Part 12
SCOTTISH DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
The following two sections are included to stimulate your thinking and tickle your mind. First we see the Scottish Declaration of Independence connecting the Scots to the ancient Israelites in 1320 A.D.
In Arbroath Abbey, following the removal of the "Stone of Destiny" to Westminster, king Robert "the Bruce" of Scotland was visited by two emissaries of Pope John 22 to whom Edward 2 of England had appealed for help to compel Scotland to acknowledge England's lordship. These emissaries bore a message from the pope advising Bruce to submit to Edward's claims, but Bruce and his nobles drafted a letter which they addressed to Pope John 22 and which can still be seen in Register House in Edinburgh. It had attached to it coloured ribbons and seals with the signatures of Robert the Bruce and twenty-five of his nobles. The letter which is drafted:- April 6, 1320, read in part:
"We know Most Holy Father and Lord, and from the chronicles and books of the ancients gather, that among other illustrious nations, ours, to wit, the nation of the Scots, has been distinguished by many honours; which passing from the greater Scythia through the Mediterranean Sea and Pillars of Hercules (Gibraltar) and sojourning in Spain (Iberia - Heberia - the Hebrew's land) among most savage tribes through a long course of time, could nowhere be subjugated by any people however barbarous; and coming thence one thousand two hundred years after the outgoing of the People of Israel (the Exodus), they by many victories and infinite toil, acquired for themselves the possessions in the West which they now hold........In their kingdom one hundred and thirteen kings of their own royal stock, no stranger intervening, have reigned...." (Deuteronomy 17:14-20).
For so long as a hundred of us are left alive we will yield in no least way to English domination. We fight not for glory, nor for wealth nor honour, but only and alone for freedom, which no man surrenders but with his life." (Praiseworthy - Matthew 10:28)
This letter thus asserts that the Scots who had the "Stone of Destiny" ("Lia Fail") were connected with the ancient people of Israel (the ten so-called Lost Tribes); whom archaeology has established became the Scythians and the Cimmerians of history, whose origin had been a mystery. Lost to their true identity as foretold in The Scriptures, (Romans 11:25), the Israelites migrated to their appointed place (2 Samuel 7:10); some crossing Europe by land, others by ships through the Mediterranean to the coast-lands of Europe and the Isles in the West. The Scots claim ancestry to the branch of the Cimmerians (Celts) that dwelt in Spain for a period, and eventually came over to the Islands of Britain. They also claim that their royal line of kings (from Judah/Zarah of the Red hand - Genesis 38:30) has remained unbroken throughout their migrations. The flag of Ulster is based on Gen 38.30.
Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness (as to their true identity) is happened to part of Israel (the ten "lost" tribes - the House of Israel), until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
2 Samuel 7:10 Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime.
Josephus, the historian, writing in A.D. 70, seems to have had knowledge of the migrations of most of the Israelites from Asia toward Europe, for, in his "Antiquities of the Jews" he writes: "...wherefore there are but two tribes in Asia and Europe subject to the Romans, while the ten tribes are beyond the Euphrates till now (A.D. 70) and are an immense multitude, and not to be estimated by numbers" (book 11, chap. 5).
PROPHETIC ISRAEL AND BRITISH CORONATION
Second, we see a connection between the British people and ancient Israel, especially in the coronation service for the King and the design of the Crown of St. Edward based on the tribes of Israel encamping in the wilderness. It will be very interesting to watch when the next King of England is coronated. Watch for the throne and stone and the numerous mention of Israel, Solomon, and Jerusalem in that service. No matter what you think of this study on the "Lost Tribes" you must admit it really gets you thinking! Here from a forgotten English publication:
Having seen then that the Israel people must still be in existence as a people and nation today, separate and distinct from Jewry, let us now note a few of the many prophetic descriptions of what they were to do and become during their long period of exile. These state very plainly that Israel would:
Be a GREAT nation (Gen. 12:2)
Have the word GREAT as part of her name (Gen. 12:2)
Be a people re-gathered in a NEW home (Amos 9:9; 2 Sam. 7:10)
Become a NATION and COMPANY OF NATIONS (Gen. 35:11)
Be a KINGDOM (2 Sam. 7:12-16)
Have as emblems a LION and an UNICORN (Num. 24:8-9)
Queen Elizabeth II has reigned on the throne of Great Britain for well over a half-century. Among the millions who saw or heard the Coronation in 1953, there must have been many who wondered at the repeated references to King Solomon, and why important parts of the ceremony were likened to those which occurred when Solomon succeeded his father David on the throne of ancient Israel.
Yet there should be no wonder, for from beginning to end, in word, act, and symbol, the Coronation ceremony proclaims the fact that the Celto-Saxon peoples are the continuation of the House of Israel, and that our royal house and throne are the house and throne of David.
We see this, first of all, in the great west window under which the sovereign passes when entering the Abbey. In the top section are figures representing Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Below them are Jacob’s twelve sons, the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel, together with Moses, the first ruler, and Aaron, the first High Priest of the Israel nation. Then, immediately below these, and between the official emblems of Moses and Aaron, is the British coat-of-arms. Such an arrangement is clearly intended to show national continuity, and thus is a pictorial declaration of the Israelitish identity of the British peoples.
We saw it too, when, in the very first act of the Coronation ceremony, the Archbishop presented Queen Elizabeth to the people with these words: “Sirs, I here present unto you Queen Elizabeth your undoubted Queen; wherefore all you who are come this day to do your homage and service, are you willing to do the same?” Then the people, represented by those in the Abbey, expressed their willingness by shouting, “God save the Queen.”
This is identical with the custom in Israel of old as recorded in 1 Samuel 10:24, where we read, “And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king.” As there is no record of such a custom among other peoples, our continuous use of it since ancient times clearly points to our Israelitish origin.
Even more striking is the fact that the Archbishop presents the Sovereign to the people in each of the four directions. The significance of this appears when we remember God’s promise to Jacob, the father of the Israel people, as recorded in Genesis 24:14: “And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”
Consequently, any message or question addressed to Israel would have to be sent to the four corners of the earth, and this is exactly what the Archbishop does in presenting the Sovereign for acceptance.
The second act of the ceremony is also significant. Here we see that when our Sovereign takes the Oath to rule in accordance with the Law, he does so in the immediate vicinity of that rough stone which our most ancient legends say is Jacob’s pillow, the stone on which Jacob rested his head on that wondrous occasion when God made the promises to him recorded in Genesis 28. It is while seated on this stone, that he is anointed and crowned.
It is certain that such a stone or pillar (Gen. 28:18) existed in Israel of old, and that their kings took an oath and were anointed and crowned while standing by or on this stone. In 2 Kings 11:12-14 we read of Joash taking the Oath and being anointed and crowned standing “by a pillar AS THE MANNER WAS.” Thus the fact that our Sovereigns take the Oath by this ancient stone and that they are anointed and crowned seated on it, is another witness to the fact of our Israelitish heritage and that our Throne is the Throne of David.
In the act of anointing our Sovereigns we have another and most important witness. Not only was it an Israelitish custom as noted above, but the oil used in anointing our Sovereigns is identical with that used in Israel of old, being made in exact accordance with the formula in Exodus 30:22-25. In considering the significance of this fact, we should note that God Himself dictated the formula for this oil, and that he gave two commands concerning it: It was to be used for the consecration of the Kings and Priests of Israel, and that it was NOT to be made for or used by anyone else.
Thus the deliberate use of oil made in accordance with this formula is either a defiant disregard of God’s Commandment or it is yet another way in which our Coronation ceremony testifies to the Davidic origin and heritage of our Royal House and Throne. “For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel.” –Jeremiah 33:17
The Crown of St. Edward
Our British coronation ceremony and the words, symbols and objects used in it, bear witness to the Israelitish heritage of the British people and to the Davidic origin of our Royal House and Throne. One evidence of this is the ancient Crown of St. Edward, which is used in the actual crowning of the sovereign. In its structure and form it is a witness which is complete in itself. Those who take notice of heraldry are aware that no two national crowns are alike. Each nation has its own design, for just as flags and coats-of-arms are emblematic of nations and of the peoples comprising them, so also are crowns.
At first glance, however, St. Edward’s Crown appears to be an exception to this rule for neither in its design, symbolism, nor ornamentation is there anything to show that it is the Crown of Britain or to connect it with the British people. On the contrary, it is wholly Israelitish, being a perfect symbol of the kingdom of God as it was in Israel of old and as it will again be under the rule of our returning Lord. This is to be seen, first of all, in the row of special jewels which encircle its base. Twelve in number, they correspond exactly both in number and name with those on the breastplate of Israel’s High Priest as recorded in Exodus 28.
This is most significant, for when the High Priest presented himself before God as the representative of the nation he wore a golden breastplate on which were TWELVE jewels, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. So also today, as for ages past, when our sovereigns present themselves before God in the Coronation service, there to dedicate themselves and us to God’s service, they wear a crown whose golden base is set with TWELVE jewels which are identical with those which represented the twelve Israel tribes on the High Priest’s breastplate.
This becomes doubly significant when we remember that the Israel people are the physical foundation of the kingdom of God. As organized in Israel of old, this kingdom consisted of the Twelve Tribes in four divisions, encamped around the Tabernacle in and over which hovered the Shekinah, a visible manifestation of God’s presence among, and his sovereignty over, His people.
Of this kingdom, the Crown of St. Edward is a perfect symbol. Just as the twelve tribes of Israel are the basis of the kingdom of God, so the twelve jewels, emblematic of these twelve tribes, form the basis of the Crown. Just as the twelve tribes around the Tabernacle were divided into four groups, so the twelve jewels around the base of the crown are divided into four groups by four golden bands extending upward from the base. Again, just as the twelve tribes were encamped around and below the Shekinah, the symbol of God as the Sovereign of the nation, so also on the crown the twelve jewels are around and below the cross of Christ, who as God manifested in the flesh is the One to whom the kingdom belongs.
Further, when Israel of old was encamped around the Tabernacle (Num. 2) each tribe encamped under its own banner or ensign. Then, ahead and above these, were the flags or standards of the four divisions into which the twelve tribes were divided. This too appears in the symbolism of the crown for around it are four special jewels set above those encircling its base.
Finally, above the actual crown we see a golden ball or orb surmounted by a cross, and from this cross two bands extend downward to encircle the orb. This completes a perfect picture, for this cross, above and encircling the globe, is the recognized emblem of Jesus, the Christ, in his coming role as Ruler of the whole earth as “King of kings, and Lord of lords.” (1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 19:16)
In this crown, therefore, we have a perfect symbol of the kingdom of God over which our returning Lord is to reign from the Throne of David, and as such a symbol would be meaningless to anyone else, it follows that our use of it clearly identifies us as the people of the kingdom.
Although restored in 1661, the design of this crown has remained unchanged since the time of Edward the Confessor, a period of 900 years; so for that long, and perhaps much longer, it has been offering mute testimony to the Israelitish origin of the British peoples, and to the Davidic heritage of our Royal House and Throne.
This is the end of the study! Bonus tomorrow: PREDESTINATION MADE SIMPLE
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