GEORGE WASHINGTON AND EARLY AMERICA RECOGNIZED ONE KING

The "No Kings" Protestors Are Ignorant of America's History

Today, there are “No Kings” protests across America led by anti-Trump activists who are trying to connect their protest to early America’s rejection of monarchy. The truth is, however, that George Washington and the entire founding generation wanted America to have a king.

In fact, during the Revolutionary War, there was a cry that resounded throughout the American colonies, “We recognize no Sovereign but God and no king but Jesus!” This cry came forth when the War erupted at Lexington, MA on April 18, 1775.

King George III had sent six regiments of British troops, commanded by General Thomas Gage, to bring the “rebellious” colonists under subjection. British troops occupied the city of Boston, locked down its port, and were housed by force in private homes.

Hearing there was rebellion stirring about 30 miles from Boston in Lexington, Gage sent troops led by Major Pitcairn to Lexington to put down the rebellion. Pitcairn arrived in Lexington and shouted to an assembled group of minutemen volunteers, "Disperse, ye villains, lay down your arms in the name of George the Sovereign King of England."

Rev. Jonas Clarke, pastor of the Church of Christ in Lexington, was standing with the minutemen and shouted back, “We recognize no Sovereign but God and no king but Jesus!” That cry caught the imagination of American patriots everywhere and soon rang throughout the colonies.

This cry became so prominent throughout the colonies that a British-appointed governor, Jonathan Trumbull, wrote back to England, “If you ask an American who is his master, he will tell you he has none, nor any governor but Jesus Christ” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 81).

This Christ-centered mindset was the fruit of the Great Awakening (1726-70) that transformed colonial America. The major preachers of the Awakening, such as George Whitefield (Anglican), Jonathan Edwards (Congregational), and Gilbert Tennant (Presbyterian) emphasized that only faith in Jesus Christ would make one a true Christian.

This emphasis on faith in Jesus Christ, rather than church membership, as the central issue of Christianity gave the colonists a point of convergence in their various expressions of faith. This emphasis on the centrality of Christ broke down doctrinal and denominational dividing walls so that the people began to see themselves as a single people with one Divine destiny—one nation under God..

That this statement was no passing fad but was deeply ingrained in the mindset and culture of the founding generation, is obvious from the following quotes.

“Bless, O Lord, the whole race of mankind, and let the world be filled with the knowledge of Thee and Thy Son, Jesus Christ.”

From a prayer journal belonging to George Washington, often called “the Father of the Country” and the nation’s first president.

“Pray that the peaceful and glorious reign of our Divine Redeemer may be known throughout the whole family of mankind.”

Samuel Adams, Founding Father and Governor of Massachusetts. This call to prayer was part of a proclamation for a Day of Prayer that he issued as Governor of MA in 1795.

“Pray that all nations may bow to the scepter of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and that the whole earth may be filled with his glory.”

John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress and Governor of Massachusetts. This statement was part of a call for prayer he issued while Governor.

“Might it not greatly facilitate the introduction of pure religion among the heathen, if we could, by such a colony, show them a better sample of Christians than they commonly see.”

Benjamin Franklin in a 1756 letter to George Whitefield, the most famous preacher of the Great Awakening, in which Franklin proposed that they partner together in founding a Christian colony on the Ohio frontier.

“The policy of the bill is adverse to the diffusion of the light of Christianity. The first wish of those who enjoy this precious gift ought to be that it may be imparted to the whole race of mankind.”

James Madison, chief architect of the Constitution and America’s fourth president, in 1785 voicing his opposition to a bill that he perceived would have the unintended consequence of hindering the spread of the Gospel.

“The philosophy of Jesus is the most sublime and benevolent code of morals ever offered man. A more beautiful or precious morsel of ethics I have never seen.”.

Thomas Jefferson, Author of the Declaration of Independence and America’s third president, who took money from the federal treasury to send missionaries to an American Indian tribe and to build them a chapel in which to worship.

In 1783, after defeating the British and making independence from King George a reality, George Washington wrote a letter to the governors of the various states in which he admonished them to make Jesus Christ their example and role model for life. In short, he wanted Jesus Christ to be their king. He wrote,

I now make it my earnest prayer that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection; that he would incline the hearts of the citizens . . . to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind, which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion [Jesus Christ], and without an humble imitation of His example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation (Hyatt, 1726: TheYear that Defined America, 120).

Yes, George Washington and early America recognized a king. His name is Jesus!
This is what made America great, for as Psalm 33:12 says, Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD!

This article is derived from books by Eddie Hyatt, particularly 1726: The Year that Defined America and America's Revival Heritage, both available from Amazon and his website at http://www.eddiehyatt.com.

HOW GOD USED AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT AND AN ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER TO BRING PEACE TO THE MIDDLE EAST

God's Providential Workings are Obvious

When I first read the Hamas Charter it was clear to me that their hatred for Israel exceeded any concern they may have had for their own people, and this is the root cause of the sufferings of the Gazan people. Hamas saw Gaza as a base from which to launch rockets and attacks into Israel, which they did for years, and with Israel responding with restraint.

However, on Oct. 7, 2023 they went too far and poked the bear in the eye by slaughtering 1200 innocent Israeli citizens. Israel responded with force and went after Hamas with a vengeance, but always alerted the Gazans when they were coming into an area to root out Hamas, which embedded its soldiers and armaments among the people. Israel sacrificed their own troops to save Gazans because by alerting the Gazan citizens of their movements, the Hamas fighters always knew when and where the IDF was coming after them.

At the same time, Iran, a designated State Sponsor of Terrorism that has vowed to destroy Israel, was on the verge of having a nuclear weapon. With Israel's existence at stake, Donald Trump gave Benjamin Netanyahu the green light to do what he had to do.

With Iran being the major financier of both Hamas and Hezbollah, Israel knew they had to cut off the head of the snake. They, therefore, began bombing Iran's military apparatus. At the same time Trump sent B-2 Stealth bombers to take out Iran's nuclear sites. This show of force captivated the attention of the entire region.

During this same time, the Trump administration was carrying out intense diplomatic discussions between Israel, Hamas, and the nations of the Middle East. With the show of force and the intense diplomatic pursuit of peace, the Israeli hostages have been released and a peace plan is in place supported by the U.S., Israel, and the Arab and Muslim nations of the Middle East.

Many "experts" thought it could never happen. The Jewish-American political activist, Elizabeth Pipko, called it "a God Miracle." Only heaven knows how many millions of lives will be saved because of this historic turn of events.

President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu are to be commended but none of this would have happened apart from prayer and the Providential workings of Almighty God who is able to make all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28). NEVER STOP TRUSTING. NEVER STOP BELIEVING.

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is a Bible teacher, church historian and ordained minister. His numerous books are available from Amazon and his website at http://www.eddiehyatt.com. Also, check out his article on Israel's Divine right to the land wherein they now dwell by clicking this link. https://biblicalawakening.blogspot.com/2025/09/modern-israels-title-deed-to-land-of.html

OUR MESSAGE TO THIS AWAKENING GENERATION

An Important Lesson from the Great Awakening

National news reports indicate that many young people are being awakened and returning to church in the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination. This is an encouraging sign but there must be a realization that God is calling this generation to more than church membership. Church can be the means to the goal, but "church" itself is never the goal. 

The goal is a living, dynamic relationship with Almighty God through faith in Jesus Christ. Listen to the testimony of John Wesley.

After a failed mission trip to Georgia to convert the American Indians, Wesley wrote, "I who went to America to convert the Indians had never been converted myself." Despite having been baptized, confirmed, and ordained in the Anglican Church, he came to the startling conclusion that he had never been truly converted to Jesus Christ. 

He came to realize that he had put his faith in the “externals” of Christianity—church membership, baptism, receiving communion, good deeds, etc.—rather than in Christ Himself. It wasn’t that these things were useless, but he came to realize that of themselves they can never make one a true Christian.

Only a genuine faith in Christ will bring the new birth and Wesley experienced this shortly after his failed mission to America. As he sat in a Moravian meeting listening to someone read the words of Martin Luther in which Luther described what happens when someone puts their faith in Christ and Him alone, something happened. He later wrote,

I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for my salvation and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sin, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.

Wesley always considered this to be the time when he became a true Christian. A fire was ignited in his heart and he, along with his brother, Charles, and George Whitefield, ignited a fire of revival that transformed the British Isles and jumped the Atlantic Ocean and impacted colonial America.

George Whitefield came to America in 1739 and became the firebrand of the Great Awakening. He too was an ordained Anglican minister and like the Wesley’s he had experienced a dynamic conversion that alerted him to the fact that adhering to the mere “externals” of Christianity does not make one a true Christian.

Dressed in his traditional, clerical Anglican garb, Whitefield challenged the masses in America to overturn the faulty foundations on which they had built their faith and put their faith in Christ alone. In one of his sermons, preached to several thousand gathered in the open air, Whitefield mimicked a conversation with Father Abraham whom he pictured as looking over the banister of heaven at the gathered multitude consisting of many sects and denominations.

Whitefield cried out, “Father Abraham, are there any Anglicans in heaven?” The answer came back, “No, there are no Anglicans in heaven.” “Father Abraham, are there any Catholics in heaven?” “No, there are no Catholics in heaven.” Are there any Presbyterians in heaven?” “No, there are no Presbyterians here either.” “What about Baptists or Quakers?”  “No, there are none of those here either.” “Father Abraham,” cried Whitefield, “what kind of people are in heaven?” The answer came back, “There are only Christians in heaven; only those who are washed in the blood of the Lamb.” Whitefield then cried out, “Oh, is that the case? Then God help me, God help us all, to forget having names and labels and become Christians in deed and in truth” (Hyatt, America's Revival Heritage, Second Edition, 60-61)!

In America, Whitfield became friends with the Presbyterian pastor and revivalist from New Brunswick, New Jersey, Gilbert Tennant. Tennant, whom many called a “son of thunder” because of his excoriating preaching, published a sermon entitled “The Dangers of an Unconverted Ministry” In it, he compared many colonial church leaders to the Pharisees of Jesus’ day—pious and proud in their own righteousness but having never experienced a true conversion to Jesus Christ.

Most people in colonial America considered themselves to be Christians, but under the searching preaching of Whitefield, Tennant, Jonathan Edwards and others, they came to the conclusion that they were Christians in name only.  Many were like Nathan Cole of Middletown, Connecticut who attended one of Whitefield’s outdoor meetings. After hearing Whitefield preach, he wrote, “By God’s blessings, my old foundation was broken up, and I saw that my righteousness would not save me.”

The Christ-centered preaching of Whitefield, Tennant, Edwards, and others broke down racial, cultural, and denominational barriers. Colonial America was transformed. The people began to see themselves as Christians—followers of Jesus Christ--before anything else. So great was the impact that a British-appointed governor wrote to his superiors in England,

If you ask an American who is his master, he will tell you he has none, nor any governor but Jesus Christ (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 81).

As many young people today are returning to church, pastors and Christian leaders must have the humility and dexterity to avoid drawing these seekers to themselves and their church institution but pointing them, instead, to Jesus Christ. We must remember, not only the words of the revivalists of the Great Awakening, but also the words of C.S. Lewis who wrote,

The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men to Christ, to make them little christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time.

The First Great Awakening had a direct bearing on the founding of America, which means that such Christ-centered revival is in our national DNA. This is why we could witness such a Christ-honoring event as the Charlie Kirk Memorial Service, in which President Trump declared, "This is like an old-time revival." 

I thank God for all the good churches in America, but we must offer this generation more than our church. We must offer them a living, dynamic relationship with our Creator through Jesus Christ. It is time to stand up and proclaim Jesus Christ to this generation!

This article by Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt was derived from his books, 1726: The Year that Defined America and America's Revival Heritage, Second Edition, available from Amazon and his website at http://www.eddiehyatt.com