Remember Henry viii? Yes, he was the king who had six wives and a penchant for gambling.

He was also the individual responsible for prying England away from the Catholic Church in the 16th century, and in the process institutionalizing English Christianity as a distinct and influential force in the world. Henry viii is the father of the Church of England, which after its breach with Rome played a towering role in the political and cultural evolution of England into a sovereign and entirely distinct (from Europe) global power.

Apparently Henry, despite his accomplishments, may end up burning in hell. At least, that’s what the highest ranking minister in the Anglican Church says—the man inhabiting an office (of tremendous power and influence) that only came into existence as a result of the bold and visionary actions of Henry viii!

Talk about ironic.

Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, made his perfidious inference earlier this month at a ceremony at the London Charterhouse to honor John Houghton and his companions. Houghton was a Catholic priest who ended up on the sharp end of Henry viii’s sword at the beginning of the Protestant Reformation in Britain. “The horrors inflicted on John Houghton and the martyrs of this house are horrors that human sin makes possible in every age, past, present and to come,” lamented Williams apologetically. (We’re still waiting for the day when the Vatican will sincerely reciprocate empathy for the millions it has bruised, burned and butchered.)

“If Henry viii is saved—an open question, perhaps—it will be at the prayers of John Houghton,” Williams then stated (emphasis mine throughout).

The inference is clear: According to the head of the Anglican Church, the decision to send Henry viii to heaven or hell rests with a Catholic priest!

The true biblical teaching on salvation, including on heaven and hell, differs vastly from both the Catholic Church and the Church of England. (It reveals plainly that England’s beloved Henry is in neither heaven nor hell.) The reason Williams’s remarks are significant is that they represent the nefarious sacrifice of the English monarchy—and the flaying of one of England’s most important kings—in a blatant attempt to curry favor with the Catholic Church, an institution with a long-standing passion for conquering England.

This is further evidence that a debilitating spirit of capitulation has a death grip on the institution that for generations has inspired England’s political, spiritual and cultural independence from Catholic Europe!

Let’s get some historical perspective. Although the Anglican Church was not formally created till the 16th century, its roots stretch as far back as the fifth century. “One of the reasons why the Reformation was successful in England,” writes British historian Paul Johnson, “was that there was absolutely nothing new about it. All its elements—anti-clericalism, anti-papalism, the exaltation of the Crown in spiritual matters, the envy of clerical property, even the yearning for doctrinal reform—were deeply rooted in the English past” (The Offshore Islanders).

Remember, though, that while these unique elements of English Christianity were institutionalized by Henry viii’s divorce from Rome, the newly begotten Church of England and the Catholic Church remained united on most matters of doctrine, morality and spirituality. So what was the exceptional issue that made the divorce between Rome and Canterbury inevitable?

It was the English church’s independent spirit, which sustained its constant and vigorous refusal to concede power to Rome!

This spirit of independence empowered England not just religiously, but also politically and culturally. For centuries it infused Englishmen with a profound sense of national autonomy. It inspired men, women and children to sacrifice blood, sweat and tears for “God, king and country.” Throughout England’s history, this refusal to concede power—especially to Catholic Europe—lay at the heart of British national character.

English kings and queens, empowered by the anti-clerical, anti-papal, independent spirit embodied in the church, used the church to establish government processes and build national unity. “The church became the principle instrument of civil government; the bishops were the king’s chief advisers, his chapel servants as well as spiritual ministers. The church codified the law, and put it in writing. Even before the church came, English society was developing a definite structure: but the church supplied the literate manpower and expertise to build a state machine” (ibid.). It was the church’s involvement in the national government that gave legitimacy to English law, enhancing its role and reputation in the hearts and minds of Englishmen, and motivating them to defend English law and sovereignty against foreign powers and influences.

For nearly 1,500 years, the vigorous spirit of independence embodied within English Christianity was the primary source of courage for Britons, infusing England with an indefatigable and uniquely strong sense of national independence and unity.

The attack on one of England’s most important kings by Rowan Williams—and the capitulation to Rome it represented—is evidence of the Anglican Church’s wholesale abdication of its historic and most critical responsibility: defending England by infusing Englishmen with an indomitable spirit of independence!

The implications of the ongoing moral collapse of the Church of England will be enormous. Most importantly, its demise will continue to create a massive vacuum in the Protestant world, especially in England. Watch what happens: One church’s demise will be another church’s opportunity. Since the 16th century, English monarchs and their subjects, fueled by the Anglican Church, have successfully defended British sovereignty from Catholic-European imperialism. But the tide is turning, and in the coming months the Vatican—via the now-forming German-led European superstate—will step up its pursuit of what it longingly refers to as “Mary’s dowry.”

Will this Catholic-inspired Euromachine succeed in conquering Britain?

Bible prophecy says it will. Speaking of “Israel” (a biblical name for Britain and America), Hosea 8 says, “[F]or they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind …. Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure” (verses 7-8). That may sound fanciful, but it’s reality. This Catholic-inspired European power will sweep through Britain like a devastating whirlwind, practically swallowing the island whole.

Perhaps some dismissed the archbishop of Canterbury’s remarks about Henry viii as insignificant. This is unwise: The Church of England’s self-flagellation and capitulation to Rome is a bitter foretaste of Britain’s future.