The Stone Of Destiny
“And Jacob arose up early in the morning, and took the Stone
he had put for his pillow and set it up for a pillar,
and poured oil upon the top of it.”
“And This Stone, which I have set for a pillar shall be God’s House.”
I would like to thank Dan Wray for reminding us of the importance of the Stone of Destiny. It is easy to take for granted these important markers of our Identity and history. We should keep them in our minds, and be ready – as was Dan – to use such treasures to help others to see, and even get excited about our Identity, as God’s people
Did you know that back towards the end of 1950, (when it was stolen) a crack in the Stone split and it broke into 2 pieces. It was however repaired so well that one could scarcely see the join, but in so doing, there were small pieces of stone left over.
The late George Thompson obtained a few of these particles. His intent was to have them analysed. This was because the general consensus regarding the Stone – in today’s disbelieving world – is that it originates from Scotland, and is made of sandstone from Perth.
They cannot fathom how the carrying rings came to be fixed into the Stone,, suggesting when it was taken to Westminster Abbey by Edward 1st, they may then have been added! It was also denied for a long time, there was any sandstone in Palestine.
However, in 1948 Mr. G. S. Blake B.Sc., Geological Adviser to the Palestinian Government pronounced the following;
“In the Jordan valley there exists a sandstone of Pleistocene age ……. there is an outcrop north of Jericho …….” (Stratigraphy of Palestine).
With the help of a friend visiting Bethel in Palestine, George obtained a similar piece of sandstone from that area, and then sent both pieces to a Petrologist in Scotland for analysis – not informing him as to the origin of the stones. The outcome was as follows;
“There is an interesting similarity in the constituents, and it is possible that the specimens may be very closely related both in space and time …they may both be part of a rock bed which shows a graded structure.” (See George’s film; https://acplink.org/stone
Whilst this may not be 100% proof of the Stone originating there, it certainly shows it is a possibility, and indeed as much so, as it originating from Perth, Scotland. However, another positive indication for our claim is that; – according to The Daily Telegraph on 26th June 1963, it is “a peculiar stone of very high density…” , and George, in one of his booklets, tells us that the Stone proved to be heavier than its equivalent in Scottish sandstone.
Also, going back to the worn rings embedded into the Stone, we know the Bethel Stone was carried around by the Israelites, especially when in the wilderness. And probably, as the Ark of the Covenant, held by poles inserted through the said rings.
The Stone of Destiny is also known as the Witness Stone, and this is because it has been a witness to the crowning of Kings and Queens going back, not just through English and Scottish history, but also Irish – and before that as we believe it to be the actual Stone that Jacob had his dream upon – the Kings descended from the Royal Line of David. So, how can a stone be a witness to an event…….?
“Joshua made a covenant ……. Joshua wrote the words in the book of the Law of God ……. Joshua took a great Stone, and set up there (at Shechem – Joseph’s inheritance) under an Oak by the sanctuary of the Lord ……. Joshua said; ‘This Stone shall be a Witness unto us: for it hath heard all the Words of the Lord which He spake unto us: It shall be therefore a Witness unto You, lest ye deny your God’” (Joshua 24; 14-27).
Can a Stone be a witness to anything? Can an inanimate object actually ‘hear’ something that is said? (Do “Walls have ears…” ?) Well, maybe it’s not quite like that, but I wonder if the composition of stones have a type of memory or recording facility. It is said that water carries a memory, and this is how homeopathy works. The remedy in the water is diluted so many times that there is nothing of it left – just the impression, or memory.
The gemstones on the breast plate of the High Priests of the Israelites were there for a reason, and we have to wonder what. And there have been books written, indicating the possible properties of each stone, and their relevance to each of the 12 Tribes.
I believe it is possible that stones – in old buildings, Castles, Abbeys etc – can hold a type of memory or imprint of particularly important events. When you attend a Church service, and everyone chants that lovely prayer, taught and gifted to us by Our Lord Himself – The Lord’s Prayer – so have many, many other people uttered these powerful words, and in the same place. I often feel when we pray these words out loud, the echoes of a thousand , thousand other voices going back over the years are intermingled with our own. Recorded in the very walls of these buildings – all made of stone.
So, considering the possible potency of the Witness Stone, we note that when a King or Queen is crowned upon it, their promises made are likewise ‘recorded’, and to this effect I would like to quote from The Stone of Destiny, by F. Wallace Connon (published by Covenant Publishing);
“The Marquess of Bute, also quotes from a pamphlet entitled, The Forme and Order of the Coronation of Charles the Second, King of Scotland, England, France and Ireland’ ( As it was acted and done at Scone), the first day of January, 1661.”
“When the King was set down upon the throne, the Minister spoke to him a word of exhortation:
‘Sir, you are set down upon the throne in a very difficult time; I shall therefore put you in mind of a Scriptural expression of a Throne; it is said: Solomon sat on the Throne of the Lord.’ Sir, you are a king, and a king in covenant with the Lord.’
‘It is the Lord’s Throne. Remember that you have a King above you, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, who commandeth Thrones.’
Your Throne is the Lord’s Throne, and your people are the Lord’s people. Let not your heart be lifted up above your brethren (Deut. 17;20). They are your brethren, not only flesh of your flesh, but brethren by covenant with God.’
Your Throne is the Lord’s Throne. Beware of making His Throne a Throne of iniquity.’
‘But as the Throne is the Lord’s Throne, let the laws be the Lord’s laws, agreeable to His Word.’
‘Lastly, if your Throne be the Throne of the Lord, take a word of encouragement against Throne adversaries. Your enemies are the enemies of the Lord’s Throne.’”
Perhaps we should bring this to the attention of King Charles the Third!
Finally let us consider the Throne without the Stone. I wonder if the break in the Stone back in 1950, was like a rent in a garment regarding prophecies. Did it foretell the return to Scotland? And does it indicate that the Glory of the Lord has left Westminster Abbey?
The Stone resided in Westminster abbey for 700 years. That is quite some time, and the divine number 7 is prominent. Even before the Abbey was built, according to legend, an indication of the coming of the Stone, and – for a while at least – God’s Glory residing there, occurred. It is the story of ‘The Fisherman’s Dream’.
Before the Abbey was built a previous Church was about to be consecrated by Mellitus, Bishop of London. It is said to have been built by King Sebert in Saxon times. It was the night before, and our fisherman, named Edric, was fishing on the Thames near to Thorney Island – as the place was once called. It was a stormy night, and he was hailed by a stranger on the opposite side. He took his boat over and the venerable looking man in foreign dress asked to be taken over to the other side. Edric obliged, and after the stranger had taken his leave, Edric witnessed the man entering the newly finished Chapel. At this point Edric experienced his dream or vision. A heavenly light filled the air, and he saw angels ascending and descending upon a ladder from heaven to earth.
The stranger returned to Edric and told him he was St Peter, and there was no need for the Church to be consecrated because he had just done so. As a reward for his help, Edric was told to go back to his fishing and he would catch a plentiful supply of fish, including a large Salmon, and there were 2 conditions associated with his reward. Firstly he must never again fish on Sundays, and secondly that he should pay a tithe of fish to the Church. (Interestingly, the Company of Fishmongers still present a Salmon to the Abbey each year…).
The next day when Mellitus arrived and heard of the story, he confirmed the consecration, and the Church was dedicated to St Peter. And even now, the Abbey’s official name so we read is the Collegiate Church of St Peter.
King Sebert is said to have died about the year 616, and he and his wife Ethelgoda were buried in the Church at Thorney. His tomb was replaced in the great Church built on Thorney Island by Edward the Confessor, and was finally moved into the present Church where it still remains.
The point of this indicates that – if true – the arrival of the Bethel Stone at Westminster Abbey was pre-ordained by the Lord. Now that it no longer resides there an emptiness exists not just in the Coronation Chair, but in the Abbey itself – for the Stone was pronounced by Jacob to be the House of God, and the Glory that was once there is now sadly gone.
