WHEN GOD OPENS THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN

Peter and his business partners had fished all night and caught nothing. Things were not looking good for the fishing business. However, after loaning Jesus his boat from which to teach, and then obeying Jesus' command to launch out into the deep and let down his nets for a catch, something marvelous happened. It is what I am calling "the opening of the windows of heaven." 

Most of you are aware that this world's economy is very tenuous and unpredictable. Many economists are saying that the politicians are not dealing with the real problems, but are implementing temporary fixes that only delay the inevitable. Many are predicting a total meltdown of the global economy. 

Sue and I believe that God has shown us that there will be a collapse of the world economy, but that out of the rubble God’s people will see His providential provision arise. This providential provision and blessing I call “the opening of the windows of heaven.” Many years ago, God spoke to me with great clarity about this “opening of the windows of heaven” and it has been an incredible source of strength ever since.

God Gives Me a Promise

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 and pour out for you such a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. The phrase open for you the windows of heaven burned in my soul. 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 began my devotional time in which I was reading through the Bible. However, I immediately sensed my heart beginning to burn with that phrase I will open for you the windows of heaven. I paused to consider whether I should continue with my devotions as usual or should I give attention to this burning in my soul. As I pondered this question, I glanced down at my Bible which was lying open on the floor. It had fallen open to 2 Kings Chapter 7 and the first words I saw were windows in heaven. I was astounded for I did not 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.

An Old Testament Example

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. No one could go in and no one could come out. It was an impossible situation and hunger had reached the point that some in the city were turning to cannibalism.

It was in the midst of this desperate and impossible situation that 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 could 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 of starvation. They would also die if they remained in their present position. Why not go out to the camp of the enemy, they reasoned. The worst that can happen to us is that we will die. But if we sit here, we are going to die anyway.

So they began walking toward the enemy camp. As they marched forth, God caused the Syrian army to hear a sound of a large army marching toward them. They concluded that the king of Israel had hired the Egyptian army, and they ran 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 hungry 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. As the crowd rushed forward he was trampled under foot and died. The prophecy of Elisha was fulfilled in that he saw the widows of heaven open but he did not eat or partake of the miracle.

God’s Sudden, Supernatural, Abundant Provision

Out of this experience the opening the windows of heaven came to mean to 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. For example, we work forty hours per week and get a paycheck. The paycheck is the effect and our forty hours of labor is the cause. We toil for hours digging, planting, weeding, and watering and the effect is a beautiful garden. It seems that nothing happens unless we do something to cause it to 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.

As I pondered all of this that morning so many years ago, 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.” 

God Confirms His Word

Shortly after this experience, Sue and I were sitting around our kitchen table with several other people, including a white-haired, eighty-year old woman who was a long-time prayer warrior. As we lifted out hearts in prayer, "Sister Manetta" 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 said, “The Lord told me to lay my hands on you and pray, and when I did, I saw two doors (windows) open over your head.” I excitedly replied, “Praise the Lord! He told me he would open the windows of heaven on me.”

Practical Steps to Seeing the Opening of the Windows of Heaven

As Sue and I have, for many years, sought to walk out God’s plan for our lives with integrity and a daily dependence on Him, we have seen Him fulfill His promise and open the windows of heaven in ways we could never have imagined. Out of our walk with Him certain principles have emerged that I will here share with you. They are, I believe, keys to seeing God open the windows of heaven in our lives in the days ahead.

1)      Always see God as your source.

Your job is not your source. Your government pension is not your source. These are channels that God uses to provide for you. God has many channels that He can use, but you must always see Him as your One and only Source.

2)      Ground yourself in God’s promises.

        Before we married, the Holy Spirit brought three promises to Sue’s mind that would characterize our lives together. All three are wonderful promises of God’s provision; Psalm 34:10, Psalm 84:11, and Philippians 4:19. We memorized those Scriptures, as well as others, and I speak them every day in prayer and praise to God. Memorize God's promises of provision and meditate on them every day until they are a part of your life. 

3)      Nurture an attitude of generosity.

I am not talking about a “give to get” religious legalism that often comes through in Christian fundraisers and telethons. I am talking about a heart attitude that wants to bless others and help those in need. There are many promises in Scripture related to the generous and those who give out of a pure heart. Jesus said, Give and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken down, and running over will be put into your bosom (Luke 6:38).

4)      Listen for God’s wisdom.

God’s provision often comes to us, but it will sometimes come through us. In other words, there are times that we will have to take certain actions to set in motion the miracle that is needed. Wisdom is defined as “the correct application of knowledge” and God wisdom working through you will bring blessing and favor into your life.

5)      Be the best you can be—diligence.

One thing that impressed me about John D. Rockefeller was that in his autobiography he tells about when, as a young man looking for his first job, he decided that he would put in eight hours per day looking for a job until he found one. This is known as “diligence.” At a significant time in our lives, God said to Sue and me, “Be the best you can be.” That is diligence. Proverbs 22:29 says, Do you see a man (or woman) who excels (is diligent) in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before unknown men.

Concluding Thought

Will God still open the windows of heaven? Will He do it for me? Absolutely! One of His Old Testament covenant names is Yahweh Jireh, which literally means the “The LORD will see and provide.” As we take Him as our Source and Provider, we will see Him open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings in ways we could never have imagined. We will not live in fear about the economy. As it says in Psalm 37:19 of those who trust in the LORD, In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty. 

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author and Bible teacher with more than 20 published books on Revival, the Holy Spirit, and Church History. His books are available on Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

WHY DID GEORGE WASHINGTON PLACE HIS HAND ON A BIBLE?

There was no law or precedent that said George Washington ought to take the first presidential oath of office with his hand on a Bible. He was free to take the oath with his hand on any book, or no book at all. No one, however, was surprised when he insisted on taking the first oath of office with his hand on a Bible.

When a person swears an oath, they swear by that which is greater than themselves. For Washington, the greatest tangible authority on which he could swear to uphold the Constitution of the United States was the Bible. He, therefore proceeded to take the first presidential oath of office with his hand on a Bible.

A Biblical Worldview

There were no complaints because Washington’s high view of the Bible was that of America’s founding generation. In fact, a ten-year study to determine where America’s Founders got their ideas for the nation’s founding documents, found that they quoted the Bible far more than any other source. Yes, they quoted ancient Greek and Roman writers and Enlightenment philosophers, but as Cleon Skousen stated, “The linchpin that united their thinking on every important principle was the Bible.”

Because they held a biblical worldview, they interpreted Enlightenment teachings in the light of Scripture. This is why the well-known Catholic scholar, Michael Novak, said,

Everywhere that reason led, Americans found the Bible. If they read Francis Bacon, they found the Bible. If they read Isaac Newton or John Milton, they found the Bible. In Shakespeare, they found the Bible. In the world of the founders, the Bible was an unavoidable and useful rod of measurement, a stimulus to intellectual innovation (Hyatt, 5 Pillars of the American Republic, 16).

The Bible’s profound influence on America’s founding was acknowledged in a December 1982 article in Newsweek entitled “How the Bible Made America.” It contained this insightful statement:

For centuries [the Bible] has exerted an unrivaled influence on American culture, politics and social life. Now historians are discovering that the Bible, perhaps even more than the Constitution, is our founding document: the source of the powerful myth of the United States as a special, sacred nation, a people called by God to establish a model of society, a beacon to the world (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 7).

Not Ashamed of the Bible

It is, therefore, not surprising that the First Continental Congress opened with an extended time of Bible reading and prayer.  As Rev. Jacob Dusche read the entire 35th Psalm everyone in the room was deeply moved and tears could be seen in many eyes. John Adams described the moving scene in a letter to his wife, Abigail. He wrote,

I never saw a greater effect upon an audience. It seems as if heaven had ordained that Psalm to be read that day. I saw tears gush into the eyes of the old, grave pacific Quakers of Philadelphia. I must beg you to read that Psalm (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 108).

The Founders’ respect for the Bible was highlighted when the first English Bible printed in America in 1782 included a recommendation from Congress. The producer of the Bible, Robert Aitken, had written a letter to Congress in which he asked for that government body’s sanction on his work. In the letter, Aitken called this Bible, “a neat Edition of the Scriptures for the use in schools.” Congress enthusiastically responded to his request and offered the following recommendation to be included in this first English Bible printed in America.

Resolved: That the United States in Congress assembled, highly approve the pious and laudable undertaking of Mr. Aitken, as subservient to the interest of religion as well as an instance of the progress of the arts in this country, and being satisfied from the above report, of his care and accuracy in the execution of the work they recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States and hereby authorize him to publish this recommendation in the manner he shall think proper.

Regarding the Bible’s influence on America’s Founders, Andrew Jackson, America’s 7th president, declared, “That book, sir, is the rock on which our Republic rests.” This was echoed by America's 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt, who said, “No other book of any kind ever written in English has ever so affected the whole life of a people.” America’s 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, declared,

In regards to this great Book, I have but to say that it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this Book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man's welfare, here and hereafter, are found portrayed in it.

Washington and the Bible

So, why did Washington insist on taking the first presidential oath of office with his hand on a Bible? The reason seems obvious. He, and the founding generation, believed the Bible to hold the moral and spiritual truths that would guide the new nation and make it a peaceful, stable, and prosperous land.

Indeed, it was biblical moral principles that enabled the country to overcome slavery and Jim Crow, bring voting rights to women, defeat the old Soviet Union, and produce unparalleled prosperity for the largest number of people.  The contemporary rejection of the Bible as a source of spiritual and moral guidance does not bode well for the future of America and would cause Washington to turn over in his grave.

Dr. Eddie Hyatt has a passion to see America return to her founding principles of faith and freedom. He writes and speaks on the topic and this article was derived from his books, 1726: The Year that Defined America and Pilgrims and Patriots 2nd Edition, both available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

WHY WE MUST RENOUNCE THE TRAGIC DIVORCE OF FAITH AND FREEDOM IN MODERN AMERICA

At the closing banquet celebrating the Constitutional Convention of 1787, a Philadelphia matron rushed to the side of the convention’s most senior member and gushed, “O Mister Franklin, what have you gentlemen wrought?” The eighty-one-year-old Franklin is said to have paused, adjusted his glasses, and solemnly replied, “A republic madam; if you can keep it” (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots, 2nd Edition, 171).

One Thing Necessary for a Free Republic

Franklin was solemn because he knew that the freedoms they had just enshrined in the Constitution, could be turned into anarchy by a populace that did not have the capacity to govern itself according to internal, moral values. He and all the Founders agreed that only Christianity offered the moral values and principles necessary for sustaining the freedoms they had just instituted.

Yes, Faith and Freedom were joined in an indissoluble bond at the time of America’s founding.  This is why John Adams, in a 1798 address to the officers of the Massachusetts Militia, declared,

We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion . . .  Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious [Christian] people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 168).

When the Founders use the word "religion" they are referring to Christianity. Christianity was their religion. Without exception, they believed that only a people governed by Christian morality could sustain the Constitutional Republic they had formed.

Benjamin Rush, a Philadelphia physician, member of the Continental Congress, and signer of the Declaration of Independence, made this clear when he said,

The only foundation for a republic is to be laid in Religion. Without this there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 163).

George Washington was in complete agreement and in a 1783 letter to the governors of the various states he exhorted them to make Jesus their example and role model for life, saying, “Without a humble imitation of His example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 120). He continued this theme in his First Inaugural Address in which he exhorted the new nation to cling to Christian morals, and warned,

The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the external rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots,2nd Edition, 173).

John Quincy Adams (1767-1848), America’s sixth president and son of John Adams, the nation’s second president, was clearly aware of this marriage of Faith and Freedom in the founding of America. He wrote,

The highest glory of the American Revolution is this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity (Hyatt, America’s Revival Heritage, 2nd Edition, 68).

The Challenge We Face

This being the case, how did we arrive at this place in America’s history where Freedom has been divorced from Faith? How did we arrive at this place where prayer and Bible reading have been banned from public schools and crosses and other Christian symbols have been forcibly removed from all public venues? Why are children being erroneously taught that America was founded as a secularist nation by slaveowners who wanted to protect their wealth,

The answer is that there is an insidious plan to transform America into a godless, socialist state. To advance this agenda, there has been a rewriting of our history and a reinterpretation of that part of the First Amendment that says, “Congress shall make no law concerning the establishment of religion, nor hindering the free exercise thereof.” The secularist insists that any expression of faith on public property amounts to an “establishment of religion” and must be banned.

The truth is that what the Founders banned was for Congress to establish a national, state church, which is what the nations of Europe had known since Constantine. They knew from experience that such coercive faith does not produce real Christians. They had learned that faith, imposed by civil government, can never produce a moral and virtuous people, and such a people, they believed, would be necessary for a free and stable nation. Interestingly, the day after ratifying the First Amendment, those same Founders declared a Day of Thanksgiving and Prayer throughout the nation.

America’s Founders were also aware of the history of spiritual awakenings in Colonial America, including the big one, the Great Awakening, which had impacted all of them. They had seen the populace morally transformed by that Awakening. They believed such an organic faith of the people to be true to real Christianity and capable of producing the kind of national morality necessary for a peaceful and prosperous society.

The Way Forward from Here

If America is to survive, we must get serious about praying for another Great Awakening that will revive the churches, impact the culture, and stem the tide of secularism and immorality that is flooding our land. Samuel Adams, another prominent Founding Father, believed this to be the key for Freedom to continue in America.

The noted historian, Dr. Michael Novak, says that Adams believed: (1) Liberty cannot be enjoyed apart from virtue and (2) Virtue is unlikely to remain vigorous from one generation to another without "religious awakenings.” Novak goes on to say,

Far from having a hostility toward religion, the Founders counted on religion [Christianity] for the underlying philosophy of the republic, its supporting ethic, and its reliable source of rejuvenation (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 171).

The American church must awaken. We must renounce the divorce of Faith and Freedom in our nation and join them together once again in one indissoluble bond. This is not Christian nationalism; this is merely acknowledging that the morals of Jesus are superior to those of either Joe Biden or Donald Trump.

We must then pray for another Great Awakening to roll across the land like a giant tsunami wave. Yes, it is time to fall on our faces and seek the Lord, as the prophet says, Til He comes and rains righteousness on you (Hosea 10:12).

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author, historian, and revivalist. This article is derived primarily from his book, 1726: The Year that Defined America, available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

3 REASONS FREDERICK DOUGLASS CAME TO ADMIRE AMERICA'S FOUNDING FATHERS

No one was more scathing in their attacks on slavery and those who tolerated it than Frederick Douglass, the former slave and passionate abolitionist. In his early years, Douglass (1818-1895) felt he had no place in America because of the enslavement of his people, and he despised July 4th celebrations. 

However, as he studied America's history and world history, his views began to change and he came to admire the Founding Fathers. He expressed this admiration in a July 4th speech delivered in 1852. He said,

Fellow Citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. They were great men too—great enough to give fame to a great age. It does not often happen to a nation to raise, at one time, such a number of truly great men.

Here are 3 historical facts that help explain why Douglass came to hold the Founders in such high esteem.

Reason #1
The Founders Took a Stand Against Slavery
When it was Practiced Around the World

The leftists in America would have us think that slavery is unique to America. The truth is that slavery has been practiced by all sorts of peoples and civilizations for all of recorded history. But in 18th century Colonial America, there was a unique turning against slavery that resulted in virtually every Founding Father taking a public stand against it. The brilliant Black economist and historian, Dr. Thomas Sowell, has said,

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 occasion for this turn against slavery was the Christian revival that became known as the Great Awakening. This Awakening transformed entire communities, breached racial and social barriers, and ignited an abolition movement unique to the world at that time. It impacted the Founders and led to them formulating colorblind founding documents. Virtually every Founder came to agree with John Adams who said,

Every measure of prudence ought to be assumed for the eventual total expiration 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).

Reason #2
The Founders Produced Anti-Slavery Founding Documents

Because of the 18th century Great Awakening and its impact on the Founders, America’s founding documents have no classifications based on race or skin color. The words “slave” and “slavery” are nowhere to be found. Instead, the Founders speak of “persons,” “citizens,” and “other persons.” The language was purposeful for as James Madison said, “The Convention thought it wrong to admit in the Constitution the idea that there could be property in men."

America's founding generation viewed these documents as anti-slavery documents. The statement in the Declaration of Independence that “All men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights such as Life and Liberty . . . was understood as an antislavery statement. Douglass understood it as such and in the speech mentioned above, he referred to the Declaration and said, “The principles contained in that instrument are saving principles. Stand by those principles, be true to them on all occasions, in all places, against all foes, and at whatever cost.”

In the same speech he referred to the U.S. Constitution as a “glorious liberty document.” On another occasion he spoke of the founding documents and said, “Any one of these provisions in the hands of abolition statesmen, and backed by a right moral sentiment would put an end to slavery in America” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 122).

Yes, in the founding documents, the Founders gave Abolitionists the legal instruments with which to combat slavery. A 1784 gathering of Methodist leaders in Baltimore understood this and when they issued a statement denouncing slavery, they based it on both the Bible and the Declaration of Independence. They declared slavery to be, "Contrary to the golden rule of God as well as every principle of the [American] Revolution” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 97).

Reason #3
They Put Their Lives on the Line for Liberty

In declaring independence from Great Britian in the Declaration of Independence, the 56 signers knew that they were putting their lives on the line. They knew that their actions would be seen as treason and that King George would put them in his crosshairs. After signing the Declaration, John Hancock exhorted, “We must all hang together.” Benjamin Franklin replied, “Yes, we must hang together, or, most assuredly, we will all hang separately” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 113).

Indeed, all 56 were targeted by the British. Nine died of wounds or hardships during the war. Five were captured and imprisoned, in each case, enduring brutal treatment. Several lost wives, sons, or entire families. One lost his thirteen children. Two wives were brutally treated. All were, at one time or another, the victims of manhunts and were driven from their homes. Twelve signers had their homes completely burned. Seventeen lost everything they owned. Yet not one defected or went back on his pledged word” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 97).

Concluding Thought

Douglass knew the Founders had their flaws, but he came to appreciate the courageous stand they took and all they accomplished despite being opposed by passionate proponents of slavery and the greatest military machine in the world. His words are a ringing rebuke to those today who demonize the Founders and want to rewrite our founding documents.

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author, historian, and Bible teacher with a passion to see another Great Awakening in America and around the world. This article is derived from his book, 1726: The Year that Defined America, available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

IS THE AMERICAN EXPERIMENT IN SELF-GOVERMENT COMING TO AN END?

America’s founding has been called the “great experiment” in human government because it was an experiment in self-government. Authority would reside, not with a monarchy, oligarchy, or centralized government, but with the people. According to the founding documents, it was to be a government designed to “serve” the people who have unalienable rights from God that no government can take from them. Abraham Lincoln called it a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

The great question was, “Can a free people govern themselves and produce an orderly and safe society?”  Such a government “of the people” would require a certain kind of people, which is why Benjamin Franklin responded as he did to a question at the closing banquet of the Constitutional Convention in 1787.

At this banquet a Philadelphia matron rushed to the side of the convention’s most senior member and gushed, “O Mister Franklin, what have you gentlemen wrought?” The eighty-one-year-old Franklin is said to have paused, adjusted his glasses, and solemnly replied, “A republic madam; if you can keep it” (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots, 2nd Edition, 171).

One Thing Necessary for a Free Republic

Franklin was solemn because he knew that for the Constitutional Republic they had just formed to survive, it would require a special kind of people. He knew that those same freedoms they had just enshrined could be turned into anarchy by a populace that did not have the capacity to govern itself according to internal, moral values.

He and all the Founders knew that the success of the nation they had formed hinged on the moral character of its citizens and their ability to govern themselves according to godly principles. This is why John Adams, in a 1798 address to the officers of the Massachusetts Militia, declared,

We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion . . .  Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious [Christian] people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 168).

George Washington was in complete agreement and in a 1783 letter to the governors of the various states he exhorted them to make Jesus their example and role model for life, saying, “Without a humble imitation of His example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that DefinedAmerica, 120). He continued this theme in his First Inaugural Address in which he exhorted the new nation to cling to Christian morals, and warned,

The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the external rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots, 2nd Edition, 173).

The well-known historian, Michael Novak, was correct in saying, “Far from having a hostility toward religion, the Founders counted on religion [Christianity] for the underlying philosophy of the republic, its supporting ethic, and its reliable source of rejuvenation” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 171).

The Challenge We Face

We have entered a unique time in America's history in which there has never been such a widespread and adamant rejection of Christian faith and values. Colleges and universities, as well as elementary and high schools, have become indoctrination centers for agnosticism and wokeism, and parents who protest are labeled “domestic terrorists” by our government. 

We probably should not be surprised since in 2019 the Democrat National Committee (DNC), the governing body of the Democrat Party, unanimously passed a resolution affirming atheism and declaring that neither Christianity or any religion to be necessary for morality and patriotism. Their resolution is completely at odds with America's founding.

At the same time there has been an all-out effort to rewrite America’s history and destroy her Christian heritage. School children are now taught that America was founded by wicked slaveowners and is racist and evil at her core. Those who teach this are willfully ignorant, or uneducated, of the fact that America’s founders turned against slavery at a time it was being practiced in Africa, Asia, and throughout the world (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 89-90).

For the secularist, the revision of America’s history is a major coup, for to fundamentally transform a nation, its history must first be transformed. This is what George Orwell was referring to when he said, “Whoever controls the past, controls the future.” Alexander Solzhenitsyn sounded the same alarm when he said, “To destroy a people, you must first sever their roots” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 6).

Severed from her Christian past, America seems defenseless against the moral relativism and atheistic wokeism that is permeating the culture. With the loss of its Christian heritage, America’s populace is now vulnerable, in a way it has never been, to being shaped into an amoral, Marxist society. American culture has now reached the point, spoken of by Karl Marx when he said, “A people without a heritage are easily persuaded” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 6). 

So, Franklin’s statement is very appropriate and timely. Are we going to keep the free Republic that was passed along to us by former generations. Ronald Reagan was right when he said,

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.

The Answer for America Today

One thing I have learned from years of studying America’s history is that again and again God has intervened at critical moments with great, national revivals that have altered the course of the nation. Without another such Awakening at this time in history, the America many of us grew up in will cease to exist. We are in a moral and political freefall. The handwriting is on the wall for anyone to see, who is willing to see.

This is, however, hope. I have documented in my book, 1726: The Year thatDefined America, how this nation was birthed out of the First Great Awakening. God has no grandchildren, and when second and third generation Americans drifted from the faith of their parents, a remnant prayed and God sent a Second Great Awakening.

It was on the heels of this Second Great Awakening that a foreign visitor gave the secret for America’s success and greatness. The following statement has historically been attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville, a French sociologist who visited America in 1831. Although it is not found in his writings, it has the feel and sound of Tocqueville and may well have been spoken in one of his many speeches and then written down by someone in the audience.

Regardless, this visitor tells how he sought for America’s greatness in her great commercial centers, her educational institutions, and her halls of government. He then said,

Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots, 2nd Edition, 177).

America’s pulpits “flaming with righteousness” once again is the key to the preservation of the free Republic that was formed 247 years ago. Let us pray, therefore, that pastors, Christian leaders, and Christians in general will fall on their faces and seek the Lord, as the prophet says, Til He comes and rains righteousness on you (Hosea 10:12).

If My people, who are called by My name,

Will humble themselves and pray,

And seek My face and turn from their wicked ways,

Then I will hear from heaven,

And will forgive their sin and heal their land.

(II Chronicles 7:14)

This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's books, 1726: The Year that Defined America and Pilgrims and Patriots, 2nd Edition, available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

MARRIAGE MADE IN HEAVEN

I do NOT celebrate PRIDE month because of any personal animus toward the LGBTQ community. I do NOT celebrate because I am convinced that our Creator, at the beginning, designed marriage to function between one man and one woman without gender confusion or dysphoria (Genesis 1-2).

Jesus confirmed this original design in a conversation about marriage and divorce found in Matthew 19. He pointed His listeners to the original marriage design in Genesis and said,

Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female and said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?” So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no man put asunder (Matthew 19:4-6; MEV).

In his Word Studies of the New Testament, the Greek scholar, Dr. Marvin Vincent, says that the aroist (past) tense of the Greek word translated as “what” (not “those”) in verse 6, indicates that Jesus is referring to "the original ordinance of God at the creation." The renowned British New Testament scholar, Dr. F.F. Bruce, agrees, saying, “He does not say that every marriage is made in heaven but that marriage itself is made in heaven.”

It is this original marriage design between one man and one woman--marriage made in heaven--that Jesus says must never be manipulated, divided, or "put asunder." I, therefore, can only celebrate marriage as ordained and instituted by God in Creation and confirmed by Jesus in the New Covenant.

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author, historian, and Bible teacher. His numerous books, including one on marriage entitled Who's the Boss?, are found on Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.

 

GROUNDBREAKING NEW BOOK COMING SOON

I am very excited about my latest book. It could be available to the public as early as next week. It will be available on Amazon and our website at http://eddiehyatt.com. Chapter titles are listed below.

1. The Uniqueness of Jesus

2. Modern Myths Concerning Jesus

3. The One Reliable Source for Knowing Jesus

4. Old Testament Prophecies of Jesus

5. The Virgin Birth of Jesus

6. The Self-Awareness of Jesus

7. Jesus, Caesar and the Kingdom of God

8. Did Jesus Claim to be God?

9. The Humanity of Jesus

10. The Atoning Death of Jesus

11. Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus

12. The Early Church’s Message of Jesus

13. Paul’s Revelation of Jesus

14 Keeping Our Focus on Jesus

15. Knowing Jesus in a Very Personal Way