This blog quotes the “Afterword” to my book Visions of America first published in 2004 (together with my book Visions of the Church), at pages 150-151. It draws upon themes from my four books covering the Bible from beginning to end: The Promised Land, Healing the Promised Land, Hoping in the LORD, and Lighting the World).

The first draft of Visions of America was completed on July fourth, 2001. As America peacefully celebrated the first Independence Day of the new millennium, little did we know that only a brief time remained before a terrorist attack on America on September 11, 2001 would shatter that peace.

Once again we’ve learned the hard lesson that despite our many past triumphs, we have only just begun to raise our Star-Spangled Banner. To establish the work of our hands, we must raise our Star-Spangled Banner and lift our Torch of Liberty towards the heavens, despite the fact that our visions of America are not yet planted in the earth.

Because even though the Battle of the Cold War is won, the war against Sin is far from over:

     —The War against all who are racists.

     —The War against all who start wars.

     —The War against all who persecute others.

     —The War against all who love to hate.

America has come far. But America has much further to go.

We’ve only just begun to travel toward that Promised Land where all people will be blessed. We’ve only just begun to challenge the Pharaohs who refuse to let people be free. We’ve only just begun to sacrifice ourselves to help others.

Fortunately, our faith keeps us going no matter how bleak our lives may become. By hoping in the LORD, we find the faith to believe that the visions of Abraham, Moses and Jesus for America will be fulfilled, despite the fact that their visions of America are not yet planted in the earth.  By lighting the world with these visions of America, we show our faith that Humanity “shall be filled with the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:2-4, 14, KJV):

“And the LORD . . . said, ‘Write the vision, and make it plain . . . [A]t the end [the vision] shall speak, and not lie; though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. [T]he just shall live by his faith. . . . For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.’” (Habakkuk 2:2-4, 14, KJV)

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To read more about Americans raising their Star-Spangled Banner, please read my blogs “Raising the Star-Spangled Banner—FDR and Churchill” and “Raising the Star-Spangled Banner—Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin”.