In passing down to Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph, the
birthright blessings; Jacob said, “Let my name (Israel) be named upon
them” (Genesis 46:16). Then of Ephraim He said, “…his descendants
shall become a multitude of nations” (Genesis 46:19). And of Manasseh
He said, “He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great”
(same verse). Ephraim became the British Commonwealth of Nations, upon
which–once–the sun never set! And Manasseh became the greatest single
nation ever to exist on the earth– “the United States of America.” Its
sunset seems to be looming on the horizon as well! (See our booklet,
“The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”)
Little did the
small band of men consider, as they left the British shores during the
18th century heading for a new land, that they were embarking upon a
journey which would result in the establishment of a nation which would
fulfill the second part of the prophecy noted above in the passing down
of God’s blessings, which came through Abraham to Jacob and on to the
sons of Joseph.
When George Mason wrote the “Virginia Declaration
of Rights,” which was adopted by the Virginia Constitutional Convention
on June 12, 1776, I am certain he had no thought that that document
would be used by Thomas Jefferson in writing the opening paragraphs of
the Declaration of Independence; nor, that it would be copied by other
colonies in establishing their states’ rights; nor, that it would
become the basis of the Bill of Rights of the United States. In the
Virginia Declaration of Rights, Section 16, Mason wrote: “That
religion, or the duty which we owe to our creator, and the manner of
discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by
force or violence; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the
free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and
that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance,
love, and charity toward each other.” The Declaration of Independence,
which was adopted July 4, 1776, makes reference to the Creator God in
the first and second paragraphs of that document. The Pledge of
Allegiance to flag and country was originally written by Francis
Bellamy in August, 1892. A minor change in a couple of words was made
in 1924, and in 1954 the words “under God” were added to the pledge. It
was said at the time that the pledge now was a patriotic oath and a
public prayer.
The motto, “In God We Trust” was placed on U.S.
coins largely because of increased religious sentiment existing during
the Civil War. After many appeals in favor of such a move, Secretary of
the Treasury, Salmon P. Chase, instructed James Pollock, Director of
the Mint at Philadelphia, by letter dated November 20, 1861, as
follows: “Dear Sir: No nation can be strong except in the strength of
God, or safe except in His defense. The trust of our people in God
should be declared on our national coins. You will cause a device to be
prepared without unnecessary delay with a motto expressing in the
fewest and tersest words possible this national recognition.” Samples
were presented and the present wording which is used on U.S. coins
today was adopted and passed by the U.S. Congress on April 22, 1864.
This motto, “In God We Trust,” was added to $1 silver certificates with
printings beginning in 1957. In 1964, the motto was added to Federal
Reserve Notes in the amounts of $1, $5, $10, as well as with the $5
United States Note, and in 1966 the motto was added to the $50, and
$100 Federal Reserve Notes.
But a program of stamping out
religion on national currency began in 1978 and continues today. Some
are crossing out the national motto on paper money (An illegal act
under U.S. law). But there is a movement afoot across the country to
have the motto removed from all forms of U.S. currency. Programs are
ongoing to declare the Pledge of Allegiance as “unconstitutional” and
to not allow it to be recited in public schools because it contains the
words “under God.” The 9th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals ruled the
Pledge of Allegiance “unconstitutional” on June 25, 2002, with the
stipulation that it no longer be recited in public schools. And on
September 14, 2005, a U.S. District Judge ruled that the reference to
one nation “under God” violates schoolchildren’s rights to be “free
from a coercive requirement to affirm God.” The Supreme Court dismissed
the case at a later date.
God established this great nation as He
promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and to the sons of Joseph. Yet,
just as He raised it up, He will put it down if it continues to move in
the direction upon which it has now established as its course. We, as a
people of God, must not cover our faces to what is looming upon the
horizon, as prophesied in the Word of God.
