Watchman on the Wall

Narrator: Welcome to Watchman on the Wall, a daily outreach of Southwest Radio Ministries and swrc.com. God is still on the throne and prayer changes things. Today on Watchman on the Wall, we'll explore American Destiny: 400 Years and examine the remarkable parallels between America's history and biblical prophecy with our guest Michael Samuel Smith.

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Today on Watchman on the Wall, Dr. Larry Spargimino explores American Destiny: 400 Years and examines the remarkable parallels between America's history and biblical prophecy. Join us as we take a closer look at God's providential hand in the American story and what it may mean for our future.

Larry Spargimino: Michael Samuel Smith is our guest for this show. As you probably know, he is a retired American Airlines pilot. He has a new DVD out titled American Destiny: 400 Years. We do know that America is a wonderful place, but there are forces of darkness trying to destroy this country.

Are there parallels between America's early history and ancient Israel's? Join us as we take a trip back in time to discover how America as we know it came to be, and that's what American Destiny: 400 Years is all about. Brother Mike, thank you so much for being with us.

Michael Samuel Smith: Well, to start with, Pastor Larry, thank you so much for having me on the program. It's always been a great honor and a great joy to be with you here.

Larry Spargimino: Brother Mike, I understand you spent about one year putting this story together. We know you decided to include the story of Columbus and the story of Jamestown, Virginia. That's more than 400 years ago, and it's all packed into this DVD. What prompted you to include those two stories, and what is this DVD all about?

Michael Samuel Smith: Even though this film is about the 400th anniversary of America's beginning, we included the story of Columbus and Jamestown because they paved the way for the Pilgrims. They came here in the year 1620, and it paved the way for them to enter the scene. We will show God had a mighty hand in all of that story. We wanted the listeners to know we consider this film family-friendly for all ages.

This is a history of America, and for the most part, most of you have not heard this. It shows parallels with Israel's ancient history in every story. Even many historical events that took place in early America happened on the same calendar dates that took place in Israel. I would be remiss if I didn't give great credit to our producer, Curtis Green.

We spent a lot of time, money, and effort this last 12 months to present to America for the very first time a comprehensive, high-definition DVD showing how our great nation came about. It clearly shows the sacrifices of all our forefathers made and demonstrates how, without God's interference in the affairs of man, none of this would have happened. This is a very upbeat, patriotic story, something friends and family will be thrilled to watch.

Larry Spargimino: I know you do a lot of work in Bible typology, and you see lots of parallels. Actually, in this, we'll learn how the geography of America is a type and shadow of the Tabernacle. William Bradford was a type of Joshua, and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a type of Moses.

Brother Mike, most of us have heard the very basic story of Columbus, but you say much of what we learned in school is not very accurate. Take a moment if you will and share some of the highlights of that story.

Michael Samuel Smith: Since a lot of what we show you concerning Columbus's history are things you've never heard, we did a lot of research on this subject. We present six different historians who spent many years verifying the facts that are in this DVD. They all concluded Columbus was Jewish.

The story we present about Columbus is not hype or fake news. To start with, Columbus, a Jew living in Spain, had to live under the radar because the time this story takes place, all the Jews living in Spain were under persecution. In fact, the day before Columbus and his three ships departed Spain, which was August 2nd, 1492, all the Jews were faced with convert to Catholicism or lose everything you own: your money and land, and possibly your life.

We've all heard King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella put up the money for this adventure, but actually, none of this is true. We give the names of two men that gave Columbus 17,000 ducats as an interest-free loan to build the three ships. In our DVD, you will see this is the most truthful and detailed story ever written about the Columbus story.

This may come as a complete surprise, but Columbus's real name in Spain is Cristobal Colon. In this film, you will actually see his triangular signature, again showing proof he is a Jew. As the three ships set sail across the Atlantic, you will see this is no three-hour tour. It will eventually be a 70-day trip.

Three days before land would be eventually sighted, two of the Pinzon brothers meet with Columbus on the open sea. They inform Columbus the sailors are at the end of their rope and might mutiny. This meeting took place on the 18th of Tishri on the Hebrew calendar. It was agreed with Columbus if land isn't sighted within three days, they would turn back to Europe.

Land was actually sighted on the 70th day. Number 70 in the Bible represents restoration. On the 71st day, the next morning, Columbus stepped ashore, knelt in the sand, and prayed. After praying, he christened the island as San Salvador, meaning Holy Savior. Did you know Columbus lands in the New World during the Feast of Tabernacles? The details of this are in the film. Much of our Columbus story was researched by Charles Garcia, probably one of the most knowledgeable persons in the world about this subject. So, that's our Columbus story.

Larry Spargimino: You gave me a little printout, "Was Columbus Secretly a Jew?" by Charles Garcia. It's an amazing thing. Just the chronology there, how the delay was deliberate so that it would be on that day.

Brother Mike, about 150 years after Columbus sails to the New World, England sends three ships to Jamestown, Virginia. You say in the film the day they land on the shore of Virginia has a parallel to Israel's history. You also state that there's a real love story here, and it too has a connection with Israel. Tell us all about that.

Michael Samuel Smith: The Jamestown story begins with King James authorizing the Virginia Company to sail to America to establish a fort on the East Coast. This endeavor was purely a business adventure. It wasn't seeking religious freedom like the Pilgrims 13 years later.

As the ships arrived at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay at what is called today Cape Henry, they stepped ashore on the sand and under the authority of the king, they planted a cross in the sand and declared this land for Jesus Christ. They had no idea this land was 3,000 miles wide, but God did.

So what day did they land on the shore? They landed on the 14th of May, 1607, the same calendar date Israel became a country, May 14th, 1948. We mention in our DVD there's a real love story attached to this Jamestown story. It will deal later with a beautiful Native American Indian girl. You know her as Pocahontas.

How many Native Americans knew Pocahontas was America's first princess? You've got to ask, Brother Mike, how do you know Pocahontas was beautiful? In our film, we provided an oil painting of her while living in England many years ago. That's how we know what she looked like. You're going to get the real scoop on the real Pocahontas in this film.

You will learn something also about Captain John Smith in the story, but Pocahontas doesn't marry him. She marries John Rolfe. They fall madly in love, wish to get married, and they want to do the right thing. The city fathers tell John Rolfe if they wish to get married, Pocahontas will have to get baptized, become a Christian, and take on a Christian name.

By the way, she agrees to do that. What Christian name does she take on? Actually, it's Rebecca. In Israel's ancient history, Isaac marries Rebecca. It's actually the Jews' first Jewish wedding since Abraham and Sarah were not born Jews.

So America's first cross-cultural marriage, the first princess, is Pocahontas, or Rebecca, just like Israel's. Later, Pocahontas goes to England with John Rolfe. She is such a hit over there she has an audience with the Queen of England and becomes very famous. Just another parallel with Israel's past.

Larry Spargimino: That's absolutely amazing, and I think it's very encouraging to listeners, especially today when America's godly history and wonderful founding is just being trashed left and right. So this is a great service.

Brother Mike, this may be a little out of chronological order in your DVD, but because of our limited time, you made the claim that there's a parallel to Moses in the Bible and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Now, this I've got to hear. Take a moment and unpack that for us.

Michael Samuel Smith: To begin this story, we have to go back 3,500 years ago to the story of Moses. We all know his Hebrew mother placed him in an ark or basket with the intent maybe someone in Pharaoh's court will have compassion and take him in.

It was during this time all the male Jewish babies were aborted or thrown into the Nile River after birth because the Pharaoh felt the Jews would outnumber them. With no Jewish males, the Hebrew population would die off. We know the Pharaoh's daughter found baby Moses in a floating basket and took him in as her own child.

The Holy Spirit was so involved in this story, the Pharaoh's daughter hired Moses's real mother to nurse him as a baby growing up in the palace. But where did Moses grow up, and where was the palace located? It was in Memphis, Memphis, Egypt. There's a river there, the Nile, the longest river in the world, 4,162 miles long.

So let's fast forward with Moses, where he will lead the Israelites out of Egypt to the Promised Land. We all know it will take a journey of 40 years to get to the Promised Land. Because of Moses smiting a rock twice instead of speaking to it to get water in the wilderness, God told Moses he would not be permitted to enter the Promised Land.

However, God permitted Moses to go to a mountaintop and look into the Promised Land. By the way, Moses had a right-hand man. His name was Aaron, and if you ever wanted to have an audience with Moses, you had to go through his right-hand man. Now, what on earth could that have with a connection with the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.?

If you go online and ask what age Dr. King died, you will see it says 39 years old. But if you add the nine months in his mother's womb, it's 40 years old, and that's how God counts people's age. By the way, Dr. King had a right-hand man too, and his name was Reverend Ralph Abernathy, and you had to go through him to see Dr. King as well.

We know Dr. King was assassinated on April 4th, 1968, but I want to go back the night before he died, on April 3rd, which was the night before. It was his last sermon in a Baptist church. By the way, this was all taped, and it's a matter of public record. He was very emotional that night. You could see sweat coming off of his face.

This is what he said. Dr. King said, "I've been to the mountaintop, and I've looked into the Promised Land, but I might not make it there with you." Where did Dr. King give his sermon, and where did he die? He died in Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee. There's a river there, the Mississippi River, the longest river in America.

So you see there is a type of Moses in Dr. King's story. There really is an American civil rights story that parallels Israel's civil rights movement. Great relief from persecution came about from both men. I just wanted you to know.

Larry Spargimino: Brother Mike, we only have about a minute and a half, but you did state in your film the first American flag actually wasn't designed by Betsy Ross, but very strong evidence points to a Jewish man by the name of Francis Hopkinson, who was largely responsible for that first design. Tell us a little bit about that and, if true, how did the story get buried and hidden for so long?

Michael Samuel Smith: Most of us have been taught the American flag was designed by Betsy Ross. There's no doubt she sewed a lot of flags together. But did you know there are historians who attribute the design of the first flag to Francis Hopkinson? You might be interested to know he was a Jewish man.

He was also a delegate to the Continental Congress from New Jersey and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He also designed several designing seals for various departments within the US government. He strongly felt he deserved payment for designing the flag but was denied on the grounds that he was an employee of the government.

There were others who helped in the design, especially later designs of the flag, but we feel very strongly Francis Hopkinson played a major part of designing the first flag. We encourage you to do your own research on Francis Hopkinson, and if you dig down deep enough, you'll find there's strong evidence. It would be a very sad story if all this is true and the story got buried because of his faith.

Larry Spargimino: Brother Mike, thank you so much for such a steady putting everything together for us. It's great to be in America.

Michael Samuel Smith: Amen. Thank you for having me.

Narrator: Could the history of the United States reveal a pattern that points to our future? In American Destiny: 400 Years, author and researcher Michael Samuel Smith examines four centuries of American history and uncovers striking parallels between the story of America and the history of ancient Israel.

Through historical events, key dates, national blessings, and spiritual turning points, Smith presents a thought-provoking case that God's providential hand has been at work throughout America's journey. What can the Pilgrims teach us about our nation's purpose? Are there lessons from Israel's rise and decline that America should heed today?

And could understanding these historical patterns help us better discern the times in which we live? Whether you're passionate about American history, Bible prophecy, or God's sovereignty in the affairs of nations, American Destiny: 400 Years will challenge and encourage you with a unique perspective on our nation's past, present, and future. Order your copy today at swrc.com or call 1-800-652-1144.

This topic of American destiny is, of course, very timely. Our host, Dr. Larry Spargimino, comes now with some thoughts on America and its destiny.

Larry Spargimino: Throughout its history, America's pioneers and leaders believed that America's destiny was inextricably related to America's faith in the God of the Bible. Going back to the Mayflower Compact of 1620, the 41 signers brought their motivation into focus by stating, "Having undertaken for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith and the honor of our king and country a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia."

Now, the honor of our king and country naturally dropped out of sight in a century or so, but the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith continued to hold first place in the hearts of many. James McHenry, one of the signers of the Constitution, declared, "The Holy Scriptures can alone secure to society order and peace, and to our courts of justice and constitutions of government purity, stability, and usefulness." The American identity still continues.

As we look at our history, the first and second Great Awakenings, the establishment of schools of higher learning that were faithful to Scripture, were established and trained men for Christian ministry. There were other moves of God as well. In 1857, Jeremiah Lanphier, a New York City merchant, started a lunchtime prayer meeting on Fulton Street in downtown New York City.

By March of 1858, some 6,000 were gathering on a regular basis throughout the city. Such prayer gatherings were sprouting up in several other cities as well. Some historians are also speaking of another great awakening among the "Jesus Freaks," often regarded by many as raunchy street urchins needing a bath.

However, a California pastor by the name of Chuck Smith was challenged by his wife to stand on a California beach and tell the hippies about Jesus. So, with open Bibles, that is exactly what Smith did. Others joined the movement: Lonnie Frisbee, Keith Green, and later men like Greg Laurie, who was discipled by Smith, found great success in ministering to the hippies.

There has always been opposition to the work of God, but America has seen the rise of Christian radio and TV ministries, prophetic ministries, apologetic ministries, and Christian research ministries that have sought to prepare Christians for the growth of spreading unbelief and apostasy among the mainline churches. These have also been raised up by the Lord.

The founding of the modern state of Israel in 1948 was regarded by many Christians as the fulfillment of prophecy. Clark Clifford, in his memoir, Counsel to the President, wrote of an event he calls "Showdown in the Oval Office." One of the biggest decisions facing President Truman focused on official recognition by the United States of the newly formed Jewish state.

Truman's advisers were almost unanimous against recognition. Since his youth, Truman attended church and felt that the Jewish people were entitled to live in their homeland. His former business partner, Eddie Jacobson, a Jew, pleaded with Truman to be sympathetic to the Jewish people.

Truman knew Deuteronomy 1:8, "Behold, I have set the land before you. Go in and possess the land which the Lord swore unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and their seed after them." Truman's decision was the right one despite the opposition. America had decided to stand with the Jewish people who, after centuries of dispersion and persecution, were now in their homeland.

Unfortunately, things have drastically changed. Many in positions of leadership in America have decided that the fanatical theocratic Iranian leadership is more trustworthy than the Israeli leadership. Now, how could this be? The Iranian leadership has slaughtered thousands of its own people and still publicly flogs women who refuse to wear the prescribed head covering. Is that a trustworthy government?

How could an American leader say Iran needs ballistic missiles to protect itself from Israel? There are several photos online of Iranian missiles with the words "Death to Israel" emblazoned on the missile, written in Hebrew. Iran has been the largest supporter of state-sponsored terrorism around the world. It has armed Hezbollah with munitions that are used against the Jewish state.

That is why Iran is pressuring America to pressure Israel to stop protecting itself from Hezbollah. People with any sense of decency would naturally come to the aid of a small nation that has been overrun by foreign armies for centuries, and people should find it despicable that anyone would want to join the ranks of those who deny that the Holocaust happened.

The Holocaust, says the Iranian leader, was a fabrication, a lie, to gain the sympathy of the world. If we proceed down this road, we will unleash a new tidal wave of anti-Semitism. What is our government missing about all of this? Why have we not fulfilled our threats to Iran? Why are we allowing the whole world to see that Iran is now claiming to have defeated America?

In the growing opinion of many, Iran has defeated America. We have lost the respect of the world. We have lost our reputation of military supremacy. Does MAGA mean Make America Great Again, or does it mean Make America Go Away? We need to pray for our leaders. Pray that they would wake up and have the wisdom of President Truman in 1948. Hopefully, America's destiny is not defeat and disgrace. That would be terrible.

Narrator: What if America's history is more than a collection of dates, wars, and famous figures? What if there is a larger story unfolding, one that reveals God's providence and offers insight into our nation's future? In American Destiny: 400 Years, Michael Samuel Smith traces the American story from the arrival of the Pilgrims through four centuries of triumphs, trials, revivals, and national turning points.

Along the way, he uncovers remarkable similarities between America's journey and the biblical history of Israel, raising important questions about God's blessings, national responsibility, and the consequences of spiritual drift. As America realizes a quarter-millennium of independence, understanding our past has never been more important. This fascinating study will deepen your appreciation for American history while encouraging you to view current events through the lens of Scripture.

Discover why so many are talking about American Destiny: 400 Years. Order your copy today at swrc.com or call 1-800-652-1144. That's swrc.com or 1-800-652-1144.

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