Israel - America - Isaiah & God's Judgment - A Nation Dedicated To God

America like Israel is a nation dedicated to God.
Do you know that our first president’s first official act, along with
Congress and Senate was to dedicate the brand new nation, the United
States of America, to Jehovah God?
America and Israel are the only two nations who at their beginnings, were and are dedicated to Jehovah God, our creator.
This is an important fact to know and understand because a nation
dedicated to God is held to a higher responsibility as opposed to
nations that are not.
Now it is true that there are nations who followed biblical standards
and at times revival has taken place. For example England in the 1800s
had a very strong revival which in turn made its way over to America and
great preachers like Charles Grandison Finney, Charles Haddon Spurgeon,
Dwight Lyman Moody, Billy Sunday and many more preached the gospel.
That was the golden age of the American Revival.
But do you know that our nation was also dedicated to God by a King?
This took place in 1606 when King James of England stated in the
Jamestown charter to the major investors in the Virginia Company that
the spread the Gospel of the Almighty God will be first and foremost.
Here is how the charter opened…

Spreading the gospel was the first goal of the Jamestown settlers.
The second part of the 1606 charter is devoted to the rights of the
investors to discover and profit from…

So not only in our conception via the Jamestown settlers, but also
when our nation officially stood on its own as a nation, we were
dedicated to God.
The only other country to be dedicated to God at it’s beginnings was Israel.
Even though Israel had two kings prior, it was not till the temple
was built that the nation of Israel truly became a nation. It was under
the reign of King Solomon who finally built God’s temple, which was the
symbol, the very heart of the nation.
We read in 2 Chronicles seven we the following…

There is a lot in these ten verses.
1 – God heard the prayer of the king and accepted the king’s dedication of Israel to that of God.
2 – God will chastise, but has promised that His mercy will continue based on the actions of the nation.
3 – God promises to hear the prayers and will be attentive to a
humble people and will dwell with them, blessing them and watching over
them.
4 – God promises to the king that He will bless the King, His rule
and the nation if the King maintains God’s statutes, judgments. In other
words, Keep God’s Word.
5 – God also states that if the nations turns away from God to serve
other gods, worship them, then He will pluck the nation up by its roots
out of the land and will also cast His house out of His sight.
This is just the tip of the iceberg too. There is a lot more here, but we can cover more later.
What we know is that God is not a respecter of persons, BUT he is a respecter of the office with which that person occupies.
We clearly see that the actions of the king will reflect upon the
nation. If the king worships other gods, God’s chastisement will “roll
down hill.” It will be the nation that will feel His hand against them.

The office of the king is an office ordained by God and with it comes
a huge amount of responsibility to God. But because the office is
ordained by God, the king or the leader of a nation has in a sense
“God’s ear.”
We see this in case after case in scripture. When the King sought out
God and repented, God heard the prayers of the king and forgave the
nation.

Because the King of Ninevah humbled himself before God and ordered
the people to follow his example, God spared Ninevah from complete
destruction.
God is not a respecter of persons, but He does respect an office of responsibility which a person holds.
The birthplace of Israel is upon the temple mount in Jerusalem, but do you know where the birthplace of our nation took place?
It
wasn’t in Washington DC nor was it in Philadelphia in 1776. Our nation
was conceived in Philadelphia, but we did not become an official nation
until April 30th, 1789.
That was the day that George Washington was sworn in as America’s
first president. In fact there is a very famous statue marking the very
spot where he was sworn in.
He was inaugurated on the island of Manhattan, New York City, in front of the Federal Hall located on Wall Street.
Wall Street is where our nation actually became a nation. Federal
Hall was the then current home to the first Congress, Supreme Court, and
Executive Branch offices. The building is still there and there is a
statue of George Washington standing with his hand stretched out taking
the oath of office. Why was his hand stretched out? His statue was
portrayed that way so that people could see and remember that George
Washington took the oath of office while resting his hand on God’s Word.
On this day things were planned out and seemed to be going smoothly,
but as the parade was nearing Federal Hall carrying Washington in a
horse drawn carriage, it was suddenly realized that a Bible had been
needed for administering the oath. Why? Because it was written into the
law and a bible was required to be part of the ceremony. History shows
that it was Parade Marshal Jacob Morton who hurried off and soon
returned with a large 1767 King James Bible, and it was that bible with
which Washington swore his oath of office.
The same King James who’s charter ordained this country to sharing
the gospel also gave the English speaking people the only authorized
bible in history, the King James Authorized Version of the Bible.
So on April 30, 1789 our first president was sworn in at Federal
Hall, our first seat of government located on Wall Street, Manhattan New
York.
On April 23, it was announced to the nation that at 9:00 AM the
church bells across the nation will ring for a half hour, calling the
entire nation come to their house of worship and to commit our new
government to the Most High God.

After being sworn-in, George Washington delivered this nation’s first “Inaugural Address” to a joint session of Congress.
In it, Washington declared:

As the newly inaugurated President, George Washington’s first act as
President was to lead on foot, the Vice President and members of the
Senate and House of Representatives, proceed to St. Paul’s Chapel.
It was at St. Paul’s Chapel that our nation was dedicated to God. Our
newly founded Government joined our President, along with the rest of
the nation, upon bent knee and in solemn prayer asked for God’s favor
and blessing upon this nation. It was at that time that our nation was
committed by our leader and the people to God Almighty.
It is at that very moment that the ground with which our nation was dedicated, became hallowed ground.
This ground was from that point on, became a special landmark to our nation and to God.
Like the temple mount where Solomon dedicated Israel and her people
to God, so did our first president. Following Solomon’s example his
first official act as our nation’s leader was to dedicate our nation and
her people to God.
Saint Paul’s Chapel and the land upon which it sat, is a kin to Israel’s temple mount.
The ground is hallowed to our nation.
Saint Paul’s Chapel
The
chapel of the Parish of Trinity Church, St. Paul’s was built on land
granted by Queen Anne of Great Britain. Land owned by one who holds an
office, recognized and ordained by God.
The land owned by the chapel was of good size. In fact it is recorded
that The “Hearts of Oak”, a militia unit organized early in the
American Revolutionary War, and comprised in part of King’s College
(later, Columbia University) students, would drill in the Chapel’s yard
before classes. (1)
Another fact about St. Paul’s that Washington regularly attended
services at St. Paul’s during the two years New York City was the
country’s capital.
Remove Not The Ancient Landmarks
In scripture we are told about “the ancient landmarks.” In fact we are warned in Proverbs of the following…

Over the years the land upon which our nation was dedicated to God, slowly became forgotten.
Today, barely anyone except for a few history books, remember that
the land which St. Paul’s stands is the very same land which our nation
and her people were dedicated to God.
The ancient landmark was not moved, but something worse happened… it became forgotten.
Many people have no idea what St. Paul’ Chapel means to this nation.
Her history, her meaning, her hallowed ground has been totally forgotten
by most of the nation and her people.
Israel Turns From God
In 2 Chronicles 7 we read what will happen to Israel if she turned her back upon God.

Because Israel turned to false gods and turned her back upon God, God
did exactly as He said he would. He pulled the people up by the roots
and destroyed the temple.
The hallowed ground with which the temple was built was defiled and
destroyed. God’s hand of protection was lifted and the enemies of God
came in and destroyed the very symbol of the nation, that being the
temple, the heart of the nation.
The people lamented and asked “Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land?”
Again, just as God said it, the people wondered “WHY?”
It is because the nation and her people who were dedicated to God, by their king, turned their backs upon Him.
So He destroyed the temple because they forgot the ancient landmarks
and their promise to God once given on that hallowed ground from which
she was dedicated.
God began His judgment upon Israel on the very ground she was founded, the temple mount.
Our Hallowed Ground
Our nation has faced God’s Judgment, just as Israel’s hallowed ground
was stricken. So has our hallowed ground been also stricken.
Our hallowed ground with which St Paul’s sits and where our nation was dedicated to God Almighty is none other than Ground Zero.
The land that was once used to practice marching and military drill, was the same land with which the twin towers stood.

Like Israel, God has judged our nation, a nation dedicated to God Almighty.
Like Israel who was briefly invaded by Assyria, our nation has also been briefly invaded by the very same terrorist ancestors.
Like Israel’s hallowed ground being destroyed, our hallowed ground has also been destroyed.
We have been warned, and God’s hand of providence has been lifted.
But on that day did we humble ourselves?
No we did not.
In fact, our leaders spoke a curse upon our nation right from the book of Isaiah.

This verse in the days and months after our nation’s downfall will be repeated over and over again by our elected officials.
This verse is the very attitude that Israel took after Assyria invaded the land.
Instead of humbling themselves and repenting as God told them to do in 2 Chronicles 7:14, they became hardened and prideful.
They became defiant in the face of God.
God has been warning out nation. But instead of heeding His warning
the people of our nation continue to be boastful, proud and defiant in
the face of God.
In my next article I will show how we have followed in the same steps
as Israel, as well as show the signs of God’s continued judgment upon
our nation.

By Ray Gano

End Notes
1 – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Paul%27s_Chapel