1) The Protestant Movement and the American Pioneers

We can see that the medieval Roman papacy had forgotten God's Will to save the world, because they were corrupt and consumed by their own ecclesiastical authority and dogma. They had forgotten the world, seeing only their own power and foundation, and negating all forces that opposed them. Originally they should have been thinking they were ready to sacrifice themselves to save the world. Instead they thought only of protecting their own power and glory.

Since God's Will was to save the world, He could not allow this situation to continue. He had to either destroy it or rejuvenate it, so He initiated the Protestant movement. Martin Luther came and directly confronted the papacy. His thought was to love God and to teach the world the ideas of equality and freedom. He believed that this was God's desire, and that God would help him.

In England, the Puritan movement tried to influence Parliament and form a new government centered on God. But the government didnOt accept this movement and continued to oppress it. The Protestants who sought freedom to worship God were persecuted all over Europe.

These movements arose naturally. The leaders of the Protestant movement dreamed of a church in which they could freely serve God and move beyond the medieval Roman papacy. In the course of this movement they became aware of a new continent. In search of freedom from the dogmatic, totalitarian European church, the Pilgrim fathers, dreaming of a world where they could freely practice their faith, crossed the Atlantic Ocean and arrived on the American continent. They came in search of freedom to worship God and to build the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth on this new, free continent.

Crossing the Atlantic Ocean was a dangerous undertaking at that time. To gain religious freedom, the Pilgrims left their beloved parents and homes, forsaking their families and homeland. Believing only in God and relying on His love, they set out on their voyage. They never resented God, no matter what difficulties and trials they faced. These people kept their faith and determination to build a nation where they would be free to practice their faith. They relied absolutely on God.

On board ship they prayed to God when they were ill, and remained united centered on God. God must have been moved by their faith, watching them overcome great difficulties and suffering for His sake.

OYou are the first people since human history began to take such risks for My sake. You forsook your families and nation, so I will give you a better nation, better tribes and clans than those you have given up." This must have been God's determination.

You know that the Mayflower arrived in New England in winter. It was November, the weather was cold and the Pilgrims didnOt have enough food. Some of them died of hunger. Yet even though these amazing people were dying, they kept some seed to plant for the next year.

They certainly had the faith that God would open their way in the future, and build through them a nation of freedom and blessing. That's why they walked even the way of death happily, leaving behind seeds for their children to plant. They could bless their descendants while going through a difficult sacrificial way themselves. They did this only because of their faith in God. You may know that the last 41 survivors made an agreement in the name of God. The fact that the ancestors of America kept their faith until the last moment before they died was an historical event.

Without faith, could they have prayed to God in gratitude with their last breath? You must know that your ancestors strove always to attend God, day and night, wherever they went. God, knowing the corruption of the Roman papacy, readily bestowed His blessing upon these American ancestors.

The Pilgrims had a different motive from other emigrants in leaving their homeland. They left in pursuit of a nation that could save the world and be a fatherland of faith. This was a great thing. This idea was in accordance with God's hope, who wanted to save the world beyond the Roman Catholic Church. So God could not help but bless them.

American citizens, God blessed America not only so you could have good meals and good times. God blessed America to save the world. America must not betray God's Will. God wants to work centered on America. If your ancestors had come to America for their own sakes, God would never have blessed them like this. These early immigrants to North America came only in search of the freedom to worship God, nothing else. But they found God and freedom and money also. The immigrants to South America were the opposite. They went in search of money. They side-lined God, and went in search only of money. They went at the same time and in the same position as the northern immigrants, but they lost God and freedom and money. Now those countries are underdeveloped.

It is a miracle that America became a first-rate world-level nation in 200 years. This was only possible with God's protection and blessing.