What You Need to Know About the Royal Wedding
Few things on Earth arrest global attention like a royal wedding.
When the Prince of Wales married Diana Spencer in 1981, more than 750 million people tuned in to watch the event on television. At the time, it was the most popular event ever broadcast. On April 29, that record will be smashed when Prince William, the firstborn son of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, weds Kate Middleton at the revered Westminster Abbey.
Thirty years ago, while watching the grandeur of Prince Charles’s wedding, Herbert Armstrong was moved to write a lengthy article about the royal family for the Plain Truth. He recalled Britain’s unique ability to host such a “glorious and colorful extravaganza.” The wedding, he marveled, with its quintessentially British pomp and pageantry, its high-class guest list, and a bride who was “bright, cheerful and happy” was a “spectacle unparalleled.”
The same “spectacle unparalleled” promises to unfold on April 29. But it will hold a thrilling dimension that most people simply will not recognize. The same was true 30 years ago, which is why Mr. Armstrong wrote his article. Beyond the material brilliance, he wrote, “[T]here is still far greater significance to this elaborate wedding.” The “throne of England,” he emphasized, is “important in the eyes of God!” (October/November 1981).
The marriage of a British sovereign should remind all of us of one of the most thrilling truths in the Bible!
A Biblical Dynasty Continues
The history of Britain’s royal family is truly remarkable. “I do not know whether the present generation of royal family know and believe it,” wrote Mr. Armstrong in 1981, “but I’ve been informed that the royal family of two or three generations ago did know that the British sovereign is in fact a continuation of the dynasty of King David of ancient Israel.”
And if you think the truth about the history of the English throne is weighty, then consider its future. In his article, Mr. Armstrong invoked the prophecy in Luke 1:32-33, which says that at His Second Coming, “the Lord God shall give unto [Jesus Christ] the throne of his father David.” As heirs of David’s royal dynasty, Mr. Armstrong explained, England’s royal family actually inhabits the very throne that Jesus Christ will inherit at His Second Coming.
To Herbert Armstrong, the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana was a glorious reminder of God’s presence behind England’s royal house. Thirty years later, the wedding of Prince William radiates with this same stunning truth!
These days, most people would probably chuckle at the notion that the Queen of England, and her son and grandson, are direct descendants of King David and his forefathers Jacob, Isaac and Abraham. But Mr. Armstrong wasright, and his teaching is vindicated by history. In fact, not long ago it was widely understood that England’s royal traditions had their origins back in ancient Israel.
On June 28, 1837, the day of Queen Victoria’s coronation, the London Sun ran an article on the history of the ceremony that occurred. It focused on the “stone of destiny,” which historically has always featured in the coronation of English kings and queens. “Between the seat and this board is enclosed a stone, commonly called Jacob’s, or the fatal marble, stone,” the article explained.
Notice what this mainstream newspaper wrote next: “History relates that it is the stone whereon the patriarch Jacob laid his head in the plains of Luz.” You can read the history of Jacob’s pillar stone in Genesis 28.
Think on that. While Mr. Armstrong explained the history of England’s royal household in unmatched depth and scriptural detail, he was not alone in his teaching that the origins of this royal dynasty lay in ancient Israel. As recently as 1837, English newspapers were recalling the history of Britain’s royal family and the stone of destiny and their origins in the land of ancient Israel!
Could you imagine a mainstream British newspaper today running an article connecting the British royal family to the patriarch Jacob? When was the last time you read an objective story from the media shedding light on the fascinating origins and traditions of the royal family? This is one of the most interesting and important topics in English history, yet the media is woefully silent.
This is why Mr. Armstrong considered the wedding of Prince Charles so significant, and why the Trumpet considers the wedding of Prince William to be important: Royal weddings give the world an opportunity to explore the stirring truth about Britain’s royal family!
“Kings Shall Come Out of Thee”
The history of Britain’s royal family begins with the patriarch Abraham, upon whom God bestowed a history-altering promise in Genesis 12. In Genesis 17, God explained His promise to Abraham in more detail, telling him specifically that “kings shall come out of thee.” Believe it or not, Queen Elizabeth is a descendant of Abraham—and living fulfillment of God’s promise to this patriarch!
About a thousand years after God made His original promise to Abraham, He made the same promise to King David, a descendant of Abraham. Read the account in 2 Samuel 7:12-16 and note the absoluteness of this promise: “And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee … and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablishthe throne of his kingdom for ever. … And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.”
God promised King David that He would establish his royal dynasty—and that it would continue forever!
To say the dynasty of King David hasn’t continued to this day is to call God a liar.
But where is that royal dynasty today? And if it is indeed in Britain, how did the throne and Jacob’s pillar stone end up there? Who took them to England? When did this journey take place? This is why Mr. Armstrong was thrilled by the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles: It prodded people to discover the answers to these questions.
To help his readers answer these questions and capture the full significance of Prince Charles’s elaborate wedding, Mr. Armstrong reprinted many passages from his book The United States and Britain in Prophecy. Filled with scriptural proof and historical fact, this book provides a thorough and convincing exploration of the origins of the British royal family and its connection to the throne of David.
For example, Mr. Armstrong explained how the Prophet Jeremiah was commissioned with the responsibility of relocating the royal dynasty (including Jacob’s pillar stone) to the British Isles. “Besides the royal family,” he wrote, “Jeremiah brought with them some remarkable things, including a harp, an ark, and a wonderful stone called ‘lia-fail,’ or ‘stone of destiny.’” The story of Jeremiah explains how Jacob’s pillar stone ended up in Britain.
In light of the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, we’d like to echo Mr. Armstrong’s sentiment: Today, more than ever, “the throne of England is important in the eyes of God!” Just as there was with the marriage of his father and mother, “there is still far greater significance to [the] elaborate wedding” of Prince William.
If you’d like to understand the significance of this, one of the most grand and glorious weddings in recent history, request your free copy of The United States and Britain in Prophecy. Six million people have already requested this book. Isn’t it time you did too? This wedding will likely be one of the most popular events in modern times. The United States and Britain in Prophecy is the program guide that explains the remarkable history and significance of this splendid occasion.
