THE BULLETPROOF GEORGE WASHINGTON

Our rifles were leveled—rifles which, but for him, knew not how to miss. Twas all in vain; a power far mightier than we shielded him from harm. He cannot die in battle. The Great Spirit protects that man and guides his destinies. He will become chief of nations, and a people yet unborn will hail him the founder of a mighty nation.

These were the words of an old Indian chief concerning George Washington as they reminisced about a battle, 15 years before, when they had been on opposite sides and the chief and his warriors had tried their best to bring down Washington.

Washington and a friend, Dr. James Craik, who was also his personal physician, providentially met this chief in 1770 while exploring a region of the Ohio River Valley. Washington and the old chief had a cordial visit in the presence of Craik and a number of native people. They reminisced about the Battle of Duquesne, fifteen years earlier, when they had fought on opposite sides during the French and Indian wars. 

Washington, who was in his twenties at that time, was serving as a guide for General Braddock who was leading a regiment of British troops to confront the French and their Indian allies. Braddock ignored Washington's advice for relating to the native people and led his troops into a deadly ambush where a furious battle ensued.

Having been trained to fight an enemy army on an open field, they were confused as  bullets whizzed around them coming from natives behind trees and rocks. Not trained to fight in the American wilderness, the British soldiers began dropping on every side. When Braddock was wounded and the British troops began to panic, the young Washington took charge.  He placed Braddock in a wagon and then mounted his horse and began riding about shouting orders and encouragement and was able to lead an orderly retreat out of danger.

During this time Washington had two horses shot out from under him and his clothes were shredded with bullets. The Indian chief, Red Hawk, claimed to have shot Washington eleven times, but could not bring him down. Washington emerged unscathed and gave glory to God, saying, “I was saved by the miraculous care of providence that saved me beyond all human probability or expectation.”

Now, fifteen years later, as they reminisced about this battle, the old chief suddenly pointed to Washington and spoke these amazing words. According to Dr. Craik, he said,

I am chief and ruler over all my tribes. My influence extends to the waters of the Great Lakes, and to the far blue mountains. I have traveled a long and weary path that I might see the young warrior of the great battle. It was on the day when the white man's blood mixed with the streams of our forest that I first beheld this chief. I called to my young men and said, 'Mark yon tall and daring warrior? He is not of the redcoat tribe—he hath an Indian's wisdom, and his warriors fight as we do—himself alone is exposed. Quick, let your aim be certain, and he dies.' Our rifles were leveled—rifles which, but for him, knew not how to miss. Twas all in vain; a power far mightier than we shielded him from harm. He cannot die in battle. The Great Spirit protects that man and guides his destinies. He will become chief of nations, and a people yet unborn will hail him the founder of a mighty nation.

Five years later, when war broke out with England, Washington was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Colonial army. He led his outnumbered, outgunned troops to an amazing victory over the British through numerous unusual incidents that he attributed to the providential intervention of God. He then presided over the Constitutional Convention (1787) and was later unanimously elected the first President of the United States of America. He is the only president to have received 100% of the electoral votes—not once, but twice.

I am inclined to think that Washington's encounter with this chief had a bearing on the wording of the Northwest Ordinance, formulated in 1787 while Washington was presiding as president of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. This document laid out a plan for settling the Northwest Territory, which included the very area where Washington met this native chief. Concerning the native people in this territory, the Founders wrote,

The utmost good faith shall always be observed towards the Indians; their lands and property shall never be taken from them without their consent; and, in their property, rights, and liberty, they shall never be invaded or disturbed, unless in just and lawful wars authorized by Congress; but laws founded in justice and humanity, shall from time to time be made for preventing wrongs being done to them, and for preserving peace and friendship with them.

 This article is derived from Eddie Hyatt's latest book, America's Reawakening, scheduled for publication by March 15. It will be available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com. Also, the title for this article was borrowed from David Barton's excellent book, The Bulletproof George Washington.

THE CHRISTIAN AWAKENING THAT ENDED SLAVERY IN AMERICA

Historians have noted that slavery, although practiced for thousands of years by many peoples and civilizations, suddenly became anathema in 18th century America. The late historians Elizabeth Fox-Genovese and Eugene Genovese observed, “Perception of slavery as morally unacceptable — as sinful — did not become widespread until the second half of the eighteenth century.”

The late Dr. Walter Williams, Professor of Economics at George Mason University, has said that the unique characteristic of slavery in America was not only the brevity of its existence, but also the “moral outrage” against it. The brilliant scholar, Dr. Thomas Sowell, who happens to be black, has written,

Slavery was just not an issue, not even among intellectuals, much less among political leaders, until the 18th century–and then it was an issue only in Western civilization. Among those who turned against slavery in the 18th century were George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and other American leaders. You could research all of 18th century Africa or Asia or the Middle East without finding any comparable rejection of slavery there (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 90).

The Source of the Moral Outrage Against Slavery

There was a reason for this sudden moral opposition to slavery and that reason is to be found in what became known as The Great Awakening. In this Christian revival that ebbed and flowed from 1726 to 1770, it seemed that entire towns repented and turned to God. In his Autobiography, Benjamin Franklin described the amazing transformation of his hometown of Philadelphia in 1739. He wrote,

It was wonderful to see the change soon made in the manners of our inhabitants. From being thoughtless or indifferent about religion, it seemed as if all the world were growing religious so that one could not walk through the town in an evening without hearing psalms sung in different families of every street Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 79).

Out of this revival there emerged a deep concern for the those who did not know Christ. As a result, many evangelists began taking the message of salvation to the marginalized of society, including blacks, both slave and free. Their ministries breached racial and cultural barriers and they saw many come to Christ. Black preachers and churches emerged out of this Awakening, as well as the moral outrage against slavery, which the historians above have noted.

From Evangelism to Social Transformation

At the beginning of the Great Awakening in 1726, outreach to the black populace was evangelistic in nature and not characterized by opposition to slavery. Those early preachers, such as George Whitefield, Gilbert Tennant, and Jonathan Edwards, saw their primary purpose to be in getting people ready for the next world, not necessarily improving their lot in this one. In their thinking, a slave on his way to heaven was far better off than a king on his way to hell.

Nonetheless, their insistence on sharing the Gospel with all people and their willingness to share Christian fellowship with blacks, both slave and free, breached racial and cultural barriers in Colonial America. Also, the inclusive Gospel message they preached, and their compassionate treatment of blacks, created a climate conducive to the anti-slavery sentiments that would burst forth through those who would come after them.

Indeed, the revivalists who came after Edwards and Whitefield carried the message of their predecessors to its logical conclusion: if we are all creatures of the same Creator and if Christ died that all might be saved, then how can slavery ever be justified?

They, therefore, began a vicious attack on the institution of slavery. This is what historian, Benjamin Hart, was referring to when he wrote, “Among the most ardent opponents of slavery were ministers, particularly the Puritan and revivalist preachers (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 92).

These "ardent opponents of slavery" included the followers of Jonathan Edwards who expanded on his idea of the essential dignity of all created beings and applied it to the blacks of Colonial America. They included Levi Hart in Connecticut, Edwards’ son, Jonathan Jr., also in Connecticut, Jacob Green in New Jersey and Samuel Hopkins in Rhode Island.

Showing the Hypocrisy of Demanding Liberty and Tolerating Slavery

Samuel Hopkins (1721–1803), who had been personally tutored by Edwards, pastored for a time in Newport, Rhode Island, an important hub in the transatlantic slave trade. Like Paul, whose spirit was “provoked” observing the idols in Athens, Hopkins was outraged by what he observed in Newport. He, therefore, began to passionately speak out against this "violation of God’s will” and declared, “This whole country have their hands full of blood this day" (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 92).

After the First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia in 1774, Hopkins sent a pamphlet to every member of the Congress, asking how they could complain about “enslavement” to Great Britain and overlook the “enslavement” of so many blacks in the colonies.

Indeed, as “liberty” became a watchword throughout the colonies, these second-generation Awakening preachers began applying it to the enslaved blacks in America. Like Hopkins, they pointed out the hypocrisy of demanding freedom from Great Britain while enslaving black Africans. One of the most vocal was the Baptist preacher, John Allen, who thundered,

Blush ye pretended votaries of freedom! ye trifling Patriots! who are making a vain parade of being advocates for the liberties of mankind, who are thus making a mockery of your profession by trampling on the sacred natural rights and privileges of Africans (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 156).

The opposition to slavery thus mounted as other ministers of the Awakening began to speak out. For example, in a sermon preached and published in 1770, Samuel Cooke declared that by tolerating the evil of slavery, “We, the patrons of liberty, have dishonored the Christian name, and degraded human nature nearly to a level with the beasts that perish” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 93).

God Speaks to Freeborn Garrettson

Freeborn Garrettson (1752-1827), a revivalist from Maryland, freed his slaves after hearing God speak to him supernaturally. According to Garrettson, he heard the Lord say, “It is not right for you to keep your fellow creatures in bondage; you must let the oppressed go free.” Garrettson immediately informed his slaves that they did not belong to him and that he did not desire their services without giving them proper compensation.

Garrettson began preaching against slavery and advocating for freedom, which provoked intense opposition, especially in the South. One enraged slave-owner came to the house where Garrettson was lodging and swore at him, threatened him and punched him in the face. Garrettson did not retaliate but sought to reason with the man who finally gave up and left.

Garrettson took his message to North Carolina where he preached to black audiences and sought to “inculcate the doctrine of freedom in them.” His opposition to slavery was firmly rooted in the Gospel and he described a typical meeting with slaves in which,

Many of their sable faces were bedewed with tears, their withered hands of faith were stretched out, and their precious souls made white in the blood of the Lamb (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 95).

Garrettson also preached to southern white audiences and sought to convince them of the evils of slavery and that God’s will was liberty for all His creatures. In Delaware, Garrettson visited the Stokeley Sturgis Plantation and preached to both the slaves and the Sturgis family. He was able to convince Sturgis that slavery is a sin and Sturgis began making arrangements for his slaves to obtain freedom.

The Methodists Go on the Attack

In 1744, John Wesley (1703–1791) spoke publicly against slavery, declaring that, in God’s sight, blacks and whites are equal and that Christ died for all. Many Methodists in America, in both the North and South, picked up on Wesley’s call and became some of the leading abolitionists in America.

James O’Kelly (1735-1826), for example, faced physical attacks because of his bold, excoriating preaching against slavery. He painted slaveholding as a debilitating and demonic kind of sin. It was, he said, “A work of the flesh, assisted by the devil; a mystery of iniquity, that works like witchcraft to darken your understanding, and harden your hearts against conviction." 

Because of the bold preaching of evangelists such as Garrettson and O’Kelly, an anti-slavery movement gained momentum, even in the South. This movement faced intense opposition, as was the case in 1800 when Methodists in South Carolina circulated a petition calling for emancipation. A mob burned the handouts and dragged one of the Methodist preachers through the streets and almost drowned him in a well.

Despite the opposition, the movement for abolition continued to spread, impacting those from all stations and walks of life.

Richard Allen Founds the AME

One of the slaves who obtained his freedom from the Stokeley Sturgis Plantation was Richard Allen. Allen, who had been converted under the preaching of a Methodist preacher while still a slave, became a successful evangelist to both black and white audiences. In 1784, he preached for weeks in Radnor, Pennsylvania, to mostly white audiences and recalled hearing them say, “This man must be a man of God; I have never heard such preaching before” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 95-96).

Allen became close friends with Benjamin Rush, a Philadelphia physician and signer of the Declaration of Independence. As the Awakening waned, the Methodist Church in Philadelphia, of which Allen was a member, decided to segregate the congregation according to race. Allen and other blacks walked out. Rush came to their aid and assisted them in establishing their own congregation. They established Bethel Methodist Church out which came the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) denomination. Allen later wrote,

Dr. Rush did much for us in public by his influence. I hope the name of Dr. Benjamin Rush and Mr. Robert Ralston will never be forgotten among us. They were the two first gentlemen who espoused the cause of the oppressed and aided us in building the house of the Lord for the poor Africans to worship in. Here was the beginning and rise of the first African church in America (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 156).

Paul Strand, senior Washington D.C. correspondent for the Christian Broadcasting Network, now retired, called Allen, “America’s Black Founding Father.”

America’s Founders Are Impacted

The spiritual power of the Awakening and the moral arguments it produced against slavery were overwhelming. The pragmatic fruit emerging from the revival include the following:

1)    George Washington accepted free blacks into the Revolutionary Army resulting in one out of every eight soldiers being of African descent. Blacks and whites fought together for freedom from Great Britain.

2)       America’s founders purposely avoided using classifications of race or skin color in the nation’s founding documents. America’s founding documents are colorblind, even if her history has not been. This is why Dr. King, in his “I Have a Dream,” speech could say,

“When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

3)     Founders from the North, who had never owned slaves, took new and strong public stands against the institution. John Adams, for example, declared,

“Every measure of prudence . . . ought to be assumed for the eventual total extirpation of slavery from the United States. I have throughout my whole life held the practice of slavery in abhorrence” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 101).

4)     Confronted by the inconsistency of Christian faith with owning slaves, George Washington set in motion a compassionate program to completely disentangle Mount Vernon from slavery. Concerning abolition, he wrote, 

        “Not only do I pray for it on the score of human dignity, but I clearly foresee that nothing but the rooting out of slavery can perpetuate the existence of our union by consolidating it in a common bond of principle’ (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 103).

5)      As a result of the Awakening, an abolition movement arose and one of America’s Founding Fathers, Benjamin Rush, helped found the nation’s first abolition society in Philadelphia. Rush, a Philadelphia physician and signer of the Declaration of Independence, also exhorted the ministers of America to attack slavery, saying, 

        “While you enforce the duties of ‘tithe and cumin,’ neglect not the weightier laws of justice and humanity. Slavery is a Hydra sin and includes in it every violation of the precepts of the Laws and the Gospels (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 100-101).

5)       Even those founders who did not free their slaves, publicly admitted that it was wrong and sinful and would bring God’s judgement on the nation. It was in the context of slavery being allowed to continue in the South that Thomas Jefferson wrote,

“God who gave us life, gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift from God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just and that His justice cannot sleep forever” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 125).

Although it would take a Second Great Awakening (ca. 1800- ca. 1830), a Great Prayer Awakening (1857-58), and a Civil War (1861-1865) to bring final closure, slavery’s end was sealed in that First Great Awakening that swept Colonial America. It was the Christian Awakening that ended slavery in America. 

America is in desperate need of another Christian Awakening. We ought, therefore, to heed the words of Samuel Adams (1722–1803), a passionate abolitionist, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and known as The Father of the American Revolution. While serving as governor of Massachusetts, he proclaimed April 2, 1795 to be a Day of Fasting and Prayer for both Massachusetts and America.

The words of that Proclamation reveal the profound depth of faith in America’s founding generation and shows how they saw their civil liberty tied to their faith in God. It reads in part:

Calling upon the Ministers of the Gospel, of every Denomination, with their respective Congregations, to assemble on that Day, and devoutly implore the Divine forgiveness of our Sins, To pray that the Light of the Gospel, and the rights of Conscience, may be continued to the people of United America; and that his Holy Word may be improved by them, so that the name of God may be exalted, and their own Liberty and Happiness secured (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 104).

This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's latest book, 1726, available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com. Watch for his latest book, America's Reawakening, slated for release March 15. He is also the founder of the "1726 Project" whose goal is to spread the message of America's unique birth out of the First Great Awakening and call on believers everywhere to pray for another Great Awakening across the land.

2026: A YEAR TO SEE GOD OPEN THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN

I have great expectations of seeing God do marvelous things for His people in 2026. I enter every new year with optimistic faith, but this year there is something more. It began a few days ago while leading an online Hour of Prayer and a promise God gave me 50 years ago in 1976 was reignited in my heart. The promise from God was that He would "open the windows of heaven" on me. 

The Promise Was Clear

Shortly after Sue and I married in 1976, I was reading a small book entitled The Authority of the Believer. Within the book was a quotation of Malachi 3:10, which includes the promise from God that He will, open for you the windows of heaven.

The phrase open for you the windows of heaven burned in my soul. When I went to bed that night and it seemed as though I could actually “feel” that word in my soul in the same way food just eaten could be felt in the stomach. It was a very real experience.

I arose the next morning and prepared for my devotional time in which I was reading through the Bible. As I sat cross-legged on the floor with my Bible in front of me, that phrase, I will open for you the windows of heaven, began burning once again in my soul.  I hesitated, wondering if I should continue with my planned devotions, or give attention to this promise burning in my soul.

As I pondered this question, I glanced down at my Bible which was lying open in front of me on the floor. It had randomly fallen open to 2 Kings Chapter 7 and the first words I saw were windows in heaven.

I was astounded for I did know there was another place in the Bible that spoke of the windows of heaven. This was incredible and I knew that God was speaking.

With God All Things Are Possible

I continued to read and found that this was the account of God’s supernatural deliverance of a city of Samaria that was besieged by the king of Syria and his powerful army. They had cut off all escape routes and blocked any food or other supplies going into the city. People were starving and some had resorted to cannibalism.

In the midst of this desperate and impossible situation, Elisha the prophet (who was inside the city) made an incredible prophecy. He predicted that the very next day food would be sold at ridiculously low prices because of the abundance.

An officer of the king of Israel (who resided in this city), heard Elisha’s prophecy and scoffed. Look, he said, If the Lord would make windows in heaven, could this thing be (I Kings 7:2)? Elisha replied that he would see it but would not eat or partake of it.

That same night four leprous, homeless men who lived outside the city gates decided that it was time to take radical action. They said to one another, Why are we sitting here until we die? They reasoned that if they went into the city they would die with everyone else, but if we sit here, we will die also.

Why not go out to the enemy camp, they asked themselves. The worst thing that can happen to us is that we will die. Who knows but what they may keep us alive.

So, they arose and began walking toward the enemy camp. As they marched forth, God caused the Syrian army to hear a sound of a massive army marching toward them. They panicked thinking that the king of Israel had hired the Egyptian army, and they fled in terror, leaving everything behind

The Windows of Heaven are Opened

The four lepers reached the camp and found food, clothes, gold, and silver in abundance. They enjoyed a sumptuous meal and then they took gold and silver out and buried it. Then they went back to the city and informed the watchman on the wall of what they had discovered. The watchman informed the king and the king sent several men to check it out. It was as the leprous men had said. The Syrian army had fled leaving behind a massive storehouse of supplies.

As morning dawned and word spread that food was being sold at the gates of the city, there was a mad rush by a lot of famished people. The officer of the king who had scoffed at the prophecy of Elisha was put in charge of the gate where the food was being sold at ridiculously low prices because of the abundance.

As the crowd rushed forward, he was knocked down, trampled upon and died. The prophecy of Elisha was fulfilled in that he saw the widows of heaven opened but he did not eat or partake of the miracle.

God’s Sudden, Supernatural Abundant Provision

That morning, I sat in awe at what I was reading and experiencing in my soul. It was a beautiful time in God’s presence, and I knew He was speaking to me.

Out of this experience the opening of the windows of heaven came to mean for me “God’s sudden, supernatural, abundant provision.” It is God breaking through from above into our present situation. It is God bringing about effects for which there is no human cause or explanation.

In the natural world there is the scientific law of cause and effect which says that for every effect there is a cause. This is a human attempt to explain, on a horizontal plane, why things happen.

But when God opens the windows of heaven, He brings about effects for which there is no human cause or explanation. He breaks into our lives from above and produces effects that we have not caused. He provides in a way that is sudden, supernatural, and abundant.

God Confirms His Word

As I sat and pondered all of this that morning, I seemed to hear in my spirit, “I am going to open the windows of heaven on you and on everyone who supports you in what I have called you to do.”

Not long after this, Sue and I were sitting around our kitchen table with several other people, including a white-haired, eighty-year-old woman who was a renowned prayer warrior. As we lifted out hearts in prayer, this dear old saint arose from her chair, came around the table, laid her hands on my head and began to pray.

After our time of prayer had ended, she looked at me and said, “The Lord told me to lay my hands on you and pray, and when I did, I saw two doors open over your head.” I excitedly replied, “Praise the Lord! He told me he would open the windows of heaven on me.”

Not long after this, God confirmed this promise in a very practical manner. I was invited to speak at a conference in NE India and I accepted. This was my first overseas travel and I was responsible for all my expenses. When the day of my departure arrived, I had only $30.00 above the cost of my ticket.

The challenge was that I had an overnight stay in London and two nights in Calcutta where I had to apply for a special travel permit. I then had two overnight stays on my return flight home. So, I needed money to cover 5 nights in hotels and food for four days, and I only had $30.00. 

I was determined to go even if I had to sleep on the sidewalks in London and Calcutta. God, however, had made a promise--to open the windows of heaven.

On the way to the airport to catch my flight, we stopped at the travel agency to pick up my ticket, for which I had already paid. The clerk was obviously stressed as she informed me that she had been trying to call me because she had to change my route. She said I arrived at my destination at the same time, but for some reason she had to change the route.

As she typed up the new itinerary, I asked, “What is the difference in the cost?” She finished typing, looked up the cost and, lo and behold, it was $300.00 less than before. She handed me my ticket and $300.00 and Sue drove me to the airport where I boarded my flight to India. God had opened the windows of heaven and I saw God pour out His Spirit and bless many lives during my time in India.

2026: A Time to See the Windows of Heaven Open

During our 50 years of marriage, Sue and I have seen God open the windows of heaven on our behalf too many times to mention here. I have a deep desire—I believe from the Holy Spirit—to see that promise manifest in 2026 in ways we have never seen or thought possible.

I am reminded that in ancient Israel, every 50th year was a Year of Jubilee, which was a time of great blessing, freedom and restoration. So, in this 50th year of our marriage and of receiving this promise from God, I have great hope and expectation of seeing the windows of heaven opened in marvelous ways, beyond anything we have hitherto seen.

I also desire to see this promise manifest in your life in 2026.  So, let’s turn our eyes upon Jesus and acknowledge Him as our Source for all of life. Let’s walk through the coming months of 2026 expecting to see the windows of heaven open with blessings and open doors beyond anything we have asked or even thought.

Now to Him who is able to exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever, Amen. – Eph. 3:20

Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt is the co-founder of Hyatt Int'l Ministries and his numerous books on Revival and biblical themes are available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com. He is also the cofounder of The Hyatt Institute an online Bible Training Center whose purpose is to Make Disciples Who Will Change Their World. You can explore the Hyatt Institute at http://hyattinstitute.com.