Israel - America & God's Judgment Pt 5- Take Away The Hedge and Break Down The Wall

 In this series I have been trying to show that God has caused judgment to come upon our nation.
He has been trying to get our attention, but instead of heeding the judgment, we have ignored it.
In fact instead of humbling ourselves and seeking His forgiveness, we have gone in the opposite direction and have stood in defiance to God.
I have shown that God is not a respecter of men, but He does in fact honor and listen to offices of responsibility. When these offices speak, make supplication, stand in defiance, God hears these and acts upon a nation either through blessing or through curse.
Out of ignorance, our leaders have cursed our nation reinforcing the defiance by speaking a curse found in Isaiah 9:10.
"The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars." - (KJV)
I have shown that the ground of consecration, the ground our nation was dedicated to God has in fact become the ground of judgment. Just as ancient Israel ground of consecration, the temple mount, the ground our nations dedicated to God was also destroyed.
That ground was Ground Zero once owned by St Paul's Chapel, the only building that survived the attack on 9-11.
How St Paul's was saved was by a lone Sycamore tree that was slammed to the ground from an "I-beam" flying across the area destined to hit St Paul's Chapel.
The twin towers, the symbol of the strength of America, her "bricks" had fallen. The sycamore was cut down, that lone tree that protected the ground this nation was dedicated upon, uprooted.
We have seen the curse come to fruition when out of our pride and determination to "rebuild" we laid the "hewn stone" the cornerstone at Ground Zero. We also replaced that sycamore that was cut down with a cedar.
God has been trying to warn us. Through His mercy He has been providing His signs to wake up our nation.
But many have not seen the signs and they have gone ignored. We have refused to heed the warning that He sent on 9-11.
Take Away The Hedge and Break Down The Wall
In the early days after 9-11 our leaders kept repeating a verse, that verse was Isaiah 9:10. Most of the city officials and community leaders would paraphrase it or just reference the fallen bricks and often throw in "We Will Rebuild." It all made good press in a time of calamity and brought a nation together for a very short season.
When we read about God judging ancient Israel, we see a patter take place over and over again.
God breaks down what He allowed to be built.
Then He uproots the foundations.
Scripture says…

Jeremiah 45:4 (KJV) Thus shalt thou say unto him, The LORD saith thus; Behold, that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even this whole land.

Isaiah 5:5 (KJV)   And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:

We see that with ancient Israel the temple was destroyed and then the people were uprooted from the land.
He has followed the same pattern with our nation, the only other nation dedicated to God.
He broke down the twin towers and uprooted the sycamore saving St. Paul's Chapel.
He did this and gave us these signs out of mercy in hopes that our nation would return to Him.
The falling of the twin towers and the cutting down of the sycamore are in fact two images of His judgment upon this nation.
We did not get it and we missed the message being sent because we were not paying attention.
So He Warned Us Again
The World Trade Center sat upon the very ground that our nation was dedicated to by our first president George Washington to Jehovah God.
This World Trade Center complex was a symbol of our power, both physical being the tallest buildings in the world for a number of years, to our economic power.
Not only were many of the financial elite housed in those buildings, but the twin towers also housed the COMEX commodities trading floor.
So it is this area where our nation was born, the Island of Manhattan, Wall Street in particular, which was and still is the focal point of this nation's economic and financial foundation.
My Small Connection 
It is interesting that even I have a personal tie to this area. See my ancestors sailed on the ship The Beaver, which sailed from Amsterdam under Captain Pieter Reyersen arriving in New Amsterdam (Manhattan island) May 9, 1661.
Now here is the interesting part, I was born May 9, 1961… 3oo years later.
Now this has nothing to do with the series I am writing, but it is just an interesting side note. My family was there when all this was taking place.

New Amsterdam 
New Amsterdam (Manhattan island) was the primary trading post for the Dutch at that time who owned and operated from that area.
In the 1640s, a basic picket and plank fences denoted plots and residences in the colony. Later, the Dutch West India Company collaborated with the city government and constructed an earthen wall on the northern boundary of the New Amsterdam settlement. It is believed that this was to protect against English colonial encroachment and / or attacks from native Americans who also lived in the area.
The Dutch named this "de Waal Straat"
In these early days, local merchants and traders would gather at different spots along the wall to buy and sell food, goods, supplies but also it became popular for the financially elite to trade shares and bonds along the wall. Over time the buying, selling and trading divided the businesses into two classes, the auctioneers and the dealers.
In 1699 the wall was removed to expand the area, but the name of the street," Wall Street", kept its name.
This is the very same Wall Street which Federal Hall resides, the very same place where the birth of our government took place on April 30th 1789 where our first president, George Washington was inaugurated.
As I mentioned, traders and speculators would gather together to trade stocks, bonds, and commodities. See what we need to remember is that New Amsterdam (Manhattan island) was the primary hub for all trade coming into and going out of the colonies at that time. The "new world" was a a place for the enterprising individual could make his fortune.
Soon it became tradition to meet at a point on Wall Street where a buttonwood tree stood. This gave the buyers and sellers a shaded place to meet as well as a local landmark so that all could identify where to buy, sell and trade.
In 1792 the traders decided to create an association with each other. This agreement was called "The Buttonwood Agreement."
The premise of this agreement was to make the market more "structured" and "without the manipulative auctions." A commission structure was created so that a standard commission rate could be charged. What this did was give those who signed the agreement a lower commission rate but those who did not sign could still participate in trading, but commission was set at a higher rate to, buy, sell and trade.
The organization born of the agreement would be known as the Buttonwood Association. Later renamed the New York Stock and Exchange Board, and finally what we know today as the New York Stock Exchange.
Finally, can you guess what sort of tree the buttonwood tree is?
If you came up with a sycamore, you are correct.
The Sycamores Are Cut Down… Again
We did not heed His warning at 9-11.
So He warned us again, but this time a different sycamore fell.
See seven years after 9-11, another sycamore fell. In fact this falling of a sycamore was a direct result of the action God took on Sept 11, 2001.
In Sept 2008, that earlier named "buttonwood (a sycamore) association", which was formed on Wall Street… was cut down.
On Sept 29th 2008 Wall Street and the world experienced the greatest economic collapse since the great depression, that was the seizing of Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac. See on Sept 7th the federal government took control of both of these corporations. Over half of the mortgages in the nation was backed by either Fanny Mae or Freddie Mac.
With the government swooping in to "rescue" these failing corporations, the government gained control of over half of the mortgaged homes in America, thus placing them now in the control of the US Government, in effect nationalizing most of the housing market.
With the US Gov doing this, there was a major backlash in the markets and it caused global upheaval, but particularly on Wall Street itself.
This upheaval in turn caused a cataclysmic collapse that shook the world even more than the downfall of Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac, what was going to take place over the next few days was the fall of Lehman Brothers.
On Sept 7 Mae and Mac collapsed. The collapse echoed and knocked the foundations out from under Lehman brothers two days later, Sept 9th. On that day Lehman lost 45% of its stock value.
On Sept 10th 2008 Lehman announced that it lost of 3.9 billion dollars (1)
The next day Lehman's stock plunged again, setting the last nail in the coffin.
Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on September 15, 2008.
Looking back at 9-11-01 Lehman Brothers occupied three floors of Number One World Trade Center. Its global headquarters was located in Number Three World Center were severely damaged and rendered unusable by falling debris, displacing over 6,500 of Lehman's employees.
It was on Sept 11, 2008 that Lehman's was died. This echoed down Wall Street, to Washington and reverberated all over the world.
The Fed Reserve then came in and with a series of actions, prevented the total destruction of Lehman thus ending what many saw as a complete implosion of the US and global economy.
On that same day, Sept 11, 2008, AIG also sent up a cry for help due to the domino effect taking place. They too were in danger of also collapsing and the feds had to act fast.
Lehman and AIG, two of the largest and strongest financial institutions in the world fell and sucked the rest of the world's economy down with it.
This was seven years after the fall at Ground Zero.
This nation was being shaken a second time by God trying to get our attention. What he did was uproot the sycamore once again. But this sycamore was the buttonwood tree association.

Jeremiah 45:4 (KJV) Thus shalt thou say unto him, The LORD saith thus; Behold, that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even this whole land.

See what is interesting is that both 2001 and 2008 were Sabbatical years. Now our nation is not commanded to observe the Sabbath year, but He can use it as a form of judgment for a nation that is dedicated to Him.
Had it been, fifty, seventy five, a hundred years ago Godly men would have recognized these events clearly and seen it as the providence and judgment of God.
Our nations pastors would preach that our nation needs to repent and called the congregations back to Him. But no longer are the preachers preaching a message of sin and repentance. Instead they preach a sugar coated message with the goal being fannies in seats and full offering plates.
Complacency, greed, selfishness have taken the place of the preaching of the depravity of man and how we are lost and destined to Hell if we do not turn from our wicked ways, repent and believe upon Him.
Today it is only a handful of us watchmen who are standing upon the wall that have been sounding the alarm.
But all of that is now changing.
A storm is coming.
That storm is called God's Judgment.
He has warned us twice, both times at 9-11, both times on at the end of the sabbatical year. A time where not only a nation’s food production is halted and the land given a rest, but also a year effecting the financial, economic arenas of the nation.
See we often remember giving the land a rest, but we forget that all debt was to be forgiven at the end of the sabbatical year. In fact on the 29th of Elul.
The 29th of Elul 5768 on the Jewish calendar also coincides with Sept 29th, 2008.
On that day, the last day of the Sabbatical year, the Dow lost approximately 2,700 points.
On that morning, September 29, on the floors of the New York Stock Exchange the day's trading began with an ill omen and many of the traders were actually spooked.
What happened?
The opening bell would not sound.
On that same day before congress were plans to try to prevent and rescue the implosion that was taking place. But the people spoke and the rescue plan did not pass.
Wall Street collapsed.
On that day the market itself lost over seven hundred points. This was the worse day in Wall Street History. This event shattered the confidence of the market.
The DOW lost 25% or 2,700 points. Billions upon billions of dollars were lost, vaporized, up in smoke. Savings accounts and retirement accounts that were there one moment were gone in the next due to being overly invested in mutual funds that lost massive amounts of money.
The words spoken by our leaders once again have come back to haunt the people.

Isaiah 9:10 The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.

God's judgment is in fact here and we are still not paying attention.
But worse, our leaders again have spoken, still in defiance.
More to follow…




By Ray Gano

End Notes
1- http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/10/news/companies/lehman/index.htm


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God's Judgment Pt 4- The Bricks Are Fallen Down, But We Will Build With Hewn Stones

The Curse… The Bricks Are Fallen Down, But We Will Build With Hewn Stones

Isaiah 9:10 (KJV) The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.

The day after 9/11 Senate Majority Leader, Tom Daschle in his Floor Statement on a 'Joint Resolution of Condemnation for the September 11, 2001 stated the following…

But there is a passage in the Bible from Isaiah that I think speaks to all of us at times such as this:

'The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.'

That is what we will do. We will rebuild and we will recover.

The people of America will stand strong together because the people of America have always stood together. And those of us privileged to serve this great Nation will stand with you.”

As I pointed out, God is not a respecter of persons, but He does honor the office of responsibility.

I say this because I have gotten emails from people stating something like " Ray, George Washington was a Freemason, he wasn't a Christian. He prays to the gods of Freemasonry, not God the creator. So he did not dedicate America to Jehovah God, but to Freemasonry."

What a person's beliefs are just that, the individuals. The office of Responsibility is ordained by God. So it does not matter what that "person" believes, it is the office with which that person holds that is important.

I know that it is hard for people to separate the two, but there is a difference. There is the person and then there is the office.

God deals with the office of responsibility. This is why it is so vitally important that when we elect people into positions of responsibility that we put God fearing, God loving men in those offices.

Man can only serve one master. That master is either Jesus Christ the Creator, or it is Lucifer also known as Heylel ben Shachar.

Those are the only two choices.

Now a lot falls under choice number two, Lucifer, but if one is not serving God, they are by default serving the enemy of God.

There is no grey area, middle of the road, fence sitting on this fact. It is one or the other.

That is why it is so important that our leaders are God fearing men, because it is their "worldview", be it Biblical, Humanistic, Atheistic, Hindu or Muslim, that will dictate their actions when they are holding that office of responsibility.

This is why it does not matter if George Washington was a Freemason or not. It also does not matter if our president is a Muslim either, which I believe he is.

It is the office of responsibility that the Lord honors, not the person.

In the days that followed much was said by our leaders.

But what was said was not a call to humble ourselves before the Lord seeking His help and mercy.

Instead, it was a spirit of defiance and proud uttering that "we will rebuild", cursing us over and over again.

Senator John Kerry stated in speech on the Senate Floor on September 12, 2001

"I believe one of the first things we should commit to - with federal help that underscores our nation's purpose - is to rebuild the towers of the World Trade Center and show the world we are not afraid - we are defiant." (1)

New York City Mayor, Rudolph Giuliani said on the day of the crisis:

"We will rebuild: We're going to come out of this stronger than before, politically stronger, economically stronger. The skyline will be made whole again." (2).

New York State Governor, George E. Pataki said the following in his speech dedicating the building of the "Freedom Tower" on the 4th of July 2004:

"Today we build the Freedom Tower. ... Let this great Freedom Tower show the world that what our enemies sought to destroy, our democracy, our freedom, our way of life -- stands taller than ever." (3)

The Bricks Are Fallen Down, But We Will Build With Hewn Stones

When one looks at the destruction caused by the events on 9-11, all one could see was a pile of rubble. There has been no event in America's history compared to the destruction that came from the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

In fact I find it interesting that in my research Richard Pyle, an Associated Press journalist wrote an article titled "Changes continue at World Trade Center site as visitors get more of a glimpse into wreckage."

In this article he stated…

“For three months, the 16-acre site had the look of post-World War II Berlin with its buildings skeletonized and reduced to piles of bricks.” (4)

The bricks have in fact fallen down for this nation. But instead of calling upon His name, seeking His face, we have risen up with a fist shaking at heaven shouting that "We Will Rebuild"!

This spirit of defiance was to the terrorists and the world making claim that we do not need anyone's help.

We will come back bigger, stronger and more powerful than before. This was a solemn act of defiance by our leaders who held offices of responsibility, and therefore they spoke on behalf of "we the people."

They not only declared this prideful defiance to the world and our enemies, they were also declaring this to Jehovah God, the only one who could help us.

"We Will Build With Hewn Stones" this is the second part of the curse, rebuilding with hewn stone.

But what is "hewn stone"?

Webster's 1828 dictionary defines Hewed or Hewn as the following..

HEW'ED, pp. Cut and made smooth or even; chopped; hacked; shaped by cutting or by a chisel.

Simply said, hewn stone is stone that is quarried, or cut from the mountain.

Let me remind you that on September 11, 2004, then Democratic Candidate for Vice President John Edwards spoke the same curse upon America using the same verse while at the prayer breakfast for the Congressional Black Caucus

Here is what he said…

"Good morning. Today, on this day of remembrance and mourning, we have the Lord’s word to get us through. 'The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place.'

... And let me show you how we are building and putting cedars in those three hallowed places - the footprints of the Towers, the Pentagon, and the field in Pennsylvania. ... Walk with me through this day.

And you will see that while those bricks fell and the sycamores cut down, our people are making those cedars rise. ... Each time that bell tolls, it calls us to a greater purpose. It calls us to never forget.

It calls us to do the Lord’s work here on earth. And it calls on us to always remember that when we walk through this day together - the cedars will rise, the stones will go up, and this season of hope will endure." (5)

We will do this, we will do that, we will raise the cedars, we will rebuild. The stones will go up we will put cedars in their place.

The stones did in fact go up. The first stone used in the construction of the Freedom Tower was the hewn stone from New York granite which was lowered by crane in a ceremony on July 4, 2004. Governor George Pataki said this at the ceremony:

"Today is indeed, a momentous day. Today we take 20 tons of Adirondack granite -- the bedrock of our state -- and place it as the foundation, the bedrock of a new symbol of American strength and confidence. Today, we lay the cornerstone for a new symbol of this city and this country and of our resolve in the face of terror. Today we build the Freedom Tower."

What did they lay?

None other than a hewn granite stone cut from the mountains of New York's Adirondack mountain range, cut, polished just as Israel did in defiance when they rebuilt after being attacked by Assyria (the original terrorists)

As many of you know, the first stone laid when building a new building is always the most important. It is that stone that all the others are set upon. It is the foundation, and the buildings strength that stone is also called "the cornerstone." In Hebrew this is also called the "Gazit" stone which means "hewn stone."

When a new building is erected it is the laying down of the cornerstone that begins the whole process erecting the building.

It’s not only an important act in beginning the building, but in many cases it is also a symbolic act. Think about it, how many times have you heard of some construction on a building about to start and they seem to always have a ceremony in laying the cornerstone?

Our leaders have stated / vowed "We Will Rebuild" and "We will be stronger than before." They have proclaimed that "The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones."

Like ancient Israel, we have fulfilled the curse.

They quarried the stone from the "bedrock" of the state of New York. Carved the stone into a massive 20 ton block, and airlifted it to the ground of destruction. They then laid it in the very place where "the bricks have fallen"… Ground Zero.

Leaders gathered, the ones who occupy the offices of responsibility. The mayor of New York City, the governor of New York State, the governor of New Jersey, officials tasked with the rebuilding, as well as corporate leaders, special VIP guests and the spectators.

On July 4, 2004 all these leaders and people were focused on a single object—the cornerstone / Gazit Stone.

The massive 20 ton rectangular block of cut granite rock, that was laid on the holy ground from which our nation was founded.

Ground, bequeathed by royalty ordained by God so that the chapel of St Paul could be built.

Ground that our first president, senate, congress, our fore fathers, dedicated our nation to Jehovah God.

That ground today known as Ground Zero.

They laid that hewn stone on the ground, a stone representing our leaders vow of "we will rebuild."

This stone that was named "the freedom stone" also represents the stone of defiance, our defiance in the face of God.

I am reminded of the following found in Exodus…

Exodus 20:25 (KJV) And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

Why is the stone that is hewn for the alter polluted?

It is because it represents the works of man and we know that the works of man are polluted due to sin.

By having a stone not hewn, it is stone created and formed by God.

Man cannot make any claims to the cutting, polishing, changing the stone in any manner.

The stone is as it is by the hand of God. It is not defiled by the sin of man, nor his pride in saying "look what great work I have done in the hewing of this stone."

What did Governor George Pataki say?

"Today is indeed, a momentous day. Today we take 20 tons of Adirondack granite -- the bedrock of our state -- and place it as the foundation, the bedrock of a new symbol of American strength and confidence. (emphasis mine)

Pataki stated this 3 years after God's warning judgment on 9-11.

We did not heed the warning after 9-11, and we did not heed the warning july 4th 2004.

In fact we are still standing in defiance.

The Inaugural Address given on January 20, 2009 by newly elected President Barrack Husain Obama reiterated the vow to rebuild, to begin anew and rise from the ashes on our own and without the collective prayers and sanction from God.

Instead he reiterated that "WE WILL"

“…Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America. … For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of our economy calls for action, bold and swift. And we will act, not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We'll restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do…

Like many that night, I remember watching this in our own home. This was history being made and it was “The Moment.”

But I also was troubled as a Christian recognizing the unrelenting pride and determination when President Obama stated…

…We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense. And for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken -- you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you…

Tracye and I were watching as this leader who was given the power of the office of the President of the United States, an office of responsibility said those words.

My stomach sank and a moment of dread came over me. Do the American people realize what this man just said?

What this man did was "prophecy" our doom due to the position and office from which he holds. A position of responsibility that is ordained by Jehovah God that over sees a nation that is dedicated to Jehovah God, Creator of All.

Looking back then with what we know today, we know that this was not only a statement to our enemies, but knowing this man and who he is today, it was also a clear cut act of defiance in the very face of God.

Israel went into captivity; and now America has been warned.

But what are we doing, are we heeding this warning?

Back when Israel was delivered into captivity, God allowed a remnant to remain. These were people who were still loyal to Him, kept His ways and still occupied the land.

Like then, I believe that God is calling out a remnant. There are not many of us, maybe a million, possibly two here in the US. I honestly believe that we are being called to return to Him and His true ways.

What are those ways you may ask?

Well to be honest, if you are one who is also feeling the prodding of the holy spirit to prepare, you probably already know that answer deep in your heart.

Some have submitted to the call, but there are some of you who have heard the call, but possibly are not heeding it fully.

What is that call?

Romans 12:1-2 (KJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

We are being called to live a holy and acceptable life unto Him.

Now I am not saying that this is how one gets to heaven, it isnt. What I am saying is that if you call yourself a Christian and you have given you life to the Lord, You have responsibility to serve Him. Paul calls it "Your reasonable service" because Christ died for you. Can you repay that? No never, but none the less your responsibility still stands.

What is that responsibility? To "always be ready to share the Hope that is within us" and to "Occupy Till He Returns." Something that has been forgotten these last several generations.

Many of you know that I talk about a "Coming Storm." I even named my book this title "Survive The Coming Storm."

Once the storm does come, and it will, and once it has performed its destruction, and it will; I believe it will be the remnant who will have the chance, that is if we have prepared properly, and stood boldly against the battle, I believe that it will be us who will be key to rebuilding this nation.

It will not be easy. Just as the remnant that was in Israel, it will not be easy with us.

But we have something going for us, that is God's Grace. We are reminded over and over again that His Grace is sufficient for us and that He will never leave us nor forsake us. That is His promise to His children, and those of us who have Jesus Christ as our Savior, makes us His Children, His People.

What might happen? All we can do is look to scripture. A good example is when Nehemiah, the Persian king's cup-bearer inquired about the state of Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 1:3 (KJV) And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

What is interesting is that I have peace in my heart about this.

Why? Because we read the following what it is that we need to do…

Nehemiah 1:4-11 (KJV) And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

5 And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:

6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.

7 We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.

8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:

9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.

10 Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.

11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.

God's promise to His people, and we are His people, is that if we keep His Word / commandments (Romans 12:1-2) that He will restore His people to the land dedicated to Him.

Scripture says…

2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV) If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Are You One of His?

I know for a fact that people are being called out, just as the wheat is separated from the chaff, just as the shepherd calls out his sheep from the flock.

God is calling out His remnant.

You may be one who just knows that something is happening. The air is so thick you can cut it with a knife, but you don't know what to do.

You feel like you need to get your life "right" but you do not know where to start.

Like the people of ancient Israel, they had to come to a point knowing that they were not "right" and they had to correct it.

If you are one of these, God is calling you to repentance. He wants you and He loves you. He has great things in store for you in your life, but until you submit your life to Him, you will always feel "lost."

Why? Because you are lost and in fact you will continue to be lost till you do one thing.

That is accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior.

You need to come to the realization that you are in fact lost. Just as 2 Chronicles 7:14 states, until you humble yourself and pray, seeking God's Face and turn from your wicked ways, and believing upon Him to forgive you of your sins, you will remain lost.

In being lost you will continue to walk the path of life with that empty feeling, having a "God shaped" hole in your heart that nothing can fill except for Jehovah God himself.

It is pride and defiance that is destroying this nation.

It is that same pride, defiance and sin that will ultimately destroy you. That is unless you believe upon him and come to the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here is what scripture says…

Romans 3:23 (KJV) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Rom 6:23 (KJV) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 John 1:9 (KJV) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Finally…

2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV) If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

I Am One of His, What Do I Do?

As I have stated, I strongly believe that God is calling out His remnant. I am a "prepper" also known as a "survivalist." To be honest I have no idea why I have had this huge burden in my heart to prepare for some "coming storm" which I have no idea what it is.

That is until recently.

Now I want to make very clear that I am not a prophet nor a son of a prophet. I am a watchman on the wall and I have been warning of this coming storm for 6-7 years now.

I believe that when the dust finally settles that we will have a chance to make a difference in this nation. How that will come about, I do not know.

Maybe we will help bring back bible preaching and teaching churches. Maybe return God to the classroom, maybe even help in bringing a truly God fearing man to the office of The President of the United States.

I do know that one of the key things that will need to take place is the sharing of the gospel, the blessed Hope of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is that hope that people will need in the coming days. Days which I believe that God will escalate His Judgment against this nation. Not because He hates us and wants to destroy us; no, it is judgment because He loves us and we are His people, a nation dedicated to God.

Like Israel of today who has lost her way, we to have lost our way. We are both the only nations dedicated to God, His Word and to the Lord Jesus Christ the Messiah of the World.

But to do all this that is before us, we need to "Always Be Ready." (1 Peter 3:15)

Always means just that, always. That means to Always be ready in good times and in bad.

God did not drop the ark out of the sky for Noah.

God did not magically fill the grain silos for Joseph either.

We are not on a trek out from Egypt and God is not going to rain manna from heaven.

What God did give us was two hands to work with and a brain to think with. He has provided for us, it is up to us to be good stewards over what He has provided for us.

Like the good stewards talked about in Luke 19, God has given each and every one of us a duty and responsibility.

If we are good stewards we will grow and enrich what the Lord has given us.

God is calling the remnant, those of you out there who have heard this can testify to this fact. Those who have not heeded the warning, well I do not know what to say except are you ready to survive the coming storm?

The storm is coming but I believe we still have a short amount of time to "build our arks."

In the next of my series I will be presenting some incredible evidence pointing to not only 9-11, but also the financial demise of our country. I believe that God has warned us not once, but twice and I believe that if the cycle continues, He will send yet another warning worse than the previous two.

More To Follow…


By Ray Gano

End Notes

1- http://www.themoderntribune.com/john_kerry_speech_after_9_11_-_rebuild_america_and_the_world_trade_center.htm

2 - http://www.alternet.org/911oneyearlater/11683/should_the_twin_towers_be_rebuilt/

3 - http://www.renewnyc.com/content/speeches/Gov_speech_Freedom_Tower.pdf

4 - http://multimedia.belointeractive.com/attack/news/0104zero.html

5 - http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=84922#axzz1oGavy24z

6- http://edition.cnn.com/2004/US/Northeast/07/04/wtc.cornerstone/index.html

Israel - America - Isaiah & God's Judgment Pt 3- The Curse… Sycamores and Cedars

 In my last article I mention that God is not a respecter of persons.

In the book of Acts we read…

Act 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

Even though we know that God is not a respecter of persons, we also learn that he is does in fact respect an office with which a person holds.

For example we are told to fear God and to honor the King.

1 Peter 2:17b …Fear God. Honour the king.

Another example is in regards to pastors who watch for our souls.

Hebrews 13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

In Ephesians we are told to obey our father and mother.

Ephesians 6:2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

We are told to obey those whom we work for, the supervisors, bosses and such.

Eph 6:5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;

6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:

8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

All of these as well as others mentioned in scripture are in positions of responsibility and not an individual. With these positions come certain "powers" given to those in leadership positions based on the office being held by the individual.

So knowing that with the office or position comes a responsibility and power. This is given by God, for the sake of the office.

Leaders have a special position in the eyes of God, therefore when they proclaim or speak on behalf of their position, God takes it seriously and hears the prayers, supplications, request s of that office. It is then up to God to act based on the request in accordance to His will.

I say all of this because our leaders spoke on behalf of this nation, not knowing that what they were doing was actually "prophesying / cursing" our nation without their full understanding with what they were actually doing.

It is recorded in the Congressional Record, 107th Congress that on the day after 9/11 Senate Majority Leader, Tom Daschle (D, South Dakota) in his Floor Statement on a 'Joint Resolution of Condemnation for the September 11, 2001 stated the following…

"Mr. President, it is with pain, sorrow, anger, and resolve that I stand before this Senate, a symbol for 212 years of the strength of our democracy, and say that America will emerge from this tragedy, as we have emerged from all adversity, united and strong. ... The world should know that the Members of both parties in both Houses stand united.

The full resources of our Government will be brought to bear in aiding the search and rescue and in hunting down those responsible and those who may have aided or harbored them. Nothing, nothing can replace the losses that have been suffered. I know there is only the smallest measure of inspiration that can be taken from this devastation.

But there is a passage in the Bible from Isaiah that I think speaks to all of us at times such as this:

'The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.'

That is what we will do. We will rebuild and we will recover.

The people of America will stand strong together because the people of America have always stood together. And those of us privileged to serve this great Nation will stand with you.”

What the Senate Majority Leader was referencing was actually a curse and an act of defiance in the face of God.

The scripture that Senator Daschle was referencing was Isaiah 9:10.

Here is the reference in context from the King James Authorized version…

Isaiah 9:8-14 The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel.

9 And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart,

10 The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.

11 Therefore the LORD shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together;

12 The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

13 For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts.

14 Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.

Because of the office of power which Tom Daschle holds, it is my opinion that he spoke a curse or a " "prophetic Word of judgment" upon this nation.

But Senator Daschle was not the only one.

Three years later on September 11, 2004, Democratic Candidate for Vice President John Edwards (D, North Carolina) spoke the same curse upon America using the same verse. He did this while speaking at the prayer breakfast for the Congressional Black Caucus

Here is what he said…

"Good morning. Today, on this day of remembrance and mourning, we have the Lord’s word to get us through. 'The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place.' ... And let me show you how we are building and putting cedars in those three hallowed places - the footprints of the Towers, the Pentagon, and the field in Pennsylvania. ... Walk with me through this day.

And you will see that while those bricks fell and the sycamores cut down, our people are making those cedars rise. ... Each time that bell tolls, it calls us to a greater purpose. It calls us to never forget.

It calls us to do the Lord’s work here on earth. And it calls on us to always remember that when we walk through this day together - the cedars will rise, the stones will go up, and this season of hope will endure." (1)

As with Senator Daschle, I believe that Senator Edwards spoke a curse or a " "prophetic Word of judgment" upon this nation.

The Sycamores Are Cut Down

What the two senators spoke were not words humbling a nation. They spoke a rally cry on behalf of a nation.

A cry of proud defiance… against God.

See, the events of 9-11 was what I believed to be a clear warning from God. Just as Israel of old, the only other nation dedicated to God, they did not heed God's warning. America the only other nation dedicated to God in its infancy, also has not heeded what I believe to be a warning from God.

9-11 was an event that should have caused our nation to take stock in itself. Instead of humbling ourselves before God, we spoke in defiance.

Daschle and Edwards, both holding high offices of power proclaimed Isaiah 9:10 proudly stating "Hewn Stones for Bricks and Cedars for Sycamores!"

From those utterances amazing parallels between the events of 9/11 and Isaiah 9:10 were realized.

As we have learned, Assyria was the originator and founders of terrorism. They were blood thirsty savages attacking their enemies with utter demoralizing destruction. When Assyria attacked Israel they not only destroyed the cities and communities, they also cut down much of their forest which slowed the people of Israel from rebuilding.

What they cut down was Israel's sycamore trees. The common tree of that period.

Fast forward to today and we see something amazing. What many people do not know is out of the destruction of 9-11, there was only one building that did not suffer any damage.

Can you guess which building it was?

That one building that was not damaged at Ground Zero was St. Paul's Chapel. The very same chapel where our nation was dedicated to God.

How can this building, which is facing Ground Zero not be harmed?

The answer, A sycamore, that was planted about 120 years prior saved the chapel.

The days after 9-11 it was discovered that a falling steel beam from the North Tower flew across Ground Zero heading straight for St. Paul's Chapel.

It was that sycamore that was planted at the northwest corner that saved and protected the very spot where George Washington prayed a prayer dedicating our nation to God.

Now did you notice in the Senator's speech his reference "212 years of the strength of our democracy"?

Many people often look at July 4th 1776 as the date our nation actually became a nation. But if you do the math 2001 minus 212 years, what date do you come up with?

1789, the year our nation actually became a nation. Senator Daschle was pointing to when our nation was dedicated to God.

It was on April 30, 1789, that George Washington prayed that prayer dedicating our nation to God in the very chapel, St. Paul's, that was saved by a sycamore that was cut down by a steel beam.

When the workers were surveying the surrounding damage, it was honestly expected to find St.Paul's to be pile of stone and rubble, but nothing was damaged at St. Pauls. In fact the only damage that was found out of all the destruction caused by 9-11 was a single cracked window.

Today the remains of the fallen sycamore has been specially treated and it is on displayed at the northeast corner of the graveyard behind Saint Paul's Chapel .

What is ironic is that the sycamore's roots were taken and cast in bronze (a symbol of judgment) by a sculptor named Steve Tobin. These bronze roots are also on display but in in front of the Trinity Church, which is near to St.Pauls Chapel.

But We Will Change Them Into Cedars

On November 22, 2003 a 21 foot tall Norway Spruce, named "the Tree of Hope," was air lifted into the very same spot which the sycamore that saved St.Paul's Chapel once stood. That being the northwest corner of the Saint Paul's chapel near the grave yard.

In Isaiah 9:10 it states that "We will put "Cedars" in their place." The type of tree spoken of here in Isaiah is that of a pine type cedar tree. In fact both the pine tree and the cedar tree come from the same biological family, that being "Plantae." Within the family class of "Plantae" is the family of trees that fall under what is called the "pinophyta" class. The tree spoken of in Isaiah is a "Pinaceae."

The hebrew word used in Isaiah 9:10 is the word "arez" which means cedar. This refers to a conifer type of tree, the same type of trees as the cedars of Lebanon.

Now I know all this scientific Latin does not make sense, but the "Tree of Hope" falls under the same species spoken of in Isaiah - "Picea abies"   - an arez tree.

But why a Cedar tree? Why not replace the sycamore with another sycamore?

Why? Because the Scripture says "We Will Put Cedars in Their Place."

These were the words proclaimed by our leaders in office.

"the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars."

The tree that was lowered was an arez tree.

The same type spoken of in Isaiah9:10.

During the ceremony of The Tree of Hope, a clergyman, who's name I still cannot identify, stated the following…

"We are gathered here today on holy ground. Ground hallowed by its witness to the dust, and death and destruction of September 11th. The ground is sanctified by our presence here as we dedicate this Tree of Hope in witness the divine within each of us."

I believe that this statement was occultic in nature. So much so, that I believe that the enemy, through this "clergyman", was making a claim.

I say this because there is no such thing as "the divine within each of us." That is like saying "The "god" in each of us."

This is a statement of pride and arrogance in the face of God.

Pride is a signature of Lucifer - Helel Ben Sahar.

So two years after 9-11 and still leaders in positions of power continue to maintain a stance of defiance, thus perpetuating the curse.

A few days later this cedar (arez) tree was decorated for Christmas. Now I know that many do not see the harm in having a Christmas tree, but we all know that it is a pagan symbol.

I am reminded of the following in Jeremiah…

Jeremiah 10:2-4 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

I am one who does not believe in pure luck, or happening by accident, or by coincidence, or chance.

I believe that things happen by the Will of God and everything that takes place is allowed or willed by Him.

God's power is omnipotent, that of unlimited power.

Scripture says…

Matthew 10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

This is why I do not believe in coincidence. God is all powerful, all knowing, all seeing, and He is everywhere in control of everything.

He is God.

It isn't by chance that a tree saved the very building our nation was dedicated in.

It wasn’t by chance that the very tree that saved that chapel was a sycamore.

And it wasn't by chance that the tree that replaced the sycamore was a cedar.

What people need to realize is that these and even more events which I will write about in following articles are God's way of trying to get our attention.

These and other things are in a sense a signature of God showing us mere humans that He is judging this nation in hopes that we will finally wake up and realize that we are a sinful nation. We need to wake up to the fact that God is calling us to repentance.

We are a nation that has lost its way, but God in His mercy is calling us back to Him.

He is proving to us that He is doing this, not by coincidence, but by the very providence of Jehovah God Almighty.

We are a nation dedicated to God, by both a king and our first president. Only one other nation has been dedicated to God and that is Israel.

We know that Israel is God's chosen people and Israel his chosen land.

But I also believe that it is through divine providence that our nation was conceived and we have been a blessed nation because we have stood for Jehovah God.

Alexis de Tocqueville stated the following… “America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

We as a nation has ceased to be good and because of that we have lost our greatness.

What is the answer?

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

We needto repent and that repentance starts with those of us, we who are called God's people.

By Ray Gano

Endnotes

1 - http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=84922#axzz1oGavy24z

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…

Wee, greately commending and graciously accepting of theire desires to the furtherance of soe noble a worke which may, by the providence of Almightie God, hereafter tende to the glorie of His Divine Maiestie to suche people as yet live in darkeness and miserable ignorance of the true knoweledge and worshippe of God and may in tyme bring the infidels and salvages living in those parts to humane civilitie and to a setled and quiet governmente…

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…

“all the landes, woodes, soile, groundes, havens, portes, rivers, mines, minerals, marrishes, waters, fishinges, commodities and hereditamentes whatsoever” in Virginia. They were given instructions to “dig, myne, and searche for all manner of Mynes of Goulde Silver and Copper aswell within anie parte of theire saide severall Colonies.”

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…

2 Chronicles 7:11-22 - Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD, and the king's house: and all that came into Solomon's heart to make in the house of the LORD, and in his own house, he prosperously effected.

12 And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice.

13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;

14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.

16 For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.

17 And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments;

18 Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.

19 But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;

20 Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.

21 And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and unto this house?

22 And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.

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.

1 Peter 2:17b …Fear God. Honour the king.

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.

Jonah 3:6-10 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:

8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

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.

The Daily Advertiser reported the following…

[O]n the morning of the day on which our illustrious President will be invested with his office, the bells will ring at nine o’clock, when the people may go up to the house of God and in a solemn manner commit the new government, with its important train of consequences, to the holy protection and blessing of the Most high. An early hour is prudently fixed for this peculiar act of devotion and . . . is designed wholly for prayer.

The Daily Advertiser, New York, Thursday, April 23, 1789, p. 2

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

"It would be peculiarly improper to omit, in this first official act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect. No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States."

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…

Proverbs 22:28 Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.

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.

20 Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.

21 And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and unto this house?

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.

Facing Ground Zero from St Paul's Chapel.

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.

Isaiah 9:10 The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.

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