It was the 250th birthday of The United States of America, and I, along with hundreds of thousands of others, wanted to be in the nation’s capital to celebrate the Fourth of July.
Because the day landed on a Sabbath, I knew I would not be participating in most of the day’s celebrations. I had heard however, that the fireworks that night were going to be fantastic, and thought it would be special to experience the record-breaking pyrotechnics in celebration of the nation’s two and a half centuries of independence.
Looking online for a safe but not extravagant place to stay, I called the reservations number of a local hotel and asked to book a room. All the rooms were taken. Same situation with numerous hotels within my price range. Finally, however, I ended up in an Airbnb in the city center for less than a hotel stay!
On Sabbath morning, I was blessed to go to Sabbath school and church at a Seventh-day Adventist church (there are more than 100 Adventist churches in the greater D.C. metro area!). Later, I went to my room to grab a bite to eat before heading out to mingle with the masses.
A Gift
Fortunately, when a friend heard I was going to D.C. for the Fourth of July, he gifted me with 150 GLOW tracts, titled “America in Prophecy,” a great little tract that walks readers through Revelation 13. It was a perfect piece of literature to hand out.
Going out on the streets around 7 p.m., I started handing out the tracts. In a matter of minutes they were gone! I could have given out thousands more if I had had them!
And I was not the only one out on the streets sharing a message. There was a guy by Lafyette Park in front of the White House with a full audio setup shouting his testimony. A woman walked down the street holding a humongous sign: “Seek the Living Jesus, Not Today’s ‘Churches.’” A Baptist choir was singing on the steps of the old Post Office building.
Then the rain began—on and off. Until it was pouring. the National Mall, where people were gathering for the evening celebrations was cleared out, due to thunderstorms. I took shelter under the eaves of one of the Federal buildings—no idea which one, I was just thankful for the shelter.
A Sea of People
Finally, at 9:45 p.m. the entrance to the National Mall opened again and I joined the sea of people surging toward the security checkpoints. Through this experience, I understood why, in Bible prophecy (see Rev. 17:15), a “sea” refers to multitudes of people! The crowds were so massive that I think even if my feet had not touched the ground the “sea” would have carried me along.
Reaching the security checkpoint at 10:30 p.m., I was relieved to finally get a little breathing space before heading over to the Washington monument for a good view of the fireworks.
The Show Must Go On
Due to delays caused by the thunderstorm, the program itself didn’t begin until 11 p.m. when Christopher Macchio, a well-known American tenor, sang “Ave Maria.” As beautiful as Schubert’s rendition is, I thought it rather odd to begin what was supposed to be an American Patriotic salute with a prayer to the Virgin Mary (in Latin): “Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum; Benedicta tu in mulieribus…” (Hail Mary, full of grace, The Lord is with thee; Blessed art thou amongst women…”).
Shortly thereafter, President Donald Trump delivered his address. Many on the right see him as their savior (he is not); many on the left see him as the devil incarnate (he is not). He is a secular human being in need of a real Savior (as we all are), and a person who I wish knew Bible prophecy. But I digress.
Shortly before midnight, the fireworks began. According to news reports, the display launched approximately 851,000 fireworks from multiple locations around the National Mall and Potomac River, aiming to break the world record for the largest fireworks show in history. To understand how big this was, think of the biggest fireworks finale you’ve ever seen, and imagine that being ten times bigger and lasting for 40 minutes.
While there was some patriotic music at the beginning of the program (the National Anthem, Stars and Stripes Forever, etc.), I wish I would have had ear plugs for most of the music during the Fireworks display. I certainly would have used them.
We were well into July 5 by the time the fireworks were over, and it began to rain again. Slogging through the crowd back to my Airbnb room, I crawled into bed at 2 a.m., exhausted.
The Great American State Fair
After recovering from my Fourth of July experience, I decided to check out the “Great American State Fair,” also located on the National Mall. Security getting into the fair was tight—they made me leave my reusable water bottle outside the gate (it later disappeared). But that was a small price to pay to get into the fair.
I heard it was best to get there in morning and go straight to the giant (110 foot!) Ferris wheel, so I did. Waiting in line, I noticed a big sign in front of the Ferris wheel loading ramp: “Single Riders Not Allowed.”
Being alone, I immediately started looking around to see who in line I could befriend. The family in front of me, with two little kids, didn’t look too promising. They probably wouldn’t appreciate me crowding into a small gondola with them. Behind me was an older woman with her grown daughter. I decided to ask if I could ride with them. The older woman spoke no English, but the daughter did. No problem, she said. I could ride with them. Whew!
I learned they were from China, and as I helped the older woman into the gondola, she apparently took a liking to me. Mid-way through the Ferris wheel ride, she moved across to the other side of the gondola to sit beside me.
“She wants a picture with you,” explained the daughter, “because you are so nice to us.”
Wondering what I had done that was so special, I listened while the daughter continued.
“Some people don’t treat us very well, but you are nice.”
Not sure how to respond, I replied I was sorry they had experienced that but was very happy to have met them and grateful to ride the Ferris wheel together. We parted as friends.
“Repeat After Me”
While we had been waiting in line, however, something not so friendly was going on. Speaking to a captive audience (those waiting in line) a “missionary” began evangelizing.
“Has anyone told you that God loves you and that He has a plan for your life?" he asked those in line. After a brief conversation, the “missionary” would then pressure people to repeat a “salvation prayer” after him, beginning with the words:
“Dear Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive me of my sin. Wash me and cleanse me. Set me free.”
These “missionaries” were all over the fair, walking up to people sitting at picnic tables, claiming the attention of those sitting on the bleachers waiting for the rodeo to begin, pressuring them to repeat their “salvation prayer.”
“Do you know Jesus,” one man asked me.
“Yes, I do,” I replied.
“If you were to gauge your relationship with Him right now on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being not so good and 5 being great, how would you rate it?” he asked.
“A 10!” I smiled.
He wanted to recruit me as a “soul winner.” I gave him a GLOW tract.
A Great Awakening
Apparently, “Revival Ministries International,” an organization made up mainly of Pentecostal/Charismatic Christians, stationed more than 1,000 missionaries around the Great American State Fair with the purpose of having brief conversations and inviting people to repeat the “prayer of salvation.”
But that’s not all. In addition to the various U.S. State exhibits and other interesting displays throughout the fair, there was an entire pavilion representing “Faith and Family” organizations.
Inside that pavilion was a booth with the heading: “The Great Awakening: America Shall Be Saved.”
Just as there were two historical “Great Awakenings” in the 18th and 19th centuries, the booth representative informed me, there will be another Great Awakening, happening now. America will be saved. Their missionaries were scattered all across the fair, ensuring that would happen.
Oh Say, Can You See?
Oh say, can you see, my friends, pieces of prophecy coming together?
The United States cozying up to the Vatican.
A “Great Religious Awakening” happening among evangelicals.
A desire to tear down the separation between church and state.
An unstable world teetering on the brink of collapse as wars rage, terrorism continues, crime climbs, immorality spreads and evil is becoming commonplace.
Some, even within our own church, are denying or trying to rearrange what is clear in the books of Daniel and Revelation and in The Great Controversy.
What then shall we do?
I’m certainly not advocating the in-your-face “evangelism” I saw on the mall in Washington, D.C. But perhaps we could learn something about the concern for the times and salvation of others that these well-meaning folks displayed.
Perhaps it is time to again study the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation, along with reading The Great Controversy by Ellen White. A best-selling classic, and very readable study of Daniel and Revelation can be found in the two-volume set, God Cares, by C. Mervyn Maxwell. Published by Pacific Press, these books have helped many to come to a clear understanding of these prophecies.
But let’s not just study for the sake of study. Let’s reach out to our friends and neighbors. Talk with them. Find out their concerns. You may be surprised how many are searching to understand what is going on in the world. Many are looking for truth—and you, as a Seventh-day Adventist, you know where to find it.
****
Seymour