For decades some of us have watched the Triple Crown of horse racing with great spiritual interest. We often find the names of the horses to be biblically symbolic. This year is no exception as there is a horse with (currently) 30-1 odds named “American Promise.”
Many of our readers are no doubt aware of the ministry called “America’s Promise.” It was founded by Pastor Sheldon Emry in the late 1960s. I was led to it in the mid-1970s.
Sheldon’s teachings about the true identity of Israel were the greatest influence in my own development as a Bible teacher. After Sheldon’s death in 1985 (at the young age of 58), the ministry was eventually carried on by Dave Barley and his wife, Martha, Sheldon’s daughter. Sadly, Dave passed away March 28, 2023.
Many of us were first clued into the prophetic significance of these races by Ron Oja’s teachings about God’s “sign language.” How our Father is “hooked on phonics,” and how He “paints by the numbers.” Ron always associated the first leg of the Triple Crown with the fact that the apostle Paul was stoned, supposedly to death, but then arose, went back into the city of Lystra (= ransom), and the next day went to Derbe (= tanner).
The Triple Crown can be likened to our three-stage process of salvation about which we have taught extensively elsewhere. The three stages/phases are typified in the three major harvest feasts of ancient Israel: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.
These correspond to our justification, sanctification, and ultimately our glorification post-resurrection. Furthermore, they correspond to the salvation of our spirit, the salvation of our soul, and ultimately, the salvation of our (new) body in the resurrection, like unto the Savior’s resurrected body.
They are also typified in the layout of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness: the Outer Court, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place/Holy of Holies.
The Kentucky Derby then is about justification, including water baptism. All churches, ministries and denominations that teach that much about salvation are thus typically linked with the Kentucky Derby, the first stage of salvation.
The second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness, is therefore linked with the feast of Pentecost, and with those churches, ministries, and denominations that realize that there is more to salvation than justification by faith.
The so-called “pentecostals” and “charismatics” are associated with the Holy Place, and with the sanctification stage of salvation. Now, before we continue with the “sign language,” read the following information (an AI compilation derived from various websites). All emphases are mine. QUOTE:
American Promise, a 3-year-old colt, is a notable contender for the 2025 Kentucky Derby. Trained by D. Wayne Lukas and ridden by Nik Juarez, American Promise secured a Kentucky Derby berth by winning the Virginia Derby on March 15, 2025, at Colonial Downs, earning 50 points in the process. [50 is the Bible number associated with both Pentecost and Tabernacles (the Jubilee).]
He has a record of 2-1-1 from nine starts with earnings of $444,874. Lukas, who has won the Kentucky Derby four times, including most recently with Charismatic in 1999, expects American Promise to be his 51st starter in the race. American Promise's recent workouts at Oaklawn Park have been exceptional, indicating he is maintaining peak form for the Derby.
Charismatic, a 3-year-old colt, won the 1999 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes but failed to win the Belmont Stakes, ending his bid for the Triple Crown of American horse racing.
Trained by D. Wayne Lukas, Charismatic was a 31-1 longshot in the 1999 Kentucky Derby, where he won by a head after a strong finish. Charismatic passed away on October 11, 2023, at Old Friends, a Thoroughbred Retirement Center near Georgetown, Kentucky. END QUOTE
It is interesting to note that in the Belmont Stakes, Charismatic was in the lead in the home stretch but then suddenly faltered just short of the finish line. The jockey quickly dismounted and cradled the stallion’s fractured foreleg, preventing further injury. The valiant stallion recovered, but never raced again.
Symbolically, we understood in 1999, that this was precisely lined up with our understanding of the three phases of salvation. Because Charismatic symbolized the second stage of salvation, it was insufficient to win the third and final leg—the salvation into immortality and incorruptibility.
The fact that a fractured leg prevented Charismatic from winning the Triple Crown is symbolic of our Christian “walk” in these mortal bodies. We cannot enter into complete salvation in these flesh and blood bodies, but we await the awarding of our new bodies at the resurrection.
Is there an American Promise? You bet there is! For up until now there has been only a tiny remnant of Christianity who have been blessed (and burdened) to be given the understanding that we are the literal descendants of the twelve tribes of Jacob-Israel.
Our Stone Kingdom Ministries, along with America’s Promise Ministries, and God’s Kingdom Ministries are three of only a very few in number, tiny ministries teaching this truth.
But when the church at large (which has been blinded till now) realizes our identity as the true Israel of the Bible—having over the past two millennia become Christianized Israel—the Anglo-Saxon, Keltic, Scandinavian, Germanic, and various other related peoples of Europe and elsewhere—then will come the general recognition of God’s Promise to America (the American Promise).
Because we are His people and He will save, and even now is in the process of saving us from our enemies ‘round about, and He will usher in His glorious Kingdom on this earth, which will be established first in America! And from here, latter-day Zion and the New Jerusalem-America, will go forth to the rest of the world the establishment of His Kingdom to the glory of His name!
So what will happen at the Kentucky Derby tomorrow? Only God knows. But I plan to be glued to the TV tomorrow evening, hopefully an hour or so before the race, which is slated to let the horses out of the gates at 6:57 p.m. Saturday, May 3, 2025.
You might want to check that start time again tomorrow, because I have presently seen conflicting times on line. One gave a 7 p.m. start time. If in fact it does start at precisely 6:57 p.m. and if you tuned in at 7 p.m., you will have missed it. It is on the NBC network. This is the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby. Enjoy!
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Addendum: We are delighted that apparently some of you are reading the blogs shortly after we post them. It's only been up an hour or so, and already one of our astute readers just sent this additional bit of sign language.
"American Promise is the colt of Triple Crown winner Justify in 2018, which just happens to be the last Triple Crown winner." Of course, symbolically, Justify corresponds to Passover, Outer Court, the justification found in stage one of salvation.
But since Justify won the Triple Crown, it ultimately pictures all those Justified, and sanctified (i.e., Charismatic), will all get to the finish line and be glorified. It's getting beautifully interesting here!
Then he followed up a minute later to tell me that he and his wife had "coincidentally" just been in the midst of watching a Netflix docu-series called "Race for the Crown," all about the 2024 race for the crown, when my blog appeared. I'm smiling!
