The Fourth of July is coming up this week. This holiday honors a unique event in history. It's a commemoration of the time when men declared themselves free of the hereditary rule of other men and established a society not guided by right of birth, but guided by the privilege of individual freedom based on "the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

July 4, 1776 began a new historical era in human relationships. Nothing would ever be the same again. History had reversed itself. Based on these tenets of individual liberty, the 13 colonies would ultimately emerge into becoming the Unites States of America, and would ultimately become the dominant nation on earth and the main exporter of the notion of political freedom.

Other than the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, there is perhaps no more revered icon of liberty in America that depicts "feelings of the Fourth" other than the Liberty Bell. Its claim on Americans' affections comes from the fact that its toll rallied the people of Philadelphia to the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence in front of Independence Hall on July 8, 1776. It was here that the common man would become attuned to his destiny. "Let freedom ring" is often associated with this single piece of molded iron.

But what about the familiar crack up the side of the bell? The bell has a notorious history of trial and error in its many moldings and later tollings, but it is commonly agreed that the final expansion of the crack, which would silence the "Bell of Freedom," occurred on Washington’s Birthday in 1846. Now it is simply a monument for the ages.

But what other resonating message does this now dormant bell still tell us besides the exploits of the American Revolution and the faulty casting that ultimately led to its famous crack? Embedded into its iron fabric is an inscription from the biblical passage of Leviticus 25:10 which says, "Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants."

But why this phrase on this particular bell? It's best understood by opening up your Bible to the same scripture and focusing on the preceding thought of "And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year."

The bell was commissioned to be crafted by the Pennsylvania Assembly to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges. This progressive document, Pennsylvania’s first constitution, established broad freedoms regarding religious expression, a humane stance regarding Native Americans, and the inclusion of the citizenry in local government issues. Penn's genius of establishing new approaches to relationships in a New World was worthy of a golden anniversary memento.

But what liberty was being proclaimed in the original context of the scripture embedded next to the famous crack? And when was it proclaimed?

The preceding verse of Leviticus 25:9 states: "Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet sound throughout all the land."

A reading of the entirety of Leviticus 25 will reveal to you that every 50 years at this time: 1) Families that had lost their land had it returned; 2) People who had become indentured servants due to economic conditions were released; and 3) In general, debts were forgiven. No wonder liberty was proclaimed "throughout the land" with the dawning of a new existence on the Day of Atonement.

Does this sound too good to be true? What is this Day of Atonement that is mentioned in verse 9? Does it have any relevance to our day? Or is it simply a cherished relic of the past, like the Liberty Bell, which has seen its best days come and gone?

Actually, it's a day whose meaning reveals and annually reminds Christians that we are truly free in Christ and that ultimately "the rulers of the darkness of this age" (Ephesians 6:12) will be cast aside on the trash heap of history on the ultimate independence day of the future.

Want to know more? Just click on to our Literature Library Section, then go to Booklets, and click on to God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind. The section on the Day of Atonement begins on page 38. It explains the future reality of how God is going to elevate all humanity to the ultimate rights of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Until then, we wish you a happy Fourth of July—and remember, there’s more than a crack on the bell.