The 4th of July and the Bible – Erik Jones lifehopeandtruth.com

America’s existence as a nation is highly unlikely; Its emergence depended on a very unusual and particular sequence of circumstances. And it isn’t contested that America has enjoyed rare, perhaps even historically unmatched, prosperity and power. Reflecting on these concepts should not exalt the nation or its people. But it should increase faith. Because the story of America, in the context of Bible prophecy, reveals God’s providential hand (Isaiah 46:10).

Physical blessings were promised to Abraham. They were passed down to his son Isaac, then to Isaac’s son Jacob (Israel) and finally to Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Jacob declared that Ephraim would become a “multitude of nations” and Manasseh would become a single great nation (Genesis 48:19). Genesis 49:1 reveals that these promises were to be fulfilled in “the last days”—in other words, the modern era. The promise of Ephraim’s “multitude of nations” is primarily fulfilled in the British Commonwealth nations. Manasseh’s promise of being a single great nation is fulfilled in the United States of America. There’s nothing these nations did to earn any blessings – they simply exist as the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham. The Bible also prophesies that these nations will suffer greatly as God’s correction for their disregard of Him. Nevertheless, it is profitable to i) consider the story of America in order to observe God’s control over human affairs, and then ii) to reflect on the life of its real founding father, the faithful Abraham, for applicable life lessons for today.