Hawaii's Rich HistoryWe are located on the most southern tip of the United States on what is called the Big Island of Hawaii. All of the other Hawaiian islands combined literally could fit into the Big Island nearly two times. However, all of Hawaii is only a small dot of land mass in the midst of 2,000 miles of ocean. It is the most remote place on earth and has been described as "the ends of the earth." Hawaii is the farthest from the Middle Eastern cradle of civilization and the last to be occupied by man sometime around 400 A.D. The original Hawaiians had a deep rich history of aloha and pono (righteousness & virtue) as they followed Creator God to inhabit the islands. Centuries later after years of conflict, King Kamehameha I unified the Hawaiian Islands into one royal kingdom. Once he passed away his son, King Kamehameha II, became king and saw the fulfillment of prophecy. Someone had once pointed to a specific rock on the shore of Kailua Bay and prophesied, "Here O king, the new God shall come!" In 1820, the missionaries landed on this exact rock. Today it is known as the "Plymouth Rock of Kona." One old Hawaiian prophecy said that the God of peace would return in a small black box and speak a language they wouldn't understand. In the early 1800's, Bibles had to be hand pressed and were extremely valuable so they were put into special boxes on long voyages for safe keeping. The first missionary who stepped onto "Plymouth Rock" carried a small black box to protect his Bible. When the king opened the black box, he found a book (Bible) inside that contained a strange language which he couldn't understand. Various kahuna proclaimed that the Hawaiian God of Peace had returned as prophesied. Though the missionaries made a series of critical mistakes, most of them helped turn the hearts of the Hawaiian people towards Christ through great sacrifice and genuine love. The years of 1837-1850 became known as "Hawaii's Great Awakening" when thousands came to accept Iesu Kristo and 96% of all Hawaiians followed Christ! When Hilo was only a town of 1,000 people, it became the home of the largest church in the world with 10,000 people attending its services. The phenomenon was described as a continuous ten-year camp meeting. About this time it was reported, "One could scarcely go in any direction, in the sugar cane or banana groves without finding children praying and weeping before God." “This land has been dedicated to the glory of God. God is calling us as instruments today to reclaim spiritual inheritance. I am not speaking of redigging a well to return to the traditions of the past, or to rediscover old methods or cherished doctrine. Rather I am talking of coming alive again with the waters of the Holy Spirit.” (Digging the Wells of Revival) by Lou Engle Resourced in part from GOD OF LIGHT, GOD OF DARKNESS, by Daniel Kikawa |