# Appeal to Heaven The **signature iconography of the contemporary NAR political movement**. "Appeal to Heaven" refers to both: 1. A historical flag — the pine-tree "Appeal to Heaven" banner flown by [[George Washington]]'s [[Revolutionary War]] navy (the "Washington Cruisers"), bearing a green pine tree and the motto "An Appeal to Heaven" on a white field 2. The associated political-theological doctrine, developed primarily by [[Dutch Sheets]] in the 2010s, that when earthly government has violated its covenant with God and no earthly remedy is available, God's people may — and must — "appeal to heaven" for divine intervention in civic affairs The phrase originates in [[John Locke]]'s *Second Treatise of Government* (1689): when a tyrannical ruler has closed all legitimate avenues of redress, "the People have no other remedy... but to appeal to Heaven." For Locke this was a philosophical framing of the right of revolution. For Sheets and the modern Christian-nationalist movement, it is a literal call for God's intervention against political opponents framed as tyrannical/demonic. ## The Flag's Modern Revival Dutch Sheets began systematically promoting the Appeal to Heaven flag through his ministry in the 2010s. His ministry distributed thousands of flags through book giveaways, conference tables, and direct mail. By the late 2010s, it had become: - A fixture at charismatic Christian gatherings - A common symbol in evangelical homes and churches - A political identifier at MAGA rallies - A widely-circulated image in NAR-aligned social media ## The December 2020 Jericho March The Appeal to Heaven flag reached its clearest political deployment at the **Jericho March** on December 12, 2020 — the NAR-organized Washington D.C. rally in which participants circled the Supreme Court and national monuments seven times in imitation of the biblical march on Jericho, declaring that the "walls" of the 2020 election would fall. Dutch Sheets was a featured speaker. Appeal to Heaven flags were prominent throughout. ## January 6, 2021 At the January 6 Capitol attack, the Appeal to Heaven flag was widely visible in the crowd. It was carried into the Capitol by multiple participants. Its presence is part of the broader case that the Capitol breach was not only a political act but a *religious* one with specific NAR theological content and iconography. ## Speaker Mike Johnson's Adoption When Rep. Mike Johnson became Speaker of the House in October 2023, he prominently displayed the Appeal to Heaven flag outside his congressional office. The flag's placement was noted by observers as a significant signal of [[Mike Johnson]]'s alignment with the Christian-nationalist movement's iconography. ## The Alito Scandal (May 2024) In May 2024, the New York Times reported that Supreme Court Justice [[Samuel Alito]]'s wife, Martha-Ann Alito, had flown an Appeal to Heaven flag at the family's New Jersey beach house during the summer of 2023. The report came shortly after a separate NYT story that an inverted American flag — a "Stop the Steal" symbol — had flown at the Alitos' Virginia home in January 2021, in the days following the Capitol attack. The Appeal to Heaven revelation was significant because: - It placed the most Christian-nationalist-aligned symbol of the contemporary right at the home of a sitting Supreme Court justice - It came during Alito's consideration of January 6-related cases (including Trump's immunity case and the Fischer obstruction case) - It contradicted the Supreme Court's norm against appearance of political partisanship - Alito declined to recuse from January 6 cases despite the revelation ## Theological Framework Sheets' theological development of the Appeal to Heaven concept includes: - **America as covenant nation**: The United States was founded in covenant with God - **Covenant violation**: Secular/progressive/demonic forces have broken the covenant - **Divine remedy**: The church's duty is to "appeal to heaven" — to ask God's direct intervention in civic affairs - **The flag as prophetic act**: Flying the flag is not merely symbolic but an act of spiritual authority - **Intercession + declaration**: Paired with specific prayer and prophetic declaration, the appeal activates God's intervention This framework is politically potent because it combines revolutionary-era American symbolism (broadly appealing to conservative constituencies) with specific NAR theology (energizing charismatic Christian activism) — producing a banner that can fly at both a pastor's conference and a [[Proud Boys]] rally without anyone feeling out of place. ## Why It Matters for the KB The Appeal to Heaven flag is the **visual semaphore** of NAR politics in the public square. When it appears — at a Speaker's office, a Supreme Court justice's home, a Capitol breach, a church rally, a MAGA event — it signals that the person displaying it is operating within the NAR theological-political framework even if they would not use that term. For tracking purposes, the flag serves as a useful behavioral indicator: figures who display it are typically either part of the NAR ecosystem or have adopted its symbolic vocabulary. Its appearance in contexts of formal civic authority (legislative offices, judicial residences) is one of the most legible markers of the movement's penetration into American institutional power. ## See Also - [[Dutch Sheets]] - [[Mike Johnson]] - [[New Apostolic Reformation]] - [[Seven Mountain Mandate]] - [[New Apostolic Reformation Ecosystem]] - [[Stop the Steal]]