The Queen’s Funeral Shows the Power of the Throne

Most of the world—some 4 billion people—tuned in to the biggest live tv event in history on September 19: the funeral of Queen Elizabeth ii. Up to 2 million more lined the streets of London to view the funeral procession. From Washington to Westphalia, flags flew at half-mast in her honor. Westminster Abbey hosted one of the largest gatherings of world leaders in history, with over 500 foreign heads of state, monarchs and dignitaries from 175 countries in attendance.

Queen Elizabeth moved people in a powerful way. The line to file past her coffin as she lay in state reached its maximum allotted length of 10 miles. Some people waited more than 24 hours in line just to have a minute to pay their last respects. People of all ages, races and backgrounds stood in line so they could have a moment to bow, curtsy or salute the Queen’s coffin before walking away, many with tears in their eyes.

How could the Queen move people around the world so powerfully?

British journalist Melanie Phillips wrote that to understand this phenomenal world event, you need to know the connection between Britain’s throne and the Bible.

Back to King David

“Citizens of republics often find it hard to appreciate the benefits of a constitutional monarchy,” Phillips wrote. “Few also appreciate that the British monarchy is patterned on ancient Israel. It’s why the monarch is anointed; it’s why words uttered by ‘Zadok the Priest,’ taken from the first book of Kings, have been sung at every English coronation since 973 c.e. Some British monarchs in the past have even purportedly traced their line back to King David” (jns, September 16).

The royal family traces all the way back to King David? Few indeed recognize this, but you can prove it true! Herbert W. Armstrong explained it in his book The United States and Britain in Prophecy (request a free copy). You cannot understand the throne of Britain without discussing some of the many scriptures about it in the Bible.

Queen Elizabeth ii did indeed sit on David’s throne. God gave her the honor, and with it came a heavy responsibility.

Here is God’s promise to King David: “And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever” (2 Samuel 7:12-13).

This is a universe-shaking truth! God said He would establish David’s throne forever! That is one of the most important promises that God makes in the Bible.

The world and many British people wonder why Britain clings to its throne. The amazing answer is that Jesus Christ has kept the British throne alive.

The solutions to Britain’s problems can be found in the understanding of the British throne’s true ancestry. The rich traditions surrounding that throne point back to something far greater than most people realize.

There is evidence that Queen Elizabeth’s great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria knew the throne of Britain began with David. But most journalists and scholars show no interest in proving if that ancient throne even exists, or in the supreme magnitude of its importance. And it is not difficult to prove.

Whether or not you realize it, that throne represents the only hope in this terrifyingly dangerous world. That same throne has a direct connection to the promise of Jesus Christ returning and bringing peace to the whole world.

“He [Jesus] shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:32-33). This is a marvelous promise from God not only that Jesus Christ will return but that He will rule the nations from David’s throne. This was the same throne occupied by Queen Elizabeth ii!

That throne lasted so long in England because of God’s covenant with David. King David spoke of this covenant just before he died. “Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel …. Yea, does not my house stand so with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?” (2 Samuel 23:1, 5; Revised Standard Version). God made an everlasting covenant with David. The throne of David will never cease: It will flourish throughout eternity! (Isaiah 9:6-7). Anyone in that royal line was part of that special throne covenant made with King David, whether they know it or not.

It is this glorious honor that gave the Queen’s throne its exceptional power.

A Unifying Throne

Melanie Phillips noted the power this throne had to unify. “The word that springs to mind from these affecting scenes is devotion: the late Queen’s devotion to the people, and their devotion to her. … In largely secular, godless Britain, there is a strong element of the sacred in this relationship between the people and the crown.

“The monarch in Britain is consecrated to a higher king. At the coronation, which will take place next year, Charles will be anointed. The oath that he takes is not to the people but to God” (ibid). That is true! Will King Charles keep that oath to God?

“That’s why his duty to serve the people is unbreakable. And that’s why the monarch is a unifying force and melds the people into a united nation. The royal family helps forge the country into a kind of national family” (ibid).

Phillips pointed out that David’s throne in Israel held that same power. “The genius of the monarchy invented by King David was that it brought together, as one governable nation, otherwise disparate and potentially warring tribes” (ibid).

The reason for its power is that it was not “invented by David.” This throne is how God unifies people. David brought the divided tribes of Israel together under that throne. Even after the kingdom split and, eventually, both the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah were destroyed, that throne continued. God preserved it, fulfilling the prophecy of Ezekiel 21:27 by overturning it three times: first by moving it to Ireland through the Prophet Jeremiah, then to Scotland about a thousand years later, then later to England. You can follow that royal line through history, along with the movements of the “stone of destiny,” a stone over which British monarchs have been crowned since Edward i captured it and moved it to Westminster Abbey in 1296.

That throne joined the kingdoms of Scotland and England together under one monarchy. As Mr. Armstrong wrote in The United States and Britain in Prophecy, “Soon Britain’s empire spread around the world, until the sun never set upon her possessions. Canada, Australia, South Africa were given dominion status—made free and independent nations, ruling themselves independent of England—a company, or commonwealth, of nations joined together, not by legal government, but solely by the throne of David!” (emphasis his).

The Bible tells us that the Messiah will unite the whole world behind that throne: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land” (Jeremiah 33:14-15). Many prophecies show that the “land” Christ will rule is the whole Earth! The Messiah is about to rule the nations from David’s throne!

Judah and Israel are about to be reunited under that throne (verse 16). In fact, this world is about to become spiritual Israel, unified by the throne of David. All mankind will look to that one throne, the “key of David” throne. The key of David unites everyone who has ever lived—if they choose life.

The Queen’s funeral provided us a glimpse at the power of a God-ordained throne. Look at the admiration and respect for the British throne shown by millions upon millions of people. What kind of message could be taught from that throne? What power does that throne have to really change people’s lives—if wielded by someone righteous?

When you see 4 billion people all watching one throne, you could say that is a prophecy of the way Jesus Christ will unite the world!

God has given us a tangible throne on Earth so we can better understand the depth of God’s hope, our potential and the specific institution He will use to bring peace and unity to the world.

Yes, Britain’s crown truly does trace back to King David of ancient Israel. Yet here is an even more stunning truth. Elizabeth sat on David’s throne for 65 years—but in her last five years, she did not sit on David’s throne! I will explain.

End of an Era

Queen Elizabeth was a remarkable example of class, duty and service to her people. Sadly, she represented an era in British history that is virtually gone.

“[T]he Queen is an irreplaceable constant in the life of the British nation,” Phillips wrote last year. “Her public appearances aren’t just the exercise of her role as the symbol of the nation. As so many feel so viscerally, she is the nation. … With her unrivaled sense of duty, her stoicism and her emotional restraint, many see in the Queen the embodiment of a Britain whose cultural identity is inexorably fraying. Many feel in their bones that when the Queen eventually passes, Britain will just not be the same. Despite the fact that the monarchy will continue, something of infinite value will have been lost” (Oct. 29, 2021; emphasis mine).

To many, the Queen represented a tie to a fading era of better morals—where the nation was stronger, its people better mannered and infused with higher values. She served with a certain selflessness that is rare today. She represented a connection to a largely lost past.

In 2016, the bbc produced a beautiful brochure celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday—“Queen Elizabeth: 90 Glorious Years.” In commenting on the death of her father, King George vi, the bbc editors wrote, “Britain 64 years ago was a country almost unimaginably different in outlook, attitudes, morals and ethos than today, to say nothing of technology. Opinion polls into the early 1960s showed that as many as a third of respondents believed that the Queen had been chosen by God rather than by right of succession from her father.”

Britain and the Queen’s heirs have been moving away from what few connections they still have with that history.

‘Worst Decision of Her Life’

In 1996, Britain’s prime minister chose to send the coronation stone back to Scotland, and Queen Elizabeth approved.

The remarkable origin of that stone is recorded in Genesis 28:10-22. This same stone appeared in coronations in ancient Israel (e.g. 2 Chronicles 23:11-13). If you study it, you will see that this stone was a symbol of the throne of David and of Jesus Christ, our Rock! Ponder that deeply, because God takes this unusually seriously. (I explain all of this in my free book The Key of David.)

For the Queen to surrender that stone showed terrible faithlessness and disrespect for her people’s history with God!

In the Trumpet at the time, I wrote, “I believe this stone is the most precious physical thing on this Earth. I also believe that Queen Elizabeth just made the worst decision of her life! And the British government has made the biggest mistake in its history! … [England’s] actions have scorned the omnipotent, living God. And there is going to be a terrifying penalty unless they repent” (August 1996; emphasis in the original).

Apparently that stone will be returned for King Charles’s coronation. But look at what has happened to that family since they sent the stone back to Scotland. They have been plagued by disastrous scandals for the whole world to see! That was a great trial for the Queen.

Relinquishing that stone and disdaining God as she did proved to be a terrible mistake, spiritually, for Queen Elizabeth ii. Five years ago, God ended the connection between the British royal family and the throne of David. You can read about this in my September 2017 cover story, “The Fall of the British Royal Family” (theTrumpet.com/16067).

King Charles iii is a descendant of David. But he is not sitting on David’s throne as his mother was just five years ago.

Jeremiah’s Prophecy

The book of Jeremiah was written and preserved because many of its prophecies are for this end time (Jeremiah 30:1-9). Verse 24 states that “in the latter days ye shall consider it”—and “consider it” would be better translated “understand it thoroughly.” Many other prophecies and scriptures show that the latter days are this end time we are living in today. God said we would understand this thoroughly! Do you?

Jeremiah 22 has this prophecy for our day: “Thus saith the Lord; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, And say, Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David …” (verses 1-2). God is instructing this king how he must live if he is to sit on that throne.

“Thus saith the Lord; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong …” (verse 3). Is that the way the Queen’s family has been living? Is that King Charles’s history?

“For if,” verse 4 begins—see, this is conditional, if you are to sit on David’s throne. “For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David ….” If you meet these conditions, then you will have a king sitting on the David’s throne. But that did not happen. That is why the throne of David is no longer in Britain.

Of the word “sitting,” the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament says, “Literally, the text is ‘the place of sitting.’” This man can sit there if he meets the conditions. And God is talking to a king, not a queen.

Jeremiah’s prophecy continues: “And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons …. Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them” (verses 7, 9). Which “covenant” did these people forsake? The covenant God made with David regarding that throne! They were part of this covenant of David, and they forsook it!

Look how thoroughly the royal family has turned its back on the covenant of David. God has punished them and taken that throne away from them.

Dissolving the Commonwealth?

King Charles said in 1999 that if he were to take the throne, he would want to assume the official title not as “Defender of the Faith” as generations of monarchs have done before him, but “Defender of Faith”—protecting all faiths in Britain. This sounds righteous to a lot of people today. Modern society believes the lie that “diversity is our strength.” But look at the disastrous results of such thinking. It has left Britain faithless, materialistic, divided and vulnerable to foreign extremists. Britain has lost its faith in God and king, and abandoned its moral foundation! The Church of England has surrendered its moral authority, loosening its standards on every issue: women in the clergy, premarital sex, homosexuality. The monarchy, rather than working to prevent the moral slide and uphold godly standards, has watched it happen and even encouraged it! The royal family, including the new king, has been caught up in terrible moral scandals. British society has suffered immeasurably as a result.

Ties to the monarchy around the world are also loosening. Within Britain, YouGov polling in 2021 showed the Queen had the highest favorability rating of any member of the royal family, at 75 percent. King Charles’s favorability was only 42 percent, and his wife’s was 40 percent; among millennials, those numbers are 34 and 37 percent. The family has been plagued by disgraceful conduct by Prince Andrew and Prince Harry’s abdication of his royal role and duties. Outrageously, many people consider the monarchy a racist institution, and Harry has publicly and shamefully agreed.

With the Queen gone, what will happen to the royal reputation? What role will the royal family play in Britain’s future?

Charles has hinted at plans to take the royal family in a new direction, with a scaled-back public role, a smaller core of working royals, and a loosening of ties with Commonwealth nations.

Britain’s monarch is recognized as head of state in 15 countries outside the United Kingdom out of 54 countries that are part of the British Commonwealth. There are strong movements in Canada and Australia to break from the British crown. Scotland is also trying to leave the UK. Barbados renounced the monarchy last year. Jamaica could be next. How much will King Charles’s rule accelerate this trend?

People today think nothing of tossing aside an institution that has been a constant in British life for over a thousand years!

You can be sure the next coronation will be very different from the one 69 years ago. The remaining members of the royal family have rejected the Bible! Britain no longer respects such traditions or the Bible or God!

Anciently, Israel wanted a king so it could be more like the nations around it (1 Samuel 8:4-5). Today, many in the British Commonwealth want to eliminate the monarchy for the same reason!

But God has a plan for correcting this problem, and He has already put it in place.

Britain to Be ‘Without a King’

Hosea 3:4 has an important end-time prophecy about the Great Tribulation, a time of terrible suffering that precedes Jesus Christ’s Second Coming: “For the children of Israel [referring to Britain, America and the Jewish state of Israel] shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image …”—which is referring to that stone of destiny.

During the Great Tribulation, Britain will no longer have a king or even a prince! How do you square that with God’s promise that David’s throne would never lack a man sitting on it? (Jeremiah 33:17). God has fulfilled that promise for some 3,000 years—but right at the end will come a point when that king, and that stone, will not be there! This awaits Britain in the time just ahead! Many other prophecies show that nation will be defeated and its people taken into captivity!

Here is what I wrote about these verses in my book The New Throne of David (free upon request): “By the time this prophecy is fulfilled, Britain will have been conquered by the Holy Roman Empire. The British lose their king, and they lose their stone (a symbol of David’s throne) …. What does this mean? God promised to continue that throne forever, yet here we see that suddenly there is no king and no stone, and the prophecy doesn’t even say where they are. During the Tribulation, the king will probably be dead! Jacob’s pillar stone will be lost; we don’t know what will happen to it but it could be destroyed.

“If no one sits on David’s throne, God will have broken His promise!”

Anyone who sees this happen, if he knows anything about God’s promises regarding David’s throne, would have to think that God did break His promise.

But God never breaks His promises!

“The truth is,” I wrote, “by the time this prophecy is fulfilled, the throne in Britain is no longer David’s throne!

“Even before Britain loses its king and stone, the British throne is no longer the throne of David, or God’s promise is broken.

“Hosea’s prophecy shows that before the Tribulation, God must have a new stone and a new king—a new throne. Otherwise He could not allow Hosea 3:4 to happen. How else can you explain what is going to happen in Britain?” (ibid).

This book goes through several prophecies and biblical passages that explain this electrifying truth. God has moved the throne of David out of Britain. So the throne from which Queen Elizabeth reigned, and on which her successor will reign, is actually no longer the throne of David.

With the Queen’s death, Britain’s connection with the throne of David is even weaker.

Three years ago, I wrote in that book, “Think about this: If Britain no longer has the throne of David, this strongly indicates that Britain is going to go down rapidly! How could it be otherwise? This is a great condemnation by God against that people!”

I believe that now that the Queen has died, Britain’s demise will accelerate. We are about to see a very sad ending for that throne, which is no longer David’s throne.

A New Throne of David

God has established a new throne—that still fulfills God’s promise to King David. When Jesus Christ returns very soon, that is the throne of David God the Father will give Him (Luke 1:32) and that He will rule from forever.

God establishing this new throne is an important transition to take place just before Christ returns.

God’s people are about to be born into the God Family. In a physical birth, the last part of active labor is referred to as “transition.” So God has a transition spiritually today. He has a new throne. We are in the pushing stage—the last stage in the birth of a miraculous child. What a beautiful picture!

The stone of destiny symbolizes Jesus Christ, sitting on David’s throne with His Bride at His side. Together they will rule under God the Father over all nations!

God says that government will expand forever: “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever” (Isaiah 9:7).

I want to encourage you to study the truth about this new throne of David. Amid all the bad news in this world, this is very inspiring truth! It shows how God is watching over these events closely. It also shows just how close we are to the return of Jesus Christ, when He comes to claim His rightful place on that throne of David. That throne will eventually unite the whole universe! What a vision!

The physical reality of that throne is enough to capture the attention and imagination of 4 billion people. If only they would contemplate this spiritual reality!

What a future mankind has because of that throne of David!