Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order: War in the Gates

Dark Winter at Valley Forge

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Civil Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2022-07-06

Synopsis: John Weaver uses Matthew 24:20 as a springboard to examine the 'dark winter' of 1777–1778 at Valley Forge, drawing parallels between the suffering of Washington's army and the spiritual and political corruption of our own day. He highlights the providential preservation of the Continental Army, the character of George Washington, and the role of prayer and divine intervention. The sermon concludes with a call to repentance and a warning that America faces judgment unless it returns to God and His law.

[John Weaver] Right, let's open our Bibles in today to the book of Matthew, chapter 24, and we're going to read verse 20, Matthew 24 and verse 20. The message this morning is on the dark winter. Lord willing, in the next session, I will be dealing with Captain Jonathan Davis. But today, notice, if you would, Matthew, chapter 24 and verse 20. Our Lord said, but pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day. Winter, for most folks, is a rather foreboding time. Winter usually is a time of darkness, a lack of sunlight, cold, ice, sleet, snow. And it's also strange as to how winter, for some people, becomes a source of apathy, lethargy and depression.

[John Weaver] I suppose that One reason for a lot of people they get depressed during the wintertime is because they're shut in and all they can do is simply watch TV and that's depressing enough, even as it really is. I honestly think that TV basically is a waste of time. We haven't had one in our home for many, many years. And I've often said it, hell for me would be locked in a room being forced to watch TV all day long.

[John Weaver] But personally, I think most TV is not entertainment, it's rather conditioning, and the news is not news, it's propaganda, and the sitcoms have absolutely nothing to offer except canned laughter, and that which is not funny at all. Now, winter is also a favorite time of year for those who love to ski, those who love to sled, those who love to ice fish, but most people really and truly prefer a warmer climate. That's why down in South Georgia and Florida we have an awful lot of snowbirds that come down and spend the winter down there. I would just tell you this, that it's a whole lot easier to endure the wintertime when you're outside and all you need is simply a short sleeve shirt or a long sleeve shirt or maybe a light jacket. It is possible to really enjoy winter like that as far as I'm concerned. And you can do all those chores outside, even gardening. And yes, in South Georgia, where I live, we can have gardens 12 months out of the year.

[John Weaver] We don't have to have them just two or three months. I was preaching in Montana on July the 4th and the smoke was coming out of the chimneys, people walking around wearing jackets. And I looked at the person with whom I was staying and I said, When do you have summer out here? She said, oh, we had that yesterday. So weather changes quite frequently there. But the dark winter that is referred to in Matthew, chapter 24, verse 20.

[John Weaver] And our text actually refers to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. If you look back at that verse, our Lord says, but pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day. So this dark winter then talked about the destruction of Jerusalem that was approaching. And our Lord said, it's all right for you to pray for mitigation, but the judgment is coming and you attempt to escape will be absolutely hindered by winter or the Sabbath day. So why in the world would our Lord say, pray that you're not be running from this judgment on winter or in winter on the Sabbath day? Well, when you stop and think about winter just for a moment.

[John Weaver] The hardness and the harshness of the season, the badness of the roads, the shortness of the days, the longness of the night and then cold and ice and snow and all of these things will greatly hinder flight. If you need to run, they will hinder you. You have to also consider the fact that here are families trying to deal with small children or families dealing with elderly people, and that's certainly going to hinder you as well.

[John Weaver] So winter, of course, we understand. But then he said, I pray that your flight not only be in the winter, but not on the Sabbath either. Why? Well, you must remember that in the Bible, there was a limitation on travel during the Sabbath. The Bible tells you in Acts chapter 1 in verse 12, that they returned from Jerusalem, from the Mount of Colalibet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day's journey. So there was a Sabbath day's journey. You remember in Exodus chapter 16 in verse 29, when God gave the manna, and He gave it for two days, And then he commended that on the seventh day that everyone abide in their tent. And then when you get to the book of Nehemiah, chapter 13, there were people there who were violating the Sabbath and buying and selling on the Sabbath. So Nehemiah had to block the gate.

[John Weaver] And oftentimes the settlers would come around and lodge at the gate and he would run them off. He said, if you do it again, I'm going to lay hands on you. And he said, He put guards there and said, this is not going to happen. And so you're going to have to basically stay in your place.

[John Weaver] Now, clearly journeys then on the Sabbath day were limited. Now, the law of God did not necessarily specify a limit. The limitation basically was placed there by the rabbis or by tradition. Usually the limit of travel on the Sabbath day was seven furlongs, which is nearly a mile. So if their flight then was on the Sabbath day, they could barely get out of the way of destruction.

[John Weaver] Now, one commentator said it like this. The distance of a lawful journey on the Sabbath was not determined by the law of Moses, but the Jewish teachers had fixed it at 2000 paces. This measure was determined on because it was a tradition that in the camp of the Israelites, when coming out of Egypt, No part of the camp was more than 2,000 paces from the tabernacle.

[John Weaver] And over this space, therefore, they were permitted to travel for worship. Perhaps also some countenance was given to this from the fact that this was the extent of the suburbs of the Levitical cities. Numbers 35 and verse 5. Mount Olivet was but five furlongs from Jerusalem and Bethany was 15 furlongs. But on the eastern declivity of the mountain, the tract of country that was called for a considerable space was the region of Bethany.

[John Weaver] And it was from this place that our Lord Jesus ascended. So we're reading now the fact that someone is saying it's two thousand paces. There was also another consideration because in Joshua chapter three and verse four, you remember the People had to keep 2,000 paces behind the arc as they circled the city of Jericho. So our Lord says, pray then that your flight be not in the winter nor on the Sabbath day. I'm sure that each of you have heard the phrase, the dark winter. In fact, our politicians have spoken of it quite frequently and the media has also spoken of it as well. Operation Dark Winter was the code name for a senior-level bioterrorist attack simulation that took place June 22-23, 2001.

[John Weaver] It was designed to carry out a mock attack of a covert and yet widespread smallpox attack on the United States. I suppose the code name could be used to warn for anything or any attack during the winter. But recently in the White House, during the quote unquote COVID pandemic, there was a warning given by the White House. I want to read you that warning. Listen, if you would. White House COVID response coordinator tells unvaccinated Americans to prepare to die. Well, Everybody's going to die, but this is what they're saying. You're looking at a winter of severe illness and death. For the unvaccinated, you're looking at the winter of severe illness and death for yourselves, your families, and the hospitals you may soon overwhelm.

[John Weaver] So, our message to every American is clear. There is action you can take to protect yourself and your family. Wear a mask in public, indoor settings, get vaccinated, get your kids vaccinated and get a booster whenever you are eligible. Wow. But the truth was and still is that it's the vaccinated that are being hospitalized and dying and not the unvaccinated. The blood clots, the strokes, the heart disease, death all comes from those who have been vaccinated.

[John Weaver] There are many who had limbs amputated because of vaccination. I showed my wife not too long ago, an absolutely beautiful young woman who was 22 years old. She was a beauty model. And here she was in the hospital with both of her legs amputated, fighting for her life because two weeks earlier she had taken the vaccine, which was not really a vaccine but gene therapy, and now she's lost both legs and she had myocarditis and she is fighting just simply to live. 22 years of age.

[John Weaver] And so it's these people who are basically dying. In fact, 93% of those who were hospitalized, according to the record that I read, had at least two shots. A Robert Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr. In his book, the real Anthony Fauci said this, dark winter, Atlantic storm and global mercury were only three of over a dozen germ games staged by military, medical and intelligent planners leading up to COVID-19.

[John Weaver] Each one of these having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre or illogical quality, became uncanny predictors of a dystopian age that pandemic planners dubbed the new normal. The consistent feature is an affinity among their simulator designers for militarizing medicine and introducing a centralized autocratic governance. So, the term Dr. Werner has been spread around quite frequently. And since that term has been quite frequent, and you know about the term, I wanted to tell you today about a real, genuine dark winter. One that was a dark winter of disease and death. There are ramifications and implications in this dark winter that I'm going to talk about that are very applicable for us today. The Dark Winter took place in the winter of 1777 through 1778, and it took place at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. It was there that George Washington, with his army, who had just lost the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777, and they were forced to retreat toward Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Now, before I get to the history of Valley Forge, I want to point out something about George Washington's character.

[John Weaver] I want you to listen carefully because George Washington was indeed quite a man and obviously there was another man who followed in his steps. But Washington often remarked that he would rather be at home at Mount Vernon. So despite his wishes, Washington managed to return to his home on the Potomac only once. between his acceptance of his appointment as the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army in 1775 until the victory at Yorktown in 1781.

[John Weaver] So under the most trying circumstances and conditions, he was there with his men at Fort Valley. Now, General Stonewall Jackson was a man who followed Washington's character. During the war, Stonewall never took a furlough. He never took time off. He loved his wife. He loved his daughter, but he felt constrained to stay with his men. And when he was encouraged to take a furlough, here's what he said.

[John Weaver] I can't be absent as my attention is necessary in preparing my troops for hard fighting should it be required. And as my officers and soldiers are not permitted to visit their wives and families, I ought not to see mine. It might make the troops feel that they are badly treated, and that I consult my own comfort regardless of theirs. Every officer and soldier who is able to do duty ought to be busily engaged in military preparation by hard drilling In order that, through the blessing of God, we may be victorious in the battles which in His all-wise providence may await us. If the war is carried on with vigor, I think, under the blessing of God, it will not last long."

[John Weaver] So Washington only visited home once. Jackson never visited home at all. Though the revolutionary forces had won indeed a pivotal victory at Saratoga in September and October, Washington's army had also suffered defeat at Brandywine, Paoli, and Germantown, Pennsylvania. In fact, Philadelphia, the capital, had fallen into the hands of the British. So by the time Washington and his men marched the Valley Forge on December the 19th, They were already suffering from hunger and fatigue and cold, and their morale was exceedingly low. In fact, George Washington described Valley Forge as a dreary kind of place and uncomfortably provided.

[John Weaver] So you'd have to ask yourself this question. If Washington then viewed Valley Forge as a dreary kind of place, and if it was very uncomfortable, Why in the world did he choose it for an encampment? In fact, the encampment actually lasted six months. And he led approximately 11,000 men to this encampment, not counting the women and the children that followed the men. So why in the world? Did Washington choose this place?

[John Weaver] Well, there are several reasons. First of all, the lay of the land made it basically a natural fortress. It was high on a plateau atop a series of hills that protected it. And the soldiers, of course, had their tents. Later on, they were able to have huts. And so there was an ample place there for a parade ground.

[John Weaver] Secondly, Valley Forge was far enough away from the rich farmland of Pennsylvania to prevent the Army from becoming a burden on the population there. And then thirdly, Valley Forge was close enough to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in order that they might see the movement of the British troops and be able to protect their neighbors and those who lived close by. Washington said if they were farther away that many of their friends and people would experience wanton depredation and distress.

[John Weaver] So the dark winter of 1777 and 1778 was indeed dark. It was darker than any of us could possibly imagine. So here's a question. I want you to consider this as I speak today. Think about this question. How much Does your freedom mean to you? And how about this question? What are you willing to endure to be free?

[John Weaver] Now, I'm going to tell you something, and I'm going to be absolutely honest. I do not believe that the average patriot today. And even the average Christian. Has the backbone. The character. the integrity, the determination and love for liberty and freedom to endure what our ancestors endured for our freedom. I'm serious. When you understand what really took place and what these people really, truly went through, it is mind boggling.

[John Weaver] Now, the truth of the matter is this. Had there not been rivalry between British generals. There would have never been a dark winter for Washington and his armies. There would have never been a Valley Forge. Why? Because Washington and his army would have been devastated and wiped out. Because British General Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne was bringing his troops down from Canada. General Howe, William Howe, was in New York City, and he was supposed to be bringing his troops up from New York City. And General Burgoyne had developed this plan to put Washington and his men in a pincer movement so that they might be destroyed. And the only thing that basically saved Washington in the providence of God was the fact that there was indeed rivalry between Burgoyne and Howe. So Howe, instead of helping Burgoyne and following the plan that was laid out, General Howe left New York and went to Philadelphia that he might capture Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

[John Weaver] It was the busiest port. And Howe's lack of support for Burgoyne then contributed to the British defeat. And at that defeat at the Battle of Saratoga, nearly 6,000 British troops surrendered. The American victory at Saratoga then encouraged France to enter the war on the side of the colonies. And now it became a war, not just between England and America, but also it became a war between France and England, two of the greatest military powers at that particular time.

[John Weaver] So you'd have to ask yourself this question. Why in the world did General Howe not follow the plan? Why did he not want to help General Burgoyne? Why did he want to capture Philadelphia? Well, Philadelphia at that time was our capital. And when you consider in European warfare, whenever your capital was captured, it meant the war was over. There was a surrender. So General Howe, thinking that he could go capture Philadelphia, would end the war.

[John Weaver] And he, of course, would be the man with the biggest praise had the biggest star on his chest. What he did not anticipate is this, that rather than surrender, the American Continental Congress quickly evacuated Philadelphia. They even took down the Liberty Bell and carried it with them so the British could not melt it down into musket balls and or cannonballs, effectively depriving General Howe of his European victory.

[John Weaver] Moreover, before they left, they placed the entire war on the shoulders of George Washington. Here's what they say, until Congress shall order otherwise, General Washington is possessed with full power to order and direct all things relative to the operations of the war. Well, they fled, but they left everything in the hands of George Washington. Washington attempted to fight the British again at the Battle of the Clouds, but torrential rains came down in a vast downpour and basically drenched the gunpowder. Nobody could really fight at that particular time. So then Washington took his 11,000 soldiers And he marched them to Valley Forge so that they could settle there on December the 19th, 1777. At the same time, another 11,000 American soldiers were dying on British ships.

[John Weaver] They were being starved to death. The ships were the Scorpion, the Hope, the Falmouth, the Stromboli, the Hunter, and the Jersey. We have no idea how many people really and truly died on those ships. But Ezra Stiles, who was the president of Yale University and a preacher, on May the 8th, 1783, wrote this. Oh, that my head were waters and my eyes a fountain of tears, quoting Jeremiah, that I might weep for the thousands of our brethren that have perished in prison ships, in one of which the Jersey than lying at New York, perished above 11,000 for the last three years, while others have been barbarously

[John Weaver] exiled to the East Indies for life. Can you imagine that? The American soldiers starving, being ill treated on these ships and some exiled for life. Interestingly, when you look at the soldiers that Washington commanded, Their age ranged from 12 years of age to 60. Can you imagine a 12 year old boy following General Washington today? These soldiers were basically from every state or every colony. Among those soldiers were some very notable men that you and I have held in regards for years.

[John Weaver] One of them was the Marquis de Lavalette, not de Lavalette, de Lafayette. Does anybody know who de Lavalette was? Bill, do you know who de Lavalette was? I'm not talking about the Marquis de Lafayette, but de Lavalette. De Lavalette was the man who was in charge in the 1500s at the Battle of Malta there. where the Christians defeated the Turks. Yeah, it was a six month siege there as well. But it was Lafayette who was there with him.

[John Weaver] Also, Colonel Mad Anthony Wayne was there. Also, future Chief Justice John Marshall and Lutheran pastor turned Major General John Peter Muhlenberg. So there was indeed some very famous men there as well. But lacking food and supplies, listen to this, The soldiers died at a rate of 12 per day. Over 2,500 froze to death in bitter cold or perished from hunger, typhoid, jaundice, dysentery, and pneumonia. In addition to that, hundreds of horses froze to death in that winter as well. You talk about suffering. You talk about men dying like flies.

[John Weaver] And the truth of the matter is this. It was absolutely horrendous. It was George Washington. Who said this. In fact, let me quote this. This is Mrs. Westlake talking about Martha Washington. These women who followed the men were known as camp followers. Many of them happened to be wives of the men who were fighting. And by the way, over 500 women died at Valley Forge as well as the soldiers. So these ladies were known as camp followers. They were organized by Martha Washington.

[John Weaver] Lucy Knox, who was the wife of Colonel Henry Knox, and Katie Green, who was the wife of General Nathaniel Green. So one of the ladies then, Mrs. Westlake, described Mrs. Washington and she said this, I've never in my life knew a woman so busy from early morning until late at night, as was Lady Washington, providing comforts for the sick soldiers. So these women then not only tried to scourge food up and scrounge it up and have food and clothing available, but they also did everything they could to keep the men well. It was President Calvin Coolidge who told the Daughters of the American Revolution on April 19, 1926, he said, we have been told of the unselfish devotion of the women who gave their own warm garments to fashion clothing for the suffering Continental Army during the winter at Valley Forge.

[John Weaver] The burdens of the war did not fall just upon the man. So here's another quote from a surgeon, Dr. Alvin Jentz Waldo, who wrote in his diary on December the 25th, he says, Christmas, we're still intense when we ought to be in huts. The poor sick suffer much intense in this cold weather, but we now treat them differently from what they used to be at home. Under the inspection of old women and Dr. Bolus Lictis, we gave them mutton and grog and a capital medicine once in a while to start the disease from its foundation at once.

[John Weaver] We avoid piddling pills, powders, vapors, lincolns, cordials, cough lozenges, and all such insignificant matters whose powers are merely rendered important by causing the patient to vomit up his money instead of all his disease. And so he said, we're trying to treat things just a little bit differently. Two days before Christmas, George Washington wrote, listen carefully. We have this day no less than two thousand eight hundred and seventy three men in camp unfit for duty because they are barefooted and otherwise naked.

[John Weaver] Washington added that unless some great and capital change suddenly takes place, This army must inevitably starve, dissolve, or disperse in order to obtain subsistence in the best manner they can. So here you have these men not only starving to death and freezing to death, but they lack proper clothing and shoes as well. So George Washington then wrote Virginia Governor Patrick Henry, and he said this, for several days past, We've experienced little less than a famine in the camp, have had much cause to dread a general mutiny and dispersion.

[John Weaver] From every appearance, there has been heretofore so astonishing deficiency in providing that unless the most vigorous and effectual measures are at once everywhere adopted, we shall not be able to make another campaign." So he said, the men can't fight. This is going to be it. Henry was outraged. And he said, I'm really shocked at the management of Congress. Now, there's a reason I'm going to explain it momentarily.

[John Weaver] But I want you to understand how difficult this winter was. Because again, George Washington wrote the Lieutenant Colonel John Bannister. And he's talking about, again, the suffering of these men, he said, No history can furnish an instance of an army suffering such uncommon hardships as ours has done, and bearing them with the same patience and fortitude. To see men without clothes to cover their nakedness, without blankets to lay on, without shoes by which their marches might be traced by the blood of their feet, and almost as often without provisions marching through frost and snow and at Christmas, taking up their winter quarters within a day's march of the enemy without a house or a hut to cover them and submitting to it without a murmur is a mark of patience and obedience, which, in my opinion, can scarcely be paralleled.

[John Weaver] And that is certainly true. It was Continental Army Private Joseph Martin who wrote And he said that the Army's new winter quarters left them in a truly forlorn condition, no clothing, no provision, and as disheartened as need be. Years ago, I read an article where Mrs. Washington was going to view the troops. And they had to shuffle the men around because many of the men were basically naked. And they had to shuffle the men so that when she reviewed the troops, none of their nakedness would be exposed.

[John Weaver] It was a Hessian major, Carl Bernmeister, who noticed that the only thing that kept the American Army together was the spirit of liberty. So let me ask you a question, because I told you this has implications for us today. Why was the Continental Army and such dire distress. How could such mismanagement and neglect take place in such an important cause? You have to remember, if Washington failed, then freedom failed. If freedom failed, that meant then we go back under George III, whom I'm sure would not be very forgiving.

[John Weaver] So how in the world can Congress or whoever allow these men to starve and be without clothes and be without blankets? The answer to these questions back then is the answer to the questions that we have today. The problems back then and the problems today were caused by corruption and politics. It was discovered that the mismanagement under the Continental Army's quartermaster, General Thomas Mifflin, was the source of the problem.

[John Weaver] A controversy arose as to whether Mifflin was just simply incompetent or As some alleged, he was waylaying the supplies and putting them in his own warehouse and later selling them to the highest bidder. When Mifflin was confronted, he immediately resigned. He was also caught up in what was known as the Conway Cabal. The Continental Congress had talked of replacing General George Washington with General Horatio Gates, who happened to be the hero of the Battle of Saratoga. This was called the Conway Cabal. It was orchestrated by Thomas Conway. And the grudge that he had against Washington was that he had been passed over for a promotion. So an anonymous letter was then sent to Patrick Henry, the governor of Virginia, requesting that Henry join in with this cabal. So when Henry got the letter, he immediately informed General Washington as to what was going on.

[John Weaver] And of course, everything was taken care of almost instantly, and a new quartermaster was appointed. His name happened to be Nathaniel Green. And when General Nathaniel Green took over, within days, Valley Forge had food, clothing, and other supplies.

[John Weaver] Now in light of all the freezing conditions, the soldiers still prepared to fight. So in February of 1778, there arrived in the camp a Prussian drillmaster by the name of Baron Frederick von Steuben. Von Steuben had been a member of the elite general staff of Frederick the Great, the King of Prussia. Von Steuben had also been recommended by Ben Franklin. And von Steuben was indeed a drill master. And he kept drilling these colonial soldiers in order to turn them into a real fighting machine.

[John Weaver] I never will forget years ago seeing a cartoon. It was not necessarily funny, but it does show what I'm talking about. Here was von Steuben standing in his Prussian uniform, all decked out. And here were the Continental soldiers standing in line, clothes all torn and their feet, of course, wrapped in rags. And you could see the blood on the snow. And von Steuben was saying, And when I say tongue, let me hear those rags snap. Well, it'd be hard to get those rags to snap when he hollered attention if you were so sore and could hardly move.

[John Weaver] But yet that's exactly the condition they were in. But von Steuben was the one who helped to drill these men and make them real soldiers. And then, of course, the Marquis de Lafayette, a French officer, came to Washington's aid as well, and he there suffered with those men and he likewise taught the men and Lafayette was known as a hero and Lafayette was 100% behind Washington and the American cause. He identified with these soldiers because he suffered when they suffered.

[John Weaver] He did without when they did without. And so between Von Steuben and Lafayette, they made the soldiers able and capable of fighting. Lutheran Pastor Henry Muhlenberg, whose sons Peter and Frederick served in the first United States Congress, wrote in his notebook of a clergyman, of a colonial clergyman, said this about Washington. Listen carefully. He said, I heard a fine example today, namely that His Excellency General Washington wrote among his army yesterday and admonished each to fear God, to put away wickedness.

[John Weaver] and to practice Christian virtues. From all appearances, General Washington does not belong to the so-called world of society, for he respects God's word, believes in the atonement through Jesus Christ, and bears himself in humility and gentleness. Therefore, the Lord God has also singularly, yea, marvelously preserved him from harm in the midst of countless perils, ambushes, fatigues, and his hitherto graciously held his hand as a chosen vessel. Wow. Washington successfully kept his army intact through this devastating dark winter at Valley Forge.

[John Weaver] Of course, the Congress then recommended a day of fasting and prayer. And so George Washington then addressed his men and he said this. the Honorable Congress having thought proper to recommend to the United States of America to set apart Wednesday the 22nd to be observed as a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer, and at one time and with one voice, the righteous dispensation of providence may be acknowledged, and His goodness and mercy toward our arms supplicated and implored. the general directs that the day shall be most religiously observed in the army, that no work shall be done their own, and that the several chaplains do prepare discourses. He went on to say, the commander-in-chief directs that divine services be performed every Sunday.

[John Weaver] While we are zealously performing our duties as good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of patriot, it should be our highest glory to laud the more distinguished character of a Christian. So Washington was indeed, I believe, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and certainly he applied the word of God.

[John Weaver] Now, every one of us are familiar with the picture of Washington kneeling in the snow. praying there at Valley Forge. That painting is by Arnold Freiburg. It's one of the best known paintings of the American Revolution. General Washington is kneeling in snow there by his horse, Nelson, and praying. Here is the story that was told by a local Quaker who was a Tory at the beginning. The Tory's name was Isaac Potts, and he spied General Washington praying perfectly in the woods alone on one of the bleakest times in American history.

[John Weaver] However, the account that I have actually comes from the Reverend Nathaniel Randolph Snowden, from his diary and remembrances. Snowden was an ordained Presbyterian minister, graduate of Princeton, and also had a degree from Dickinson's College, who was born in 1770 and who died in 1851. And Reverend Snowden is now giving a first-hand account that he got from Isaac Potts. Here's what he said. I knew personally the celebrated Quaker Potts, who saw General Washington alone in the woods at prayer. I got it from him myself. Weems mentioned in his history of Washington, but I got it from the man myself. I was riding with him, Mr. Potts, in Montgomery County near to the Valley Forge where the Army lay during the War of Revolution. Mr. Potts was a senator in our state and a Whig.

[John Weaver] I told him I was agreeably surprised to find him a friend to his country. as the Quakers were mostly Tories. He said, it was so, and I was a rank Tory once, for I never believed that America could proceed against Great Britain, whose fleets and armies covered the land and ocean. But something very extraordinary converted me to the good faith. What was that? I inquired. Do you see those woods and that plain?

[John Weaver] It was about a quarter of a mile off from the place we were riding as it happened. There, said he, laid the army of Washington. It was the most distressing time of the war, and all were forgiving of the ship but that great and good man. In that woods, pointing to a close view, he said, I heard a plaintive sound as a man at prayer. I tied my horse to a sapling and went quickly into the woods to my astonishment. I saw the great George Washington on his knees alone with his sword on his side and his cocked hat on the other. He was at prayer to the God of the armies, beseeching to interpose with his divine aid as it was a crisis and the cause of the country, of humanity in the world. Such a prayer I never heard from the lips of a man. I left him alone praying. I went home and told my wife, I saw a side in her today what I never saw or heard before, and just related to her what I had seen and heard and observed.

[John Weaver] We never thought a man could be a soldier and a Christian. But if there is one in the world, it is Washington. She also was astonished. We thought it was the cause of God and America could prevail. He then put out his right hand and said, I turned right around and became a wig. In other words, he swapped from the Tory or the English side to the American side. And certainly, you know, as well as I do, that God did indeed answer the prayer. Of George Washington. Let me tell you. What I believe is one of our major problems today.

[John Weaver] And this truth has certain implications for us. Now, George III was indeed a tyrant. Parliament tried to be a tyrant as well. And we have a tendency to think that somehow tyranny originates with one man. We think of George III. We think of Idi Amin. We think of Pol Pot. We think of Stalin. We think of Mao Zedong. But we don't understand that tyranny can originate from an aristocracy, a democracy, a monarchy, tyranny can also originate from a congress, from a president, from a judicial system. Tyranny can arise from parties as well.

[John Weaver] The black lawmaker from Florida who's now dead, his name slips my mind, he was asked about the rules in Congress, and especially the Constitution. His reply was, there are no rules. We make them up as we go. Wow. What we are witnessing today is the total corruption and the tyrannical influence of our political parties. of our judicial system. I had a friend years ago. He's now dead. He really began to study history, and he began to study the Constitution of the United States.

[John Weaver] And on one occasion, he received a speeding ticket. Well, He did not particularly want the ticket, but since he got it, he decided he would exercise his rights and he would go into the courtroom and he would argue his case and he would argue from the Constitution. And so he got his day in court and as he argued. It was Constitution this and Constitution that, Constitution this, Constitution that.

[John Weaver] And finally, the judge looked at him. The judge was overruling him, trying to shut him up. And finally, the judge said, Mr. Irby, if you mention the Constitution one more time in my courtroom, I'm going to fine you in contempt of court. Notice he didn't want the Constitution mentioned. And then he said, in my courtroom. Henry Irby looked at the judge and said, Your Honor, if you did find me in contempt, it would be the only honest thing you've done all day long for all I have for this court is contempt. Bam, a hundred bucks. Henry said, best hundred bucks I ever paid in my life.

[John Weaver] Do you understand where we are today? We have our own valley forged, so to speak. We're witnessing the unbiblical, unconstitutional, and undeniable effort by a global elite to enslave us, and not just America, but the world as well. We see corruption on every hand, on every turn. I was telling someone the other day, I just saw, I just read, where a grant was given to some folks for ten million dollars. $10 million Federal Reserve notes to ascertain the best way to ask someone their sex and their preferred pronouns. What? And when you pay $20 million to study the mating habits of the green frog, something is wrong somewhere.

[John Weaver] Thomas Jefferson said this, listen carefully, our legislators are not sufficiently apprised of the rightful limits of their power. That their true office is to declare and enforce only our natural rights and duties and to take none of them from us. What did he say? Our legislators are not sufficiently apprised. They don't know. They don't know. I'll be honest with you, there are very few politicians that are really concerned with our liberty, our freedom. Our rights from God.

[John Weaver] And the appraisal that we should give them should be sufficient for them. You remember Everett Dirksen, who's now dead, he was a senator. He made the famous statement, when I feel the heat, then I see the light. And our legislators have never felt any heat. You want a good definition of tyranny? Here you go. John Taylor, 1753 to 1803, wrote this. Tyranny is something which takes away our money, transfers our property and and comforts to those that did not earn them and eats the food belonging to others. Think about that. Tyranny is something which takes away our money, transfers our property and our comforts to those who do not earn them and eats the food belonging to others.

[John Weaver] That's exactly what has happened. Now, let me make some applications. I want you to think about these. It should be counted strange or it should not be counted strange to understand that corruption Cabals and political intrigues actually began even before our country was formed. The Mifflins, the Conways and others are still with us, just under different names. Total depravity is the root cause, and men are just as depraved today as they were in the 18th century.

[John Weaver] There are two verses, in fact, Psalm 118, verse 8 and verse 9. Psalm 118 and verse 8 is indeed the middle verse of the Bible. And those two verses say this, verse 8, it is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. And then verse 9, it's better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. Samuel Adams. said, if ever a time should come when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin. That's exactly where we are today, where vain and aspiring men possess the highest seats in our government.

[John Weaver] John Philpott Curran, who died in 1870, said in a speech in 1790, it is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active, the condition upon which God had given liberty to man is eternal vigilance, which condition if he break servitude is at once the consequences of his crime and the punishment of his guilt. Thomas Jefferson, God, who gave us life, gave us liberty, and can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God.

[John Weaver] They are not to be violated, but with his wrath. Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever. George Washington said it's impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to 2 Samuel, chapter 23. I want to show you where George Washington caught that quote. But George Washington said it's impossible to govern without God and the Bible. If you look in 2 Samuel, chapter 23, notice, if you would please, verse one. And we'll read through verse three.

[John Weaver] Now, these be the last words of David. David, the son of Jesse, said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel said, the spirit of the Lord spake by me and his word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said the rock of Israel spake to me. He that ruleth over men must be just ruling the fear of God.

[John Weaver] Now, here's what I want you to know. It's a very simple statement. He that ruleth over men must be just ruling the fear of God. But I want you to know. How many times that David claims direct inspiration from God for this one simple truth, he that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the fear of God. Note, if you would, verse two. Well, let's read verse one. He said, the anointed of God of Jacob and the sweet psalmist of Israel said, number one, the spirit of the Lord spake by me. Number two, his word was in my tongue. Number three, the God of Israel said. Number four, the Rock of Israel spake to me four times. David claims direct inspiration for this one simple truth that he that rules over men must be just ruling in the fear of God. It is impossible to rightly govern without God and the Bible.

[John Weaver] So our dark winter today is being brought to us by men without faith Politicians without law, judges without righteousness and justice, and people who love sin and wickedness and rebellion. It's also being brought to us by the holy, righteous and just judge of all the earth who will not allow sin to go unpunished. One more passage, please look in your Bibles to Isaiah 59, Isaiah 59. I want you to notice this passage. In Isaiah 59, beginning there with verse 12. Look at it. Isaiah 59 and verse 12.

[John Weaver] For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us. For our transgressions are with us, And as far as far as our iniquities, we know them. Yeah, we really do. In transgressing and lying against the Lord and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood and judgment is turned away backward and justice standeth afar off for truth is fallen in the street and equity cannot enter. watch, yea, truth faileth. And he that departed from evil maketh himself a prey, and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. So when man does not judge righteously according to God's law, God often judges himself.

[John Weaver] Any society any community, any nation that seeks to circumvent and deny, disregard and denigrate God and His law are inevitably destroying themselves. It was Sam Adams who said that the revolution that was successful actually began before the first shot was ever fired, because the revolution was already in the hearts and the minds of the people. They'd been instructed, they'd been taught in the Word of God, and they held those convictions before the first shot was ever fired.

[John Weaver] So my questions to you today would be these. What are you willing to do to maintain your freedom? How far are you willing to go? What are you willing to endure? When you think of what the Continental Army went through. When you think of what our ancestors endured. And you look how selfish, self-centered we are. Even Christians. And we value comfort over everything. As our Lord said to those Israelites, they like to worship under the oaks because the shade thereof is good. Our dark winter.

[John Weaver] Unless we repent individually, familially, ecclesiastically and nationally, will be brought to us by the judgment of God. And I do believe. We're headed for something that we do not even realize is waiting for us down the road. How much do you value? Freedom. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before thee. We thank you for your word. We pray, Lord, you'd stir our minds, stir our hearts, build us up in the most holy faith. And give us grace, Lord, to serve Thee. Give us character to stand. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.

Dark Winter at Valley Forge

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	78222349472754
Subject	Civil Government
Course	Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order: War in the Gates
Genre	Sermon
Date	2022-07-06
Dictation Name
Book	Book 009: Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order — Chapter 18
Source Timed Segments	77

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Biblical Dark Winter

Weaver reads Matthew 24:20 and explains that winter represents hardship, darkness, and hindrance to flight, especially in the context of Jerusalem's destruction in 70 AD.

Right, let's open our Bibles today to the book of Matthew, chapter 24, and we're going to read verse 20, Matthew 24 and verse 20. The message this morning is on the dark winter. Lord willing, in the next session, I will be dealing with Captain Jonathan Davis. But today, notice, if you would, Matthew, chapter 24 and verse 20. Our Lord said,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 24:20

"But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day."

Winter, for most folks, is a rather foreboding time. Winter usually is a time of darkness, a lack of sunlight, cold, ice, sleet, snow. And it's also strange as to how winter, for some people, becomes a source of apathy, lethargy and depression.

Winter's Hardships and Sabbath Travel Restrictions

He elaborates on why winter and the Sabbath would hinder escape: harsh weather, short days, and rabbinic limits on Sabbath travel (about 2,000 paces).

And our text actually refers to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. If you look back at that verse, our Lord says, "But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day." So this dark winter then talked about the destruction of Jerusalem that was approaching. And our Lord said, it's all right for you to pray for mitigation, but the judgment is coming and your attempt to escape will be absolutely hindered by winter or the Sabbath day. So why in the world would our Lord say, pray that you're not be running from this judgment on winter or in winter on the Sabbath day? Well, when you stop and think about winter just for a moment. The hardness and the harshness of the season, the badness of the roads, the shortness of the days, the longness of the night and then cold and ice and snow and all of these things will greatly hinder flight. If you need to run, they will hinder you. You have to also consider the fact that here are families trying to deal with small children or families dealing with elderly people, and that's certainly going to hinder you as well.

So winter, of course, we understand. But then he said, "I pray that your flight not only be in the winter, but not on the Sabbath either." Why? Well, you must remember that in the Bible, there was a limitation on travel during the Sabbath. The Bible tells you in Acts chapter 1 in verse 12, that they returned from Jerusalem, from the Mount of

Scripture Reading — Acts 1:12

Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day's journey.

So there was a Sabbath day's journey. You remember in Exodus chapter 16 in verse 29, when God gave the manna, and He gave it for two days, and then He commanded that on the seventh day that everyone abide in their tent. And then when you get to the book of Nehemiah, chapter 13, there were people there who were violating the Sabbath and buying and selling on the Sabbath. So Nehemiah had to block the gate.

And oftentimes the settlers would come around and lodge at the gate and he would run them off. He said, "If you do it again, I'm going to lay hands on you." And he said, He put guards there and said, "This is not going to happen." And so you're going to have to basically stay in your place. Now, clearly journeys then on the Sabbath day were limited. Now, the law of God did not necessarily specify a limit. The limitation basically was placed there by the rabbis or by tradition. Usually the limit of travel on the Sabbath day was seven furlongs, which is nearly a mile. So if their flight then was on the Sabbath day, they could barely get out of the way of destruction.

Now, one commentator said it like this. The distance of a lawful journey on the Sabbath was not determined by the law of Moses, but the Jewish teachers had fixed it at 2000 paces. This measure was determined on because it was a tradition that in the camp of the Israelites, when coming out of Egypt, no part of the camp was more than 2,000 paces from the tabernacle. And over this space, therefore, they were permitted to travel for worship. Perhaps also some countenance was given to this from the fact that this was the extent of the suburbs of the Levitical cities. Numbers 35 and verse 5. Mount Olivet was but five furlongs from Jerusalem and Bethany was 15 furlongs. But on the eastern declivity of the mountain, the tract of country that was called for a considerable space was the region of Bethany.

Modern 'Dark Winter' Warnings

Weaver references Operation Dark Winter (2001 bioterror simulation) and recent White House COVID warnings, criticizing vaccine mandates and alleged harms.

And it was from this place that our Lord Jesus ascended. So we're reading now the fact that someone is saying it's two thousand paces. There was also another consideration because in Joshua chapter three and verse four, you remember the people had to keep 2,000 paces behind the ark as they circled the city of Jericho. So our Lord says, "Pray then that your flight be not in the winter nor on the Sabbath day." I'm sure that each of you have heard the phrase, "the dark winter." In fact, our politicians have spoken of it quite frequently and the media has also spoken of it as well. Operation Dark Winter was the code name for a senior-level bioterrorist attack simulation that took place June 22-23, 2001. It was designed to carry out a mock attack of a covert and yet widespread smallpox attack on the United States. I suppose the code name could be used to warn for anything or any attack during the winter. But recently in the White House, during the quote unquote COVID pandemic, there was a warning given by the White House. I want to read you that warning. Listen, if you would. White House COVID response coordinator tells unvaccinated Americans to prepare to die. Well, everybody's going to die, but this is what they're saying. "You're looking at a winter of severe illness and death. For the unvaccinated, you're looking at the winter of severe illness and death for yourselves, your families, and the hospitals you may soon overwhelm."

So, our message to every American is clear. There is action you can take to protect yourself and your family. Wear a mask in public, indoor settings, get vaccinated, get your kids vaccinated and get a booster whenever you are eligible. Wow. But the truth was and still is that it's the vaccinated that are being hospitalized and dying and not the unvaccinated. The blood clots, the strokes, the heart disease, death all comes from those who have been vaccinated.

There are many who had limbs amputated because of vaccination. I showed my wife not too long ago, an absolutely beautiful young woman who was 22 years old. She was a beauty model. And here she was in the hospital with both of her legs amputated, fighting for her life because two weeks earlier she had taken the vaccine, which was not really a vaccine but gene therapy, and now she's lost both legs and she had myocarditis and she is fighting just simply to live. 22 years of age. And so it's these people who are basically dying. In fact, 93% of those who were hospitalized, according to the record that I read, had at least two shots. Robert Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr., in his book, "The Real Anthony Fauci," said this, "Dark Winter, Atlantic Storm and Global Mercury were only three of over a dozen germ games staged by military, medical and intelligent planners leading up to COVID-19."

The Historical Dark Winter at Valley Forge

He introduces the winter of 1777–1778 at Valley Forge, describing Washington's army's retreat after Brandywine and the choice of Valley Forge as a defensible encampment.

I want you to listen carefully because George Washington was indeed quite a man and obviously there was another man who followed in his steps. But Washington often remarked that he would rather be at home at Mount Vernon. So despite his wishes, Washington managed to return to his home on the Potomac only once, between his acceptance of his appointment as the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army in 1775 until the victory at Yorktown in 1781. So under the most trying circumstances and conditions, he was there with his men at Valley Forge. Now, General Stonewall Jackson was a man who followed Washington's character. During the war, Stonewall never took a furlough. He never took time off. He loved his wife. He loved his daughter, but he felt constrained to stay with his men. And when he was encouraged to take a furlough, here's what he said.

"I can't be absent as my attention is necessary in preparing my troops for hard fighting should it be required. And as my officers and soldiers are not permitted to visit their wives and families, I ought not to see mine. It might make the troops feel that they are badly treated, and that I consult my own comfort regardless of theirs. Every officer and soldier who is able to do duty ought to be busily engaged in military preparation by hard drilling in order that, through the blessing of God, we may be victorious in the battles which in His all-wise providence may await us. If the war is carried on with vigor, I think, under the blessing of God, it will not last long."

So Washington only visited home once. Jackson never visited home at all. Though the revolutionary forces had won indeed a pivotal victory at Saratoga in September and October, Washington's army had also suffered defeat at Brandywine, Paoli, and Germantown, Pennsylvania. In fact, Philadelphia, the capital, had fallen into the hands of the British. So by the time Washington and his men marched to Valley Forge on December the 19th, they were already suffering from hunger and fatigue and cold, and their morale was exceedingly low. In fact, George Washington described Valley Forge as "a dreary kind of place and uncomfortably provided."

So you'd have to ask yourself this question. If Washington then viewed Valley Forge as a dreary kind of place, and if it was very uncomfortable, why in the world did he choose it for an encampment? In fact, the encampment actually lasted six months. And he led approximately 11,000 men to this encampment, not counting the women and the children that followed the men. So why in the world did Washington choose this place? Well, there are several reasons. First of all, the lay of the land made it basically a natural fortress. It was high on a plateau atop a series of hills that protected it. And the soldiers, of course, had their tents. Later on, they were able to have huts. And so there was an ample place there for a parade ground.

Secondly, Valley Forge was far enough away from the rich farmland of Pennsylvania to prevent the Army from becoming a burden on the population there. And then thirdly, Valley Forge was close enough to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in order that they might see the movement of the British troops and be able to protect their neighbors and those who lived close by. Washington said if they were farther away that many of their friends and people would experience wanton depredation and distress. So the dark winter of 1777 and 1778 was indeed dark. It was darker than any of us could possibly imagine. So here's a question. I want you to consider this as I speak today. Think about this question. How much does your freedom mean to you? And how about this question? What are you willing to endure to be free?

Providential Rivalry and the Battle of Saratoga

Weaver explains how rivalry between British generals Howe and Burgoyne prevented Washington's destruction and led to the American victory at Saratoga, bringing France into the war.

Now, the truth of the matter is this. Had there not been rivalry between British generals, there would have never been a dark winter for Washington and his armies. There would have never been a Valley Forge. Why? Because Washington and his army would have been devastated and wiped out. Because British General "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne was bringing his troops down from Canada. General Howe, William Howe, was in New York City, and he was supposed to be bringing his troops up from New York City. And General Burgoyne had developed this plan to put Washington and his men in a pincer movement so that they might be destroyed. And the only thing that basically saved Washington in the providence of God was the fact that there was indeed rivalry between Burgoyne and Howe. So Howe, instead of helping Burgoyne and following the plan that was laid out, General Howe left New York and went to Philadelphia that he might capture Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

It was the busiest port. And Howe's lack of support for Burgoyne then contributed to the British defeat. And at that defeat at the Battle of Saratoga, nearly 6,000 British troops surrendered. The American victory at Saratoga then encouraged France to enter the war on the side of the colonies. And now it became a war, not just between England and America, but also it became a war between France and England, two of the greatest military powers at that particular time.

So you'd have to ask yourself this question. Why in the world did General Howe not follow the plan? Why did he not want to help General Burgoyne? Why did he want to capture Philadelphia? Well, Philadelphia at that time was our capital. And when you consider in European warfare, whenever your capital was captured, it meant the war was over. There was a surrender. So General Howe, thinking that he could go capture Philadelphia, would end the war.

Suffering and Deprivation at Valley Forge

He details the extreme suffering: starvation, disease, freezing, lack of clothing, and deaths of soldiers and horses, quoting Washington's letters and a surgeon's diary.

One of them was the Marquis de Lafayette. Does anybody know who de Valette was? Bill, do you know who de Valette was? I'm not talking about the Marquis de Lafayette, but de Valette. De Valette was the man who was in charge in the 1500s at the Battle of Malta there, where the Christians defeated the Turks. Yeah, it was a six month siege there as well. But it was Lafayette who was there with him.

Also, Colonel "Mad Anthony" Wayne was there. Also, future Chief Justice John Marshall and Lutheran pastor turned Major General John Peter Muhlenberg. So there was indeed some very famous men there as well. But lacking food and supplies, listen to this, the soldiers died at a rate of 12 per day. Over 2,500 froze to death in bitter cold or perished from hunger, typhoid, jaundice, dysentery, and pneumonia. In addition to that, hundreds of horses froze to death in that winter as well. You talk about suffering. You talk about men dying like flies.

And the truth of the matter is this. It was absolutely horrendous. It was George Washington who said this. In fact, let me quote this. This is Mrs. Westlake talking about Martha Washington. These women who followed the men were known as camp followers. Many of them happened to be wives of the men who were fighting. And by the way, over 500 women died at Valley Forge as well as the soldiers. So these ladies were known as camp followers. They were organized by Martha Washington.

Lucy Knox, who was the wife of Colonel Henry Knox, and Katie Green, who was the wife of General Nathaniel Green. So one of the ladies then, Mrs. Westlake, described Mrs. Washington and she said this, "I've never in my life knew a woman so busy from early morning until late at night, as was Lady Washington, providing comforts for the sick soldiers." So these women then not only tried to scourge food up and scrounge it up and have food and clothing available, but they also did everything they could to keep the men well. It was President Calvin Coolidge who told the Daughters of the American Revolution on April 19, 1926, he said, "We have been told of the unselfish devotion of the women who gave their own warm garments to fashion clothing for the suffering Continental Army during the winter at Valley Forge."

The burdens of the war did not fall just upon the man. So here's another quote from a surgeon, Dr. Alvin Jentz Waldo, who wrote in his diary on December the 25th, he says, "Christmas, we're still intense when we ought to be in huts. The poor sick suffer much intense in this cold weather, but we now treat them differently from what they used to be at home. Under the inspection of old women and Dr. Bolus Lictis, we gave them mutton and grog and a capital medicine once in a while to start the disease from its foundation at once." "We avoid piddling pills, powders, vapors, lincolns, cordials, cough lozenges, and all such insignificant matters whose powers are merely rendered important by causing the patient to vomit up his money instead of all his disease." And so he said, we're trying to treat things just a little bit differently. Two days before Christmas, George Washington wrote, listen carefully. "We have this day no less than two thousand eight hundred and seventy three men in camp unfit for duty because they are barefooted and otherwise naked."

Washington added that "unless some great and capital change suddenly takes place, this army must inevitably starve, dissolve, or disperse in order to obtain subsistence in the best manner they can." So here you have these men not only starving to death and freezing to death, but they lack proper clothing and shoes as well. So George Washington then wrote Virginia Governor Patrick Henry, and he said this, "For several days past, we've experienced little less than a famine in the camp, have had much cause to dread a general mutiny and dispersion." "From every appearance, there has been heretofore so astonishing deficiency in providing that unless the most vigorous and effectual measures are at once everywhere adopted, we shall not be able to make another campaign." So he said, the men can't fight. This is going to be it. Henry was outraged. And he said, "I'm really shocked at the management of Congress." Now, there's a reason I'm going to explain it momentarily.

But I want you to understand how difficult this winter was. Because again, George Washington wrote the Lieutenant Colonel John Bannister. And he's talking about, again, the suffering of these men, he said, "No history can furnish an instance of an army suffering such uncommon hardships as ours has done, and bearing them with the same patience and fortitude. To see men without clothes to cover their nakedness, without blankets to lay on, without shoes by which their marches might be traced by the blood of their feet, and almost as often without provisions marching through frost and snow and at Christmas, taking up their winter quarters within a day's march of the enemy without a house or a hut to cover them and submitting to it without a murmur is a mark of patience and obedience, which, in my opinion, can scarcely be paralleled."

Corruption and the Conway Cabal

Weaver identifies corruption and political intrigue (General Mifflin's mismanagement, the Conway Cabal) as the cause of the army's distress, resolved by appointing Nathaniel Greene.

So how in the world can Congress or whoever allow these men to starve and be without clothes and be without blankets? The answer to these questions back then is the answer to the questions that we have today. The problems back then and the problems today were caused by corruption and politics. It was discovered that the mismanagement under the Continental Army's quartermaster, General Thomas Mifflin, was the source of the problem. A controversy arose as to whether Mifflin was just simply incompetent or, as some alleged, he was waylaying the supplies and putting them in his own warehouse and later selling them to the highest bidder. When Mifflin was confronted, he immediately resigned. He was also caught up in what was known as the Conway Cabal. The Continental Congress had talked of replacing General George Washington with General Horatio Gates, who happened to be the hero of the Battle of Saratoga. This was called the Conway Cabal. It was orchestrated by Thomas Conway. And the grudge that he had against Washington was that he had been passed over for a promotion. So an anonymous letter was then sent to Patrick Henry, the governor of Virginia, requesting that Henry join in with this cabal. So when Henry got the letter, he immediately informed General Washington as to what was going on.

And of course, everything was taken care of almost instantly, and a new quartermaster was appointed. His name happened to be Nathaniel Green. And when General Nathaniel Green took over, within days, Valley Forge had food, clothing, and other supplies.

Drilling and Leadership: Von Steuben and Lafayette

He describes the arrival of Baron von Steuben and the Marquis de Lafayette, who trained the troops and shared their hardships, transforming them into an effective force.

Now in light of all the freezing conditions, the soldiers still prepared to fight. So in February of 1778, there arrived in the camp a Prussian drillmaster by the name of Baron Frederick von Steuben. Von Steuben had been a member of the elite general staff of Frederick the Great, the King of Prussia. Von Steuben had also been recommended by Ben Franklin. And von Steuben was indeed a drill master. And he kept drilling these colonial soldiers in order to turn them into a real fighting machine. I never will forget years ago seeing a cartoon. It was not necessarily funny, but it does show what I'm talking about. Here was von Steuben standing in his Prussian uniform, all decked out. And here were the Continental soldiers standing in line, clothes all torn and their feet, of course, wrapped in rags. And you could see the blood on the snow. And von Steuben was saying, "And when I say 'tongue,' let me hear those rags snap." Well, it'd be hard to get those rags to snap when he hollered attention if you were so sore and could hardly move.

But yet that's exactly the condition they were in. But von Steuben was the one who helped to drill these men and make them real soldiers. And then, of course, the Marquis de Lafayette, a French officer, came to Washington's aid as well, and he there suffered with those men and he likewise taught the men and Lafayette was known as a hero and Lafayette was 100% behind Washington and the American cause. He identified with these soldiers because he suffered when they suffered. He did without when they did without. And so between Von Steuben and Lafayette, they made the soldiers able and capable of fighting. Lutheran Pastor Henry Muhlenberg, whose sons Peter and Frederick served in the first United States Congress, wrote in his notebook of a clergyman, of a colonial clergyman, said this about Washington. Listen carefully. He said, "I heard a fine example today, namely that His Excellency General Washington rode among his army yesterday and admonished each to fear God, to put away wickedness,

Washington's Faith and Prayer

Weaver recounts the story of Isaac Potts witnessing Washington praying in the woods, and Washington's orders for fasting, prayer, and Sunday worship, emphasizing his Christian character.

Of course, the Congress then recommended a day of fasting and prayer. And so George Washington then addressed his men and he said this. "The Honorable Congress having thought proper to recommend to the United States of America to set apart Wednesday the 22nd to be observed as a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer, and at one time and with one voice, the righteous dispensation of providence may be acknowledged, and His goodness and mercy toward our arms supplicated and implored. The general directs that the day shall be most religiously observed in the army, that no work shall be done their own, and that the several chaplains do prepare discourses." He went on to say, "The commander-in-chief directs that divine services be performed every Sunday. While we are zealously performing our duties as good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of patriot, it should be our highest glory to laud the more distinguished character of a Christian." So Washington was indeed, I believe, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and certainly he applied the word of God.

Now, every one of us are familiar with the picture of Washington kneeling in the snow, praying there at Valley Forge. That painting is by Arnold Friberg. It's one of the best known paintings of the American Revolution. General Washington is kneeling in snow there by his horse, Nelson, and praying. Here is the story that was told by a local Quaker who was a Tory at the beginning. The Tory's name was Isaac Potts, and he spied General Washington praying perfectly in the woods alone on one of the bleakest times in American history. However, the account that I have actually comes from the Reverend Nathaniel Randolph Snowden, from his diary and remembrances. Snowden was an ordained Presbyterian minister, graduate of Princeton, and also had a degree from Dickinson's College, who was born in 1770 and who died in 1851. And Reverend Snowden is now giving a first-hand account that he got from Isaac Potts. Here's what he said. "I knew personally the celebrated Quaker Potts, who saw General Washington alone in the woods at prayer. I got it from him myself. Weems mentions in his history of Washington, but I got it from the man myself. I was riding with him, Mr. Potts, in Montgomery County near to the Valley Forge where the Army lay during the War of Revolution. Mr. Potts was a senator in our state and a Whig."

"I told him I was agreeably surprised to find him a friend to his country, as the Quakers were mostly Tories. He said, 'It was so, and I was a rank Tory once, for I never believed that America could proceed against Great Britain, whose fleets and armies covered the land and ocean. But something very extraordinary converted me to the good faith.' 'What was that?' I inquired. 'Do you see those woods and that plain?'" "It was about a quarter of a mile off from the place we were riding as it happened. 'There,' said he, 'laid the army of Washington. It was the most distressing time of the war, and all were forgiving of the ship but that great and good man. In that woods,' pointing to a close view, he said, 'I heard a plaintive sound as a man at prayer. I tied my horse to a sapling and went quickly into the woods to my astonishment. I saw the great George Washington on his knees alone with his sword on his side and his cocked hat on the other. He was at prayer to the God of the armies, beseeching to interpose with his divine aid as it was a crisis and the cause of the country, of humanity in the world. Such a prayer I never heard from the lips of a man. I left him alone praying. I went home and told my wife, I saw a sight today what I never saw or heard before, and just related to her what I had seen and heard and observed."

"We never thought a man could be a soldier and a Christian. But if there is one in the world, it is Washington. She also was astonished. We thought it was the cause of God and America could prevail." He then put out his right hand and said, "I turned right around and became a Whig." In other words, he swapped from the Tory or the English side to the American side. And certainly, you know, as well as I do, that God did indeed answer the prayer of George Washington. Let me tell you what I believe is one of our major problems today.

Applications: Tyranny, Corruption, and Our Dark Winter

He applies the lessons to today: tyranny arises from many sources, corruption is rampant, and America faces judgment unless it repents and returns to God's law.

And this truth has certain implications for us. Now, George III was indeed a tyrant. Parliament tried to be a tyrant as well. And we have a tendency to think that somehow tyranny originates with one man. We think of George III. We think of Idi Amin. We think of Pol Pot. We think of Stalin. We think of Mao Zedong. But we don't understand that tyranny can originate from an aristocracy, a democracy, a monarchy, tyranny can also originate from a congress, from a president, from a judicial system. Tyranny can arise from parties as well.

The black lawmaker from Florida who's now dead, his name slips my mind, he was asked about the rules in Congress, and especially the Constitution. His reply was, "There are no rules. We make them up as we go." Wow. What we are witnessing today is the total corruption and the tyrannical influence of our political parties, of our judicial system. I had a friend years ago. He's now dead. He really began to study history, and he began to study the Constitution of the United States.

And on one occasion, he received a speeding ticket. Well, he did not particularly want the ticket, but since he got it, he decided he would exercise his rights and he would go into the courtroom and he would argue his case and he would argue from the Constitution. And so he got his day in court and as he argued, it was Constitution this and Constitution that, Constitution this, Constitution that. And finally, the judge looked at him. The judge was overruling him, trying to shut him up. And finally, the judge said, "Mr. Irby, if you mention the Constitution one more time in my courtroom, I'm going to fine you in contempt of court." Notice he didn't want the Constitution mentioned. And then he said, "In my courtroom." Henry Irby looked at the judge and said, "Your Honor, if you did find me in contempt, it would be the only honest thing you've done all day long for all I have for this court is contempt." Bam, a hundred bucks. Henry said, "Best hundred bucks I ever paid in my life."

Do you understand where we are today? We have our own Valley Forge, so to speak. We're witnessing the unbiblical, unconstitutional, and undeniable effort by a global elite to enslave us, and not just America, but the world as well. We see corruption on every hand, on every turn. I was telling someone the other day, I just saw, I just read, where a grant was given to some folks for ten million dollars. $10 million Federal Reserve notes to ascertain the best way to ask someone their sex and their preferred pronouns. What? And when you pay $20 million to study the mating habits of the green frog, something is wrong somewhere.

Thomas Jefferson said this, listen carefully, "Our legislators are not sufficiently apprised of the rightful limits of their power. That their true office is to declare and enforce only our natural rights and duties and to take none of them from us." What did he say? Our legislators are not sufficiently apprised. They don't know. They don't know. I'll be honest with you, there are very few politicians that are really concerned with our liberty, our freedom, our rights from God. And the appraisal that we should give them should be sufficient for them. You remember Everett Dirksen, who's now dead, he was a senator. He made the famous statement, "When I feel the heat, then I see the light." And our legislators have never felt any heat. You want a good definition of tyranny? Here you go. John Taylor, 1753 to 1803, wrote this. "Tyranny is something which takes away our money, transfers our property and our comforts to those that did not earn them and eats the food belonging to others." Think about that. Tyranny is something which takes away our money, transfers our property and our comforts to those who do not earn them and eats the food belonging to others.

That's exactly what has happened. Now, let me make some applications. I want you to think about these. It should be counted strange or it should not be counted strange to understand that corruption, cabals and political intrigues actually began even before our country was formed. The Mifflins, the Conways and others are still with us, just under different names. Total depravity is the root cause, and men are just as depraved today as they were in the 18th century.

There are two verses, in fact, Psalm 118, verse 8 and verse 9. Psalm 118 and verse 8 is indeed the middle verse of the Bible. And those two verses say this, verse 8,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 118:8-9

"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man."

And then verse 9,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 118:8-9

"It's better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes."

Samuel Adams said, "If ever a time should come when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." That's exactly where we are today, where vain and aspiring men possess the highest seats in our government.

Biblical Foundation for Righteous Government

Weaver cites 2 Samuel 23:1-3 and Isaiah 59:12-15 to show that rulers must rule in the fear of God, and that societies that reject God's law bring judgment upon themselves.

"Now these be the last words of David. David, the son of Jesse, said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel said, 'The spirit of the Lord spake by me and his word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said the rock of Israel spake to me. He that ruleth over men must be just ruling the fear of God.'"

Now, here's what I want you to know. It's a very simple statement. "He that ruleth over men must be just ruling the fear of God." But I want you to know how many times that David claims direct inspiration from God for this one simple truth, "He that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the fear of God." Note, if you would, verse two. Well, let's read verse one. He said, "the anointed of God of Jacob and the sweet psalmist of Israel said, number one, 'The spirit of the Lord spake by me.' Number two, 'His word was in my tongue.' Number three, 'The God of Israel said.' Number four, 'The Rock of Israel spake to me.'" Four times David claims direct inspiration for this one simple truth that he that rules over men must be just ruling in the fear of God. It is impossible to rightly govern without God and the Bible.

So our dark winter today is being brought to us by men without faith, politicians without law, judges without righteousness and justice, and people who love sin and wickedness and rebellion. It's also being brought to us by the holy, righteous and just judge of all the earth who will not allow sin to go unpunished. One more passage, please look in your Bibles to Isaiah 59, Isaiah 59. I want you to notice this passage. In Isaiah 59, beginning there with verse 12. Look at it. Isaiah 59 and verse 12.

"For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us. For our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them. Yea, we really do. In transgressing and lying against the Lord and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood and judgment is turned away backward and justice standeth afar off for truth is fallen in the street and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth. And he that departed from evil maketh himself a prey, and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment." So when man does not judge righteously according to God's law, God often judges himself.

Conclusion: Call to Endurance and Repentance

He challenges listeners to consider what they are willing to endure for freedom and warns that without repentance, a dark winter of judgment awaits.

So my questions to you today would be these. What are you willing to do to maintain your freedom? How far are you willing to go? What are you willing to endure? When you think of what the Continental Army went through, when you think of what our ancestors endured, and you look how selfish, self-centered we are, even Christians, and we value comfort over everything. As our Lord said to those Israelites, they like to worship under the oaks because the shade thereof is good. Our dark winter.

Unless we repent individually, familially, ecclesiastically and nationally, will be brought to us by the judgment of God. And I do believe we're headed for something that we do not even realize is waiting for us down the road. How much do you value freedom? Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before thee. We thank you for your word. We pray, Lord, you'd stir our minds, stir our hearts, build us up in the most holy faith. And give us grace, Lord, to serve Thee. Give us character to stand. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Providence in History

Summary: God's hand preserved the Continental Army through rivalry between British generals, the arrival of von Steuben and Lafayette, and answered prayer.

Evidence: Weaver states: 'Had there not been rivalry between British generals, there would have never been a dark winter for Washington... Washington and his army would have been devastated and wiped out.'

Suffering for Liberty

Summary: The extreme hardships at Valley Forge—starvation, disease, freezing—demonstrate the cost of freedom and challenge modern comfort-seeking.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Washington: 'We have this day no less than two thousand eight hundred and seventy three men in camp unfit for duty because they are barefooted and otherwise naked.'

Corruption and Political Intrigue

Summary: Mismanagement and cabals (Mifflin, Conway) nearly destroyed the army, mirroring today's political corruption.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'The problems back then and the problems today were caused by corruption and politics... Mifflin was waylaying the supplies and putting them in his own warehouse.'

The Character of George Washington

Summary: Washington's self-denial, Christian faith, and leadership were crucial; he stayed with his men, prayed, and called for fasting and worship.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Muhlenberg: 'General Washington does not belong to the so-called world of society, for he respects God's word, believes in the atonement through Jesus Christ.'

Tyranny and the Need for Vigilance

Summary: Tyranny can arise from any branch of government; eternal vigilance is required to preserve liberty.

Evidence: Weaver quotes John Philpott Curran: 'The condition upon which God had given liberty to man is eternal vigilance.'

Divine Judgment on Nations

Summary: Societies that reject God's law and righteousness invite His judgment; America's dark winter is both political and spiritual.

Evidence: Weaver reads Isaiah 59:12-15 and says: 'When man does not judge righteously according to God's law, God often judges himself.'

Repentance and Return to God

Summary: The only remedy for national decay is individual, familial, ecclesiastical, and national repentance.

Evidence: Weaver concludes: 'Unless we repent individually, familially, ecclesiastically and nationally, will be brought to us by the judgment of God.'

Key Arguments

Winter as a Biblical Metaphor for Hardship

Summary: Jesus' command to pray that flight not be in winter highlights the severity of judgment and the hindrance of harsh conditions.

Evidence: Weaver explains: 'The hardness and the harshness of the season, the badness of the roads, the shortness of the days... will greatly hinder flight.'

Providential Preservation Through Rivalry

Summary: British general Howe's ambition to capture Philadelphia instead of supporting Burgoyne saved Washington's army from destruction.

Evidence: Weaver states: 'Howe's lack of support for Burgoyne then contributed to the British defeat... The American victory at Saratoga then encouraged France to enter the war.'

Corruption as the Root of Suffering

Summary: The Continental Army's deprivation was not due to lack of resources but to corrupt quartermaster Mifflin and the Conway Cabal.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'It was discovered that the mismanagement under the Continental Army's quartermaster, General Thomas Mifflin, was the source of the problem.'

Washington's Faith Was Central to Victory

Summary: Washington's personal prayer, his orders for fasting and worship, and his Christian character were recognized by contemporaries as key to success.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Isaac Potts: 'I saw the great George Washington on his knees alone... He was at prayer to the God of the armies.'

Modern Tyranny Mirrors Historical Patterns

Summary: Today's corruption, unconstitutional actions, and global elite agenda parallel the intrigues that plagued the Revolution.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'We're witnessing the unbiblical, unconstitutional, and undeniable effort by a global elite to enslave us.'

Righteous Government Requires Fear of God

Summary: 2 Samuel 23:1-3 teaches that rulers must rule justly in the fear of God; without this, government is impossible.

Evidence: Weaver emphasizes: 'Four times David claims direct inspiration for this one simple truth that he that rules over men must be just ruling in the fear of God.'

National Judgment Follows Rejection of God's Law

Summary: Isaiah 59 shows that when truth and justice fail, God Himself judges; America is experiencing this pattern.

Evidence: Weaver reads Isaiah 59:12-15 and comments: 'When man does not judge righteously according to God's law, God often judges himself.'

Scripture References

Matthew 24:20

Context: Weaver's opening text; Jesus warns disciples to pray that their flight not be in winter or on the Sabbath, referring to the destruction of Jerusalem.

Acts 1:12

Context: Mentioned to illustrate the concept of a Sabbath day's journey from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem.

Exodus 16:29

Context: Cited as the command for everyone to abide in their tent on the Sabbath when manna was given.

Nehemiah 13

Context: Referenced to show Nehemiah's enforcement of Sabbath rest by blocking the gate and threatening violators.

Numbers 35:5

Context: Mentioned as possible basis for the 2,000-pace Sabbath travel limit, relating to the suburbs of Levitical cities.

Joshua 3:4

Context: Cited as another precedent for the 2,000-pace distance, as the people kept that space behind the ark at Jericho.

Psalm 118:8-9

Context: Quoted to emphasize trust in the Lord rather than in man or princes; verse 8 is the middle verse of the Bible.

2 Samuel 23:1-3

Context: Read to show David's fourfold claim of inspiration for the truth that rulers must be just, ruling in the fear of God.

Isaiah 59:12-15

Context: Read to illustrate how national sin leads to the failure of justice and truth, provoking God's judgment.

Historical References

Valley Forge encampment (1777-1778)

Context: The central historical event; Washington's army endured a brutal winter with starvation, disease, and freezing conditions.

Battle of Brandywine (September 11, 1777)

Context: Washington's defeat that forced the retreat toward Philadelphia and eventually to Valley Forge.

Battle of Saratoga (September-October 1777)

Context: American victory that encouraged France to enter the war; made possible by Howe's failure to support Burgoyne.

General William Howe and General John Burgoyne

Context: British generals whose rivalry prevented a pincer movement that could have destroyed Washington's army.

Conway Cabal

Context: A plot to replace Washington with General Horatio Gates, orchestrated by Thomas Conway; exposed by Patrick Henry.

General Thomas Mifflin

Context: Quartermaster general accused of corruption and mismanagement, leading to severe supply shortages at Valley Forge.

Baron Frederick von Steuben

Context: Prussian drillmaster who arrived in February 1778 and trained the Continental Army into an effective fighting force.

Marquis de Lafayette

Context: French officer who aided Washington, shared the soldiers' hardships, and helped train the troops.

Isaac Potts

Context: Quaker Tory who witnessed Washington praying in the woods and was converted to the American cause.

Operation Dark Winter (2001)

Context: A bioterrorism simulation mentioned as a modern use of the phrase 'dark winter' and linked to COVID-19 planning.

Important Quotes

I can't be absent as my attention is necessary in preparing my troops for hard fighting should it be required. And as my officers and soldiers are not permitted to visit their wives and families, I ought not to see mine. It might make the troops feel that they are badly treated, and that I consult my own comfort regardless of theirs.

Significance: Stonewall Jackson's words, used by Weaver to illustrate the self-denial and leadership character that Washington also exemplified.

We have this day no less than two thousand eight hundred and seventy three men in camp unfit for duty because they are barefooted and otherwise naked.

Significance: Washington's own description of the army's desperate condition, highlighting the extreme suffering at Valley Forge.

No history can furnish an instance of an army suffering such uncommon hardships as ours has done, and bearing them with the same patience and fortitude.

Significance: Washington's tribute to his men's endurance, underscoring the theme of sacrificial perseverance for liberty.

I saw the great George Washington on his knees alone with his sword on his side and his cocked hat on the other. He was at prayer to the God of the armies, beseeching to interpose with his divine aid as it was a crisis and the cause of the country, of humanity in the world.

Significance: Isaac Potts's eyewitness account of Washington's prayer, central to Weaver's argument that divine intervention preserved the army.

He that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the fear of God.

Significance: From 2 Samuel 23:3, Weaver emphasizes David's fourfold claim of inspiration for this principle of godly governance.

Tyranny is something which takes away our money, transfers our property and our comforts to those that did not earn them and eats the food belonging to others.

Significance: John Taylor's definition of tyranny, used to connect historical oppression to modern governmental overreach.

Unless we repent individually, familially, ecclesiastically and nationally, will be brought to us by the judgment of God.

Significance: Weaver's concluding warning, summarizing the call to repentance as the only escape from impending national judgment.

Discussion Questions

How does the biblical concept of 'dark winter' in Matthew 24:20 help us understand both historical and modern hardships?

Context: Weaver uses the verse to introduce the theme of winter as a time of judgment and hindrance.

In what ways did God's providence preserve the Continental Army at Valley Forge, and how should that shape our trust in God today?

Context: Weaver highlights the rivalry between Howe and Burgoyne, and the arrival of von Steuben and Lafayette.

What can we learn from Washington's character—his self-denial, prayer life, and orders for fasting—about godly leadership in crisis?

Context: Weaver contrasts Washington's devotion with modern comfort-seeking and quotes Muhlenberg's assessment.

How did corruption and political intrigue (the Conway Cabal, Mifflin's mismanagement) nearly destroy the Revolution, and what parallels do you see today?

Context: Weaver explicitly connects the historical cabal to modern political corruption.

Weaver says, 'I do not believe that the average patriot today... has the backbone... to endure what our ancestors endured.' Do you agree? What would it take to cultivate such endurance?

Context: He challenges the congregation to consider the cost of freedom.

How does the principle from 2 Samuel 23:3 ('he that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the fear of God') apply to our current political situation?

Context: Weaver uses this verse to argue that righteous government is impossible without God and the Bible.

According to Isaiah 59, what happens to a society when truth and justice fail? How do we see this in America today?

Context: Weaver reads the passage and applies it to national judgment.

What does genuine repentance look like individually, familially, ecclesiastically, and nationally, and how might it avert the 'dark winter' of judgment Weaver warns about?

Context: The sermon concludes with a call to repentance as the only hope.

Applications

Trust in God's Providence

Summary: Recognize that God is sovereign over history and can use even rivalries and hardships to preserve His people and accomplish His purposes.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'Had there not been rivalry between British generals, there would have never been a dark winter for Washington... Washington and his army would have been devastated.'

Value Freedom and Be Willing to Sacrifice

Summary: Consider what you are willing to endure for liberty, and cultivate the backbone and character that our ancestors displayed.

Evidence: Weaver challenges: 'How much does your freedom mean to you? And how about this question? What are you willing to endure to be free?'

Reject Comfort-Idolatry

Summary: Resist the modern tendency to value comfort above all else, and instead embrace hardship for the sake of righteousness and freedom.

Evidence: Weaver laments: 'We value comfort over everything. As our Lord said to those Israelites, they like to worship under the oaks because the shade thereof is good.'

Practice Godly Leadership

Summary: Emulate Washington's example of self-denial, prayer, and public calls for fasting and worship, especially in times of crisis.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Washington's orders: 'The general directs that the day shall be most religiously observed in the army... and that the several chaplains do prepare discourses.'

Be Vigilant Against Tyranny

Summary: Understand that tyranny can arise from any branch of government or political party, and remain eternally vigilant to preserve God-given liberties.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Curran: 'The condition upon which God had given liberty to man is eternal vigilance.'

Repent and Return to God's Law

Summary: Individual, familial, ecclesiastical, and national repentance is the only way to avert the judgment of God on a nation that has rejected His law.

Evidence: Weaver warns: 'Unless we repent individually, familially, ecclesiastically and nationally, will be brought to us by the judgment of God.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T15:32:51Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T05:10:27Z

Clean Transcript

Dark Winter at Valley Forge

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Right, let's open our Bibles today to the book of Matthew, chapter 24, and we're going to read verse 20, Matthew 24 and verse 20. The message this morning is on the dark winter. Lord willing, in the next session, I will be dealing with Captain Jonathan Davis. But today, notice, if you would, Matthew, chapter 24 and verse 20. Our Lord said, "But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day." Winter, for most folks, is a rather foreboding time. Winter usually is a time of darkness, a lack of sunlight, cold, ice, sleet, snow. And it's also strange as to how winter, for some people, becomes a source of apathy, lethargy and depression.
#1 | 0:00 to 0:56 | cleaned
I suppose that one reason for a lot of people they get depressed during the wintertime is because they're shut in and all they can do is simply watch TV and that's depressing enough, even as it really is. I honestly think that TV basically is a waste of time. We haven't had one in our home for many, many years. And I've often said it, hell for me would be locked in a room being forced to watch TV all day long.
#2 | 0:56 to 1:23 | cleaned
But personally, I think most TV is not entertainment, it's rather conditioning, and the news is not news, it's propaganda, and the sitcoms have absolutely nothing to offer except canned laughter, and that which is not funny at all. Now, winter is also a favorite time of year for those who love to ski, those who love to sled, those who love to ice fish, but most people really and truly prefer a warmer climate. That's why down in South Georgia and Florida we have an awful lot of snowbirds that come down and spend the winter down there. I would just tell you this, that it's a whole lot easier to endure the wintertime when you're outside and all you need is simply a short sleeve shirt or a long sleeve shirt or maybe a light jacket. It is possible to really enjoy winter like that as far as I'm concerned. And you can do all those chores outside, even gardening. And yes, in South Georgia, where I live, we can have gardens 12 months out of the year.
#3 | 1:24 to 2:28 | cleaned
We don't have to have them just two or three months. I was preaching in Montana on July the 4th and the smoke was coming out of the chimneys, people walking around wearing jackets. And I looked at the person with whom I was staying and I said, "When do you have summer out here?" She said, "Oh, we had that yesterday." So weather changes quite frequently there. But the dark winter that is referred to in Matthew, chapter 24, verse 20.
#4 | 2:28 to 3:01 | cleaned
And our text actually refers to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. If you look back at that verse, our Lord says, "But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day." So this dark winter then talked about the destruction of Jerusalem that was approaching. And our Lord said, it's all right for you to pray for mitigation, but the judgment is coming and your attempt to escape will be absolutely hindered by winter or the Sabbath day. So why in the world would our Lord say, pray that you're not be running from this judgment on winter or in winter on the Sabbath day? Well, when you stop and think about winter just for a moment.
#5 | 3:03 to 3:44 | cleaned
The hardness and the harshness of the season, the badness of the roads, the shortness of the days, the longness of the night and then cold and ice and snow and all of these things will greatly hinder flight. If you need to run, they will hinder you. You have to also consider the fact that here are families trying to deal with small children or families dealing with elderly people, and that's certainly going to hinder you as well.
#6 | 3:45 to 4:14 | cleaned
So winter, of course, we understand. But then he said, "I pray that your flight not only be in the winter, but not on the Sabbath either." Why? Well, you must remember that in the Bible, there was a limitation on travel during the Sabbath. The Bible tells you in Acts chapter 1 in verse 12, that they returned from Jerusalem, from the Mount of Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day's journey. So there was a Sabbath day's journey. You remember in Exodus chapter 16 in verse 29, when God gave the manna, and He gave it for two days, and then He commanded that on the seventh day that everyone abide in their tent. And then when you get to the book of Nehemiah, chapter 13, there were people there who were violating the Sabbath and buying and selling on the Sabbath. So Nehemiah had to block the gate.
#7 | 4:15 to 5:14 | cleaned
And oftentimes the settlers would come around and lodge at the gate and he would run them off. He said, "If you do it again, I'm going to lay hands on you." And he said, He put guards there and said, "This is not going to happen." And so you're going to have to basically stay in your place.
#8 | 5:14 to 5:31 | cleaned
Now, clearly journeys then on the Sabbath day were limited. Now, the law of God did not necessarily specify a limit. The limitation basically was placed there by the rabbis or by tradition. Usually the limit of travel on the Sabbath day was seven furlongs, which is nearly a mile. So if their flight then was on the Sabbath day, they could barely get out of the way of destruction.
#9 | 5:31 to 6:00 | cleaned
Now, one commentator said it like this. The distance of a lawful journey on the Sabbath was not determined by the law of Moses, but the Jewish teachers had fixed it at 2000 paces. This measure was determined on because it was a tradition that in the camp of the Israelites, when coming out of Egypt, no part of the camp was more than 2,000 paces from the tabernacle.
#10 | 6:00 to 6:27 | cleaned
And over this space, therefore, they were permitted to travel for worship. Perhaps also some countenance was given to this from the fact that this was the extent of the suburbs of the Levitical cities. Numbers 35 and verse 5. Mount Olivet was but five furlongs from Jerusalem and Bethany was 15 furlongs. But on the eastern declivity of the mountain, the tract of country that was called for a considerable space was the region of Bethany.
#11 | 6:27 to 6:56 | cleaned
And it was from this place that our Lord Jesus ascended. So we're reading now the fact that someone is saying it's two thousand paces. There was also another consideration because in Joshua chapter three and verse four, you remember the people had to keep 2,000 paces behind the ark as they circled the city of Jericho. So our Lord says, "Pray then that your flight be not in the winter nor on the Sabbath day." I'm sure that each of you have heard the phrase, "the dark winter." In fact, our politicians have spoken of it quite frequently and the media has also spoken of it as well. Operation Dark Winter was the code name for a senior-level bioterrorist attack simulation that took place June 22-23, 2001.
#12 | 6:56 to 7:54 | cleaned
It was designed to carry out a mock attack of a covert and yet widespread smallpox attack on the United States. I suppose the code name could be used to warn for anything or any attack during the winter. But recently in the White House, during the quote unquote COVID pandemic, there was a warning given by the White House. I want to read you that warning. Listen, if you would. White House COVID response coordinator tells unvaccinated Americans to prepare to die. Well, everybody's going to die, but this is what they're saying. "You're looking at a winter of severe illness and death. For the unvaccinated, you're looking at the winter of severe illness and death for yourselves, your families, and the hospitals you may soon overwhelm."
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So, our message to every American is clear. There is action you can take to protect yourself and your family. Wear a mask in public, indoor settings, get vaccinated, get your kids vaccinated and get a booster whenever you are eligible. Wow. But the truth was and still is that it's the vaccinated that are being hospitalized and dying and not the unvaccinated. The blood clots, the strokes, the heart disease, death all comes from those who have been vaccinated.
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There are many who had limbs amputated because of vaccination. I showed my wife not too long ago, an absolutely beautiful young woman who was 22 years old. She was a beauty model. And here she was in the hospital with both of her legs amputated, fighting for her life because two weeks earlier she had taken the vaccine, which was not really a vaccine but gene therapy, and now she's lost both legs and she had myocarditis and she is fighting just simply to live. 22 years of age.
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And so it's these people who are basically dying. In fact, 93% of those who were hospitalized, according to the record that I read, had at least two shots. Robert Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr., in his book, "The Real Anthony Fauci," said this, "Dark Winter, Atlantic Storm and Global Mercury were only three of over a dozen germ games staged by military, medical and intelligent planners leading up to COVID-19."
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Each one of these having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre or illogical quality, became uncanny predictors of a dystopian age that pandemic planners dubbed the new normal. The consistent feature is an affinity among their simulator designers for militarizing medicine and introducing a centralized autocratic governance. So, the term "dark winter" has been spread around quite frequently. And since that term has been quite frequent, and you know about the term, I wanted to tell you today about a real, genuine dark winter. One that was a dark winter of disease and death. There are ramifications and implications in this dark winter that I'm going to talk about that are very applicable for us today. The Dark Winter took place in the winter of 1777 through 1778, and it took place at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. It was there that George Washington, with his army, who had just lost the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777, and they were forced to retreat toward Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Now, before I get to the history of Valley Forge, I want to point out something about George Washington's character.
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I want you to listen carefully because George Washington was indeed quite a man and obviously there was another man who followed in his steps. But Washington often remarked that he would rather be at home at Mount Vernon. So despite his wishes, Washington managed to return to his home on the Potomac only once, between his acceptance of his appointment as the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army in 1775 until the victory at Yorktown in 1781.
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So under the most trying circumstances and conditions, he was there with his men at Valley Forge. Now, General Stonewall Jackson was a man who followed Washington's character. During the war, Stonewall never took a furlough. He never took time off. He loved his wife. He loved his daughter, but he felt constrained to stay with his men. And when he was encouraged to take a furlough, here's what he said.
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"I can't be absent as my attention is necessary in preparing my troops for hard fighting should it be required. And as my officers and soldiers are not permitted to visit their wives and families, I ought not to see mine. It might make the troops feel that they are badly treated, and that I consult my own comfort regardless of theirs. Every officer and soldier who is able to do duty ought to be busily engaged in military preparation by hard drilling in order that, through the blessing of God, we may be victorious in the battles which in His all-wise providence may await us. If the war is carried on with vigor, I think, under the blessing of God, it will not last long."
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So Washington only visited home once. Jackson never visited home at all. Though the revolutionary forces had won indeed a pivotal victory at Saratoga in September and October, Washington's army had also suffered defeat at Brandywine, Paoli, and Germantown, Pennsylvania. In fact, Philadelphia, the capital, had fallen into the hands of the British. So by the time Washington and his men marched to Valley Forge on December the 19th, they were already suffering from hunger and fatigue and cold, and their morale was exceedingly low. In fact, George Washington described Valley Forge as "a dreary kind of place and uncomfortably provided."
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So you'd have to ask yourself this question. If Washington then viewed Valley Forge as a dreary kind of place, and if it was very uncomfortable, why in the world did he choose it for an encampment? In fact, the encampment actually lasted six months. And he led approximately 11,000 men to this encampment, not counting the women and the children that followed the men. So why in the world did Washington choose this place?
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Well, there are several reasons. First of all, the lay of the land made it basically a natural fortress. It was high on a plateau atop a series of hills that protected it. And the soldiers, of course, had their tents. Later on, they were able to have huts. And so there was an ample place there for a parade ground.
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Secondly, Valley Forge was far enough away from the rich farmland of Pennsylvania to prevent the Army from becoming a burden on the population there. And then thirdly, Valley Forge was close enough to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in order that they might see the movement of the British troops and be able to protect their neighbors and those who lived close by. Washington said if they were farther away that many of their friends and people would experience wanton depredation and distress.
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So the dark winter of 1777 and 1778 was indeed dark. It was darker than any of us could possibly imagine. So here's a question. I want you to consider this as I speak today. Think about this question. How much does your freedom mean to you? And how about this question? What are you willing to endure to be free?
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Now, I'm going to tell you something, and I'm going to be absolutely honest. I do not believe that the average patriot today, and even the average Christian, has the backbone, the character, the integrity, the determination and love for liberty and freedom to endure what our ancestors endured for our freedom. I'm serious. When you understand what really took place and what these people really, truly went through, it is mind boggling.
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Now, the truth of the matter is this. Had there not been rivalry between British generals, there would have never been a dark winter for Washington and his armies. There would have never been a Valley Forge. Why? Because Washington and his army would have been devastated and wiped out. Because British General "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne was bringing his troops down from Canada. General Howe, William Howe, was in New York City, and he was supposed to be bringing his troops up from New York City. And General Burgoyne had developed this plan to put Washington and his men in a pincer movement so that they might be destroyed. And the only thing that basically saved Washington in the providence of God was the fact that there was indeed rivalry between Burgoyne and Howe. So Howe, instead of helping Burgoyne and following the plan that was laid out, General Howe left New York and went to Philadelphia that he might capture Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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It was the busiest port. And Howe's lack of support for Burgoyne then contributed to the British defeat. And at that defeat at the Battle of Saratoga, nearly 6,000 British troops surrendered. The American victory at Saratoga then encouraged France to enter the war on the side of the colonies. And now it became a war, not just between England and America, but also it became a war between France and England, two of the greatest military powers at that particular time.
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So you'd have to ask yourself this question. Why in the world did General Howe not follow the plan? Why did he not want to help General Burgoyne? Why did he want to capture Philadelphia? Well, Philadelphia at that time was our capital. And when you consider in European warfare, whenever your capital was captured, it meant the war was over. There was a surrender. So General Howe, thinking that he could go capture Philadelphia, would end the war.
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And he, of course, would be the man with the biggest praise, had the biggest star on his chest. What he did not anticipate is this, that rather than surrender, the American Continental Congress quickly evacuated Philadelphia. They even took down the Liberty Bell and carried it with them so the British could not melt it down into musket balls and or cannonballs, effectively depriving General Howe of his European victory.
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Moreover, before they left, they placed the entire war on the shoulders of George Washington. Here's what they say, "until Congress shall order otherwise, General Washington is possessed with full power to order and direct all things relative to the operations of the war." Well, they fled, but they left everything in the hands of George Washington. Washington attempted to fight the British again at the Battle of the Clouds, but torrential rains came down in a vast downpour and basically drenched the gunpowder. Nobody could really fight at that particular time. So then Washington took his 11,000 soldiers and he marched them to Valley Forge so that they could settle there on December the 19th, 1777. At the same time, another 11,000 American soldiers were dying on British ships.
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They were being starved to death. The ships were the Scorpion, the Hope, the Falmouth, the Stromboli, the Hunter, and the Jersey. We have no idea how many people really and truly died on those ships. But Ezra Stiles, who was the president of Yale University and a preacher, on May the 8th, 1783, wrote this. "Oh, that my head were waters and my eyes a fountain of tears," quoting Jeremiah, "that I might weep for the thousands of our brethren that have perished in prison ships, in one of which the Jersey, then lying at New York, perished above 11,000 for the last three years, while others have been barbarously
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exiled to the East Indies for life." Can you imagine that? The American soldiers starving, being ill treated on these ships and some exiled for life. Interestingly, when you look at the soldiers that Washington commanded, their age ranged from 12 years of age to 60. Can you imagine a 12 year old boy following General Washington today? These soldiers were basically from every state or every colony. Among those soldiers were some very notable men that you and I have held in regards for years.
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One of them was the Marquis de Lafayette. Does anybody know who de Valette was? Bill, do you know who de Valette was? I'm not talking about the Marquis de Lafayette, but de Valette. De Valette was the man who was in charge in the 1500s at the Battle of Malta there, where the Christians defeated the Turks. Yeah, it was a six month siege there as well. But it was Lafayette who was there with him.
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Also, Colonel "Mad Anthony" Wayne was there. Also, future Chief Justice John Marshall and Lutheran pastor turned Major General John Peter Muhlenberg. So there was indeed some very famous men there as well. But lacking food and supplies, listen to this, the soldiers died at a rate of 12 per day. Over 2,500 froze to death in bitter cold or perished from hunger, typhoid, jaundice, dysentery, and pneumonia. In addition to that, hundreds of horses froze to death in that winter as well. You talk about suffering. You talk about men dying like flies.
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And the truth of the matter is this. It was absolutely horrendous. It was George Washington who said this. In fact, let me quote this. This is Mrs. Westlake talking about Martha Washington. These women who followed the men were known as camp followers. Many of them happened to be wives of the men who were fighting. And by the way, over 500 women died at Valley Forge as well as the soldiers. So these ladies were known as camp followers. They were organized by Martha Washington.
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Lucy Knox, who was the wife of Colonel Henry Knox, and Katie Green, who was the wife of General Nathaniel Green. So one of the ladies then, Mrs. Westlake, described Mrs. Washington and she said this, "I've never in my life knew a woman so busy from early morning until late at night, as was Lady Washington, providing comforts for the sick soldiers." So these women then not only tried to scourge food up and scrounge it up and have food and clothing available, but they also did everything they could to keep the men well. It was President Calvin Coolidge who told the Daughters of the American Revolution on April 19, 1926, he said, "We have been told of the unselfish devotion of the women who gave their own warm garments to fashion clothing for the suffering Continental Army during the winter at Valley Forge."
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The burdens of the war did not fall just upon the man. So here's another quote from a surgeon, Dr. Alvin Jentz Waldo, who wrote in his diary on December the 25th, he says, "Christmas, we're still intense when we ought to be in huts. The poor sick suffer much intense in this cold weather, but we now treat them differently from what they used to be at home. Under the inspection of old women and Dr. Bolus Lictis, we gave them mutton and grog and a capital medicine once in a while to start the disease from its foundation at once."
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"We avoid piddling pills, powders, vapors, lincolns, cordials, cough lozenges, and all such insignificant matters whose powers are merely rendered important by causing the patient to vomit up his money instead of all his disease." And so he said, we're trying to treat things just a little bit differently. Two days before Christmas, George Washington wrote, listen carefully. "We have this day no less than two thousand eight hundred and seventy three men in camp unfit for duty because they are barefooted and otherwise naked."
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Washington added that "unless some great and capital change suddenly takes place, this army must inevitably starve, dissolve, or disperse in order to obtain subsistence in the best manner they can." So here you have these men not only starving to death and freezing to death, but they lack proper clothing and shoes as well. So George Washington then wrote Virginia Governor Patrick Henry, and he said this, "For several days past, we've experienced little less than a famine in the camp, have had much cause to dread a general mutiny and dispersion."
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"From every appearance, there has been heretofore so astonishing deficiency in providing that unless the most vigorous and effectual measures are at once everywhere adopted, we shall not be able to make another campaign." So he said, the men can't fight. This is going to be it. Henry was outraged. And he said, "I'm really shocked at the management of Congress." Now, there's a reason I'm going to explain it momentarily.
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But I want you to understand how difficult this winter was. Because again, George Washington wrote the Lieutenant Colonel John Bannister. And he's talking about, again, the suffering of these men, he said, "No history can furnish an instance of an army suffering such uncommon hardships as ours has done, and bearing them with the same patience and fortitude. To see men without clothes to cover their nakedness, without blankets to lay on, without shoes by which their marches might be traced by the blood of their feet, and almost as often without provisions marching through frost and snow and at Christmas, taking up their winter quarters within a day's march of the enemy without a house or a hut to cover them and submitting to it without a murmur is a mark of patience and obedience, which, in my opinion, can scarcely be paralleled."
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And that is certainly true. It was Continental Army Private Joseph Martin who wrote and he said that the Army's new winter quarters left them in a truly forlorn condition, no clothing, no provision, and as disheartened as need be. Years ago, I read an article where Mrs. Washington was going to view the troops. And they had to shuffle the men around because many of the men were basically naked. And they had to shuffle the men so that when she reviewed the troops, none of their nakedness would be exposed.
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It was a Hessian major, Carl Bernmeister, who noticed that the only thing that kept the American Army together was the spirit of liberty. So let me ask you a question, because I told you this has implications for us today. Why was the Continental Army in such dire distress? How could such mismanagement and neglect take place in such an important cause? You have to remember, if Washington failed, then freedom failed. If freedom failed, that meant then we go back under George III, whom I'm sure would not be very forgiving.
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So how in the world can Congress or whoever allow these men to starve and be without clothes and be without blankets? The answer to these questions back then is the answer to the questions that we have today. The problems back then and the problems today were caused by corruption and politics. It was discovered that the mismanagement under the Continental Army's quartermaster, General Thomas Mifflin, was the source of the problem.
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A controversy arose as to whether Mifflin was just simply incompetent or, as some alleged, he was waylaying the supplies and putting them in his own warehouse and later selling them to the highest bidder. When Mifflin was confronted, he immediately resigned. He was also caught up in what was known as the Conway Cabal. The Continental Congress had talked of replacing General George Washington with General Horatio Gates, who happened to be the hero of the Battle of Saratoga. This was called the Conway Cabal. It was orchestrated by Thomas Conway. And the grudge that he had against Washington was that he had been passed over for a promotion. So an anonymous letter was then sent to Patrick Henry, the governor of Virginia, requesting that Henry join in with this cabal. So when Henry got the letter, he immediately informed General Washington as to what was going on.
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And of course, everything was taken care of almost instantly, and a new quartermaster was appointed. His name happened to be Nathaniel Green. And when General Nathaniel Green took over, within days, Valley Forge had food, clothing, and other supplies.
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Now in light of all the freezing conditions, the soldiers still prepared to fight. So in February of 1778, there arrived in the camp a Prussian drillmaster by the name of Baron Frederick von Steuben. Von Steuben had been a member of the elite general staff of Frederick the Great, the King of Prussia. Von Steuben had also been recommended by Ben Franklin. And von Steuben was indeed a drill master. And he kept drilling these colonial soldiers in order to turn them into a real fighting machine.
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I never will forget years ago seeing a cartoon. It was not necessarily funny, but it does show what I'm talking about. Here was von Steuben standing in his Prussian uniform, all decked out. And here were the Continental soldiers standing in line, clothes all torn and their feet, of course, wrapped in rags. And you could see the blood on the snow. And von Steuben was saying, "And when I say 'tongue,' let me hear those rags snap." Well, it'd be hard to get those rags to snap when he hollered attention if you were so sore and could hardly move.
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But yet that's exactly the condition they were in. But von Steuben was the one who helped to drill these men and make them real soldiers. And then, of course, the Marquis de Lafayette, a French officer, came to Washington's aid as well, and he there suffered with those men and he likewise taught the men and Lafayette was known as a hero and Lafayette was 100% behind Washington and the American cause. He identified with these soldiers because he suffered when they suffered.
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He did without when they did without. And so between Von Steuben and Lafayette, they made the soldiers able and capable of fighting. Lutheran Pastor Henry Muhlenberg, whose sons Peter and Frederick served in the first United States Congress, wrote in his notebook of a clergyman, of a colonial clergyman, said this about Washington. Listen carefully. He said, "I heard a fine example today, namely that His Excellency General Washington rode among his army yesterday and admonished each to fear God, to put away wickedness,
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and to practice Christian virtues. From all appearances, General Washington does not belong to the so-called world of society, for he respects God's word, believes in the atonement through Jesus Christ, and bears himself in humility and gentleness. Therefore, the Lord God has also singularly, yea, marvelously preserved him from harm in the midst of countless perils, ambushes, fatigues, and his hitherto graciously held his hand as a chosen vessel." Wow. Washington successfully kept his army intact through this devastating dark winter at Valley Forge.
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Of course, the Congress then recommended a day of fasting and prayer. And so George Washington then addressed his men and he said this. "The Honorable Congress having thought proper to recommend to the United States of America to set apart Wednesday the 22nd to be observed as a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer, and at one time and with one voice, the righteous dispensation of providence may be acknowledged, and His goodness and mercy toward our arms supplicated and implored. The general directs that the day shall be most religiously observed in the army, that no work shall be done their own, and that the several chaplains do prepare discourses." He went on to say, "The commander-in-chief directs that divine services be performed every Sunday.
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While we are zealously performing our duties as good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of patriot, it should be our highest glory to laud the more distinguished character of a Christian." So Washington was indeed, I believe, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and certainly he applied the word of God.
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Now, every one of us are familiar with the picture of Washington kneeling in the snow, praying there at Valley Forge. That painting is by Arnold Friberg. It's one of the best known paintings of the American Revolution. General Washington is kneeling in snow there by his horse, Nelson, and praying. Here is the story that was told by a local Quaker who was a Tory at the beginning. The Tory's name was Isaac Potts, and he spied General Washington praying perfectly in the woods alone on one of the bleakest times in American history.
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However, the account that I have actually comes from the Reverend Nathaniel Randolph Snowden, from his diary and remembrances. Snowden was an ordained Presbyterian minister, graduate of Princeton, and also had a degree from Dickinson's College, who was born in 1770 and who died in 1851. And Reverend Snowden is now giving a first-hand account that he got from Isaac Potts. Here's what he said. "I knew personally the celebrated Quaker Potts, who saw General Washington alone in the woods at prayer. I got it from him myself. Weems mentions in his history of Washington, but I got it from the man myself. I was riding with him, Mr. Potts, in Montgomery County near to the Valley Forge where the Army lay during the War of Revolution. Mr. Potts was a senator in our state and a Whig."
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"I told him I was agreeably surprised to find him a friend to his country, as the Quakers were mostly Tories. He said, 'It was so, and I was a rank Tory once, for I never believed that America could proceed against Great Britain, whose fleets and armies covered the land and ocean. But something very extraordinary converted me to the good faith.' 'What was that?' I inquired. 'Do you see those woods and that plain?'"
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"It was about a quarter of a mile off from the place we were riding as it happened. 'There,' said he, 'laid the army of Washington. It was the most distressing time of the war, and all were forgiving of the ship but that great and good man. In that woods,' pointing to a close view, he said, 'I heard a plaintive sound as a man at prayer. I tied my horse to a sapling and went quickly into the woods to my astonishment. I saw the great George Washington on his knees alone with his sword on his side and his cocked hat on the other. He was at prayer to the God of the armies, beseeching to interpose with his divine aid as it was a crisis and the cause of the country, of humanity in the world. Such a prayer I never heard from the lips of a man. I left him alone praying. I went home and told my wife, I saw a sight today what I never saw or heard before, and just related to her what I had seen and heard and observed."
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"We never thought a man could be a soldier and a Christian. But if there is one in the world, it is Washington. She also was astonished. We thought it was the cause of God and America could prevail." He then put out his right hand and said, "I turned right around and became a Whig." In other words, he swapped from the Tory or the English side to the American side. And certainly, you know, as well as I do, that God did indeed answer the prayer of George Washington. Let me tell you what I believe is one of our major problems today.
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And this truth has certain implications for us. Now, George III was indeed a tyrant. Parliament tried to be a tyrant as well. And we have a tendency to think that somehow tyranny originates with one man. We think of George III. We think of Idi Amin. We think of Pol Pot. We think of Stalin. We think of Mao Zedong. But we don't understand that tyranny can originate from an aristocracy, a democracy, a monarchy, tyranny can also originate from a congress, from a president, from a judicial system. Tyranny can arise from parties as well.
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The black lawmaker from Florida who's now dead, his name slips my mind, he was asked about the rules in Congress, and especially the Constitution. His reply was, "There are no rules. We make them up as we go." Wow. What we are witnessing today is the total corruption and the tyrannical influence of our political parties, of our judicial system. I had a friend years ago. He's now dead. He really began to study history, and he began to study the Constitution of the United States.
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And on one occasion, he received a speeding ticket. Well, he did not particularly want the ticket, but since he got it, he decided he would exercise his rights and he would go into the courtroom and he would argue his case and he would argue from the Constitution. And so he got his day in court and as he argued, it was Constitution this and Constitution that, Constitution this, Constitution that.
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And finally, the judge looked at him. The judge was overruling him, trying to shut him up. And finally, the judge said, "Mr. Irby, if you mention the Constitution one more time in my courtroom, I'm going to fine you in contempt of court." Notice he didn't want the Constitution mentioned. And then he said, "In my courtroom." Henry Irby looked at the judge and said, "Your Honor, if you did find me in contempt, it would be the only honest thing you've done all day long for all I have for this court is contempt." Bam, a hundred bucks. Henry said, "Best hundred bucks I ever paid in my life."
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Do you understand where we are today? We have our own Valley Forge, so to speak. We're witnessing the unbiblical, unconstitutional, and undeniable effort by a global elite to enslave us, and not just America, but the world as well. We see corruption on every hand, on every turn. I was telling someone the other day, I just saw, I just read, where a grant was given to some folks for ten million dollars. $10 million Federal Reserve notes to ascertain the best way to ask someone their sex and their preferred pronouns. What? And when you pay $20 million to study the mating habits of the green frog, something is wrong somewhere.
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Thomas Jefferson said this, listen carefully, "Our legislators are not sufficiently apprised of the rightful limits of their power. That their true office is to declare and enforce only our natural rights and duties and to take none of them from us." What did he say? Our legislators are not sufficiently apprised. They don't know. They don't know. I'll be honest with you, there are very few politicians that are really concerned with our liberty, our freedom, our rights from God.
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And the appraisal that we should give them should be sufficient for them. You remember Everett Dirksen, who's now dead, he was a senator. He made the famous statement, "When I feel the heat, then I see the light." And our legislators have never felt any heat. You want a good definition of tyranny? Here you go. John Taylor, 1753 to 1803, wrote this. "Tyranny is something which takes away our money, transfers our property and our comforts to those that did not earn them and eats the food belonging to others." Think about that. Tyranny is something which takes away our money, transfers our property and our comforts to those who do not earn them and eats the food belonging to others.
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That's exactly what has happened. Now, let me make some applications. I want you to think about these. It should be counted strange or it should not be counted strange to understand that corruption, cabals and political intrigues actually began even before our country was formed. The Mifflins, the Conways and others are still with us, just under different names. Total depravity is the root cause, and men are just as depraved today as they were in the 18th century.
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There are two verses, in fact, Psalm 118, verse 8 and verse 9. Psalm 118 and verse 8 is indeed the middle verse of the Bible. And those two verses say this, verse 8, "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." And then verse 9, "It's better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes." Samuel Adams said, "If ever a time should come when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." That's exactly where we are today, where vain and aspiring men possess the highest seats in our government.
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John Philpott Curran, who died in 1870, said in a speech in 1790, "It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God had given liberty to man is eternal vigilance, which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequences of his crime and the punishment of his guilt." Thomas Jefferson, "God, who gave us life, gave us liberty, and can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God.
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They are not to be violated, but with his wrath. Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever." George Washington said it's impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to 2 Samuel, chapter 23. I want to show you where George Washington caught that quote. But George Washington said it's impossible to govern without God and the Bible. If you look in 2 Samuel, chapter 23, notice, if you would please, verse one. And we'll read through verse three.
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"Now these be the last words of David. David, the son of Jesse, said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel said, 'The spirit of the Lord spake by me and his word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said the rock of Israel spake to me. He that ruleth over men must be just ruling the fear of God.'"
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Now, here's what I want you to know. It's a very simple statement. "He that ruleth over men must be just ruling the fear of God." But I want you to know how many times that David claims direct inspiration from God for this one simple truth, "He that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the fear of God." Note, if you would, verse two. Well, let's read verse one. He said, "the anointed of God of Jacob and the sweet psalmist of Israel said, number one, 'The spirit of the Lord spake by me.' Number two, 'His word was in my tongue.' Number three, 'The God of Israel said.' Number four, 'The Rock of Israel spake to me.'" Four times David claims direct inspiration for this one simple truth that he that rules over men must be just ruling in the fear of God. It is impossible to rightly govern without God and the Bible.
#72 | 53:32 to 54:32 | cleaned
So our dark winter today is being brought to us by men without faith, politicians without law, judges without righteousness and justice, and people who love sin and wickedness and rebellion. It's also being brought to us by the holy, righteous and just judge of all the earth who will not allow sin to go unpunished. One more passage, please look in your Bibles to Isaiah 59, Isaiah 59. I want you to notice this passage. In Isaiah 59, beginning there with verse 12. Look at it. Isaiah 59 and verse 12.
#73 | 54:34 to 55:29 | cleaned
"For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us. For our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them. Yea, we really do. In transgressing and lying against the Lord and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood and judgment is turned away backward and justice standeth afar off for truth is fallen in the street and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth. And he that departed from evil maketh himself a prey, and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment." So when man does not judge righteously according to God's law, God often judges himself.
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Any society, any community, any nation that seeks to circumvent and deny, disregard and denigrate God and His law are inevitably destroying themselves. It was Sam Adams who said that the revolution that was successful actually began before the first shot was ever fired, because the revolution was already in the hearts and the minds of the people. They'd been instructed, they'd been taught in the Word of God, and they held those convictions before the first shot was ever fired.
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So my questions to you today would be these. What are you willing to do to maintain your freedom? How far are you willing to go? What are you willing to endure? When you think of what the Continental Army went through, when you think of what our ancestors endured, and you look how selfish, self-centered we are, even Christians, and we value comfort over everything. As our Lord said to those Israelites, they like to worship under the oaks because the shade thereof is good. Our dark winter.
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Unless we repent individually, familially, ecclesiastically and nationally, will be brought to us by the judgment of God. And I do believe we're headed for something that we do not even realize is waiting for us down the road. How much do you value freedom? Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow before thee. We thank you for your word. We pray, Lord, you'd stir our minds, stir our hearts, build us up in the most holy faith. And give us grace, Lord, to serve Thee. Give us character to stand. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T15:32:51Z

Dark Winter at Valley Forge

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver uses Matthew 24:20 as a springboard to examine the 'dark winter' of 1777–1778 at Valley Forge, drawing parallels between the suffering of Washington's army and the spiritual and political corruption of our own day. He highlights the providential preservation of the Continental Army, the character of George Washington, and the role of prayer and divine intervention. The sermon concludes with a call to repentance and a warning that America faces judgment unless it returns to God and His law.

Introduction: The Biblical Dark Winter

Weaver reads Matthew 24:20 and explains that winter represents hardship, darkness, and hindrance to flight, especially in the context of Jerusalem's destruction in 70 AD.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 24:20

"But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day."

Winter's Hardships and Sabbath Travel Restrictions

He elaborates on why winter and the Sabbath would hinder escape: harsh weather, short days, and rabbinic limits on Sabbath travel (about 2,000 paces).

Scripture Reading — Acts 1:12

Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day's journey.

Modern 'Dark Winter' Warnings

Weaver references Operation Dark Winter (2001 bioterror simulation) and recent White House COVID warnings, criticizing vaccine mandates and alleged harms.

The Historical Dark Winter at Valley Forge

He introduces the winter of 1777–1778 at Valley Forge, describing Washington's army's retreat after Brandywine and the choice of Valley Forge as a defensible encampment.

Providential Rivalry and the Battle of Saratoga

Weaver explains how rivalry between British generals Howe and Burgoyne prevented Washington's destruction and led to the American victory at Saratoga, bringing France into the war.

Suffering and Deprivation at Valley Forge

He details the extreme suffering: starvation, disease, freezing, lack of clothing, and deaths of soldiers and horses, quoting Washington's letters and a surgeon's diary.

Corruption and the Conway Cabal

Weaver identifies corruption and political intrigue (General Mifflin's mismanagement, the Conway Cabal) as the cause of the army's distress, resolved by appointing Nathaniel Greene.

Drilling and Leadership: Von Steuben and Lafayette

He describes the arrival of Baron von Steuben and the Marquis de Lafayette, who trained the troops and shared their hardships, transforming them into an effective force.

Washington's Faith and Prayer

Weaver recounts the story of Isaac Potts witnessing Washington praying in the woods, and Washington's orders for fasting, prayer, and Sunday worship, emphasizing his Christian character.

Applications: Tyranny, Corruption, and Our Dark Winter

He applies the lessons to today: tyranny arises from many sources, corruption is rampant, and America faces judgment unless it repents and returns to God's law.

There are two verses, in fact, Psalm 118, verse 8 and verse 9. Psalm 118 and verse 8 is indeed the middle verse of the Bible. And those two verses say this, verse 8,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 118:8-9

"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man."

And then verse 9,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 118:8-9

"It's better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes."

Biblical Foundation for Righteous Government

Weaver cites 2 Samuel 23:1-3 and Isaiah 59:12-15 to show that rulers must rule in the fear of God, and that societies that reject God's law bring judgment upon themselves.

Conclusion: Call to Endurance and Repentance

He challenges listeners to consider what they are willing to endure for freedom and warns that without repentance, a dark winter of judgment awaits.

Dark Winter at Valley Forge

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	78222349472754
Subject	Civil Government
Course	Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order: War in the Gates
Genre	Sermon
Date	2022-07-06
Dictation Name
Book	Book 009: Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order — Chapter 18
Source Timed Segments	77

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Biblical Dark Winter: Weaver reads Matthew 24:20 and explains that winter represents hardship, darkness, and hindrance to flight, especially in the context of Jerusalem's destruction in 70 AD.
Winter's Hardships and Sabbath Travel Restrictions: He elaborates on why winter and the Sabbath would hinder escape: harsh weather, short days, and rabbinic limits on Sabbath travel (about 2,000 paces).
Modern 'Dark Winter' Warnings: Weaver references Operation Dark Winter (2001 bioterror simulation) and recent White House COVID warnings, criticizing vaccine mandates and alleged harms.
The Historical Dark Winter at Valley Forge: He introduces the winter of 1777–1778 at Valley Forge, describing Washington's army's retreat after Brandywine and the choice of Valley Forge as a defensible encampment.
Providential Rivalry and the Battle of Saratoga: Weaver explains how rivalry between British generals Howe and Burgoyne prevented Washington's destruction and led to the American victory at Saratoga, bringing France into the war.
Suffering and Deprivation at Valley Forge: He details the extreme suffering: starvation, disease, freezing, lack of clothing, and deaths of soldiers and horses, quoting Washington's letters and a surgeon's diary.
Corruption and the Conway Cabal: Weaver identifies corruption and political intrigue (General Mifflin's mismanagement, the Conway Cabal) as the cause of the army's distress, resolved by appointing Nathaniel Greene.
Drilling and Leadership: Von Steuben and Lafayette: He describes the arrival of Baron von Steuben and the Marquis de Lafayette, who trained the troops and shared their hardships, transforming them into an effective force.
Washington's Faith and Prayer: Weaver recounts the story of Isaac Potts witnessing Washington praying in the woods, and Washington's orders for fasting, prayer, and Sunday worship, emphasizing his Christian character.
Applications: Tyranny, Corruption, and Our Dark Winter: He applies the lessons to today: tyranny arises from many sources, corruption is rampant, and America faces judgment unless it repents and returns to God's law.
Biblical Foundation for Righteous Government: Weaver cites 2 Samuel 23:1-3 and Isaiah 59:12-15 to show that rulers must rule in the fear of God, and that societies that reject God's law bring judgment upon themselves.
Conclusion: Call to Endurance and Repentance: He challenges listeners to consider what they are willing to endure for freedom and warns that without repentance, a dark winter of judgment awaits.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Winter as a Biblical Metaphor for Hardship

Jesus' command to pray that flight not be in winter highlights the severity of judgment and the hindrance of harsh conditions.

Weaver explains: 'The hardness and the harshness of the season, the badness of the roads, the shortness of the days... will greatly hinder flight.'

Providential Preservation Through Rivalry

British general Howe's ambition to capture Philadelphia instead of supporting Burgoyne saved Washington's army from destruction.

Weaver states: 'Howe's lack of support for Burgoyne then contributed to the British defeat... The American victory at Saratoga then encouraged France to enter the war.'

Corruption as the Root of Suffering

The Continental Army's deprivation was not due to lack of resources but to corrupt quartermaster Mifflin and the Conway Cabal.

Weaver says: 'It was discovered that the mismanagement under the Continental Army's quartermaster, General Thomas Mifflin, was the source of the problem.'

Washington's Faith Was Central to Victory

Washington's personal prayer, his orders for fasting and worship, and his Christian character were recognized by contemporaries as key to success.

Weaver quotes Isaac Potts: 'I saw the great George Washington on his knees alone... He was at prayer to the God of the armies.'

Modern Tyranny Mirrors Historical Patterns

Today's corruption, unconstitutional actions, and global elite agenda parallel the intrigues that plagued the Revolution.

Weaver says: 'We're witnessing the unbiblical, unconstitutional, and undeniable effort by a global elite to enslave us.'

Righteous Government Requires Fear of God

2 Samuel 23:1-3 teaches that rulers must rule justly in the fear of God; without this, government is impossible.

Weaver emphasizes: 'Four times David claims direct inspiration for this one simple truth that he that rules over men must be just ruling in the fear of God.'

National Judgment Follows Rejection of God's Law

Isaiah 59 shows that when truth and justice fail, God Himself judges; America is experiencing this pattern.

Weaver reads Isaiah 59:12-15 and comments: 'When man does not judge righteously according to God's law, God often judges himself.'

Scripture References

Matthew 24:20: Weaver's opening text; Jesus warns disciples to pray that their flight not be in winter or on the Sabbath, referring to the destruction of Jerusalem.
Acts 1:12: Mentioned to illustrate the concept of a Sabbath day's journey from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem.
Exodus 16:29: Cited as the command for everyone to abide in their tent on the Sabbath when manna was given.
Nehemiah 13: Referenced to show Nehemiah's enforcement of Sabbath rest by blocking the gate and threatening violators.
Numbers 35:5: Mentioned as possible basis for the 2,000-pace Sabbath travel limit, relating to the suburbs of Levitical cities.
Joshua 3:4: Cited as another precedent for the 2,000-pace distance, as the people kept that space behind the ark at Jericho.
Psalm 118:8-9: Quoted to emphasize trust in the Lord rather than in man or princes; verse 8 is the middle verse of the Bible.
2 Samuel 23:1-3: Read to show David's fourfold claim of inspiration for the truth that rulers must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
Isaiah 59:12-15: Read to illustrate how national sin leads to the failure of justice and truth, provoking God's judgment.

Historical References

Valley Forge encampment (1777-1778): The central historical event; Washington's army endured a brutal winter with starvation, disease, and freezing conditions.
Battle of Brandywine (September 11, 1777): Washington's defeat that forced the retreat toward Philadelphia and eventually to Valley Forge.
Battle of Saratoga (September-October 1777): American victory that encouraged France to enter the war; made possible by Howe's failure to support Burgoyne.
General William Howe and General John Burgoyne: British generals whose rivalry prevented a pincer movement that could have destroyed Washington's army.
Conway Cabal: A plot to replace Washington with General Horatio Gates, orchestrated by Thomas Conway; exposed by Patrick Henry.
General Thomas Mifflin: Quartermaster general accused of corruption and mismanagement, leading to severe supply shortages at Valley Forge.
Baron Frederick von Steuben: Prussian drillmaster who arrived in February 1778 and trained the Continental Army into an effective fighting force.
Marquis de Lafayette: French officer who aided Washington, shared the soldiers' hardships, and helped train the troops.
Isaac Potts: Quaker Tory who witnessed Washington praying in the woods and was converted to the American cause.
Operation Dark Winter (2001): A bioterrorism simulation mentioned as a modern use of the phrase 'dark winter' and linked to COVID-19 planning.

Important Quotes

I can't be absent as my attention is necessary in preparing my troops for hard fighting should it be required. And as my officers and soldiers are not permitted to visit their wives and families, I ought not to see mine. It might make the troops feel that they are badly treated, and that I consult my own comfort regardless of theirs.

Stonewall Jackson's words, used by Weaver to illustrate the self-denial and leadership character that Washington also exemplified.

We have this day no less than two thousand eight hundred and seventy three men in camp unfit for duty because they are barefooted and otherwise naked.

Washington's own description of the army's desperate condition, highlighting the extreme suffering at Valley Forge.

No history can furnish an instance of an army suffering such uncommon hardships as ours has done, and bearing them with the same patience and fortitude.

Washington's tribute to his men's endurance, underscoring the theme of sacrificial perseverance for liberty.

I saw the great George Washington on his knees alone with his sword on his side and his cocked hat on the other. He was at prayer to the God of the armies, beseeching to interpose with his divine aid as it was a crisis and the cause of the country, of humanity in the world.

Isaac Potts's eyewitness account of Washington's prayer, central to Weaver's argument that divine intervention preserved the army.

He that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the fear of God.

From 2 Samuel 23:3, Weaver emphasizes David's fourfold claim of inspiration for this principle of godly governance.

Tyranny is something which takes away our money, transfers our property and our comforts to those that did not earn them and eats the food belonging to others.

John Taylor's definition of tyranny, used to connect historical oppression to modern governmental overreach.

Unless we repent individually, familially, ecclesiastically and nationally, will be brought to us by the judgment of God.

Weaver's concluding warning, summarizing the call to repentance as the only escape from impending national judgment.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does the biblical concept of 'dark winter' in Matthew 24:20 help us understand both historical and modern hardships?

[Context]

Weaver uses the verse to introduce the theme of winter as a time of judgment and hindrance.

[Question]

In what ways did God's providence preserve the Continental Army at Valley Forge, and how should that shape our trust in God today?

[Context]

Weaver highlights the rivalry between Howe and Burgoyne, and the arrival of von Steuben and Lafayette.

[Question]

What can we learn from Washington's character—his self-denial, prayer life, and orders for fasting—about godly leadership in crisis?

[Context]

Weaver contrasts Washington's devotion with modern comfort-seeking and quotes Muhlenberg's assessment.

[Question]

How did corruption and political intrigue (the Conway Cabal, Mifflin's mismanagement) nearly destroy the Revolution, and what parallels do you see today?

[Context]

Weaver explicitly connects the historical cabal to modern political corruption.

[Question]

Weaver says, 'I do not believe that the average patriot today... has the backbone... to endure what our ancestors endured.' Do you agree? What would it take to cultivate such endurance?

[Context]

He challenges the congregation to consider the cost of freedom.

[Question]

How does the principle from 2 Samuel 23:3 ('he that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the fear of God') apply to our current political situation?

[Context]

Weaver uses this verse to argue that righteous government is impossible without God and the Bible.

[Question]

According to Isaiah 59, what happens to a society when truth and justice fail? How do we see this in America today?

[Context]

Weaver reads the passage and applies it to national judgment.

[Question]

What does genuine repentance look like individually, familially, ecclesiastically, and nationally, and how might it avert the 'dark winter' of judgment Weaver warns about?

[Context]

The sermon concludes with a call to repentance as the only hope.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T05:10:27Z