In the prophecy spoken through Noah, it was stated clearly that Japheth would be enlarged by God (9:27). This one word needs centuries to fulfill it. History tells us that the Europeans have been enlarged. Consider the history of the last five centuries. What an enlargement, an expansion, has occurred with the Europeans since the time of Columbus. This expansion is continuing. This expansion is mainly due to three factors among the Europeans: governmental power, science, and art, including the skills and the trades. Due to these three things, the Europeans have been constantly expanding. The Americans are the expansion of the Europeans. Eventually the European culture spread throughout the world through America. This was a fulfillment of the blessing spoken prophetically to Japheth. The one word of prophecy, "enlarged," spoken to Japheth has needed centuries to be fulfilled. Many nations follow the European way of government because the Europeans were strong in this matter, learning it from the Romans. Furthermore, the sciences, skills, and arts came out of the Europeans. All of this is the fulfillment of God's prophecy that Japheth would be enlarged.
Now let us come to Shem. "And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem." The expansion is of Japheth, but God is of Shem. Jehovah, the very God, is of Shem. All of the Jews have to boast, saying, "God is ours." Even the Lord Jesus told the Samaritan woman that salvation is of the Jews (John 4:22). Whatever is related to God has come out of the Jews. Who wrote the Old Testament? The Jews. Who wrote the New Testament? Except for one Gentile, Luke, the physician, the New Testament was written by Jews. Even Luke wrote with the knowledge he received from the Jewish believers. All the things concerning God, concerning God's gospel, concerning Christ, and concerning salvation have come out of the Jews. Jehovah Elohim was prophesied to be Shem's. Shem does not have government or science; Shem has God. The prophecy declares that the enlarged Japheth must dwell in the tents of Shem (9:27). The Europeans, including the Americans, are strong, but they need the tents of the Hebrews. If you do not believe what the Jews preach, you have no tent, no rest.
The descendants of Shem did not build Babylon; they built tents like Abraham did and they built the tabernacle for God. The Lord Jesus, one of Shem's descendants, was likened to a tabernacle (a tent, John 1:14). Eventually, the New Jerusalem also will be God's eternal tent (tabernacle, Rev. 21:2-3), which bears the names of the twelve Jewish tribes and the names of the twelve Jewish apostles. The descendants of Japheth, the Europeans, including the Americans, truly have dwelt in Shem's tents of salvation. This prophecy has been and is still being fulfilled.
Japheth has been enlarged and needs to dwell in the tents of Shem. Ham has been cursed because he was involved in God's government. He lost the blessing. Under the curse, he became a slave of slaves. Has this been proved by history or not? It has. But turn to Acts 13:1. "Now there were in Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius the Cyrenian, and Manaen, foster brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul." In this verse we see that different peoples had become one church. Here we see certain prophets and teachers listed among the prominent, functioning members of the church. Barnabas and Saul were Jews. Simeon was called Niger (which means black). From this designation, he might have been a Negro. Lucius of Cyrene was from Africa. Cyrene was a city in northern Africa, where Libya is today. Manaen was brought up with Herod. Herod, though a descendant of an Idumaean (an Edomite) was governmentally related to the Romans (Europeans). So, though Manaen's origin is unknown, he, as a foster brother of Herod, must have been Europeanized. Thus, we see that the five great functioning members of the church in Antioch were composed of two Jews, descendants of Shem, one from Africa and one who might have been a black person, both of whom might have been descendants of Ham, and one who was at least culturally related to the descendants of Japheth. They all became one church. Regardless of whose descendant you are, do not feel disappointed. Since we have been regenerated, we are all the church people. We were born of different origins, but now we are all in the same church. We all were born in the fulfillment of God's prophecy concerning mankind spoken through Noah. But our natural status has been changed by the salvation of God in Christ.