On 6th February 1952, I was five and a half years old, in the infant class of a small village primary school in Wales. There was a big valve radio on the windowsill and our teacher, Miss Jones, went purposefully over and turned it on at some point in the morning. A serious, well-spoken BBC announcer gave the grave news that the King had died. It impacted me at the time, and I have remembered it clearly ever since. What did a young child, born shortly after the war, know of kings and queens and matters of state? It was another world, but I knew that something important had happened.

When Britain was safe and full of hope

The Coronation was in the June of 1953. The nation was picking up after the war, hope was all around, families were strong again and there was a great community spirit. People in our street were beginning to buy new consumer goods as the days of rationing gradually subsided. Our family went next door to watch the Coronation on our neighbour’s new 12” black & white TV. It was a grand national spectacle and street parties followed. After a short while, the Queen and Prince Philip toured the country and came up the main road near us waving from the rear of their limousine. We crowded the streets and waved our Union Jacks as they passed by.

Little did most of us know the real history and deep significance of the Monarchy. Yet we were a patriotic nation in whatever way we understood it. In those days there was just one BBC channel on television and the service would close down at a respectable hour with a short meditation and a film of the Union Jack flapping in the wind, as the National Anthem played to close the evening for families across the land. We were among the families that stood up from our chairs as the National Anthem played.

Sunday was a rest day for the nation as enshrined in our laws, and there was order in our communities in the safety fence of biblical truth and law.

These were the days when Britain was safe and full of hope, a good place for a child to grow up. The peace was tangible on Sabbath days as Church bells rang out across our communities. In accordance with the Fourth Commandment, Sunday was a rest day for the nation as enshrined in our laws, and there was order in our communities in the safety fence of biblical truth and law.

The Queen’s solemn vow

If a boy who lived in those days did not see beyond the pageantry, it is not surprising that a later generation does not understand the great responsibility inherited by our Queen. We should understand, because we should have been taught how our nation's laws are intended to be both protected and our protection. We verbalise this truth every time we sing the prayer that is the National Anthem – 'May she defend our laws....' But somehow, we skim over this even though we sing it to God.

It was not until a colleague and I wrote a book entitled 'Earthquake in the City' that we looked more closely at the Queen's Coronation Oath. The book is an exploration of a prophecy concerning the judgment of God on our nation. In studying the reason why the UK is in a vulnerable condition before God we realised that the Coronation Oath that was made by the Queen is a solemn vow and contains the wonderful words that to the "utmost of her power she will maintain the laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel" in the nation.

A broken oath and an erosion of biblical standards

So, we have come to seventy years of our Queen's reign, and the nation is encouraged to celebrate with her. Indeed, I am greatly moved for our nation in these days, have a great concern for the role of our Queen, and have been so concerned for many years, speaking out at times. I see beyond the valid aspects of 70 years on the throne being a cause for celebration for a very committed and gracious lady. Beyond that there must be the consideration of a nation that has declined over almost all of the reign and the Oath that she made before God that lies broken before Him. We are at a crucial stage of history that could spiral even further when her son takes the role of King.

New laws have opened the door for erosion of our Christian heritage, making way for false gods to come in and the entire biblical way of life to be turned on its head.

This is not a simple thing to understand, but it is of the utmost importance that our nation goes beyond the superficial celebrations of a gracious lady who has indeed committed her life to her people over all these years. Yet laws have been signed that have eroded away biblical principles. New laws have opened the door for erosion of our Christian heritage, making way for false gods to come in and the entire biblical way of life to be turned on its head. One need only flick through the pages of Prophecy Today magazine over the many years of its existence to recall the gradual erosion that has taken place.

Monarchy and democracy

There are many people in government and in business, as well as many people who live more in the background of society, who would want the country's monarch to be more a figurehead than a custodian of the sacred Oath made to Almighty God. I recall once that the words, ‘men in grey suits are seeking to bring down the monarchy’ were dropped into my mind, which I considered to have come prophetically – God himself expressing his own concern. I had not heard the term ‘men in grey suits’ before but came to understand that it is a term used to refer to those people who find ways to influence the course of the nation (and world) from behind the scenes. I managed to send this warning to the Prime Minister of the day and received the reply that certain newspapermen were indeed known to be attempting to neutralise the monarchy. That is the tip of the iceberg!

The Queen has to answer to the God before whom she vowed to maintain the laws of God to the utmost of her power, just as any of us must face up to the consequences of our sins.

At each Christmas speech we listen attentively to find out if our Queen makes a strong statement of her Christian faith and we do find encouragement that she, personally, does have strong faith. But she also considers herself to be a constitutional monarch, a phrase that seems to have been coined to in part describe her role as simply rubber stamping what the government places before her. It has also been said that she considers that her Coronation Oath is to be simply fulfilled personally. In the balance of authority and responsibility that has developed over many centuries, of course it is a sensitive and precious balance of monarchy and democracy within which our nation is governed. Yet there are forces within it.

Was there a clue to this when I received a reply to one of my letters to the Queen when I had felt urged to write with a prophetic emphasis that she must not sign the new law that parliament passed to change the definition of marriage. Whether Her Majesty saw the letter or not I do not know, but I do know that I received the reply that Her Majesty would sign the law when it was presented to her.

A monarchy, government and nation in crisis

To have made the Oath and to have kept it to the utmost of her power would have demanded that many unbiblical laws would not have been signed. Yes, we would have had a constitutional crisis every time. Why not? Would God not have lifted this nation and vindicated our Queen? For this the Queen has to answer to the God before whom she vowed to maintain the laws of God to the utmost of her power, just as any of us must face up to the consequences of our sins. There is tremendous power in the pen, just as Dylan Thomas so aptly wrote in his well-known poem, ‘The Hand that Signed the Paper Felled a City’.

After seventy years of the reign of a wonderful and committed lady, the country is in crisis before God. The Queen must take her responsibility, whilst the majority of blame lies with those who have disregarded the Oath and even the existence of the God to whom the Oath was made. They have neutralised the deeper aspects of Monarchy and together taken us increasingly out of God's protection. Among all the celebrations of a long-lived glorious Queen, we must reflect on this – we all take our share in this erosion.

Among all the celebrations of a long-lived glorious Queen, we must reflect on this – we all take our share in this erosion.

While the Queen lives there is a focus for our repentance. When she dies, she passes on the responsibility to her son, for whom it is time to take deep counsel about what his responsibility before God means, and to become strong enough to carry the burden along with the entire nation to find a way back to the God who has nurtured us and loved us over many centuries, but who is more and more letting us drift into the consequences of our own errors.

There can be no doubt that neither the Queen, nor her Government, nor indeed we as a nation, have to the utmost of our power maintained the laws of God and the true profession of the gospel. That is the reason for family breakdown and all else that is taking us away from God.

..............

Dr Clifford Denton is a former PT Editorial Board chairman. He is the Founder of the Tishrei online Bible School, and Team Leader and Chairman of The Cedars Foundation based in Rochester, Kent.