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A monument is something that serves as a memorial honoring a person or an event. They are not to be worshipped but we are called to give honor to whom honor is due and respect to whom respect is due (Romans 13:7-10).
Christianity shows how flawed, sinful people can have a holy standing before a righteous God. Like Paul, we have not yet obtained perfection but we strive to move in that direction (Philippians 3:13-14).
Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32).
America has many inspirational monuments such as the Washington Monument, Mount Rushmore, the Lincoln Memorial, the Liberty Bell, our National Cemetery and many others. Princeton has Soldiers and Sailors Park and Flags of Freedom.
Archaeology unearthed monuments from the past and shows us the world of bible times. The Great Pyramids of Egypt have no need of being unearthed as they rise to a height of 455 feet.
America also has “Monumental Documents” giving testimony to the principles and values our nation was built upon.
Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address
Completed in 1888 in Massachusetts, the National Monument to our Forefathers, also known as the “Faith Monument,” is a highly significant granite monument weighing 200 tons and stands at a towering height of 81 feet. The faces on Mount Rushmore only reach the height of 60 feet in comparison.
On the main pedestal stands the heroic figure of “Faith” with her right hand pointing to Heaven and her left hand clutching the Bible. Around Faith are seated four statues each of which represents the necessary elements which the Pilgrims and American founders believed a prerequisite for a nation to experience freedom and prosperity: Morality, Law, Education and Liberty.
Let’s look at the most monumental book and person and work of Jesus Christ (John 6:28-29). Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies of his miraculous birth, his unmatched teaching and sinless life, his death by crucifixion and his victory over death (Isaiah Chapter 53).
In the New Testament we read of his ascension and his promised return (Acts 1:9-11). Jesus left behind an empty tomb. Cemeteries are often filled with monuments.
Listen to this promise from Jesus in John 5:28: “All who are in their graves will hear his voice and will come out. Those who have done good will rise to live and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”
If you are interested in global warming read 2nd Peter 3:10: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.”
Even the Great Pyramids, a monumental event.
Ted Roberts - Princeton