The question is, what does the “IT” represent? Many Americans realise that the USA is facing a decline with a collapse in its power, lifestyle and recognition as a world leader.
And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. (Rev 11:5) And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. (Rev 12:14)
When we consider the Founding Fathers’ hope for America, that vision has faded, They saw a nation that would develop the rights of the people which they had not been able to achieve in the countries from which they had fled, and, also to escape from persecution. They wanted the opportunity the new nation would give to those who wanted the freedom to be able to follow their beliefs, Writers from the past have created the spirit and visions of the 1800’s that existed in the USA.
Throughout history nations have risen and declined and Ancient Rome always stands out as a nation that rose to great heights for five hundred years Its great achievements included constructions such as aqueducts, water supplies, roads, buildings and domestic comforts. and entertainment for the people . All roads, it was said, led to Rome. If we want to understand why the USA has fallen into decline in less than two hundred years, the scriptures explain some things that contributed to the decline of a country which in the 1800’s, Historians agree, was one of dynamism.
Witnesses of life in the USA in the1800’s
During the war of Independence the Lawyer, Francis Scott Key was sent by the US Government to Baltimore to the British to negotiate an exchange of prisoners. The Admiral informed Key that the entire British fleet was coming with gun fire to demolish the McHenry Fort, Baltimore, but shelling would stop if the flag above the Fort was lowered and the Americans surrendered to British rule.
British gun fire on September 13-14 ,1814 blazed all night and the flag was hit constantly in an unmerciful barrage of fire. The flag was humanly supported by Patriots and when they died they were replaced. Through the night the prisoners prayed to God ‘keep the flag flying where we last saw it’. By dawn the flag, in shreds, was still flying at an angle.
Francis Scott Key that night had penned the words of what became the nation’s National Anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner” which concludes with “does it yet wave for the land of the Free and home of the Brave”. Key recalled the words of George Washington ‘American Christians will die on feet before live on knees’ and “In the Lord we trust”.
The history of the religious experience of the USA is important. It was based on the promise of the 1776 Constitution and the Founding Fathers’ belief in the rights to freedom of worship.
D.J Boorstin in ”The Genius of American Politics” Chicago 1953 p. 144 gives us a view of the role of religion in the USA in the early 1800’s. He records that Mrs Trollope visited the USA in 1828 and reported that “She was amazed by sectarianism and shocked to see the whole people divided into an almost endless variety of religious factions.” . It was an age of enquiry, with freedom to search for truth and understanding, which they had been unable to do in Europe
A Reformation was being witnessed by Mrs Trollope.
Dr Thomas 1830’s -1860’s journeyed to the USA from Britain and spent four decades in the USA experiencing the religious ‘Reformation’ travelling all over the USA, expounding the prophetic messages such as the Return of the Messiah, the Coming Kingdom and the Return of the Jews to Israel, their homeland. He spoke to large audiences, Christian and Jewish, throughout the USA. Around 1840 he wrote that there could be an interesting and possible outcome and mission for the USA as he perceived qualities in the people that were receptive to the promises in the inspired word,
“All that is worth preservation...has been naturalised in these United States; so that if Europe with all its purtances were to be blotted out tomorrow, the surviving nations would still advance in their career of social improvement. Hence the mission of the United States is to defend and preserve the civilization of the age from extinction in the transition of the old world from its present state to the Age of the Kingdom of God. This transition period is a time of sore trouble, the time of God’s judgement on Europe because of its blasphemy, superstition and crime.”
But In the early 1840’s after spending a year in Louisville Dr Thomas records “ riots were prevailing to an alarming extent in Philadelphia in consequence of the popular indignation against the Romanists” and this suggested to the doctor, who wrote articles for a local journal, the subject of an article the ‘Nature and tendency of Popery in a Democratic Republic’. He showed “Popery was a
venomous serpent and that its patronage was fruitful of danger to a free country and calculated to destroy the vitals of society.”
In another observation he saw Jesuits and Masons were coming into the country and entering all areas of judiciary, government and society and there was a Jesuit College at Bardstown. The serpent had spread through Europe for centuries and seeds of corruption and danger of the ‘venomous serpent’ were being planted in the USA in the 1840’s. He had detected a possible future role, a mission, for the USA and he had also warned of the danger of the serpent power. He also wrote in the 1800’s. Britain unless aided by the US might be overthrown by Continental Europe...a possible alliance will be formed ...the power that will fare best and yield to Christ”.
(“Life and Work of Dr J Thomas”by R Roberts,1873, p99.)
Julia Ward Howe: 1819 to 1910 Author and Poet became a Unitarian and wrote
the lyrics of the Battle Hymn of The Republic in 1862 which reflected the spirit of the Republic of the 1800’s. The hymn resounds with glory to Yahweh, the coming of Christ and the Truth marching on.
It begins with “Mine eyes have seen the glory of of the coming of the Lord. Every verse contains “Glory Halleluyah” and “His Truth is marching on” The images presented of war have spiritual impact. The “watch fires” that glow at night speak of the altar and sacrifice. “The burnished rows of steel remind them of a “fiery gospel” but also of grace and truth.
There’s the “hero born of woman” to crush the serpent head”. There is the Trumpet “that never calls defeat” and the judgement with the “lightning of Christ’s sword(”Which echoes the spirit of Isaiah 30:3o) and “the tramping out of the vintage’ where the “grapes of wrath are stored”.
This Battle Hymn reflects Biblical concepts that had been spread widely by Dr Thomas in the US.
These four people represent the spirit of the 1800’s
The Patriots today again face very real challenges from those who wish to take away their freedom and destroy the nation, and again it is to the Lord that their prayers have ascended. A Patriot recently said, “Patriots through Biblical knowledge and spiritual development have been raised up to save the USA from the evil it faces today. “
America’s Battle Hymn of the republic and the National Anthem are still respected by many Americans.
Consider Paul’s words to Timothy regarding the importance of knowledge of the scriptures in the life of a Christian. Timothy’s family had a tradition of studyof the scriptures.
“When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. (II Timothy 1:5-6) ... And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (II Timothy 3:15-16)
Paul and Silas commended the Bereans who searched the scriptures daily.
“in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. (Acts 17:10-12)”
This was the atmosphere that was being seen by Mrs Trollope and by the Doctor who wrote the following. “All that is worth preservation...has been naturalised in these United States.
It was the atmosphere that was being seen by Mrs Trollope and by the Doctor who wrote the following. “All that is worth preservation...has been naturalised in these United States; so that if Europe with all its purtances were to be blotted out tomorrow, the surviving nations would still advance in their career of social improvement. Hence the mission of the United States is to defend and preserve the civilization of the age from extinction in the transition of the old world from its present state to the Age of the Kingdom of God. This transition period is a time of sore trouble, the time of God’s judgement on Europe because of its blasphemy, superstition and crime.”
He saw America as the nation that could be an example to other nations.
However he gave warning about the new generation that was then coming into the country from Europe and refers to riots in the country against the Romanists and their infiltration into many areas such as education law, and government.
But he wrote In the early 1840’s after spending a year in Louisville “ riots were prevailing to an alarming extent in Philadelphia in consequence of the popular indignation against the Romanists” Seeds were being sown and he warned of danger..
A Changing Political System and the new Elite, Challenge to 1776 Constitution
In 1800 Congress moved to Washington. In 1871 self government was granted to the Washingtonians, and Washington D.C. the Capital became the social place for the Elite and Wealthy. The fabric and control of society of the USA was rapidly changing. Corporations gained power which was to weaken the aims of the Founding Fathers and enabled the infiltration of Britain, Vatican and the wealthy, and foreign countries. The Democrats were successful in the fight for corporation bodies and the Republicans legislatively were effective as pressure groups. Politically they operated to fight the “creeping socialism of the Democrats. ”
The historian, Max Lerner. described the power and rise of corporations by the 1950’s. These were to have a huge effect on industry and all areas of production and bring many changes to the lives of the ordinary people. Also politics were greatly affected. The rich would grow richer and the ordinary citizen poorer. He gives an assessment and description of the Corporative body. The Corporations have become, in a sense, private governments . Their decisions influence the size and distribution of the national product, the channelling of investment, the levels of investment, the levels of employment and purchasing capacity of the workers. In effect they levy taxes and make alliances with foreign corporations in cartel operations, operating basically for private purposes, with public consequences secondary, they can crowd out competitors, divide the market, keep profits high, determine price levels and production volume.”
He goes on to say “What can be said of corporate control is that it is rarely wielded by the majority of stockholders, but by powerful overlapping oligarchies and insiders” A number of writers of his generation have noted that the head men of these corporates were emerging as Corporate Signeurs and their position, wealth and power had much in common with the frame of medieval society.
(America as a Civilization, MaxLerner New York 1957 p (pp.27, 48,294, 287-288)
The USA of the 1800’s had been undergoing the subtil serpent’s, influence as seen by the Doctor.
In addition to the Corporations’ infiltration, the period brought nazis into the USA.
David Potter, an historian also in the 1950’s, sees the influence of the emergence of “corporations” and socialism. He believed that the “ripest recruits for Marxism are the “idealists who loved the doctrine of ‘equality’ too well”. He sees the “organised group and corporative membership ties man’s aspirations to the power and purposes of the organised group that status gives.” He concludes that there has been a pathological turn that has contributed to the rise of fascism and Nazism, In other words, the Corporations were breaking down the traditional work opportunities for mobile individuals. (David Potter “People of Plenty, Chicago 1954 (pages 69-106)
The emergence of the powerful and wealthy elite and the corporations as envisaged by the historians of the 1950’s allowed the corporations to achieve control over every aspect of Government, and, through the media, have indoctrinated the nation by being able to hide the truth.
We see here the three fold infiltration into the USA: 1 the 1.wealthy Corporations and Britain, 2.Romanism religiously and morally, the serpent power, seen by Dr Thomas, and 3. the media.
The serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which Yahweh had made. (Gen 3:1)
Progressivism: The Republican Challenge
The reform movement ‘Progressivism’ affected all levels of American politics and society in the years 1890 to 1910. It was in response to the challenges of the city, the factories and to the forces that were destroying the USA. This powerful force was possibly unleashed For three decades there were voices of protest as corruption and the fortunes of Corporations and individuals grew while the squalor of cities spread and poverty of farmers deepened. The depression of the 90’s had produced class disparity and hate, and, opportunity, justice and a decent Government had faded. The beginning of Progressivism brought new hope that changed all this in the first decade of the twentieth century. Reformers and writers brought social results for the factories and cities which were threatening to destroy the older America. Dozens of magazines and books pricked the American conscience as corruption in politics and the cities were being exposed. The adoption of the Australian secret ballot system and the employment of city managers brought order and created business like operations in the running of urban affairs.
The degradation of women and child labour came under vigorous attack. The revealing of the poverty, inadequate housing and the effects on mothers and the future of the nation became issues that were addressed. It was the great corporations which aroused the most Progressive condemnation as the greatest threat to democratic society. By the 1900’s the industrial combines appeared to have made themselves masters of America. This fear resulted in state and national legislation to create protection against the concentration of economic power. Many states made stringent rules for corporations. Though the Progressives were mainly city dwellers and dealing with urban problems, they were driven by the ideals developed in an earlier and rural period of the nation’s history. It was a fight for equality of ooportuniy, opposition to monopolies and humanitarianism. It was Jeffersonarinism to fit the demands of a new society.
The Progressives were concerned about the issues that were developing in politics and society threatening the Constitution. In his autobiography Frederick C. Howe (1867-1940 ) of Cleveland, and a prominent Progressive, wrote that from his religious upbringing... ‘that from religion my reason was never emancipated… such a persistence of religious values is, I think, the most characteristic influence of my generation.” A contemporary of Howe wrote that he “was the subject of vitriolic attacks by the business interest, a man of high ideals and very practical sense.’ Theodore Roosevelt at a Progressive convention declared, “W e stand at Armageddon and we battle for the Lord” Samuel (Golden Rule) Jones a prosperous manufacturer demonstrated in Toledo applied Christian rules in his factory, he built for his employees a playground and Golden Rule Hall. He was mayor of Toledo from 1897 to his death in 1904. His successor was Frederick Howe. Tomwhitlock wrote that Jones taught , in practice that “there is a Higher Law and fight was a moral: one as a struggle good against evil”.
( Out of Our Past Forces That Shaped Modern America :Carl N Degler Harper NY 1959)
Post World Wars and Rise of the Democrats
The historians of the 1950’s were witnessing the forces that the Doctor had seen as dangerous for a democratic society. We are seeing today just how much power these forces in combination have.?
The Progressives had achieved some success in the fight against the power of the corporations and in improvements in society from 1890 to 1910. The following decades were to see growth in the power of the Corporations, together with the infiltration of post war immigration together with nazism and marxism (which have similar roots – humans trying to solve problems without God).
Historian David Potter described corporations as the “ripest recruits for Marxism ... the “idealists who loved the doctrine of ‘equality’ too well” and... The opportunity of “equality” was emancipation from a system of status and class. The individual could make his own “place in society and was not restricted by status as it gave an individual universal opportunity to traverse through a scale that traversed many levels”. and ...There was the freedom to develop one’s potentials.”
He also saw the beginnings of media control that would have great influence on the minds of the people, who could be blinded to corruption.
He observed that by the 1930’s the powerful force of the media was unleashed and was the means of social control with advertising and indoctrination. This is very relevant for today as we see how this media control that crept unobtrusively into America has become an extremely powerful force by means of hiding the truth from the people..He also saw that barriers in society were developing related to education, occupation and area of residence. He then looks at the influence of the emergence of “corporations”. He examined the changes in the USA which, through abundance saw a great advance in lifestyle and inventions that caused changes faster than in any other country,
He believed that with the rise of powerful corporations the “ripest recruits for Marxism are the “idealists who loved the doctrine of ‘equality’ too well”. He sees the “organised group and corporative membership ties man’s aspirations to the power and purposes of the organised group that status gives.” He concludes that there has been a pathological turn that has contributed to the rise of fascism and Nazism, In other words, the Corporations were breaking down the traditional work opportunities for mobile individuals. he has an amazing insight into the beginning of the role of Corporations in the USA and world wide.(David Potter “People of Plenty, Chicago 1954 (pages 69-106)
The Patriots who like the Donatists of old stand for those who seek the truth of the Bible long oppressed, are seeking to the Highest Power in prayer in the fight for truth. They believe
“When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: but the righteous shall see their fall. Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. (Proverbs 29:16-18)
The Written Word also warns
“But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the “love of money is the root of all evil”. (I Timothy 6:9-10)”
In the hands of man it can lead to bribery, blackmail and corruption in its many forms. Ultimately the poor suffer poverty and the rich become richer.
The Doctor had seen a mission for the USA in the mid 1800’s . when he wrote;
“All that is worth preservation...has been naturalised in these United States.”
The question arises can the patriots who speak of God and allow peopel to find truth be heard, or will the conditions today, created in the decades that followed the 1800’s, and, by the godless rulers of this generation bring the downfall of the nation?
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (Joh 8:32)
