One of the qualities I love the most about Britain’s royal family is its tendency to inspire a majestic, unparalleled hope.

Take 13 minutes to watch this video and you’ll see what I mean. Watching Britain’s Queen Elizabeth ii celebrate her Diamond Jubilee will likely be the most moving and inspiring moment of your day, probably your week, and maybe even the entire month. This week’s celebrations have furnished a few moments like this, moments in which the pomp and pageantry has created the sense that something larger, something more special and impressive than merely the celebration of the Queen’s 60 years on the throne, was permeating the festivities.

It was all stirring: the magnificent armada of boats on the Thames on Sunday; the sea of red and blue, and fluttering Union Jacks that filled the city streets; the fireworks; the guards (and others) dressed in elaborate, quintessentially English attire; the spine-tingling pierce of trumpets echoing through London’s cobbled lanes; the throng of patriotic English singing, in unison, over and over, “God save the Queen.”

But it felt as if these tangibles were hints of some deeper, larger, intangible reality.

There were moments when even Queen Elizabeth ii, an extraordinary, selfless lady worthy of respect and admiration, seemed more like a spectator—transfixed along with the masses on a larger reality—than the heroine at the center of it all. This is not to marginalize Queen Elizabeth, her impressive tenure as Britain’s queen, or the monarchy. As events over the past four days have clearly revealed, Britain’s queen is deeply loved, and the face of an important institution that many continue to rightly cherish. It’s just that there were moments when you couldn’t help but feel that something greater than Elizabeth ii and the royal family was on display.

Something visceral, unquantifiable—deeply spiritual.

You could sense it in the moment when Queen Elizabeth graced the stage following the concert Monday. She didn’t speak, and it wasn’t the salutary words by Prince Charles. Rather, it was the sight of hundreds of thousands of British, with millions more watching from home, setting aside their disagreements, their trials and tribulations, and joyfully, tearfully fixating for a fleeting moment on their queen. It was the picture of virtually an entire nation stopping what it was doing and singing, in splendid unity, with gusto and a spirit of patriotism many thought was dead, “God save the Queen, God save the Queen.”

When was the last time Britain experienced a unity like that?

To fully appreciate what I’m talking about, take a few moments to read 1 Kings 1. Here, King David, the famous king of Israel, is about to die. Before he dies, however, he orchestrates the coronation of his young son, Solomon, as his replacement as king over Israel. The ceremony takes place beside the Gihon Spring, Jerusalem’s only water source and a symbol of God’s presence in Israel. Following young Solomon’s coronation, the people of Israel react with a magnificent display of loyalty and patriotism: “And they blew the trumpet; and all the peoples said, God save king Solomon“ (verse 39).

Imagine that. Here we are, 3,000 years after Solomon’s coronation, and we have a people still singing “God save the king.”

For me, it was the moment after the Queen placed a symbolic, large diamond in the cradle to light the last of 4,250 beacons that gripped my heart. At first, there’s an awkward silence as the crowd noise dwindles and the Queen looks on in anticipation. Then, after what seems like an eternity, you hear the distinct, gripping introduction of the greatest coronation anthem ever composed. It starts off quiet, but soon gets louder, and louder, and louder, till finally the orchestra, the choir—at exactly the same time fireworks begin exploding over Buckingham Palace—thunders the famous refrain, “Zadok the Priest, and Nathan the Prophet.”

I’ve watched it a dozen times and it still brings a tear to the eye.

It’s not just the general scene, the music, the rapturous crowd, the fireworks. It’s the words and vision. Composed by George Frideric Handel, this anthem has been sung at royal affairs ever since the coronation of King George ii in 1727. But notice where Handel found the words. In 1 Kings 1:33-34, the Bible recalls some specific instructions King David gave about who God wanted to crown his son Solomon. David tells his wife and servants, “Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon. And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel.”

Within a few hours, it says in verse 39, “Zadok the priest [had] anointed Solomon.”

During a recent interview with the bbc, the archbishop of Canterbury recalled Elizabeth’s June 1953 coronation. He remembered how the 27-year-old princess was “anointed by consecrated oil just as Old Testament Kings had been ….” That will strike a lot of people as odd. But let’s return, yet again, to the coronation of Solomon beside the Gihon Spring. “And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon.”

It’s all pretty phenomenal, when you think on it. The way Britain has unknowingly yet enthusiastically orchestrated a scene remarkably similar to the coronation of King Solomon in ancient Jerusalem 3,000 years ago!

Is this coincidence? Or is it possible the reason Britain continues these traditions is because the British royal family today is actually descended from King David?

Take a few moments to dwell on God’s promise to King David in 2 Samuel 7. Beginning in verse 12, God tells the king that “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.” God is talking about Solomon. In verse 13, God says of Solomon, “He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom forever.”

Have you ever marveled at the durability of Britain’s monarchy?

These verses explain it. In verses 14-16, God explains His promise to David even more explicitly: “I will be his [Solomon’s] father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him … And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.”

God reiterates this promise in 2 Chronicles 13:5, which says that “the Lord God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt.” Some translations read, as a “perpetual covenant.” You see, beginning with his son Solomon, David would always, forever, have a descendant ruling as a monarch over Israel!

To those with an objective mind, who are willing to put forth the effort in study and thought, events like this week’s Diamond Jubilee celebration—which are filled with tradition and biblically significant symbolism—prove a perfect opportunity to get a glimpse at the stunning royal heritage of Britain’s monarchy. Ultimately, this is why grand, majestic events like this week’s Diamond Jubilee celebration are so inspiring and hope-filled: They put the spotlight on the throne of David, on the history-altering promise God made to David—and the spectacular vision of the future embodied by the British royal family!

Perhaps you’ve been moved by events in Britain this week. Perhaps all the pomp and pageantry has caused you to wonder if there might even be some sort of divine purpose, some higher spiritual dimension, to Britain’s royal family. If so, be assured these are thoughts that you need to explore and research and test and prove.

We can help with that. First, you’ll need your Bible. Then, we’d like to offer you, free of charge, two thoroughly researched, expertly written books to help explain the Bible. The first is The United States and Britain in Prophecy, written by Herbert W. Armstrong. This book has been requested by more than 6 million people and read by countless more. The second book we’d like to send you is The Key of David. Written by Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry, this book gives deeper insight and understanding into God’s promise to King David, and how this awesome promise will ultimately give hope, happiness, joy and prosperity to all mankind.

Together, these books will help you understand that Queen Elizabeth ii isn’t just queen of Britain, but that she truly is, queen of the world!