Today is the 250th anniversary of the
independence of the United States of America. From its birth to its glorious
crown as the most powerful country in the world, it was guided by the Holy
Spirit and blessed by the Divine Providence as prophesied in the Bible's Book of
Revelation almost two thousand years ago.
I. The Spiritual
Influence Behind the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was led by the
leaders like George Washington, who held a deep faith in God, and influenced by
the First Great Awakening, a spiritual revival that swept through the American
colonies from the 1730s to the 1770s. This movement instilled a strong belief in
God among the colonists, including the Founding Fathers. When drafting the
Declaration of Independence in 1776, they emphasized the role of God,
referencing “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God,” “the
Creator,” and “Divine Providence.” The Declaration of
Independence begins with:
“When, in the course of human
events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds
which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of
the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of
nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of
mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the
separation.
We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
At the end of the Declaration of
Independence, it stated:
“And for the support of this
declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence,
we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred
honor.”
It is clear that the Founding Fathers of
the United States of America held a strong faith in God and "a firm
reliance on the protection of Divine Providence" in their struggle for
independence during the American Revolutionary War. Because of their strong faith
in God, God blessed the American people and their
Continental Army—commanded by General George Washington—with a miraculous
victory over the well-equipped British Army. Thus, the new nation of God, the United
States of America, was born, and it was blessed by God to become the most powerful country in the
world over the next two hundred years. All
of this was prophesied in the Book
of Revelation nearly two thousand years ago.
II. The Prophecy of the United States of America in the Book of Revelation
The American Revolution, or the
Independence of the United States of America, was prophesied in the letter to
the church in Philadelphia in Chapter 3 of the Book of Revelation. We all know
that Philadelphia was the birthplace of the United States of America where the
Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. However, the city of
Philadelphia in the Bible’s Book of Revelation was not the city of
Philadelphia in the United States but just a small city in Asia Minor during the
first century.
Although the Philadelphia in the Book of
Revelation was not the Philadelphia in the United States, this letter to the
church in Philadelphia does carry the prophetic meaning about the birth and
destiny of the United States of America. Here are the key elements of this
letter to the church in Philadelphia:
“These are the words of him who
holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no
one can open. I know your deeds, I have placed before you an open door that
no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my
word and have not denied my name...I will make them(your enemy) come and
fall down at your feet... I will keep you from the hour of trial that is
going to come upon the whole world.” (Revelation 3:8-10)
1. A
Faithful Leader Like King David
In the Old Testament, King David stands
as the preeminent example of a faithful king in Israel, who united the kingdom
and established Jerusalem as its capital. This prophecy indicated that God would
raise up a faithful leader like King David to serve as the founding father of
this new covenant nation, the First President of the United States of America,
George Washington.
Like King David, who consistently sought
divine guidance through prayer before battle or major decision, George
Washington was renowned for his practice of earnest prayer prior to every
significant military engagement or political choice. Through his faithful prayer
and sincere dependence on divine providence, George Washington’s
poorly-equipped and less-experienced Continental Army, under the blessing of
God, achieved miraculous victories over the superior professional forces of the
British Empire, resulting in the birth of the United States as an independent
nation.
“What he opens no one can shut, and
what he shuts no one can open” indicates this faithful leader of the new
nation would open the door to a new form of governance while permanently closing
the door on certain medieval practices. George Washington rejected people’s
call for him to be the king for the new nation. Instead, he voluntarily
relinquished power after two terms as president and established the tradition of
limited presidential tenure—a precedent that has since become the global
standard for democratic leadership. In this way, George Washington opened a door
to the modern presidency with term limits that no subsequent leader has been
able to close.
Concurrently, George Washington and the
other Founding Fathers crafted the United States Constitution and its First
Amendment to guarantee freedom of speech and religion, shielding citizens from
government interference or persecution in these areas. This constitutional
framework effectively shut the door on state-sponsored suppression of conscience
and expression—a protection that has likewise become a cornerstone of
democratic societies worldwide.
2. The
Shield from the "Hour of Trial" that is Going to Come Upon the Whole World
“I know that you have little
strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name... I will keep
you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world.”
This indicated that in the early day when this new-born nation had little
strength, Christ would “keep you from the hour of trial that is going to
come upon the whole world.” This “hour of trial that is going to come
upon the whole world” referred to World War I & World War II, which
took place primarily outside the mainland United States. Through Christ’s
blessing and protection, America was spared the terrible destruction that devastated Europe and much of the rest of the world, enabling the United States
to emerge as the leading superpower of the world after World War II.
From this prophecy, it is clear that
this letter to the church in Philadelphia is not just the message for the early
Christians in a small city named Philadelphia in Asia Minor in the first
century. It is the prophecy for the United States of America, which was born in
the city of new Philadelphia in America and was shield from the devastating “hour of trial that is going to come
upon the whole world” —World War I & World War
II in the twentieth century.
3. Victories
over Enemies and the "Crown" of the United States
"I will make
them (your enemy)
come and fall down at your feet.” This indicated that Christ would bless
the nation with victories over its powerful enemies and “make them come and
fall down at your feet.” That’s how the United States of America led its
allies to defeat the once mighty Nazi Germany and Soviet Union with the blessing
of Christ. These victories were predestined by God in the Bible’s Book of
Revelation almost 2,000 years ago.
From this prophetic letter to the church
in Philadelphia, we can see clearly how Christ blessed this nation from its
infant stage all the way to the Superpower of the world. Without the blessing of
Christ, the United States of America would not be as successful and powerful as
it is now.
However, Jesus Christ also gave a
warning to the United States in this letter to the church in Philadelphia. “I
am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
(Revelation 3:11) This confirmed that the “Crown” of the United States, as
the Superpower in the world, was the result of the blessing of Christ due to
Americans’ faith in Christ. If the American people lose their faith in Christ,
Christ will also take away the “Crown” He has granted to the United States.
4. The New
Jerusalem for the "Second Coming"
In the end of the letter, Christ also
promised, “The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of
my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God
and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out
of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new
name.”
(Revelation 3:12)
This prophecy indicated that if American
people could keep their faith in God and in Christ, the “New Jerusalem” for
the “Second Coming” would “come down out of heaven from God” to
the United States, not the Old Jerusalem in Israel. However, there will be a big
surprise for all faithful Christians in this prophecy: the Christ of the “Second
Coming” will have a “new Name” other than “Jesus”. Be prepared for the
surprise, just like the surprise in the “First Coming” when the Jewish
priests misinterpreted the prophecies of Messiah two thousand years ago.
