Foursquare Symbols: Their Meaning and Significance

The Glowing Scarlet Cross
The cross represents the death of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross carrying our sins with Him as the perfect sacrifice "having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself" (Colossians 1:20). Red represents the shed blood of Jesus that washes away our sins so we are able to stand before God clothed in robes of righteousness and declared redeemed and justified "being now justified by his blood" (Romans 5:9).

The Glittering Gold Dove
The dove, a symbol of the Holy Spirit as is seen at the Baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan River, represents the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. "And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him" (Matthew 3:16). The gold again is a symbol of the fire of the Holy Spirit as was seen on the Day of Pentecost in the upper room.

The Shimmering Blue Cup
The cup represents the anointing oil as we are instructed, "Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up" (James 5:14 & 15).

The Gleaming Purple Crown
The crown represents the Coming King, with the purple showing the royalty of Jesus Christ who will return very soon to catch His bride away to be with Him forever "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thessalonians 4:16 & 17). "He hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS" (Revelation19:16).

It was Sister Aimee Semple McPherson who designed the Foursquare flag in 1931. Unchanged through the years, the flag signifies the four-fold of the ministry of Jesus Christ. The four stripes represent the four cardinal doctrines: Jesus Christ the Savior, the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, the Great Physician, and the Soon-Coming King. The corner insignia is a #4 representing the four major doctrines we believe and square on a red cross that lies on an open Bible. The cross is empty signifying that Jesus Christ has already risen from the dead and is sitting on the throne in heaven with the Father. Its color is red representing the unblemished blood of Jesus Christ as the sacrificial lamb. The inclusion of the Bible in the Foursquare flag conveys that The Foursquare Church believes that the Bible, inerrant Word of God, is the final and sole authority of doctrines.

About the black canton: McPherson was a Canadian, from a Salvation Army background. Black was the common 19th century color for clergy and religious. Foursquare actually had black uniforms for its pastors [male and female] up until the 1970's. Why, black doesn't show dirt; and black doesn't make a competitive fashion statement. Perhaps the black canton represents the ordained ministry. (Rev. Bruce Redner, 17 November 2005)

The Four Stripes: What the Colors Represent and Why They Are In This Order

• Across the bottom of the flag, like a solid foundation, is the glowing scarlet of redemption. This represents the precious shed blood of our Savior, ever reminding us that "without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin" (Hebrews 9:22).
• Lying directly upon the scarlet is the glittering gold, representing the fire of the Holy Spirit. Heavenly fire is golden, "as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire" as Ezekiel explained it in (Ezekiel 1:27). He promised the disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit to give them the power necessary to spread the gospel: "ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
• Lying upon the gold is the shimmering blue of divine healing. The color of the Robe of the Ephod of the High Priest's garments. Jesus Christ is the Great Physician, the Divine Healer, and in Christ Jesus we may have health for body, soul, and spirit. Jesus stated, "these signs will follow those who believe... they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover" (Mark 16:17,18).
• In the top stripe we see the gleaming purple representing the royalty of our Lord, who has not set up His Kingdom on earth, but He is coming to do so. He said it like this: "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory" (Matthew 25:31). When Jesus went into heaven, He left the promise that He would return to take His Church to live with Him forever. This is the great hope of those who believe in Jesus as Savior (John 14:1 - 3).

The Foursquare Gospel is worth comparable to a jewel of unusual beauty.

The Foursquare Emblem shows the four faces from Ezekiel's vision surrounding a four in a square planted on the Word of God. The four faces, as described the "Visions of Ezekiel", represent the four phases of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These faces forming the sides of a square encasing the Word of God, represent the "Foursquare Gospel" planted firmly on the Word of God.

• The face of the man represents the Man of Sorrows, One acquainted with grief dying on the tree, Jesus our Savior.


• The face of the lion represents the mighty Baptizer with the Holy Ghost and fire, Jesus our Baptizer in the Holy Spirit.


• The face of the ox represents the Great Burden-bearer, Who Himself took our infirmities and carried our sickness, Jesus our Healer or Great Physician.


• The face of the eagle reflects the Coming King, our Bridegroom, Who would soon come to catch His beloved bride away, Jesus our Soon Coming King