Vale Queen Elizabeth II

A few thoughts on the passing of the Queen:

It was not my intention to pen a piece on the passing of the Queen, and that for at least two reasons. One, already millions – if not billions – of words have been shared on her and her death. Two, like most Americans, I never really had a real close eye on all things pertaining to British Royalty.

But since much of the world is talking about her and what happens next, it is worth offering at least a few thoughts here. She of course just died at age 96, and she was the longest reigning monarch in Britain. She sat on the throne for over 70 years. She reigned through 15 British prime ministers, 16 Australian prime ministers and over a dozen US presidents.

Her reign started in 1952 at age 25. She visited Australia 16 times and was a greatly beloved monarch for most Australians, although the push for a Republic was long sought by some, notably folks like Malcolm Turnbull. There is already a renewed push for Australia to become a republic now that the Queen has passed away. They could have at least waited a few weeks until the grieving process subsides.

Elizabeth had an important role to play over the decades. During times of turmoil, crisis and upheaval, to have a figurehead like the Queen who could offer some sense of security, stability and continuity was a comfort to millions. Parliaments and prime ministers would come and go, but her enduring presence for such a long period was a blessing to many in the UK and around the world.

She would often refer to her Christian faith in her annual addresses, and she seemed quite open about Christianity. It does seem that she had a deep personal faith, and that she was a good student of Scripture. She would often quote the Bible and speak about Jesus in a genuine fashion. Of course at the end of the day only God knows for sure just where she was at in terms of her relationship to Christ, but it does seem that she was a real-deal believer.

As the Queen she was of course the titular head of the Church of England and the “Defender of the Faith”. Christians however have had mixed feelings about her. Conservative Christians often complained that she did not do enough to stand against some of the anti-Christian agenda items that arose over the years.

Some British – and non-British – believers were not happy that she seemed weak in areas where she could have been stronger. Although it is not up to the monarch to make laws and enact legislation, some felt that she could have spoken out more on these issues. They say she was not resistant enough to things like homosexuality and same-sex marriage, and the rise of political Islam in the UK and around the world.

Indeed, as some have pointed out, while she travelled to over 100 nations during her reign, it seems she never once made it to Israel. Why that is is a moot point. Again, her role as monarch is different from those in parliament, but there can be real symbolic significance to what a monarch does or does not do.

What is next?

But now that she is gone, the future is even more uncertain. Indeed, the immediate prospects do not look very promising. The heir apparent of course is Prince Charles. That in the eyes of many is a real worry. He has been a hyper greenie, soft on Islam, and basically a woke lefty who will offer little of help to a nation that needs a figurehead with some common sense and commitment to keeping the country strong.

And then we have the wokest couple around, Harry and Meghan. They are of course a major woke worry. Imagine them having anything to do with being the head of state! So between Charles and some of the kids, things are not looking very promising for the once great Great Britain.

As I said, as an American I had not been all that close to what was happening in the UK and the Royal Family. But my Australian wife, who had grown up with the Queen for all her life, speaks for many millions when she said that it feels as though she has just lost an auntie.

Indeed, she seemed like such a very important figure who did provide real stability while the world around her was going to pot. Her sense of dignity and her years of service were something well worth being acknowledged and celebrated. This can not be said of so many other leaders.

Christian considerations

Of course as a Christian I have to point out the obvious: kings and queens will come and go. The kingdoms and governments of this world will all pass away but the Kingdom of God endures forever. And we need to be reminded of passages such as Psalm 47:8, “God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne”.

And we also need to recall another passage from the psalter: “For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations” (Psalm 22:28). God sets up rulers and he takes them down. If Charles ends up leading the UK, then we have to believe that God has his purposes in having him there – for good or ill.

But having an earthly sovereign who seems to seek to serve the people and who has a strong Christian faith is becoming a rare commodity these days. Not many can compete with the Queen in this regard. American Christian commentator Al Mohler concluded his piece on her with these words:

Duty fell to her at such an early age, and she carried it so well, for so long, on behalf of so many. Americans sense that the British people are our near relatives and that the British monarch remains a part of our own identity. Few could have predicted, even just a century ago, that Americans would come to love a British monarch. America had respected Queen Victoria and then, to a greater and lesser degree, a succession of kings. But Americans loved Elizabeth from the start. Her death brings an end to an age, not just for the British people, but for us all.

 

We will not see her equal in our lifetimes. Britain’s grief is surely grounded in that knowledge. But the late queen would be the first to insist that both parts of the sad announcement are true: “The Queen is dead, long live the King.” May God bless the memory of the queen and guide Britain’s new king and his nation. https://wng.org/opinions/whether-it-be-long-or-short-1662660747

I have written about Queen Elizabeth before. Let me share part of an earlier piece I did on her. In it I discussed how the Royal Family was involved in the nation during WWII, and I quoted from one helpful article on this:

“Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret spent most of the war years at Windsor Castle and, like many other British children, were often apart from their parents. In October 1940, 14-year-old Princess Elizabeth broadcast a message to evacuees on the radio programme Children’s Hour, urging them to have courage.

 

“At the age of 19, Princess Elizabeth joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). After joining, she trained as a driver and mechanic with the rank of Second Subaltern. Five months later she was promoted to Junior Commander, which was the equivalent of Captain. Her younger sister Princess Margaret was a Girl Guide and later joined the Sea Rangers.

 

“At 6pm on VE Day, 8 May 1945, the King again broadcast to the nation. During the afternoon and evening, the King and Royal Family made eight appearances on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to acknowledge the crowds gathered below. The princesses were allowed to leave the palace and secretly take part in the celebrations.”

 

The fact that the English monarchs would not abandon their people and flee overseas during a time of great crisis speaks volumes about their character and their love for the English people. They would remain there and live and work in solidarity with them.

 

And we have another even greater example of this in history. Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity, left the comforts of heaven to go to be with the people in their time of crisis. He could have stayed at home – and he had every right to do so.

 

But out of a deep, deep love for those whom he created and sought to redeem, he went to our sin-infested world and suffered on our behalf, eventually dying a cruel death on the cross. Like the Royal Family, he could have remained aloof, in a safe space, and not exposed himself to the dangers and terrors of the people. https://billmuehlenberg.com/2020/04/06/the-queen-crises-and-christ/

All things considered, I am glad that she was on the throne for these past seven decades. She was such a rock in so many ways in a time of turbulence and upheaval. She has rightly deserved the honour and respect shown to her by so many millions of people the world over. She will be missed.

What now lies ahead however seems to be a real worry. So we need to pray for how things pan out there. That includes praying for Charles and the others. There will certainly be heady days coming.

[1562 words]

35 Replies to “Vale Queen Elizabeth II”

  1. We mourn the passing of our Queen for many reasons. One, which deserves careful scrutiny, is the fact that Charles and his adulterous partner – Camila in that king Charles is also head of the Christian protestant Church. Having an adulterous head of the Church creates a monumental dilemma in that how can the head of the church defend the faith that he himself has betrayed?
    I cannot give fidelity to Charles and certainly not to Camilla but I reject the notion of a republic which would divorce us from the family of the Commonwealth (78 nations) and open the doors to dictatorship and or invasion from our enemies.
    John Abbott

  2. I feel a little more optimistic about King Charles, his years and experience will curb the fears we may have, further he had a fine tutor. An interesting test as leader of the Church of England will be his support of biblical truths. If he can get that right, everything else will fall into place.

  3. John Abbott, most of the Kings of the UK have been adulterous and have had mistresses. Powerful men think that they are entitled to lots of women. The Queen’s father George VI was one of the few that didn’t. As for becoming a republic, we don’t have to leave the Commonwealth if we become a republic. Most of the countries in the Commonwealth these days are republics.

  4. Thanks Bill and well written for someone with an American background. Like your wife, I feel that I’ve lost a relative. What an amazing reign. I was still in Primary School when she became Queen and the kids had to change a few words in what was then our National Anthem. She kept her vow to the very end in serving her people, farewelling one British P.M and welcoming the next.
    My late wife and I always watched her Christmas Broadcasts and marvelled at how she applied her faith to the situations in the world at that time.

  5. Thanks Stephen. I guess I am a social media illiterate: there seem to be at least 3 ‘streams’ on FB and I cannot find it – if a link is available that would be good – otherwise I will take your word for it!

  6. And since some will come here all upset that I dared to pay my respects to her, let me say this: One need not like the Monarchy. One certainly need not like Charles or the woke wonders Harry and Meghan – I sure don’t. But we should cut some slack to the recently departed Queen. She was a cut above the rest. Far from perfect, but better than most.

  7. These are exciting and interesting days as the world convulses into the next dispensation. With the two WEF disciple/operatives taking the helm of Great Britain, Charles and Truss, it will be interesting to see what happens here in the United(once) States come November. I have no idea what will occur in the very near term but I can assure everyone that without a doubt, the events outlined in the books of Daniel and The Revelation of Jesus Christ will occur, probably sooner than later

  8. Definitely the end of an era in so many ways. The rate of change in our lifetime has been so rapid and not for the better with the large scale rejection of Christianity, duty and self reliance.

    People my age group grew up singing “God Save The Queen” at our school assemblies; we also recited a weekly pledge of “I honour my God; I serve my Queen; I salute my flag” and the Queen’s portrait was in every classroom and assembly hall. This is now replaced by the “Acknowledgement to Country”.

  9. You said that Queen Elizabeth II never visited Israel. That is because Israel never invited her to. Modern day Israel and the Brits have a fraught history. Up until the end of WWI, Palestine was part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. After WWI Palestine became a Mandate under Great Britain which included the eastern part which became the country of Jordan. Britain had promised both the Arabs and the Jews a state in Palestine if they fought against the Turks with the UK. Arabs and Turks are mortal enemies. In the early 1920s the UK gave the Hashemite Arabs who had fought with Lawrence of Arabia the part of Palestine that was on the eastern side of the Jordan River for a state that ended up being called Jordan. Most citizens of Jordan are still Palestinians. Britain resisted the call for a Jewish state in the rest of Palestine (west of the Jordan River). The Jews evenually got a small state in part of western Palestine, given by the UN after WWII. The Brits and Israel are not great friends. I might be not remembering correctly but didn’t Prince William and Katherine and their kids visit Jordan in the last couple of years? I am sure I saw photos.

  10. After I gave this matter some more thought and did some googling I discovered that Prince Charles now King Charles has visited Israel twice.

  11. I watched this morning at the world’s first rendition of “God save the King” at a remembrance and reflection service at St Pauls and it brought home to me that the anthem is a petition prayer to God. With millions of people, literally praying to God for their sovereign every day, any wonder the Queen lived her life as she did.

  12. It’s an existential moment. Like America going stark raving mad after the death of Billy Graham. We don’t know if we’re men or women now.

  13. We need to pray for King Charles, so far it has been a pleasant surprise.

  14. Dear Bill, Thank you very much for your very balanced article on the death of the Queen. I remember singing ‘God Save the King’ as a schoolgirl in England when the Queen’s father George 6th was on the throne. Edward the 8th abdicated in 1936 the year I was born. There was great bitterness in the Royal family over the abdication as King George was a very shy man with a stammer and had not been prepared for the throne. Only about 20 years prior to that the British Royal family had gone through the trauma of hearing about the execution of the King’s cousin the Zsar and all his family during the Russian revolution of 1917. These events are recent enough in historical terms to have had a profound effect on the Royal families of Europe. Apparently at the time the British Royal family were too afraid to give the Zsar and his family support and asylum because the Zsar was seen as a tyrant and King George was advised to think of his own position. The two monarchs looked so much like each other they could have passed for twins not cousins.Considering all this history its no wonder Queen Elizabeth was brought up with such a strong sense of duty and service and I would be the last person to deny that she has been exemplary in that regard. However, in my opinion where she failed badly was in giving Royal Assent to the 1967 UK Abortion Law. This was unlike King Baudoin of Belgium who abdicated rather than give his Royal Assent to the Belgium Abortion laws. He said to sign it would violate his conscience. Consequently millions of unborn British babies [The Queen’s most helpless of subjects] have been robbed of their lives.Who knows she may not have personally agreed with abortion but as an important public and beloved figure she missed a golden opportunity to teach her subjects that abortion is murder.Britons loved their popular Queen and would have taken notice of what she said. I am not judging her because we are all sinners and do things we shouldn’t do and fail to do the things we should do. Therefore all I can say is that she may have been advised that it might cause a constitutional crisis for the Royal family and knowing her loyalty and sense of duty she obviously decided that the monarchy or the ‘firm’ has she calls it had to come first with her. King Baudoin survived refusing to give Royal Assent to Belgium’s laws so the question should be asked why couldn’t Queen Elizabeth survive refusing to give Royal Asset to the UK’s Abortion laws

    As for King Charles sadly I don’t think he could even be called a Christian King.I am truly sorry that he has lost a beloved mother but I have to say that I have grave doubts about him.I don’t think he is a bad person but a confused, misguided and not very intelligent one.To be involved with the WEF, the Great Reset and Climate Change etc is suspect for a so called Christian King who is head of the Church of England.Noah Harari chief advisor to Karl Schwab for instance has talked about human beings as hackable and has said such ideas as a free will given by a ‘ God in the sky’ is now ‘over’.This shows quite clearly that Charles is dealing with godless people and if he were truly Christian he would be exposing them not consorting and agreeing with them.To be honest I don’t trust him at all.

    Finally at the risk of being thought stupid I also think that the Queen’s death just after she accepted the resignation of Boris Johnson and the prime ministership of Liz Truss was too convenient and stage managed.I know she was very frail and old and could have died anytime but I have seen many old people die when I was nursing and those photos of her greeting Liz Truss didn’t look like someone who was close to death.

  15. Two things I would like to add about the Queen.

    1. There is a small paperback book called ‘The Faith of Queen Elizabeth’ by Dudley Delffs. It details her Christian Faith. [I would mention the title ‘Defender of the Faith’ was a title bestowed by the Pope on Henry VIII]
    The opening pages are illuminating. Describes an event in a December month in North London.
    It is at an old 11th Century Church called St Mary’s and it is in Islington.
    The book describes a church service about to begin and the place is busy. Some clergy are hanging around outside.
    Suddenly a Police car arrives followed by a black SUV, and another dark Bentley limousine arrives flying a small pennant on top.
    A dark suited attendant opens the rear passenger door, and the Queen steps out.
    There’s no photographers and paparazzi, this is very low key.
    So, what’s the occasion?
    It is the 150th Anniversary of the Scripture Union of Great Britain. The Queen was its Patron. She sat in the front row with others, sang hymns and responded to the prayers and beamed at the children’s choir from St Mary’s Primary School.
    2. The Queen requested the US National Anthem be played at Buckingham Palace on the occasion of 9/11 at the changing of the guard.

  16. Patricia Halligan, I am nearly 78 years of age and I too have a long memory. Whilst Queen Elizabeth II remains a reassuring mother figure – or “mummy” as prince Charles calls her – who is always there, always touched by our kind thoughts and good natured friendliness, always casting an indulgent eye on her wayward children and subjects, she has given her royal assent to the setting up of thousands of abortion mills, the never-ending demands of homosexuals and soon legalised euthanasia.

    Since her Coronation in 1953, Britain has drifted so far from its Biblical foundations – to the point that it is no longer recognised as a Christian country or even the United Kingdom for that matter – that her first annual televised Christian message, given to the nation and Commonwealth in 1957, would be banned by today for being politically incorrect.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBRP-o6Q85s

    “It is inevitable that I should seem a rather remote figure to many of you…. Someone… who never really touches your personal lives…. That it is possible for some of you to see me today is just another example of the speed at which things are changing all around us. Because of these changes I am not surprised that many people feel lost and unable to decide what to hold on to and what to discard…
    But it is not the new inventions which are the difficulty. The trouble is caused by unthinking people who carelessly throw away ageless ideals as if they were old and outworn machinery.
    They would have religion thrown aside, morality in personal and public life made meaningless, honesty counted as foolishness and self-interest set up in place of self-restraint.
    At this critical moment in our history we will certainly lose the trust and respect of the world if we just abandon those fundamental principles which guided the men and women who built the greatness of this country and Commonwealth.
    Today we need a special kind of courage, not the kind needed in battle but a kind which makes us stand up for everything that we know is right, everything that is true and honest. We need the kind of courage that can withstand the subtle corruption of the cynics so that we can show the world that we are not afraid of the future….
    I would like to read you a few lines from ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’, because I am sure we can say with Mr Valiant for Truth, these words:
    “Though with great difficulty I am got hither, yet now I do not repent me of all the trouble I have been at to arrive where I am. My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage and my courage and skill to him that can get it. My marks and scars I carry with me, to be a witness for me that I have fought his battles who now will be my rewarder.”
    She bears no marks and scars bearing witness to upholding the laws of God or fighting for justice and righteousness, apart from the marks and scars inflicted on her by her own dysfunctional children and grandchildren.

    It was her hand, that signed the death warrant of 10 million unborn (and perhaps born) babies since 1967. It was her hand that promoted homosexuality and the eventual destruction of marriage with same sex marriage. It was her hand that signed over our sovereignty to the European Union and which we have still not regained. It was her hand that signed the Commonwealth Charter in March 2013 putting pressure on 54 Commonwealth countries to embrace LGBTQs. It was Her Majesty, the Queen who has showered MBEs, OBEs, CBEs and Companion of Honours on the leaders of Stonewall and haters of Jesus Christ and Christians.
    I only hope she repented on her death bed otherwise she will rise on the last day to face judgement.

    David Skinner UK

  17. As I said in my article, only God knows those who are truly his, including QEII. But two extremes really should be avoided
    -to suggest that she was a fantastic Christian who saved the UK and the West;
    -to suggest that she was the devil incarnate who single-handily destroyed the UK and the West.

  18. At best I believe she was a weak Christian, who was surrounded by wicked people who used her to advance their own agendas. I ask myself how would I have acted if I had been placed in her position of such enormous responsibility? I agree with the words of another Queen Elizabeth who said it is not for us to peer into the souls of men. Only God knows our hearts.
    All I am saying is that we cannot accept such nonsense that she was the greatest monarch who ever lived or that she should be renamed, “Elizabeth the Great”. This is idolatry.

    I do not think that I heard once the name of Jesus Christ mentioned during the last few days. We have only one King and that is Jesus Christ the Great.

    David Skinner UK

  19. I quite like what one of my friends said about this: “I’m no follower, or fan, of the royals. All I know is that the Queen was never about public boasting, bragging, or arguing, just duty. Her passing is a time of enormous sadness for many. I think that in the coming days, weeks, and months that many stories of her private life may come to be public knowledge, and perhaps such stories will shed more light on her character and faith. Until then, perhaps we could show some grace and charity towards her at this time?”

  20. As part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee On the 4th June, this year, a ‘Party at the Palace’ was staged outside Buckingham Palace, where Gaia the Earth goddess, Mother Nature, “red in tooth and claw” was worshipped. With images of flora and fauna being projected onto the front of the palace, Queen Elizabeth praised the work of her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh [1], Prince Charles and William in becoming eco- warriors alongside Greta Thunberg [2]
    The Duke believed that humans were the cause of the threat too Mother Earth and believed in birth control [3]. Back in 1988, the duke brought up overpopulation when speaking to the German news agency Deutsche Press Agentur about reincarnation.“In the event that I am reincarnated, I would like to return as a deadly virus, to contribute something to solving overpopulation”.
    Romans chapter 1 speaks of mankind making an idol out of the natural world and thus being given over to homosexuality. It is a pity images of aborted babies had not been projected onto the façade of Buckingham Palace and the ten million babies who have been sacrificed to Molech since 1967 when the queen gave her royal assent to their destruction.
    [1] https://youtu.be/cI8vDiH7tvQ?t=7900
    [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7HLLo9833A
    [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rWU_VDa1Js&t=11s

    David Skinner UK

  21. “They could have at least waited a few weeks until the grieving process subsides.”

    This type won’t wait till the body is even cold. It is a shame that they can’t even show common human decency by waiting till after the time of mourning is over.

    While I am not a fan of the current crop of Royals, I’m a Yank just for the record, I did admire her as she seemed steadfast and unchanging very traditional in a world hell bent on destroying tradition. I had felt, even when she was alive, the monarchy should end with her because none of the heirs would do a good job and better for it to end on a high note, like player who can still play his sport at a good level but retires then rather than after declining, than have these new generations screw up the legacy and have the monarchy desolved in disgrace.

    Interesting of the “Queens in their own right” a few only lasted about 5 years each, Anne lasted about 12 years, and the top 3 had the biggest impact: Elizabeth I 44 years, Victoria 63 years, Elizabeth II 70.

  22. Hello again Bill,
    I wholeheartedly agree with you David. We do only have one King. That is Christ the King. Whilst Elizabeth 2nd was a dutiful worldly Queen she could not be called Great anymore than Elizabeth the 1st could be called ‘The Virgin Queen.’ About the Belgium monarch King Baudoin who would not sign the Royal Assent to the Belgium abortion laws in 1990. There was also Prince Alois of Lichtenstein who did the same, as recently as 2012.I included this in a letter I wrote to the West two years ago in response to a thoughtless remark the Queen had made to the effect that people who did not want the Covid vaccination should think of others before themselves. I said in the letter it could be argued that she was thinking of herself and her family when she gave Royal assent to the UK’s abortion laws rather than the millions of unborn British babies who would be robbed of their lives.The constitutional crisis that may have followed would no doubt have created difficulties for the Royal family. Granted, not as much was known about the unborn child in the sixties when she gave the Royal Assent and I did say then that she may have come to regret it. We all do things we regret but apparently the Belgian King and the Lichenstein Prince gained a lot of respect from many of their subjects. This is what put me off the Royal family to be honest as the world wide abortion holocaust is flying in the face of the Creator. I personally wonder if that is why we are seeing so many natural disasters. To my mind it is not climate change it is the Creator punishing a world that has never been so evil. I have always thought of God as a loving merciful God but I also know that God is a God of Justice as well and He will not have His Laws mocked forever. That is made clear in the Bible and the world to my mind has never been so evil with abortion,homosexual marriage etc all legalised.

    Finally .I can’t see Prince Charles changing his views about Climate Change, the Great Reset etc or publicly disagreeing with the WEF’s godless chief advisor Noah Harari for instance who is on public record as saying the world has a lot of ‘useless eaters.’ I hope I’m wrong but the saying goes ‘ as people live so shall they die’ and he would need a massive change of heart to become a truly Christian King.

  23. I will say this A) the Queen has a lot of advisors and so on around her much like a President and like Presidential advisors they will sometimes give bad advice based on some personal belief. B) sometimes the leader of a country, the Queen included, must agree to things they personally abhor because to not do so would cause havoc on the country. When you are a leader even a Christian one sometimes you have to do that.

  24. Rumor had it several years ago that Charles wanted to change the coronation oath to be the “defender of faith.” Given his WEF and new age beliefs, I wouldn’t be surprised.

  25. Thanks guys. Just watching the funeral now, along with billions of others. This may be the last time a large portion of the world’s population tunes in to a service where great old hymns are sung and vital passages of Scripture are read out along with moving prayers in a beautiful cathedral. For the West at least this may mark the end of an age.

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