN BE RICH!” and describes the gospel as a message of dominion and success, not just salvation, teaching that God’s Spirit empowers believers for “superabundant wealth-accumulation.”

While McMurdo cautions against focusing solely on money and acknowledges that the love of money is problematic, his core message aligns with the prosperity gospel, which teaches that faith and positive confession can lead to material wealth and success.

The Word of Faith (Prosperity Gospel) does not typically teach the British-Israelite identity doctrine. Bill McMurdo just happens to teach both of these errors. 

For more information on the Word Faith Movement and the Prosperity Gospel, see: Word of Faith Movement

British-Israel Movement Scientifically Disproven

Modern genetic research has thoroughly debunked the idea that the peoples of Britain and Northern Europe are direct descendants of the ancient Israelites. Multiple large-scale DNA studies have shown that Jewish populations around the world—including Ashkenazi, Sephardic, and Mizrahi Jews—share distinctive genetic markers that trace back to the Middle East, not to Western or Northern Europe. For example, research summarized in Newsweek and published in leading scientific journals demonstrates that Jews of the Diaspora, despite geographic dispersion, have a common ancestry rooted in the ancient Near East. These studies also confirm that the so-called “Khazar myth” (the idea that European Jews are not real descendants of Israelites but converts from a Turkic tribe) is not supported by genetic evidence.

In contrast, the populations of the British Isles—whether Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, or Scandinavian—are genetically linked to other European groups, not to the ancient Israelites. Linguistically, the languages of Britain and Northern Europe (English, Welsh, Gaelic, Norse, etc.) belong to the Indo-European language family, which is entirely distinct from Hebrew and other Semitic languages spoken by the Israelites. Modern linguists have found no credible connections between ancient Hebrew and any of the languages of the British Isles, and claims of such links are based on superficial similarities and “tortured etymology,” not on scientific analysis1.

Historians and biblical scholars also reject the British Israelite narrative. The mainstream scholarly consensus is that the so-called “lost tribes” of Israel were assimilated into local populations after the Assyrian exile and did not migrate en masse to Europe. Scriptural and historical records indicate that members of all twelve tribes were present in the land of Judah during and after the Babylonian exile, and that the Jewish people today are the legitimate descendants of the ancient Israelites.

Furthermore, the theory that Anglo-Saxon or Celtic peoples are the true “Chosen People” is recognized by historians and theologians as a product of 19th-century nationalism and colonial ideology, not of sound biblical or historical research. The 1910 Encyclopaedia Britannica summarized this view by stating, “The theory [of British-Israelism] rests on premises which are deemed by scholars—both theological and anthropological—to be utterly unsound.”

In summary, the overwhelming consensus from genetics, linguistics, archaeology, and history is that there is no scientific or factual basis for the claim that white, Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, or Scandinavian peoples are the descendants of the biblical Israelites. Such ideas are rooted in pseudo-history and have been thoroughly discredited by modern scholarship.

Conclusion

Taken together, these teachings bear little resemblance to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which should point sinners to repentance, the cross, and salvation by grace through faith. The teachings of McMurdo redirect attention to national identity, earthly power and riches, speculative history, and unbiblical claims of authority. I searched McMurdo’s website looking for a clear presentation of the true Gospel, but could not find it. If it is there at all, it is buried beneath mythical speculations, allusions to Merlin the wizard, promises of wealth, and other distractions that obscure rather than illuminate the truth. The Gospel exalts Christ; it does not elevate nations, modern thrones, or self-appointed apostles. The Gospel encourages perseverance through trial and self-denial. McMurdo empasizes obtaining material posessions and riches in this life. When doctrine departs this far from Scripture and rests on ideas that cannot be supported biblically or historically, it must be rejected. As Paul warned, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine… and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Timothy 4:3–4).

To Comment, Scroll Down…

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In this bold and timely book, pastor and author Mark Swarbrick exposes the dangers and distortions at the heart of the Word of Faith movement, also known as the “Name-it-and-Claim-it” or “Health and Wealth Gospel.” 

Available in Paperback, Kindle eBook, and Audio Book. Only $3.99 – Click HERE to purchase. 

 

 

 



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