Date posted: 07-03-2025
Estimated Reading Time : 6 Minutes
As we approach the 249th anniversary of our nation’s founding, I want to address the mistaken notion that the American Revolution was a rebellion. Revolution and rebellion may seem identical, but from a biblical perspective, one can be godly while the other is always ungodly.
The word rebellion is mentioned several times in the Old Testament, and never as a good thing. The Hebrew word for rebellion, meri, comes from the same root word as the name “Mara” (meaning bitter), which Naomi told everyone to call her to reflect the bitterness of her life (Ruth 1:20-21).
In 1 Samuel 15:23 it says:
“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.”
In this passage, God is explaining to King Saul how serious rebellion is. The end result was that God rejected Saul from being king and took the kingdom away from him!
Elsewhere, in Numbers 16, we’re told about the rebellion of Korah, who recruited two hundred and fifty “princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown” and led them against Moses (Num. 16:2-3). But the result of Korah’s rebellion was that “the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods” (Num. 16:32).
Despite the Bible’s perspective, the world often views rebellion as something positive. There are numerous examples where the media portrays being a rebel as a good thing, sometimes even as a moral thing. Often, the main character in a movie is in rebellion, and they want you to feel sorry for them and even root for them. They want you to believe that rebelling is the best option.
Even as I write this, there are riots and looting taking place in Los Angeles because people are upset that illegal immigrants are being deported. The left-wing media is doing everything it can to try to paint violent criminals as heroic rebels who have no other option if they want to be heard.
But Proverbs 17:11 says that “an evil man seeketh only rebellion.” If you allow offense, bitterness, and discouragement to function on the inside of you, it limits what God can do in your life. It pleases God when you maintain a good attitude—an excellent spirit—regardless of your circumstances or how others treat you.
Just a simple understanding of Scripture helps us know that rebellion is not a godly thing. Anything linked to bitterness and witchcraft ought not to be something we want to mess with!
The truth is that Satan is the original rebel. Before he fell, I believe Satan was an angelic being named Lucifer, sent to earth to be a blessing to Adam and Eve, to minister to them, and serve them. It was in the Garden that his transgression against God was conceived and carried out. Satan rebelled against God in an effort to overthrow Him and steal all of the praise, glory, and adoration that belong to God and God alone.
Here is the key: Rebellions are motivated by Satan and rooted in pride, disobedience, and defiance of God’s ways. They lead to moral decline, a breakdown of society, and a rejection of biblical justice. The American Revolution cannot be described in this way. It was not a rebellion but a righteous response to corruption and tyranny.
When the Declaration of Independence was published on July 4, 1776, it was not because a group of men just wanted to do their own thing. It is well-documented that this decision to separate from the British Empire, which had long abused its power, was not made lightly. It came after numerous efforts to reconcile with King George III and Parliament. For twelve years, the colonists petitioned the King, outlining their grievances, but their pleas just fell on deaf ears.
America’s founders then took inspiration from the Bible to draft a new form of government. In the Old Testament, they found that Israel’s governance during their first four hundred years out of Egypt, before King Saul, around 1400 B.C. to around 1000 B.C., was very unique.
My friend Bill Federer has stated:
“Israel had millions of people but no king. Everyone was taught the law, and they were personally accountable to God to follow the law. For people to rule themselves without a king was the complete opposite of human nature. But this system, called the Hebrew Republic, worked for 400 years.”
The Founding Fathers also discovered in Isaiah 33:22 that God had shown Moses how His people should be governed:
For the Lord is our Judge, The Lord is our Lawgiver, The Lord is our King; He will save us;
From this, they derived the three branches of government that we now know as the “Separation of Powers”:
- “The Lord is our Judge” showed them the Judicial Branch.
- “The Lord is our Lawgiver” showed them the Legislative Branch.
- “The Lord is our King” showed them the Executive Branch (God told Israel not to have a King, but they disobeyed Him).
Our government today is based on Exodus18:21, which states in the New King James Version:
Moreover, you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
From this scripture, we derive the election of leaders (“you shall select”), their character qualities (“able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness”),and thedivisions or levels of government:
- “Rulers of thousands” were like the Federal government
- “Rulers of hundreds” were like the State government
- “Rulers of fifties” were like the County government
- “Rulers of tens” were like the Municipal or City government
Let me be clear: Based on historic accounts and written documents, the American Revolution was not an act of rebellion, as many have stated, but an act of humility and a return to acknowledging God as our only Sovereign and the source of our liberties. As we celebrate the 249th anniversary of our country, let’s take a moment to thank God for His faithfulness in establishing our nation and rejoice that we can freely worship Him in spirit and in truth!
Learn More
Explore the Truth & Liberty website, subscribe to receive regular updates, and visit our Research Center for great practical resources. Also, learn how you can become a Truth & Liberty member and join us in standing for truth in the public square.