The 56 signatories of the Declaration of Independence comprise one of the most astonishing collections of individuals in history. On that fateful day in July 1776, their names were written with courage as much as ink. They were defying the most powerful man in the world, King George iii. But this defiance wasn’t out of a spirit of rebellion; it stemmed from a deep desire for law and order.

On July 4, we remember the Founding Fathers and the character they displayed to begin this incredible republic promising “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

However, July 4 should put God on center stage. The United States of America fulfilled a divine promise made to one man thousands of years ago. The miracles and blessings we have enjoyed since 1776 are benefits from the Most High. America’s founding was by divine providence.

America’s system of government might be the best mankind can produce. God provided the miracles, and the Founding Fathers provided a Constitution to govern the nation “under God.”

Yet America today is on the brink of collapse. Why? The answer to that question reveals a hopeful future.

Forever Faithful

To most people, Bible prophecy is a mystical, confusing, fanciful idea. In reality, it is the only way to understand the past, present and future.

The late Herbert W. Armstrong explained the missing key to understanding Bible prophecy in his book The United States and Britain in Prophecy: “The great world powers of our time have been, and are, the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, Germany, France and other Western European nations. The missing vital key is simply the identity of these great world powers in biblical prophecy!”

The identity of the U.S. in the Bible is the Israelite tribe of Mannaseh. Mr. Armstrong continued:

The most amazing fact of all history is this sudden skyrocketing from virtual obscurity of two nations to the most fabulous wealth and economic power ever possessed by any people. Britain became Great Britain—a gigantic, stupendously wealthy commonwealth of nations—the United States, the greatest nation of history.

Why did God intervene in history to make America the world’s greatest superpower? Mr. Armstrong said it was “because of God’s faithfulness to His unconditional promise to Abraham.” God promised national greatness to Abraham’s descendants. The miraculous founding of the United States is a direct fulfillment of that promise. Review Chapters 4 and 10 of The United States and Britain in Prophecy to see for yourself. God faithfully keeps His promises.

Spirit in Man

The Constitution of the United States is an incredible document because the Founding Fathers acknowledged the divine providence of America’s founding. They attempted to establish God’s rule on Earth by enshrining man’s God-given rights. In other words, our nation was founded on biblical truths.

“The Constitution was based to a great extent on God’s law,” writes Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry in No Freedom Without Law. He continues:

That is why I believe it is the most noble document ever written by a government of this world. What a rare document it is. Our forefathers had the awesome opportunity to establish the rule of God in the wealthiest country ever. So they established a Constitution to protect all of us from the extremes of human reason. Tyrants, unjust judges and biased leaders were controlled by this law.

The Constitution seeks to limit the worst of human nature: lust for power, corrupt use of power and putting personal gain over duty. The Bible reveals this is how every individual naturally thinks (Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 8:7).

This world is cut off from God’s truth and Holy Spirit because of Adam’s decision in the Garden of Eden. In Mystery of the Ages, Mr. Armstrong wrote:

Once he [Adam] succumbed to Satan’s way of choosing to “do his own thing,” in rebellion against a deliberate command of God, he became spiritually the property of Satan. He actually had succumbed to the government of Satan, choosing the law of that government—the law of vanity, self-centeredness—leading automatically into attitudes of self-glory, coveting, competition, desire to get rather than God’s way of give.

Human endeavors can only be noble if God’s truth is involved. Otherwise mankind treads down the familiar path of Satan’s way of life: vanity, selfishness and competition.

Man’s power of intellect comes from the human spirit God gives each individual at conception (Job 32:8). The human spirit allows us to create, learn and understand material knowledge: “For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?” (1 Corinthians 2:11).

However, the human spirit can be shaped. The more you develop your mind with the principles of the Bible, the more the human spirit is shaped in a positive way. The Founding Fathers were carnal men with human nature, but their human spirit, their thinking, was shaped by the truth of the Bible.

The Constitution provides possibly the best form of government the human spirit can produce cut off from God. It is an incredible achievement, but look where the U.S. is today.

The government is rife with corruption, treason and tyranny—everything the Constitution was supposed to prevent. This is because mankind is incomplete; it needs another spirit to establish the real government of God on Earth.

Ultimate Potential

“The real value of a human life, then, lies solely within the human spirit combined with the human brain,” Mr. Armstrong wrote in Mystery of the Ages. For as incredible as the human mind is, it is incomplete. He continued:

He was made mentally and spiritually only “half there.” He needed the addition of God’s Spirit to unite with his spirit, begetting him as a child of God—uniting him with God—ultimately enabling him to be born into the very God family.

The Holy Spirit allows the carnal mind to understand the spiritual knowledge of the Bible. 2 Corinthians 2:11 finishes: “… even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.” This is God’s master plan: to eventually give all mankind access to the Holy Spirit so they can be born into the Family of God. God gives His Holy Spirit to those who repent and have faith (Acts 2:38).

This is the grand lesson God has tried to teach mankind throughout the ages: Mankind needs the Holy Spirit to have joy and peace. Even man’s best efforts will fall short without it. It doesn’t matter whether it is Joe Biden or Donald Trump leading America—there is no hope in man.

God’s master plan offers a potential that transcends anything achieved by the United States. For all of the prosperity, power and stability America has enjoyed for over 200 years, it is nothing compared to what humanity will experience in the Kingdom of God under the rule of God (Isaiah 9:6-7). God’s government is based on His law.

America shows the best of the human spirit, what mankind can achieve; the Kingdom of God will show the best of the Holy Spirit, what man will achieve with the power of God.

This is the goal of God’s master plan. This is the ultimate outcome of Bible prophecy. This is the truth explained in The United States and Britain in Prophecy.