“And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
“And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
“And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
“‘Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
“‘A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, and the glory of Your people Israel.'”(Luk 2:25-32)
Journal,
Israel and America have much more in common than many realize. There is an entwining of the two nations that reaches far back in God’s redemption story. It all as to do with the glory.
Long centuries ago, Israel as a nation rejected her greater Son. When she did this, Israel rejected the greater glory belonging to her. Not long afterwards, God removed Israel’s place as a nation. And for over 1900 years, the people of Israel became vagabond wandering tribes. Israel in the wilderness (scattered people after 70 a.d.) suffered untold miseries. They were storm-tossed, rejected, and bruised. But Israel was never lost sight of by God Himself. She would one day arise from the ashes and reclaim her glory. The prophet Isaiah spoke of this:
“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. “For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you. “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. “Lift up your eyes round about and see; they all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from afar, and your
daughters will be carried in the arms. Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will thrill and rejoice; because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you.” (Isa 60:1-5)
Yes, Jesus Christ was and will always be the very ‘Glory of God.’ The prophets foretold it, the apostles declared it, and much of the Gentile world received the glory in their own hearts. But Israel’s day is shortly coming. Remember I said there was an entwining between Israel and America. Let’s talk about it.
The Glory of Israel Came to America
Once you understand that the glory of Israel is Jesus Himself, then you will understand what it was that made America so great. The very foundation of this nation was built upon the apex of Biblical faith, that is, a faith that can only realize itself fully in Jesus Christ. Regardless what anyone may tell you, the very foundation of this nation was laid upon the Rock of Christ. All you have to do is walk through the vast halls of our government and you will see words of faith inscribed throughout.
(And, no, it was never our founder’s design to set up a state religion. They knew that true faith is not something that can be legislated. It will always be a matter of the heart.)
Listen to Words Found in Our Nation’s Capitol.
On a wall of the Jefferson Memorial – “God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of people that these liberties are a gift from God?”
In the Washington Monument are numerous Bible verses and religious acknowledgements carved on memorial blocks in the walls, including the phrases: “Holiness to the Lord” (Exodus 28:26, 30:30, Isaiah 23:18, Zechariah 14:20), “Search the Scriptures” (John 5:39), “The memory of the just is blessed” (Proverbs 10:7), “May Heaven to this Union continue its beneficence,” and “In God We Trust”, but the Latin inscription Laus Deo – “Praise be to God” – is engraved on the monument’s capstone.
Inscribed on the walls of the Library of Congress – “The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not” (John 1:5); “Wisdom is the principal thing therefore get wisdom and withall thy getting, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7); “What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with thy God” (Micah 6:8); “The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth His handywork (Psalm 19:1)
In the Rotunda, there are four paintings hanging on the wall; you have two prayer meetings, a Bible study, and a baptism.
At the U.S. Supreme Court Building, The Ten Commandments are located in several different places including on the carved stone frieze on the front of the building. The statue showed Moses leaning his arm on The Ten Commandments. The commandments are also on the wall above the judge’s courtroom bench.
Every explorer of America, every group that arrived here, including the Pilgrim fathers, were all of the Christian faith in one form or another.
Has America forgotten Her glory? Perhaps not.
There is so much more to be said about this. There is so much more to be said about the entwining of Christian America and Israel. And so much more to be said about the glory of God. Did you know that the glory of God through Jesus Christ resides in the heart of every true believer?
With that being said, let’s take another look at the ground swell at work in this nation.
Believe it or not it really is about Jesus Christ and the Christian faith.
Let’s begin with…
Defining a Christian Nation
Supreme Court Justice David Brewer (1837-1910) explained that Christianity is what gave shape to this nation. It is in this sense that American can be called a Christian nation –
“[I]n what sense can [America] be called a Christian nation? Not in the sense that Christianity is the established religion or that the people are in any manner compelled to support it. On the contrary, the Constitution specifically provides that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Neither is it Christian in the sense that all its citizens are either in fact or name Christians. On the contrary, all religions have free scope within our borders. Numbers of our people profess other religions, and many reject all. Nor is it Christian in the sense that a profession of Christianity is a condition of holding office or otherwise engaging in public service, or essential to recognition either politically or socially. In fact, the government as a legal organization is independent of all religions.
“Nevertheless, we constantly speak of this republic as a Christian nation – in fact, as the leading Christian nation of the world.”
As I said earlier, our founding fathers had no desire or purpose in establishing a state religion. And yet this nation is by far and without question a people of the Christian faith.
Here are statistics for this nation by the Pew Forum on Religious Life – Christian 78.4%; Jewish 1.7%; Muslim 0.6%; Buddhist 0.7%; Unaffiliated 16.1%. (Unaffiliated includes: Nothing in particular 12.1%; atheist 1.6%; agnostic 2.4%)
Did you catch it? 78.4% Christian – 1.7% Jewish – 0.6% Muslim. The Jews and Muslims together account for very little over 2% of the American people. Would you not say that American is overwhelming a Christian nation. (Irrespective of any official mandate.)
Source: http://religions.pewforum.org/reports
Now to the forthcoming Presidential election and…
The Christian Struggle
Christians are faced with choices.
So, what do we have?
Perhaps this song says it best. Listen, ‘To the Glory of God’ by David Meece.
Buddy
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