America – Cradle For The Second Coming Of The
Christ
CHAPTER I
The Indispensable Human Footsteps
Love for God and Man Advanced
Civilization
 The
human footsteps leading to perfection are
indispensable," wrote Mary Baker Eddy. The history
of the United States of America shows how God, infinite good, controls history,
and how it is love for God and man that advances civilization.
Why was the founding of this nation such an essential
step?
Because America is not just some material territory between
the Atlantic and Pacific oceans; America represents "the love of God encircling
the universe and man"encircling all creation.
America's coming into being to provide the cradle for the
second coming of the Christ had been foreseen by prophets for thousands of
years. Consider St. John's Revelation concerning the "angel with the little
book," the "woman of the Apocalypse," and the "great red dragon" that would
persecute "the woman which brought forth the man child," Science and Health,
the second coming of the Christ. This prophecy continues, "And to the
woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the
wilderness into her place.... And the earth helped the woman" (Rev.
10:12; 12:1316). Indisputable evidence shows Mrs. Eddy understood "'the great
eagle' that helped the woman, and the place on earth that nourished her 'from
the face of the serpent' was (and is) the United States of America" (The
Individual Christian Scientist, Vol. XII, No. 1).
The invisible power of the divine Mind is constantly at work
to achieve universal salvation. From the beginning, even before the first
European colonist set foot on its shores, America was being prepared to be the
cradle for the second coming of the Christ.
The Magna Charta, 1215
Let us for a moment look back to the year 1215 in England.
King John was treating his subjects cruelly, when a group of courageous, caring
men rose in a body to formulate laws intended for all time to remedy the evil
suffered at the whim of overbearing or unscrupulous rulers. The result was the
Magna Charta, the Great Charter of England, signed by King John at the
insistence of the nation's barons, who, in the spirit of love of justice for
the people, undertook to free men of the inequities that were being imposed on
them by their king.
Of sixty three provisions of the Magna Charta, two show
distinctly the spirit of justice which the barons sought to have adopted:
(1) No free man shall be imprisoned or proceeded
against, except by his peers or equals, or the law of the land.
(2) Justice shall not be sold, denied nor
delayed.
The Magna Charta, now nearly eight centuries old, still
stands as a protecting arm for England's people. It also became a foundation
for the rights we as Americans hold so dear. By insisting that the king be
obedient to the laws of men and the dictates of justice, the Magna Charta paved
the way for America's Declaration of Independence and the Constitution with its
Bill of Rights guaranteeing freedom of religion and freedom of expression. This
in turn opened the way for the founding, in this nation, of Christian Science,
which demands obedience to divine Principle, and also made
possible its expeditious dissemination. It may be truly said: That which is
born of love endures forever.
What Made Progress Possible?
In the story of the Magna Charta, as will be true over and
over again, we see men whose hearts were filled with compassionate love for
those who suffered intolerable injustice.
Each forward step in man's affairs and in world affairs is
the direct result of harmony brought about by the spirit of love, and trust in
God. Lacking this spirit, discord and destruction arise and set back the
wellbeing of mankind. Progress usually starts with one individual or a small
group of wise thinkers. God puts it into their heart to act. "A rock pile
ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing
within him the image of a cathedral."
I Timothy 4:14 admonishes, "Neglect not the gift that is in
thee, which was given thee by prophecy.... Meditate upon these things: give
thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all."
Devotion of thought by the individuals concerned, and
the energy to act, made possible the discovery, settling, and
building up of America.
Columbus: The Impulsion Behind His
Voyage
The immediate history of the preparation that enabled
America to be the cradle for the second coming of the Christ begins with the
voyage of Columbus.
Columbus sets sail with his three ships,
the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.
(The author is indebted to The American Vision of Atlanta,
Georgia, and to others for a portion of the following early historical
data.)
What caused Columbus to undertake a voyage of such
portentous solemnity?
When Queen Isabella asked Columbus if he was ready, he
answered: "Yes, your Majesty, God is with me. I could not be more ready." He
then explained:
It was the Lord who put it into my mind. I could feel
His hand upon me...There was no question that the inspiration was from the Holy
Spirit, because He comforted me with rays of marvelous illumination from the
Holy Scriptures, for the execution of the journey....I did not make use of
mathematics or maps. It was simply the fulfillment of what Isaiah had
prophesied. No one should fear to undertake any task in the name of our Savior,
if it is just, and the intention is purely for His holy service. The fact that
the gospel must still be preached to so many lands in such a short time this is
what convinces me. (The Book of Prophesies by Christopher Columbus.
Writings of Christopher Columbus, Part 1, Volume II)
There was within Columbus a divine presence which he felt,
whose voice he listened for, and whose promptings he acted on. Columbus could
see something his companions could not. He showed faith where his critics
showed fear.
After seventy days Columbus came to the Bahamas. He
christened the island "San Salvadore," which means "Holy Savior." Then he led
his men in prayer.
Christopher Columbus's voyage had opened the door to America
spiritually as well as geographically.
Christopher Columbus kneels in prayer
upon landing at San Salvadore, now known as Watling Island, in the Bahamas.
1992 represented the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the new
world.
Europe Challenges Church Practices
About the time America was being discovered, other
thoughtful people were like Columbus listening to the voice of the divine
presence within their consciousness. At its prompting they too were discovering
a New World a world of deepening spiritual understanding.
In this, the leading of the divine Mind was clearly
discernible. The Bible had long been the exclusive province of the church.
Copies were rare and only people schooled in Latin could read them. Then John
Wycliffe (1320-1384) was led to translate the Vulgate Bible into English (and
was excommunicated for his efforts.) Not long after, Johann Gutenberg
(1397-1468) developed a movable-type printing press, allowing the Bible to be
printed in quantity so that people could finally read it for themselves.
The new understanding this fostered prompted people like
Martin Luther to challenge practices of the established church, culminating in
a wave of reformation which swept across Europe, eventually reaching the shores
of England.
In 1534 King Henry VIII of England broke away from the
Church of Rome to found his own church. But it was not long before there were
also those who disagreed with some of the practices of the Church of
England.
America--the New World--the Only Place for
Dissenters
By this time most countries of Europe had adopted their own
official religion. People who disagreed with the government-mandated doctrine
were persecuted. For those dissenters with deep Spirit-led conviction, there
was no place to go except to the New World. Here we can see divine Love at
work, forcing those with a higher vision to obey the Scriptural admonition:
"Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate.... For thou didst separate
them from among all the people of the earth to be thine inheritance."
God's plan for world salvation was being implemented.
Ultimately, "Come ye out from among them and be ye separate"
means in Christian Science to come out from believing there are two powers at
work; realize instead that GOOD alone is real, and evil or even
belief in good and evil is illusion, universal hypnotic
suggestion.
In Christian Science we learn that what appears to us as
material person, place, things, human laws, circumstances, positions, are all
illusion all that the mortal eye beholds is illusion. The eye cannot see
reality. The false testimony of the eye deludes judgment and induces false
conclusions.
In the 1600s this understanding was still in the future. The
spiritual understanding that would engender this realization needed careful
nurture. It needed to grow in new ground, separated from the materialism of the
age.
AMERICA book sections
Foreword | I |
II | III |
IV | V |
VI | VII |
VIII | IX |
X | XI |
XII | XIII |
Conclusion | Bibliography |
