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Stone Kingdom Ministries was founded with that name in 1988 by James Bruggeman. Prior to that, James had been an ordained Elder (since 1981) and had been leading home-church fellowships, both when he and his family lived in Florida and later in North Carolina.
Dr. James W. Bruggeman in his office in January 2009
By 1988, James had begun compiling a mailing list of friends and supporters around the country and had also begun teaching at Bible conferences. At that time, James was still working full-time in the construction industry, but desired to do more ministry work emphasizing the gospel of the kingdom.
With an eye towards publishing monthly teachings, he realized that the fledgling ministry ought to have a name. Being part of a very loosely-affiliated group of Christian believers around the country—many of whom considered themselves part of a national “Kingdom” movement—James sat down one night with his wife, Roxanne, and their teen-aged son, and prayed for divine guidance for a name.
They felt that the word “kingdom” ought to be incorporated somehow as they reminded each other of various ministries they were familiar with around the country, many of them having “kingdom” in their name. The three of them then brainstormed for only a minute or two when suddenly “stone kingdom” was mentioned. No one recalls who first spoke it. That is really of no consequence since they all knew instantly that “Stone Kingdom” would be the name and that it was given from above.
Stone Kingdom Ministries was a name unlike any other Christian ministry and remains unique to this day according to a friend who recently (in 2019) told me he did a web search and verified that fact. Since the phrase “stone kingdom” is such an unusual name, a few words of its derivation are in order.
The term “stone kingdom” as such actually appears nowhere in the Bible, but a brief study will confirm without doubt that it is indeed a solid and important biblical concept. It is derived from the historico-prophetic book of Daniel, chapter two, wherein we read the story of the great Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar.
The king called together his wise men and told them he had dreamed a most troubling dream the night before. Although Nebuchadnezzar knew it was important, he could not even remember the dream. He demanded that his wise men tell him both what he had dreamed and the interpretation of it.
The Chaldean astrologers felt that was a bit unreasonable and carefully and respectfully suggested that they would be happy to give the king the interpretation, but the king himself would have to reveal the substance of the dream. In a rage, the king told them if they could not tell him the dream and then the interpretation, that they would all be put to death the next day.
Daniel, a teenaged prince from the kingdom of Judah, who had been taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar’s armies less than two years previously, had already been recognized as a lad with superior intelligence and spiritual abilities. He, too, was under the death sentence. That night, he was given a “divine download” of what the dream was and what it signified. The next day, that information “saved the day.” All were spared and Daniel was highly rewarded with a position next to the king.
What the dream was and what it meant is of astounding importance for those of us living today some 2,600 years after that prophetic dream! In Bible prophecy, a mountain symbolizes a great nation or a great kingdom. Hence, this last portion of Daniel 2:35 is now easily seen as the derivation of the term “stone kingdom.”
Daniel 2: 35 …and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain [kingdom], and filled the whole earth.
Good vs. Evil—God’s Stone Kingdom connected to “Mystery Babylon”
Thus, in 1988, Stone Kingdom Ministries was founded. James left the construction industry in 1991 and has been in full-time ministry ever since. Being an intense student of both world history and Bible prophecy (as well as all of the Bible, of course), James realized some years ago that the vast majority of Christians had almost no familiarity with the Stone Kingdom. Very few could even identify the origin of the phrase, let alone evince any understanding what it means for us today. He found an identical situation among Christian believers with the term “Mystery Babylon.”
Therefore, realizing that one cannot teach about one without understanding the other, James commenced an in-depth study of both entities in 2010. Mystery Babylon and the Stone Kingdom have been and are intertwined, God-ordained enemies throughout the centuries. The culmination of the battle is happening before our eyes, especially since the 9-11 attack in New York City. It is in the Bible!
Little did James know in 2010 that the series would eventuate into such a long and deep study, but he makes no apologies. That is one of the great benefits of the internet. Unlike with printed books, there are virtually no space limitations on the web. (Granted, there is still the fact that Americans have been continuously dumbed down for decades now, and that their attention span has greatly diminished. Nevertheless, it is our hope and belief that our heavenly Father will cause those who are chosen to know to have the interest to look deeper.)
Therefore, for those who desire to know (and have a real “red pill” experience), we invite you to peruse the titles and synopses of the multitude of lectures which comprise Dr. Bruggeman’s series Mystery Babylon and the Stone Kingdom.
Today, SKM consists of Dr. Bruggeman and a very small staff in his office in Asheville, North Carolina, along with a few dedicated volunteers who assist with various aspects of the ministry from their locations elsewhere in the USA. The present activities of SKM include:
FOOTNOTE
“Red pill” is a reference to the 1999 movie, The Matrix, in which the lead character, Neo, is given a choice to take either a red pill or a blue pill. He is instructed that if he takes the blue pill, he will wake up in his bed with no memory of what he has just experienced and his life will be “normal,” and not changed in any way.
But, given his intense desire to know “THE TRUTH,” if he takes the red pill, his life will never be the same because he will be shown the truth, the way things really are, and IT WILL BE SHOCKING! Of course, in the movie, Neo takes the red pill (red = reality) and things get wild from there.
Leaving Hollywood aside now, over the years, the terms, “red pill,” “red pilled,” etc. have come to serve as a metaphor for those who have studied history, politics, religion, current events and more, and have come to know THE TRUTH, which we have discovered is often diametrically opposed to what has been taught and presented to us by the media, Hollywood, public (and much of) private education, most religious institutions, etc.
So, by reading this far, you now have a choice. Do you want the red pill?