To commemorate the 400th anniversary of the first English settlement in North America, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II was invited to share in the celebrations in Jamestown, Virginia. The colony of Virginia was named after the first Queen Elizabeth, the "Virgin Queen," while Jamestown Island and the James River were named after her successor, King James I, the same king who authorized the first official translation of the Bible into English.

It was the queen's fifth state visit to the United States and her fourth as monarch. Previous visits were in 1951 before she became queen, 1957 when she attended the 350th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement, 1976 for the Bicentennial and 1991.

Americans mingle with the monarch

Toward the end of her weeklong visit to the United States, the queen spent time with President George W. Bush at the White House. Thousands of visitors were able to mingle with the president and the monarch on the White House lawn. In the evening, President Bush hosted a white-tie dinner at the White House, the first by the present administration.

All 140 invited guests received a personal invitation, handwritten by a calligrapher. Everybody was informed that when the queen stops eating, everybody stops eating! All guests met both the queen and the president.

The welcome given to the queen during her visit to the United States was described by one television commentator as "jubilant." Partly this was appreciation for Britain's role as America's main ally. But, commentators agreed, it was mostly out of respect for the 81-year-old woman who has spent her life doing her duty, serving the peoples of Great Britain and the British Commonwealth of Nations.

Actress Helen Mirren received an Oscar for "the role of a lifetime" as the queen in the movie of the same name. Mirren said the person who quite literally has had the role of a lifetime is the queen herself, who became queen at the age of 25 and has held a 24/7 role as Britain's head of state for over 55 years.

And yet her role is nothing compared to the role that true Christians will have in the coming Kingdom of God.

We will be kings and priests

The biblical book of Revelation was given to "show [Christ's] servants…things which must shortly take place" (Revelation 1:1). In verse 6 of chapter 1, we read that He "has made us kings and priests." Powerful angels singing a song of praise to the Lamb of God, also say of the saints, "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign on earth" (Revelation 5:10, NRSV).

A central message of the Bible is the promise of the coming Kingdom of God. "Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God" (Mark 1:14). His parables are full of insight into the coming Kingdom, which will be established upon this earth at His return.

In Revelation 20 we are taken forward into this time of Christ's return and of the resurrection of the saints, those whom God has called. "And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them… And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years… This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years" (Revelation 20:4-6, emphasis added).

Stating that the saints will be both kings and priests clearly means there will be no separation of Church and state in the world of tomorrow. Resurrected Christians will fulfill dual roles, both as secular and spiritual rulers.

The future world-ruling Jesus Christ is described in Revelation 19:16 as "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS," a title so awesome that it's written in bold capital letters. If Christ is King of kings, then who are the other kings He will be over?

That's the role to be filled by His loyal followers, those "who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 12:17).

Kings and queens live in grand mansions, called palaces. Many of you will have visited Windsor Castle, the queen's home just outside London. Others will have visited Buckingham Palace, her London residence. In the time of Jesus Christ, royal residences were even grander. His disciples perhaps had Roman royal palaces in mind when He said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration [the resurrection], when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matthew 19:28).

Unlike the first-century disciples, most people today do not live under kings. They have little concept of what it means to be a king. By looking at the life of Queen Elizabeth II we receive an insight into what it means to be a ruling monarch.

What does it mean to be a king?

You are king for life.

During the royal visit to the United States, it was frequently observed that the queen has met with 10 U.S. presidents. She has also had 10 British prime ministers (Gordon Brown makes the 11th). Additionally, there have been numerous prime ministers in the other nations of which she is queen. This brings home the simple fact that a monarch's role, in contrast to a politician's, is for life. Queen Elizabeth came to the British throne on Feb. 6, 1952. She will remain queen until she dies.

A major difference between the kings who rule with Christ and the present British monarch is that the future kings will be spirit beings. "Over such the second death has no power" (Revelation 20:6). We "shall reign with Him for a thousand years." Verse 5 explains that there will be another resurrection after the first thousand years of Jesus Christ's rule on earth. This resurrection reveals that there will be even more people to rule over, so our positions aren't limited to just 1,000 years.

You can become king suddenly, unexpectedly. Always be prepared.

Although Princess Elizabeth had known since December 1936, at the age of 10, that, upon the death of her father, she would become the reigning monarch, her ascendancy was still unexpected. Her father, King George VI, had plans to go on a South Seas tour of countries that were a part of the British Empire, in early 1952, accompanied by his wife. When his health would not permit it, he asked his daughter and son-in-law to go in his stead. He saw them off at the airport on Jan. 31.

Six days later, while in the African colony of Kenya, Princess Elizabeth became queen. The imperial tour was hastily cancelled as the new queen and her husband returned to London.

Jesus Christ warned us to "watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming" (Matthew 24:42). He added, "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (verse 44). Earlier, He said, "of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only" (verse 36).

We must always be ready to assume our office of kingship. It doesn't matter how long we have to prepare, but prepare we must. Princess Elizabeth had a little over 15 years to prepare for her role. Her son, Prince Charles, who will turn 59 later this year, has had much longer. From the time that we receive the Holy Spirit, we need to take our calling to be a king very seriously and ensure that we are preparing for rulership with Jesus Christ in His Kingdom.

A king must uphold the law.

There was a time in England when the king could do anything he wanted to do. But that has not been the case for centuries. In 1215 King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta, which formed the basis for the Anglo-American legal system. One of its fundamental principles was that everybody was subject to the law, including the king. This principle eventually led to the beheading of King Charles I in 1649 and the establishment of the short-lived English Republic.

This principle of equality before the law does not exist in most countries, including many European ones. America inherited it from England. It was said in 1974 that the Magna Carta brought down President Nixon.

In ancient Israel kings were expected to know and obey the laws of God.

"Also, it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book… And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the L ord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel" (Deuteronomy 17:18-20).

The queen has been exemplary in her obedience to the laws of England. In the same way, we should be exemplary in our obedience to the laws of God.

Be careful not to lose your throne.

A king can lose his throne. This happened to the queen's uncle, King Edward VIII, in December of 1936. Edward had only become king in January of the same year. At the time he was a single man. It soon became clear that he was involved with a woman who had been married twice.

He was given a choice by the parliaments of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions. He had to choose between the woman, Mrs. Simpson, and what was then the most prestigious position in the world, the throne of the British Empire. Edward's decision was to abdicate in favor of his brother, who became King George VI.

Only recently did official government papers about the abdication become available, following the death of the queen mother, who was married to King George VI. These papers revealed that Mrs. Simpson was not being faithful to the king, whom she later married.

Edward had given up the throne for nothing!

There's an important spiritual lesson for all of us here.

In Revelation 3:11 we are admonished to "hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown." It's easy to lose out on our future as kings and priests, ruling with Jesus Christ. We can easily get distracted by other people or things that get in our way. We can let another person become an obstacle to our salvation.

Edward VIII, as the eldest son of the future King George V, was born to be king when he entered this world in 1894. His investiture as prince of Wales, heir presumptive to the British throne, was in 1911. Twenty-five years later he was king, but only for a few months. He got distracted by somebody else and gave his crown away.

Don't let this happen to you. Not only must we avoid carnal temptations that can lead us astray from God, but we must also be careful not to let resentment or bitterness trip us up on our spiritual journey.

Looking ahead

During the queen's visit to the United States, one television commentator remarked that the queen's popularity on both sides of the Atlantic has increased as people have lost respect for their politicians. There is a lesson for us here. When we look at worldly leadership, we mostly see bad examples. Self-seeking and even lying are common problems afflicting many politicians. Like the queen, we must remain above that, maintaining a higher standard, which emphasizes our duty to God and to others.

Let us also remember that our role in the Kingdom of God will far surpass the leadership role of any worldly monarch or president. We have an eternity to look forward to, immortality where we will be ruling alongside our Savior and Elder Brother, Jesus Christ. WNP