THE LIBERTY BELL

April 29, 2015

This morning, I shared a word entitled "For Whom the Bell Tolls." After re-reading the word and further pondering, the inscriptions on the Liberty Bell grabbed my attention, so I thought to do some investigating.

I found a wonderful article about the history of the bell which is a worthy read. I wanted to make note of a few things I learned almost immediately:

The bell has an inscription which reads, "Proclaim Liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof. " The inscription also references Lev XXV X.

Leviticus: 25:10 speaks of the jubilee and reads, 

"And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family."

The verse prior, Lev 25:9, says to blow a trumpet to announce the time of jubilee and reads, 

"Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land."

Also inscribed on the bell is the statement, "By Order of the ASSEMBLY of the Province of PENSYLVANIA for the State House in Philada"

I immediately thought of the Church of Philadelphia, the Faithful/Obedient Assembly

in Revelation 3:7-13

Pass and Stow are the last names of the two Philadelphia foundry workers who were given the cracked bell to be melted down and recast.

They both shared the same first name, John, whose etymology means "YHWH is Gracious." 

This immediately brought to mind the ministry of John the Baptist who will come in the power of Elijah in these end times. 

Just the other night, the Lord said that "Zion will give birth." I was led to look at Elizabeth who was barren. Zion means dry place, parched place. Giving birth speaks of offspring and fruitfulness. It was deemed a curse to be a barren woman according to the scriptures. 

I read the story of John the Baptist's birth and a wonderful revelation emerged. John's parents were Zacharias and Elizabeth. The etymology of their names are important to see what God revealed. 

Zacharias = "YHWH remembers"

Elizabeth = "oath of God," which infers covenant. 

Their son was John = "YHWH is gracious"

When it all came together, this is what was revealed.

YHWH remembers His covenant, His oath, John was born. 

Luke 1:13-17 speaks of the intended purpose for His birth. 

13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.

15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.

16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.

17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

That is surely God's grace on display... 

Here is a snippet from the few opening paragraphs of the article. You are welcome to read it in its entirety. Here is the link. 

Tradition tells of a chime that changed the world on July 8, 1776, with the Liberty Bell ringing out from the tower of Independence Hall summoning the citizens of Philadelphia to hear the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence by Colonel John Nixon.

The Pennsylvania Assembly ordered the Bell in 1751 to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges, Pennsylvania's original Constitution. It speaks of the rights and freedoms valued by people the world over. Particularly forward thinking were Penn's ideas on religious freedom, his liberal stance on Native American rights, and his inclusion of citizens in enacting laws.

The Liberty Bell gained iconic importance when abolitionists in their efforts to put an end to slavery throughout America adopted it as a symbol.

As the Bell was created to commemorate the golden anniversary of Penn's Charter, the quotation "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof," from Leviticus 25:10, was particularly apt. For the line in the Bible immediately preceding "proclaim liberty" is, "And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year." What better way to pay homage to Penn and hallow the 50th year than with a bell proclaiming liberty?