John R. Houk, Blog Editor
© September 21, 2022
Tony Cooke
was one of Instructors in the days I attended what was then RHEMA Bible
Training Center (Now RHEMA Bible
Training College) in the two-year program 1982-84. And so yup,
I signed up to be on his email list from the Tony Cooke Ministries website.
On September 16 I received an email that caught my attention
under the subject, “Why Did King Charles III Do That?”
The UK lost their longest reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth
II and her oldest son Charles assumed the throne as King Charles III. The
reason the subject title caught my attention is I am fully aware King
Chuck is fully behind the elitist agenda of the Globalist World
Economic Forum (WEF) which offers ZERO that is pleasant toward
American Liberty (I hope Americans see the Declaration
of Independence irony here) and Individual Freedom.
Alas … Brother Cooke addressed none of my Prince Chuck
concerns. BUT pieced together an interesting piece of Church history that
addresses Religious Liberty using the newly minted King Charles III signing an
oath “to uphold the security of the Church in Scotland.” I have to
wonder how much King Chuck will honor that oath considering his WEF Globalist
pedigree.
So, let’s join Tony Cooke on this historical snapshot of
Church history in regard to UK history from the email.
JRH 9/21/22
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generosity. PLEASE
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Why Did King Charles III Do That?
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King
of Hearts (Suicide King – another irony?) & Title
By Tony Cooke
Sent via TCM
Sent 9/16/22 7:59 AM
Shortly after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the
announcement was made that her son, Prince Charles, would succeed her and would
be known as King Charles III. Two days after her passing, at the ceremony where
Charles III was formally proclaimed the new King of England, he signed an oath
to uphold the security of the Church in Scotland. This was all part of the
established protocol for an incoming monarch.
The history of Christianity in England is loaded with intricacies and complexities,
and much of it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with what Jesus taught and
promoted. In certain eras, political maneuvering abounded and the ruling party
in religious conflicts would sometimes banish, behead, or burn opponents at the
stake. Threats and intimidation were commonplace. “Live and let live” was
certainly not the prevailing attitude of those who held religious and political
power.
Before we examine why King Charles III signed a document respecting the
sovereignty of the Church of Scotland, let’s look at Charles I (1600-1649) and
Charles II (1630-1685). King Charles I followed the reign of King James I (who
authorized the production of the Authorized Version of the Bible, also known as
the King James Bible). King Charles I opposed and took action against any group
that resisted the State Church, especially the Scots. While there were many
factors involved in his political demise, he was eventually tried for treason
and executed.
Later, Charles II ascended to the throne of England. As a playboy, he would be
known and remembered as the “Merry Monarch.” Believers, including those in
Scotland and Ireland, who did not want their churches under government control
were targeted by the King and by Parliament. Puritans (those who wanted to “purify”
the church of England) suffered during this time as the Church of Scotland,
which wanted to operate independently based on a Presbyterian form of church
government.
Britannica states that “The Conventicle Act of 1664 punished any person
over 16 years of age for attending a religious meeting not conducted according
to The Book of Common Prayer. The Five Mile Act of 1665 prohibited
any ejected minister from living within five miles of a corporate town or any
place where he had formerly served.”[1]
In other words, if you don’t operate your church under the State Church and its
directives, you were going to suffer.
We want to take a quick look at two Scottish ministers who stood up against
governmental and ecclesiastical tyranny, John Knox (1514-1572) and Samuel
Rutherford (1600-1661).
In 1547, John Knox and other Protestants were taken prisoner and he served as a
galley slave (chained and rowing) for nineteen months. Later he spent time
exiled in Geneva, but he eventually returned to Scotland to work toward a
church free from government control. It is said that Mary Queen of Scots
remarked, “I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies
of Europe.”
As he approached death, Knox prayed, “Come, Lord Jesus. Sweet Jesus into Thy
hand I commend my spirit. Be merciful, Lord, to Thy Church, which Thou hast
redeemed. Give peace to this afflicted commonwealth. Raise up faithful pastors
who will take charge of Thy Church.” The epitaph on his grave read, “Here lies
a man who in his life never feared the face of man.”
Samuel Rutherford, a Scottish Presbyterian pastor, lived in a century that saw
many suffer martyrdom for their faith. At one point, Rutherford himself was
banished from the city where he pastored and was forbidden to preach. Through
the influence of Rutherford and others, a National Covenant was signed in 1638
(during the time of Charles I’s reign). This document expressed their
resistance to the imposition of State Church regulations on their worship based
on the fact that Jesus Christ is the true head of the Church. It is said that
some Scots signed this covenant in their own blood.
Later, Rutherford authored a book entitled Lex Rex (The Law of the
King). In this work, he stressed God’s absolute authority and argued for
limited governmental authority. Under the reign of King Charles II, this book
was banned and burned. When Rutherford was charged with treason and demanded to
appear before the authorities, he was already on his deathbed and responded
with this statement: "I have a summons already from a superior judge, and
it is better that I answer my first summons. I now go to be where few kings and
great people come."
Summary
Today in America, we think nothing of different denominational and independent
churches existing and working peacefully side by side. This has not been the
case through much of western history. Our freedoms are due in large part to the
battles for religious freedom in Europe, even to the point that the initial
statement in our Constitution’s First Amendment is: “Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof…”
Also, we can better understand why one of the first actions taken by the new
King of England, Charles III, was to sign a document guaranteeing respect for
the independence of the Church of Scotland. It is all rooted in history.
Great Statements by John Knox (1514 – 1572)
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“The Scriptures of God are my
only foundation and substance in all matters of weight and importance.”
“Live in Christ, die in Christ,
and the flesh need not fear death.”
“A man with God is always in the majority.”
“Lord, give me Scotland or I die!”
“When I think of those who have influenced my life the most, I think not of the
great but of the good.”
“O Lord Eternal, move and govern my tongue to speak the truth.”
“None have I corrupted, none have I defrauded; merchandise have I not made.”
Great Statements by Samuel Rutherford (1600 – 1661)
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Samuel
Rutherford (1600 – 1661)
“Believe God's love and power
more than you believe your own feelings and experiences. Your rock is Christ,
and it is not the rock that ebbs and flows but the sea.”
“They lose nothing who gain Christ.”
"My faith has no bed to
sleep upon but omnipotence.”
“Jesus Christ came into my prison cell last night, and every stone flashed like
a ruby.”
“Make not Christ a liar in distrusting His promise.”
“Grace tried is better than grace, and more than grace; it is glory in its
infancy.”
“I seldom made an errand to God for another, but I got something for myself.”
Footnote
[1] https://www.britannica.com/topic/Protestantism/The-Restoration-1660-85
Bible teacher and author Tony Cooke graduated
from RHEMA Bible Training Center in 1980 and received degrees from
North Central University (Bachelor’s in Church Ministries) and
Liberty University (Master’s in Theological Studies/Church
History). His ministerial background includes pastoral
ministry, teaching in Bible schools, and directing a ministerial
association. Tony’s passion for teaching the Bible has taken him to
more than thirty nations and nearly all fifty states. He is the author of
a dozen books, of which, various titles have been translated and published
in eight other languages. Tony and his wife, Lisa, reside in Broken Arrow,
Oklahoma, and are the parents of two adult children
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