The Hidden Message of the Great Seal

by Michael Kanis

On July 4, 1776, the first act of the new United States was to call for the creation of a national seal. They called on three who had only just completed another document of historic significance, the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson, Adams and Franklin rose to the task by creating the basis for the national seal, which would join its place with the declaration and the constitution as a triumvirate of founding documents. But what they did was not only design symbols for a seal, they used allegory to entrain a hidden message within those symbols. This true story is an adventure in exploration, uncovering the meaning of those symbols and the message hidden within the seal. Our journey takes us to some unusual places… the arid, windswept wilderness of the Sinai fifteen hundred years before Christ; Jerusalem rising from its ruins in the sixth century BC; the dazzling color of the frescos on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome; the intrigue and assassination plot during the formation of the sixteenth century Dutch Republic; the spectacle of the glittering Roman legions crossing the Rhine frontier to be humbled by Julius Civilis in 70 AD: the seal takes us to some fascinating places and times. We uncover meaning in the ancient covenant made by God with Abraham, discuss political theory on the roots of democracy, explore the meaning of freedom and draw near to the providential love of God. The story is bursting with surprises as we discover the secret message which has been hidden from the day it was written into the Congressional Record on June 20, 1789 until today. Astonishingly, we will also see for the very first time in over 230 years, the seal in a completely faithful and accurate graphical expression, true in every detail. And armed with the meaning of our great national treasure, we consider the admonition of the founders to those for whom the message was hidden as if in the ground and born across the centuries to reach us now as we assume the mantle as guardians of the republic.

260 pages, Paperback

Published January 17, 2017