One of the most amazing facts about the Founding Fathers of our nation is this: The one referred to as the “voice” of the revolution (John Adams) and the one referred to as the “pen” of the revolution (Thomas Jefferson) both died on the same day—July 4, 1826—exactly 50 years after the formation of the United States of America in 1776.
Some would call this a mere coincidence; I prefer to call it a ‘God-incidence,’ a prophetic sign of the Creator’s providential care and divine involvement in the formation of this unique and blessed nation.
It is doubly amazing to see that the number 50 represents liberty in biblical symbolism. Why? Because every 50 years the Jewish people were commanded to celebrate a special year called the Year of Jubilee—a year when prisoners were set free, debts were forgiven, and land and homes were restored to the original owners. Great joy reigned over all of Israel. Interestingly, a phrase from the section of Scripture describing that recurring event is found on one of our most beloved national emblems, the Liberty Bell:
“Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof” (Lev. 25:10).
In my opinion, this double-sign is double-proof that it was God and not just man who raised up this bastion of freedom for His purposes to be accomplished in the earth. Not only have we been the natural breadbasket of the world; we have also been the spiritual breadbasket of the world for many years. We cannot lose sight of this calling in the face of so much anti-American sentiment.
Especially in the last few years, political ploys and corrupt corporate agendas have poisoned our country internally and fouled the waters of our influence among the nations. But there are still many rivers of living water flowing out of the bedrock of this republic. There are still righteous, God-fearing leaders fighting for truth, justice, morality and integrity in local, state and national arenas of influence, and there are multiplied thousands of ministries and Christian-run businesses that are continuing to change the world in significant ways.
Together we are very strong, although our freedoms are being challenged in unprecedented ways. Globalist groups are ramping up their efforts to disintegrate any remaining biblical influence in our society—because that stands in the way of their socialist, communistic agenda.
More than ever, it is now time for the church to arise, on both a local and national level, and claim our nation and our world for true revival. For the sake of our heritage and the ones who sacrificed to pass it on to us, we must increase our efforts. For the sake of our children we must keep striving to purify our society and culture. For the sake of the kingdom of God we must keep preaching the good news and lifting up the name of Jesus. The biggest hindrance to the New World Order (and all its aliases and subgroups, including the World Economic Forum and the World Health Organization) is a tsunami wave of a spiritual visitation crashing over the seven continents—and inclining our hearts toward heaven.
The Symbolism of the Liberty Bell
Here are some facts about the Liberty Bell that speak volumes on a prophetic level:
—Don’t give up. The Liberty Bell was created in 1753, but only after two failed attempts. Thankfully, the forgers never gave up. In like manner, we should keep working on “forging divinely designed plans” until “the perfect law of liberty” reigns on a spiritual level as we have never seen—from coast to coast and border to border (Jas. 1:25).
—Re-envision purpose. The Liberty Bell was first ordered as a 50-year memorial of William Penn’s extraordinary “Charter of Privileges” in Pennsylvania. Little did the planners know that it would ultimately be used to represent something far greater, on a national scale. In like manner, we—the sons and daughters of God—should revisit our plans and re-envision what we are doing for the kingdom, praying that the “God who gives the increase” will lift our work to higher levels of greater impact (1 Cor. 3:7, MEV).
—Rightly interpret the “crack.” According to one of the most popular legends, the Liberty Bell cracked when it was rung at the death of Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835. And so it is that when justice “dies” (as in the horrendous slaughtering the unborn in our society), the “liberty” of this republic is seriously and severely damaged. Justice must reign for all, if liberty is to reign at all.
Although Roe v. Wade has been overturned, the battle is just beginning state by state. But this major cultural fight is not just about rescuing the unborn; it’s about upholding biblical standards of morality.
Keep Proclaiming God’s Word
Finally, we must never back down in the face of anti-church, anti-Bible, anti-God agendas. Instead, we must cling to the truth that promoting the Bible is one of the most American things we can do. Immediately after the Declaration of Independence was signed and sealed, the newly formed Continental Congress ordered 20,000 copies of the Bible to be distributed in the colonies. America’s leaders were passionate about the spreading of God’s Word in that day—and it’s part of our heritage, regardless of what postmodern secularists want America to be now.
On this July 4, let us unite in prayer that God will heal our land, not only taking us back to our roots, but taking us deeper than ever into a culture that is both God-honoring and Bible-based.
Our family has been to Washington, D.C., many times. One of our favorite sites is the Jefferson Memorial. The main quote from our third president, chiseled into stone and encircling the rotunda, always makes me weep:
“I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.”
May this be our passion and our battle cry as well! {eoa}
Mike Shreve is a revivalist, passionate about the manifestation of authentic New Testament Christianity. He is also a best-selling Charisma House author. One of his primary books is titled Who Am I? Dynamic Declarations of Who You Are in Christ, which is also the subject matter of his weekly podcast on cpnshows.com titled Discover Your Spiritual Identity. His second podcast, on comparative religion concepts, is titled Revealing the True Light. Many of his teachings are posted on www.YouTube.com/mikeshreveministries. A product of the Jesus movement era, Mike has traveled evangelistically in the United States and overseas since 1970 with an emphasis on healing and the prophetic. Visit his websites at shreveministries.org and thetruelight.net.