Words 1770 - 1792 in the Greek N.T. and the years surrounding the Birth of the United States of America:

With Commentary on Our Day

Discovered October 11, 1998

  Introduction

I am not a historian, but I do know that the Declaration of Independence was signed on the July 4, 1776.  Hence, when last year (10/27/97) I saw the definition for word 1776 in the Greek New Testament lexicon (Zodhiates), "To excite, disturb, trouble," I realized that there was something going on with an application of that word to the idea of the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War.  The next word definition includes the words "ensnared" and  "bondage," which also fit well the idea of the oppression from under which the Founders were trying to free themselves.   Word 1785 also clued me into the fact that something phenomenal was going on.   I knew that 1785 was around the time that the Constitution was coming into formation.  Word 1785 means, "Commandment, whether of God or man."   That one got me up out of my seat and had me dancing around when I discovered it, for it validates so powerfully what I have come to believe about the divine hand of providence in the framing of the Constitution of the United States.  That God's code would now parallel the idea of "commandment" with the period of time that the Constitution was coming into being, caused my soul to rejoice.

As I have probed further today (10/11/98) for writing this up, digging into Cleon Skousen's The Making of America, to brush up on my history, I can now see that there is a whole string of words which apply to the birthing of the United States of America.  This parallel is probably worthy of a book (probably by someone more qualified in a knowledge of the history of that time than myself).  I will only touch on it briefly here.

You may wish to go first to word 1776, which is the year the Declaration of Independence was signed.  That correlation is the most obvious.  Then work forward and backward from there.    I will list them in their alphabetic sequence here.

comment:  1771: The formation of a new country was not taking physical shape, but it was being talked about and pondered upon by some.  Most considered it folly to even think about separating from Great Britain.  "From thinking proceeds speaking, thence to acting is often but a single step," wrote George Washington regarding his observation of many who even in the throes of the Revolution were speaking of establishing a Monarchy.  (Fitzpatrick, The Writings of George Washington, 28:503; quoted in Skousen's Majesty, p. 107.)

comment:  Formation of U.S. was over issues of government & law:  what is right, what is wrong.  Those with a moral conscience were uncomfortable with the way the States were being treated by Great Britain.  But the states themselves could not agree on a proper course of action among themselves.

comment:  1773:  The dawning of America and the freedom it would gender was on its way, though they were still under dark oppression.

comment:  The Founders were living in a new land, which many of them believed to be the New Jerusalem spoken of it scripture (see Skousen), which created the exigency of forming a new government compatible with justice, truth and harmony.

comment:  This definition for word 1775 is a beautiful example of an opposite meaning, whose antonym has the greatest application to the issue in question.  In this case, 1776 is the topic, and the idea of division, diversity, schism, variance, and disunion keenly marks both the American patriots in relation to Great Britain (the war being well underway in 1775 as well), but also that which existed among themselves in the months prior to the signing of the Declaration.  The Declaration of Independence which would come the next year (1776) was a much needed rallying point to pull these diverse American factions together.

comment:  1776:  The signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The turmoil and suffering of the Founders in fighting for freedom against tremendous odds is a lesson we should not forget, as our freedoms now hang precariously in the balance.  Once lost, they cannot be regained but with similar effort -- but much greater, as our accountability or culpability is greater now than it was then; though the erosion of their freedom leading to the revolution had been piecemeal too.

comment:  1777:  War intensifies.  Valley forge winter.  The founders were in bondage to an oppressive government, who viewed their attempt at independence and revolution as a grave offense against God and man.  Many were the deserters and irresolute in these stages of the Revolution.

I think it also noteworthy that one of the synonyms listed is word number 2000, which you will see in other studies has very ominous portends for our day.
See

comment:  I think of the tyrannous edicts against the Colonists.  (See List of parallel grievances in our day, in Declaration of Restoration:  Declaration of Independence Parallel to Our Day)

comment:  1779:  The British, employing the Indians, imposed two years of brutal terror, torturing, massacring, pillaging, plundering.  They hoped to instill an irreversible fear into the Colonists to give up their Revolution.  So far as the purposes of God are concerned though, this was a time of the refiners fire, out of which was born of God a glorious nation.

number corroboration: For what it is worth, word 1779 comes on page 593, which mathematically is 1779 divided by 3.   1998 divided by three is 666.  The very last verse of Isaiah 66, the last chapter of Isaiah (which parallels 2 Thes. 2, which speaks of the man of sin, the son of perdition) is:  "And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh."  This is the same wording as is found three times in Jesus parable about the hand, eye, foot offending, which the Joseph translation of the Bible expounds as relating to those people in our life -- the arm of flesh -- that we may tend to trust in more than God.  (JST-Mark 9:40-48.)

comment:  While Britain hoped to bury the Revolution, the effect was opposite, for the oppressions stirred the people up to righteous insurrection.  Just as Jesus rose triumphant from the tomb, so will those who seek to bury the United States find that a majestic nation of Zion (the kingdom of God on earth) rise from the ashes into which they themselves have fallen and been consumed.  (See I Ne. 22:14-19; 14:3; Isa. 51:1 is II Ne. 8:1; Daniel 7:27.)

comment:  Being filled with a sense of the divine approval and bestowal of favor on the Revolution, the Founders were stirred up even more to righteous indignation and noble patriotism.  For "the Spirit of God . . . is also the spirit of freedom."  (Alma 61:15.)

comment:  "From thence to all the world."  Manifest destiny.

comment:  1783:  A preliminary peace treaty between the U.S. and Great Britain was signed on November 30 (my birthday!), 1782.  A "definitive" treaty was signed on Feb. 3, 1983.   Britain, France, Spain, and the Netherlands also signed peace treaties on this day, they having entered the war.  (Skousen, Majesty, p. 107.)

comment:  I find it enormously significant that the same terms of value which are placed on Christ, who is the precious corner stone (1 Pet. 2:4,6; Isa. 28:16), are now in this context applied to the creation of this free nation under God.

comment:  Again, I see it as profoundly significant that this cardinal word for "commandment" which is used for the commandments of God would be numbered such that the year by that number in this earth's history would coincide with that time in which the Constitution of the United States of America was coming into being.  It would be formally written in 1787, but already those who would frame it were well into their preparations for that monumental Convention.

comment:  The synonym word polites for "citizen," comes from the same root as our word "politics."   Obviously this is acutely relevant to the idea of the formation of a new government.  Does the phrase "WE THE PEOPLE" sound familiar?

comment:  1787: Constitutional Convention, Philadelphia.

This is one of the most absolutely incredible discoveries I have made to date.  It is one of the most beautiful corroborations of the theme the Lord has put in my heart to propound, namely that there is both a church and a state element to the kingdom of God:  both a gospel and a government:  both an individual and a collective level on which God deals with his people.  Thought separate, these two are meant to be as interconnected as husband and wife.  The fact that the word numbered with the year when the Constitution was written and signed would mean "Within," which is the level on which the gospel functions, while governments work "from without" is a perfect way to illustrate the interconnectedness of these two.  The "word of the Lord" that cam forth "from Jerusalem" is the gospel of Jesus Christ.  "The Law" that "goes forth from Zion" is the Constitution of the United States.  (R.E. Isaiah Isa. 2:3; Micah 4:2; II Ne. 12:3.  Also, see my essay, "The Law of the Lord and the Word of the Lord:  Our Duty and Our Quest," and the corollary essay, "Will the Gentiles also Look Beyond the Mark?")

comment:  1787:  Process of ratification of the Constitution by the various states.

Like anything new, the Constitution was not warmly received at first.  As always the intimidation tactics of appealing to carnal pride by finger-pointing and shaming would have been employed to dissuade people from advocating this new document.  It was viewed with disdain and scorn.  The States were very jealous of their sovereignty and were suspicious of anything leading to the formation of a federal government.  The Federalist Papers, for example, were written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Adams to help win favor for the Constitution; a favor which took two more years to win from all thirteen states, the last coming even after the government began to function.

comment:  1789:   April 1, the House of Representatives was organized.  April 6, the Senate was organized and George Washington was unanimously voted in as President.   A fledgling nation was born and cradled until it has become today the most powerful nation on earth (about ready to fall in an instant suddenly).

comment:  As it took everything our Founders could muster to nourish the fledgling nation along, so will it take an even greater miracle to keep it from collapsing now.

comment:  Suddenly, this seems to be describing October 1998 and things that are going on in the White House today (see Editorials for list of commentaries on the current scandal).  The glories of wickedness will soon be brought to shame when God is through with this nation.  Oh that they would come to their senses and repent, bringing forth a new heart, and not have to be humbled to the dust by the consequences of their evil deeds.

comment:

"And others will he [the devil] pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well--and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell." (2 Nephi 28:21.)

"And he [the Lord] shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands. And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust."   (Isa. 26:11,12 - parallel prophecy.)

comment:  These word sequences certainly apply!   They address us, both now and the foundation upon which we began.

And continuing . . .

comment:  Oh that there would be transformation of this nation and the we might repent and not be destroyed, that the arm of the Lord might be stayed but a while longer, that we might turn from our evil ways.   God is merciful, but he is also just.

comment:  This following scripture which came to mind when I read the definition for 1794 is extremely interesting in this context of using the very alphabetic sequences of words by which to derive a new revelation, which is consistent with the old, but more enlightening:  bringing forth greater things, which is scripture in itself.

    "And he saith: These scriptures, which ye had not with you, the Father commanded that I should give unto you; for it was wisdom in him that they should be given unto future generations.
    "And he did expound all things, even from the beginning until the time that he should come in his glory--yea, even all things which should come upon the face of the earth, even until the elements should melt with fervent heat, and the earth should be wrapt together as a scroll, and the heavens and the earth should pass away; and even unto the great and last day, when all people, and all kindreds, and all nations and tongues shall stand before God, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil--"  (3 Ne. 26:2-4.)

This last verse (beginning with "and even unto the great and last day"), which is grammatically part of the former verse, which speaks of the heavens being wrapped together as a scroll, is part of an elaborate poetic structure with a series of parallel statements, highlighting the statement "being on a parallel" (verse 5).   These are the first of two verses of scripture included in the "Introduction" page of this web site as follows (third bullet):

Quoting from Introduction Page:

Resuming:

comment:  May the words of life, both pertaining to the spiritual (gospel) as well as the temporal (government) be as impressed upon our hearts as God's messages are engraved in the scriptures about his church and kingdom.

-- end --

by Sterling D. Allan; Mapleton, Utah; October 11, 1998

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