The Stars and Stripes are Born with the Passing of the Flag Act on June 14, 1777

Betsy Ross was later asked to make this first official flag from a rough drawing given her by General Washington. Originally its stars were six-pointed, later changed to five-pointed stars more closely resembling the human body. One of the central themes of this flag (and the millennial 13-part kingdom symbols on the back of the one dollar bill) is the message, “IN GOD WE TRUST”. God created the Constitution of this land, utilizing wise men like Washington and4 Franklin whom He raised up for the purpose of establishing a new nation founded on the principle of liberty, liberty He provided all in the Atonement. This was the whole purpose of our Lord’s mission, to release the willing and repentant from sin, death, and hell with His own blood. The ties to God in the first American flag are now mostly forgotten and certainly politically incorrect in an increasingly secular world. They are no longer understood or taught.

The Three Colors of Liberty

The 5-pointed star at the center of 12 stars around it points to Christ in his role as Savior and King, possessing all knowledge, truth, and power; our Creator and Redeemer, the ruler over the whole earth. “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious…And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:10, 12, italics added). “And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the [12] stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land” (Zech 9:16, italics added). The blue and white colors of this Ensign to the Nations may symbolize the purity (white color) of those who rule with authority, authorized by the God of heaven (blue color, see chap. 9). The ensign represents a united people under God seeking truth and liberty (freedom to choose). The red represents the blood penalty portion of covenants.

First Official American Flag: As presented earlier, the first official American flag also featured 12 stars surrounding a 13th at center (above, center), but with the added red color in the cross design at left. It points to liberty obtained by blood, and the liberty of mankind obtained by the blood of Christ. Titled the Cowpens Flag, it was first used at the Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina in 1781. Accepted on June 3, 1877 in(5) Philadelphia, this flag design was approved by Congress and featured the now familiar 13 red and white colored stripes emerging from a heavenly blue field of 12 white stars, all surrounding a single 13th at center. Each of them are upright and 5-pointed. Because many of the early founding fathers were devout Christians, and many of them Freemasons (an organization traditionally supportive of faith in God until infiltrated by the Illuminati), it may be possible to connect this circular star pattern to the Twelve in Jerusalem surrounding Christ in a more divine form of government. The earlier Colonial flag used by George Washington features 2 intersecting crosses (like British flag-shown above), an early symbol for Christ. (The Cross of Christ used by crusaders made use of the single, 4-part red-cross. The 8-part ‘Union Jack’ motif resembles 8-part motifs in ancient Babylon and the 8-part star of the Sacramento California Temple. Both have relationship to 2 sets of 4 year Venus cycles (a common motif in Mesoamerica for example.) As discussed earlier, the origin of the two earliest American flags has ties to the mysterious “Professor”.

Color as a Symbol: for Life Sir Isaac Newton proved that light makes color possible. It serves as a flag for life, enlivening our planet and renewing life each spring. We see this as colors burst forth in the spring and then fade as winter approaches. In representing life, color points us towards Christ, who is not only the light of the world, but also, “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). He demonstrated this literally when he brought Lazarus back to life in Bethany. He promises life after death to all through the resurrection, and eternal life to those who are obedient. He stated, “In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally” (Ether 3:14). Color is life.

Red, White & Blue

2 Sets of 3 Witnesses: Hungering after light and knowledge leads to searching and finding. Thirsting after righteousness was taught in the Bible in Mathew 5:6, where it reads, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Filled with the living water of Christ! Water reflects the blue sky and relieves thirst, but does not provide nutrition. Red wine provides some nutrients, yet is not complete. White milk, on the other hand can sustain life indefinitely. There are increasing levels of seeking and finding that lead to greater light – to Jesus Christ.

Three Witnesses: From heaven these 3 witnesses are God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost: “there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (1 John 5:7). There are also 3 complimentary witnesses on the earth; “there are three that bear witness in the earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one” (1 John 5:8).

In ancient Israel red (scarlet), white, and blue served to separate the covenant people from the outside world. Blue, for example, consistently pointed to God’s priesthood power and its purifying effects in separating the righteous Israelites from the gentiles. White was associated with purity and cleanliness, of becoming justified through his spirit. Red symbolized the sanctifying blood of the future Christ via the substitute animal sacrifices at the temple. Each pointed to the Savior’s last, great sacrifice in the winepress of Gethsemane—the red blood covering His body there (and our sins), and shed at the later scourging, and upon the cross. All 3 colors came together in the High Priest’s clothing as well as the ancient temple veil. In his daily service, the High Priest wore blue priesthood robes over white undergarments (Exodus 39:22). On the Day of Atonement, however, he replaced the blue robe with all white clothing for his entrance into the Holy of Holies.6 (He also wore only white during the rare red heifer sacrifice.) He then sprinkled the scarlet blood of the sacrifice upon the Ark, for himself, his family, and all Israel.7 Upon completing this service, his white robes were covered in red blood, mirroring the bloodstained clothing of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, and His return at the Second coming dressed in the red robes of judgment.8

Birth, baptism (re-birth), and the ancient covenants of the temple involve the 3 elements of water, spirit and blood coming together; apparent symbols for each member of the Godhead as a witness, in conjunction with purification, justification, and finally sanctification. The names of all 3 members of the Godhead are invoked in 3 of the gospel’s most important priesthood ordinances. The first, baptism, is performed “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19). These 3 names—as witnesses— also appears to be found in the word Ahmen ending these prayers.10

The 12 stars surrounding a thirteenth star resembles a temple baptismal font atop 12 oxen (examples: Molten Sea, the Baptismal Font at St. Bartholmew’s Church, and the LDS Salt Lake Temple. The 3 colors of the flag appear to signal our journey towards perfection through Christ, pointing out the need for

1. The blue waters of purification used in baptism (administered by the priesthood of God the Father);
2. The white purity of justification, granted by sealing the promised blessings upon the righteous (originally promised in the anointing), through the Holy Spirit of Promise, and
3. The red blood of sanctification (provided in the Savior’s mediating Atonement).

As we perfect ourselves through His grace and mercy, we may then receive Him as the Second Comforter. Exaltation is only possible with this last step of sanctification. Some who have witnessed our Savior’s suffering in Gethsemane claim they saw the Master in clothing with these three colors. They state He wore robes of blue and white color, stained in red color of His own blood.

End Notes

1. Robert Allen Campbell, Our Flag or The Evolution of the Stars and Stripes, Chicago, 1890, p. 37 (see also pages 50, 51 & 61), cited in Tom Cryer, Visual Testament, self-published, p. 78. Who is the Professor? Some believe he may be the translated being John the Beloved. More on Campbell here and here.
   • 13 Stripes Of the 13 stripes on the American flag, the 6 white stripes and the 7 red stripes may both have reference to purity, as supplied in the Atonement by Christ’s blood. Isaiah stated that “with His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5. See also 1 Peter 2:24). His body was also scourged with stripes (perhaps 39 of them) before he was placed on the cross (John 19:1). The Hopi connect red stripes with blood from heaven in association with the Son of God, and revelation (rain from clouds) with white stripes. The stripes are seen in both the Hopi ceremonial kilt and pre-Columbian codices. In the codices these stripes were applied to the bodies of sacrificial victims intended to be surrogates for “God himself.” (Krickeberg, 50:51, in Tom Cryer, Visual Testament, pps. 78, 82.) Scourging, a type of whipping in ancient Israel, often involved the use of a cord with 3 separate ends that laid down 3 stripes on the skin simultaneously. The Apostle Paul stated, “Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one” (2 Corinthians 11:24.
     Hence to get 40 stripes “minus one”, one has only to strike the condemned 13 times. A total of 39 stripes was the norm as part of the maximum penalty for various crimes for they were never to exceed 40, the number for “purification.” (See Alfred Edersheim, The Temple: Its Ministry and Services, Hendrickson Publishers, p. 43. See also Frankel and Teutsch, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Symbols, Jason Aaronson Inc., p. 175.)
   • 13 Stars The Early US Flag (first official flag), LDS Kingdom of God Flag, and the U.S. Medal of Honor (for the Navy, Army and Air Force) all feature 13 Stars on them – normally one larger star surrounded by 12 smaller stars. The flags also feature 13 alternating stripes (red and white or blue and white).
   • 13 Lights: 12 Lights around 1 The 12 Signs of the Zodiac circle around the Sun over the course of “the Great Year” (the Precession of the Equinoxes – 25,920 years). All things testify of Christ, the Great Creator God who sits enthroned in the midst of it all. Like the sun, He is the light and the life of the world.
   • Christ Surrounded by the 12 Apostles Christ often stood in the middle of the 12 Apostles, the number 13 associated with divine governance (the number 12 throughout scripture and the human body is tied to governance – we have 12 systems governing our bodies, including the respiratory, endocrine and nervous systems, etc.)
   • The Temple Surrounded by the 12 Tribes The ancient Tabernacle (13th object) was set up in the middle of the 12 Tribes of Israel each time it was moved (3 each in the north, south, east and west).
   • 13 Tribes There are 8 Sets of 13 objects found on the back of the U.S. one dollar bill. These are tied to ancient Israel and specifically to the 13th Tribe of Israel (or Jacob) – Manasseh, those mostly in the New World (America). This is seen in the symbolism on the back of the One Dollar bill. Many believe this is Masonic, when in reality, much of it is Biblical. Joseph’s two sons Ephraim and Manasseh received the Patriarchal blessing of Joseph’s father Jacob, along with Joseph’s 11 brothers. Ephraim takes the place of Joseph as the 11th son (Benjamin was the 12th), and Manasseh then becomes the 13th Tribe. The symbols for Manasseh included the olive branch and the arrow, 13 of which are held in each of the two feet of the eagle on the Great Seal. Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh of the New World) will eventually be united with the Judah of the Old World in the last days (see Ezekiel 37). They will lead out as the two primary tribes, Judah with rights of Kingship and Joseph with rights to the Priesthood. America is the land of Manasseh, the 13th tribe, that of Lehi and his posterity who were promised this land.
   • 13 Gifts: There are 13 Gifts of the Spirit listed in D&C 46 (the 13th is the gift of Eternal Life).
   • 13 Petals: Most red [blood] roses have 13 petals (5 larger outer petals [life] and 8 smaller inner petals [rebirth]), The rose and its red color are both closely tied to Christ as the loving God who shed his blood for us.
   • 13 Orbits: Venus orbits the sun 13 times in 8 years. (The numbers 3, 5, 8 and 13 are sequential in the Fibonacci Sequence of “creation” numbers found throughout nature.)
   • 13 Moons: There are 13 New Moons in the Year (12 months of 28 days each)
     13 Articles: The 13 Articles of Faith mirror in content the 13 Steps of progression into the Divine Presence of Messiah (13th letter).
   • 13 Places: There are 13 Places of blessing upon the body (anointing), for the purpose of reversing the “blows of death.” The human body is the temple of our Spirit or Soul.
   • 13th Letter: Messiah is the 13th Letter of the Hebrew Alphabet (it is a timeline of the earth – with God as #1 and judgment at the end as #22); Messiah came in the meridian or “middle” of this alphabet of time – #13. Note the beginning, middle, and end below in red.
   • 
2. B.H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, 3:275-78
3. See Journal of Mormon History, vol. 9, pp. 85-111, David L. Bigler, Forgotten Kingdom, p. 48, John D. Lee Journal, January 13, 1846, Church Historical Department, and Wilford Woodruff Journal, May 29, 1847, Church Historical Department.
4. Parley P. Pratt, Spirituality: Key to the Science of Theology, Cedar Fort, p. 71, italics added.
5. Dallin H. Oaks, “Jesus Christ is the Light, Life, and Hope of the World“, Ensign, Dec. 2008, p. 59.
6. He was to bathe his whole body before putting these all white clothes on, not just cleansing his hands and feet as normal.
7. See Hebrews 9:3-7; Leviticus 16:23, 26-32; Numbers 29:11.
8. The work of Israel’s high priests (Exodus 25:4; 28:33) represented Christ, the great High Priest (Hebrews 3:1).
9. This last ordinance is that granting the Fullness of the priesthood, often called “the Second Anointing.” Water, blood and spirit are all connected to cleansing. The earth was cleansed in the watery flood of Noah. Christ’s atoning blood was absorbed into the earth at Gethsemane, the scourging, and the cross, helping to purge it. The earth will be cleansed by fire at the Lord’s second coming.
10. The word Amen, or rather Ahmen provides another witness of the Godhead. Sampson believes that AH (or Ah) is symbolic of the great bull or sire, the first being holding supreme power, that ME (or M) is symbolic of the owl (Messiah), who will come in the meridian of time, and that N (or eN) is symbolic of the hawk, a speedy, winged messenger, angels or the Holy Ghost.

Sources: USFlag.org; 7witnesses.com; Christian Heritage Fellowship