"His mortal remains repose at Mt. Vernon near the scene of his domestic enjoyments. To that spot will every true son of America, in all future ages, be attracted in mournful, filial pilgrimage and thither, from every clime, will the votary of the rights of man repair, to renew his vow of devotion, and draw fresh inspiration in the sacred cause."
THE FAMOUS HAVE COME, HAVE SEEN, HAVE STOOD IN AWE
Many, the famous and the not famous, have made the "mournful, filial pilgrimage" to Washington's tomb. His military partner Lafayette came in 1827, and his personal assistant wrote: "Lafayette descended alone in the vault, and a few minutes thereafter reappeared, with his eyes overflowing with tears. He took his son and me by the hand, and led us into the tomb... We knelt reverentially near his coffin, which we respectfully saluted with our lips; rising, we mingled our tears with his.”
Other visitors who've stood in reverential awe at the tomb include the Prince of Wales and President Buchanan in 1860, Thomas Edison, King George VI in 1939, (the first reigning monarch of Britain ever to visit America) President Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Madame Chaing Kai-shek, and French President Charles de Gaulle, photographed standing by the sarcophagus with his hat in his hand.
I was there; I stood, cap in hand, at the stately tomb of George Washington on the grounds of Mt. Vernon. As I looked at it through the iron gate, I saw something, and it made me wonder, "Do our teachers tell our children what I saw?"
BACK UP
But let's back up for a minute. When George Washington died on December 14, 1799, he died of an unpronounceable bacteria that we never hear of today because it's so easily cured. (All the doctors did for him was worse than useless.) When George Washington died, our nation deeply mourned him; they'd lost their "father" and they knew it. But we weren't the only ones who mourned the great man:
"[His] death brought tributes even from the British
who had fought him. Royal Navy battleships blockading Brest lowered their
colors to half mast and The London Morning Chronicle opined that ‘The whole
range of history does not present to our view a character upon which we can
dwell with such entire and unmixed admiration’. The US army wore black armbands
for six months and many ladies went into formal mourning, led by the First
Lady, Abigail Adams." (History Today)
BUT DO OUR TEACHERS TELL US WHAT I SAW?
At George Washington's funeral on December 18, 1799, Washington's body lay in a coffin that featured silver-plate ornament at the head inscribed with a Latin phrase, SURGE AD JUDICIUM and another inscribed with "GLORIA DEO."
Do our teachers tell our students about those words and what those Latin phrases mean? The first means, "Rise to Judgment" and the second means, "Glory to God." If ever there were two biblical concepts, there they were, right there at the funeral for all to see. "Rise" implies a bodily resurrection, life after death, while "to judgment" states man's accountability to God after death. "Glory to God," is a statement of praise to God. Do our teachers mention these things?
But that's not what I saw.
WHAT I SAW AT WASHINGTON'S TOMB
I saw those words. They comprise one of the great promises Jesus made, they're right there, plain as day, but do our teachers speak of this inscription? Right there, for however long visitors want to think about it, John 11:25-26 penetrates their minds. The Word of God is powerful, sharper than any two-edge sword, so we would expect those words to be like a stone in the shoe of the unbeliever who reads them and that stone is something he just can't seem to get out of his mind. He may suppress them; they may torture him, like Stephen's sermon was torturing Saul on the road to Damascus.
Those words come as a lightning bolt from the tomb of the great man. The famous and the not famous have read them, and God says, "So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth. It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." (Is. 55:11)
NO WAY
No way. No how. Few, if any, teachers and historians mention that inscription on Washington's tomb. Many of them are debunkers, trying to bring the great man down. They spend their time telling students and readers of their books that he was a failure as a general (really? get real!), that he was rich and sought to get richer (yet, what's wrong with that, does not I Cor. 7:21 encourage us to better ourselves when possible? He refused to take a salary as commander-n-chief of the Revolutionary army from the Continental Congress; He refused the $25,000 salary offered by the Congress while he was president. He used his acreage to become as self-sufficient as possible. He and Martha let any and all visitors stay in their home, free of charge for as long as they wanted; in his will he stipulated that his elderly slaves or those who were too sick to work were to be supported by his estate in perpetuity. He freed them all.), and historian Sir Arnold Toynbee, without one shred of evidence, deemed Washington immoral.
THE WORLD AT WORK
In the descriptions I've read about Mt. Vernon and the final resting place of George and Martha Washington, I've never read about Jesus' words being there. But isn't this what the world system does? Does it not do everything in its power to shut God out? The world-system engages in a systematic effort to censor all references to Christ, Christianity, and the Bible.
Yet, "since 1860," according to the Mt. Vernon Ladies Association, "over 85 million people have visited Mount Vernon, when the estate officially opened to the public. Today, Mount Vernon welcomes an average of one million guests each year."
And what is it that the observant visitors see--John 11:25-26, carved large. When they read it, we have God's assurance that those famous words won't return empty; they will accomplish His purposes. They will either lead to trust in Christ, consideration of Christ, investigation about Christ, or expose rejection of Christ.
Those words, carved with artistic care, are great words, spoken by One greater than Washington.
Washington’s
death brought tributes even from the British who had fought him. Royal
Navy battleships blockading Brest lowered their colours to half mast and
The London Morning Chronicle opined that ‘The whole range of history
does not present to our view a character upon which we can dwell with
such entire and unmixed admiration’. The US army wore black armbands for
six months and many ladies went into formal mourning, led by the First
Lady, Abigail Adams. Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, adjourned on the
day of the funeral. - See more at:
http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/death-george-washington#sthash.aMJGGYz5.dpuf
Washington’s
death brought tributes even from the British who had fought him. Royal
Navy battleships blockading Brest lowered their colours to half mast and
The London Morning Chronicle opined that ‘The whole range of history
does not present to our view a character upon which we can dwell with
such entire and unmixed admiration’. The US army wore black armbands for
six months and many ladies went into formal mourning, led by the First
Lady, Abigail Adams. Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, adjourned on the
day of the funeral. - See more at:
http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/death-george-washington#sthash.aMJGGYz5.dpuf
Washington’s
death brought tributes even from the British who had fought him. Royal
Navy battleships blockading Brest lowered their colours to half mast and
The London Morning Chronicle opined that ‘The whole range of history
does not present to our view a character upon which we can dwell with
such entire and unmixed admiration’. The US army wore black armbands for
six months and many ladies went into formal mourning, led by the First
Lady, Abigail Adams. Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, adjourned on the
day of the funeral. - See more at:
http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/death-george-washington#sthash.aMJGGYz5.dpuf
Washington’s
death brought tributes even from the British who had fought him. Royal
Navy battleships blockading Brest lowered their colours to half mast and
The London Morning Chronicle opined that ‘The whole range of history
does not present to our view a character upon which we can dwell with
such entire and unmixed admiration’. The US army wore black armbands for
six months and many ladies went into formal mourning, led by the First
Lady, Abigail Adams. Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, adjourned on the
day of the funeral. - See more at:
http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/death-george-washington#sthash.aMJGGYz5.dpuf
Washington’s
death brought tributes even from the British who had fought him. Royal
Navy battleships blockading Brest lowered their colours to half mast and
The London Morning Chronicle opined that ‘The whole range of history
does not present to our view a character upon which we can dwell with
such entire and unmixed admiration’. The US army wore black armbands for
six months and many ladies went into formal mourning, led by the First
Lady, Abigail Adams. Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, adjourned on the
day of the funeral. - See more at:
http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/death-george-washington#sthash.aMJGGYz5.dpu
Washington’s
death brought tributes even from the British who had fought him. Royal
Navy battleships blockading Brest lowered their colours to half mast and
The London Morning Chronicle opined that ‘The whole range of history
does not present to our view a character upon which we can dwell with
such entire and unmixed admiration’. The US army wore black armbands for
six months and many ladies went into formal mourning, led by the First
Lady, Abigail Adams. Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, adjourned on the
day of the funeral. - See more at:
http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/death-george-washington#sthash.aMJGGYz5.dpuf
Washington’s
death brought tributes even from the British who had fought him. Royal
Navy battleships blockading Brest lowered their colours to half mast and
The London Morning Chronicle opined that ‘The whole range of history
does not present to our view a character upon which we can dwell with
such entire and unmixed admiration’. The US army wore black armbands for
six months and many ladies went into formal mourning, led by the First
Lady, Abigail Adams. Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, adjourned on the
day of the funeral. - See more at:
http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/death-george-washington#sthash.aMJGGYz5.dpuf
Washington’s
death brought tributes even from the British who had fought him. Royal
Navy battleships blockading Brest lowered their colours to half mast and
The London Morning Chronicle opined that ‘The whole range of history
does not present to our view a character upon which we can dwell with
such entire and unmixed admiration’. The US army wore black armbands for
six months and many ladies went into formal mourning, led by the First
Lady, Abigail Adams. Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, adjourned on the
day of the funeral. - See more at:
http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/death-george-washington#sthash.aMJGGYz5.dpuf
What we hear and read about others paints a picture of who they are. . ..but it is mostly inaccurate. For motivations we can only wonder about, that image painted by others, can be positively or negatively inaccurate. The only one who knows the truth is God. -- This is why it is so important to not judge others by what we hear. It is also so important for each of us to go to God for our concept of self, and not leave it to others to judge us, and tell us who we really are. The only judge who knows truth and accurately judges us is God. . . . and I believe on judgment day, many people we knew on this earth are going to surprisingly be elevated to revered status, when on earth their reputations were denigrated for insidious reasons.
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