In fact, one has to wonder, “Why did God choose such a man to be an instrument of destiny?” Yet, God had chosen many such men before Henry to be His Servants in bringing about His Plan for Israel, including the kings of Egypt, Assysia and Babylon. Such men achieved what God intended despite human weaknesses, indulgences and self-interests. You know, dear readers, as devoted as Jacob was to the Lord, he used opportunity and trickery to secure the Birthright and Blessing to bring about a plank in God’s Great Plan. God is fully aware of our imperfections, he allows for this in the unfolding of time. Henry VIII was no different; he was to be a monarch of destiny despite his many flaws and selfish motives.

God predestined that three major events would take place during the reign of Henry VIII. The most significant was the separation of the Church of England from Roman Catholicism. It was not an event based on any altruistic motives on the part of the king but was carried out primarily because the king was obsessed with producing a male heir and the Pope would not grant an annulment of his wife of 24 years so a younger woman could take her place. Thus, beginning in 1929, he began passing statutes that effectively broke the power of the Papacy. Although religious reform movements had sprung up as a result of the Reformation ushered in by Luther, there was no great support given these movements by the English people until Henry sought freedom to dispose of his wife. Actually, even after the break, Henry basically still continued to follow the doctrine of Catholicism because as the then Supreme Head of the Church of England, authorized only slight alterations in the worship ritual. Yet, the seed was sown for the Reformation and despite tremendous persecution in the subsequent reign of Queen Mary, it could not be extinguished.

God had allowed for Henry VIII’s imperfections but the awakening of Israel that was revealed to the Apostle John in Revelation 11 was now irrevocable. Verses 7-11 refer to the persecution by the Papacy, a period of silence, a gloating and finally, the awakening. For all of Protestantism, this is a most significant prophecy and should be reviewed as a part of this study.

“And when they [the two witnesses] shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified” Revelation 11: 7-8 (This reflects the Persecution)

“And they of the people and kindreds and tongues shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves” Revelation 11: 9 (This reflects the Silence)

And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice and make merry, and shall send gifts to one another….” Revelation 11: 10 (The Gloating by the Roman Hierarchy as they rejoiced and congratulated one another for their success, albeit short-lived)

“And after three days and a half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet….” Revelation 11: 11 (This reflects the Awakening).

It’s interesting to see how this prophecy unfolded. On May1514 AD, the 5th Lateran Council held in Rome invited dissenters to speak but no one did. This led the Papacy to believe it was the end of resistance to their totalitarian rule. Yet, 3½ years later (a year to a day), on October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his famous “95 Theses” on the door of Wittenburg Church, thus ushering in the Protestant Reformation.

The Historist interpretation of the Book of Revelation understands the Two Witnesses of Revelation 11 to be symbols of Church & State, or Israel & the Church, or The Old & New Testaments or Israel & Judah. The popular futurist intrepretation (that I reject) generally insists the Two Witnesses are two men who will appear only in the future.

It is interesting to view Henr y VIII’s reaction to the emerging Reformation in light of his later desire to throw off the shackles of the church. We must remember that this was a man prepared for the Church and until his request for an annullment was declined, there was no sign that his loyalty swerved in any way. On the contrary, he was so devoted to Catholicism and the Pope that his famous book “Assertio Septem Sacramentorum” was such a condemnation of Martin Luther’s Reformist ideals that Pope Leo X conferred on Henry the title “Defender of the Faith.” Ironically, few today seem to appreciate that the title and the monarch’s oath to defend the Protestant faith originated with Catholicism. Then too, even after the break, Henry VIII played a part in the execution of William Tyndale, who had translated the Bible into English and was persecuted severely by the Papacy. Henry’s vengeance was clearly visible in the strangling and burning of Tyndale more so because Tyndale had opposed his divorce of Catherine of Aragon, Henry’s first wife.