Page 21 - TORCH Magazine #23 - July 2023

“And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings”
T Daniel 2:21a
he United Kingdom recently witnessed the Coronation of King Charles III. Here are five ways Israel is linked to this historic event.
1. Holy Anointing Oil
The anointing oil used at King Charles’s Coronation was sourced from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. Harvested from two olive groves on the mount, the holy oil was consecrated
at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. King Charles’s paternal grandmother Princess Alice of Battenberg is interred at the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Mary Magdalene at the Mount of Olives.
The oil was based on the same ingredients as the oil used at the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, containing olive oil, fragrance rose and orange blossom and based on a formula which
has been used for hundreds of years. The oil was applied at the solemn moment when the screen was placed around King Charles away from public view as Handel’s ‘Zadok the Priest’ resounded through the Abbey.
2. Inspired by Israel’s kings
The sourcing of the anointing oil from Jerusalem
and other Biblical symbolism is another reminder of the Judaeo-Christian roots of Britain’s Christian traditions. When the ancient kings of the seven realms of England embraced Christianity,
they looked to the Bible
as a model to build their kingdoms. Notably, they did not look to the monarchies of the pagan nations – they looked to the nation of Israel.
“The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” Proverbs 21:1
3. A picture of Biblical coronations
The traditions carried out at the Coronation ceremony are steeped in Biblical pattterns. For instance, 2 Kings 11:12-14 states, “And
he brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, and gave him the Testimony; they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, “Long live the king!”
In Psalm 21, King David, describing himself, says, “The king shall have joy
The Holy Anointing Oil
Photo: Patriarchate of Jerusalem and Buckingham Palace
in Your strength, O Lord, And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!” and that God “meets him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon his head.” (Psalm 21:1,3). This demonstrates that a monarch’s authority and rule over a kingdom
is in fact delegated to him by God who is Sovereign.
A similar picture is
depicted by the royal robe, representing righteousness, the orb, symbolising Christ’s sovereignty over the world, and the two sceptres, one representing God’s justice and the other His mercy.
CUFI.ORG.UK
21