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ALASKA: Frozen Treasure Chest of the North
Did Alaska fall into the hands of the United States as an act of God? If so, for what reason? Is it just because he likes us? Or is there a divine mission intended?
Evidence suggests that Alaska is the very cache we need to carry us through these times and into the future. It has the potential to strengthen America’s future, thus empowering us to continue assisting other nations to fulfill their dreams of experiencing democracy over autocracy.
Turning back the pages of history, the story behind the purchase of Alaska suggests what I call poetic prophecy. See if you agree.
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Poetic Prophecy
William Henry Seward was an attorney who twice served as Governor of New York, followed by two terms in the United States Senate. Subsequently, he became Secretary of State under President Abraham Lincoln. In this position he made a visionary decision that opened a rare opportunity for us today.
In 1857, a sharp drop in fur trade caused Russia to lose interest in owning Alaska. Thus, during Seward’s tenure, the Grand Duke Constantine offered to sell Alaska to the United States. Negotiations began.
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In 1861 the Civil War erupted killing all discussion about Alaska. The war ground on for four years; then, everything nearly ended on Good Friday, April 24, 1865. Four conspirators plotted to decapitate the Union by assassinating three men: President Abraham Lincoln, Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State, William Henry Seward—yes, the very Seward who had been negotiating for Alaska.
The assassins coordinated their attacks to take place at about 10:15 p.m. At 10:14 p.m., President Lincoln was mortally shot by John Wilkes Booth. Seward, who was home in bed—his neck in a brace, recovering from a violent carriage accident—was attacked by Lewis Powell, who attempted to cut his jugular. In the end, Seward’s neck and face were violently slashed along with other stab wounds before Powell was subdued, but he escaped. Unexpectedly, Seward survived. The evil plot failed to touch Vice President Johnson when his would-be assassin, George Atzerodt, got cold feet, drowned himself in liquor and stumbled into the night. Johnson was suddenly thrust into the Presidency.
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After the war, Secretary Seward reopened the Alaska negotiations with Russia. Had he not survived the assassination attempt, the purchase of Alaska may have failed since most were opposed to the deal. Why? Many thought the land was useless, a waste of money. Newspapers called it “Seward’s folly” and “Seward’s icebox.” Some cartooned a walrus with the caption “Walrussia.”
Secretary Seward purchased a land that was more than twice the size of Texas and one fifth the size of the entire United States—yes, a staggering one fifth! He paid $7.2 million (about 2 cents an acre) for 365 million acres or 570,374 square miles.
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Was the purchase folly or wise? Was it a fluke or divine? If divine, then is it a poetic prophecy for us today? Is Alaska nothing more than a tourist attraction, or is it a northern horizon of hope for America and the world?
Not only the purchase but even the state’s slogan—North to the Future—suggests poetic prophecy. What future does it suggest? Is it merely a clever but meaningless slogan? Or, considering the drama behind Alaska’s purchase, is this another indication of a divine hand orchestrating events?
How am I using the phrase “poetic prophecy”? Let’s start with a word poetic. Our forefathers strongly believed that a sovereign hand has been guiding the flow of nations. Isaiah among other prophets foresaw a world at peace, but only under the governance of a coming Messiah. Abundant evidence points to Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of the prophecy: first coming to redeem mankind by shedding his blood and then returning to reign. According to the Scriptures the flow of nations will end with everything in heaven and on earth coming under one head—Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:9-10).
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Picture the nations as rivulets, creeks and streams, all tributaries feeding many rivers flowing into one huge ocean. That’s the biblical mosaic of nations becoming one under Christ. That’s poetry in motion.
But how am I using the word prophetic? While there are no written prophecies about America, or its purchase of Alaska, if the purchase proves to have been guided by the hand of God, then it’s prophetic (i.e. there is a prophetic purpose).
By the way, there are few prophecies written in the Bible about any nation apart form Israel. Yes, there are some listed in the old testament such as Babylon, Egypt and Assyria to name a few. But that doesn’t mean the rest are random accidents. There is scriptural evidence that all nations are under the poetic flow of divine guidance and purpose—including the United States. In fact, if you study the writings of our founding fathers and the constitutions of our early colonies and states, it is clear that America was founded squarely upon a Judeo-Christian foundation, with the determination to maintain it for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the glory of God.
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Really . . . that’s the truth. No, that’s not the ranting of a religious nut stuck in the past, no sir! Research it. Discover the amazing document drafted in the tiny captain’s quarters of the Mayflower. Read the constitutions of the early colonies and you’ll be shocked to learn that America was unabashedly founded on Judeo-Christian principles and truth as revealed in the Bible. This information is at your finger tips in The Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States (Benjamin F. Morris, American Vision, Powder Springs, GA 2007). And when you’ve finished, ask yourself if you’re ready to surrender our rich foundation; after all, from these building blocks rose the greatest nation on earth in less time than any other in history. Ask yourself if it’s not time for a reformation back to the original Judeo-Christian construct of our land.
So, in light of how we purchased Alaska and the intent of our founding fathers, we have enormous reasons to take a serious look at our land in the far northwest, a land that breaks into the Arctic Circle, where polar bear skate on ice and survive on seal. And if we conclude that Seward was an instrument in God’s hand, then we need to consider what we are to do with the gift he purchased. How will we fulfill in our time the flow of poetic prophecy?
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