THE SWORD & THE STONE

"He shall feed His flock like a shepherd, He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young."

Isaiah 40:10-11

"We are His people and the sheep of His pasture."

Psalm 100:3

Pick up your sword you who have been letting it lay. For there is a work to be done says the Lord. Do you see Ireland before you and the sheep having no shepherd? I am the Good Shepherd and I care for My sheep. Your shepherd, the Stone of Israel, did not let the sword lay; but as Faithful and True, "The Sword and the Stone" I laid a foundation that shall never be removed. Take heed how you build thereon.

I am a tried stone. A precious corner stone. And you who believe should not be anxious. For you shall get your instructions from Me. For you shall look to Me in every situation, and not to another. As it is written:

"The hands of Zerubabbel have laid the foundation of this house and His hands also shall finish it. And you shall know the Lord of Hosts has sent Me unto you."

Zech. 4:4-9

Having laid the foundation, having become your Chief Corner Stone, would you now set Me aside? There are builders which have disallowed My role as the foundation. My role as the builder. But as it is written:

"This is the Stone which was set at nought of you builders which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved."

Acts 4:11-12

YOU ARE MY BUILDING :

You are My building says the Lord. It was I, even I who laid your foundation and My hands put in place each bar and gate and each window. It is I who have given you whole and complete salvation. You cannot remove that Sword from your Stone, I say from your Stone who is the Shepherd the Stone of Israel; for these are one in the same. It is the spirit of the magician that would tell you that you will prosper if you take away this Sword from this Stone.

For as surely as there arose a mighty man by the name of Eleazar in those days when the Phillistines were gathered together to battle and the men of Israel were gone away, and he arose and smote the Phillistines until his hand clave to the sword and your God wrought a great victory and the people returned only to spoil; your Sword cleaves to the Stone, even to the Shepherd the Stone of Israel, and you cannot separate the two.

For I and I alone know what My lambs need says the Lord. And as those magicians in Moses day were dealt with and their folly manifested, surely the magicians and the sorcerers and all who would make and believe a lie shall have their folly manifested before the eyes of all the people because I and My Father are one.

THERE IS BUT ONE COUNSEL TO WHICH YOU SHOULD LISTEN:

There is but one counsel to which you should listen says the Lord and it is not to those who "would have none of My counsel." Not to those magicians whose folly was and shall continue to be manifested to all men. Where are the Eleazars of your day? I would say to you: "arise and stand on your feet." There are many things that have been wrong for a long time. I know it and you know it. But what are you going to do about it?

Will you cease to fall prey to those who long ago were wearied in the multitude of My counsels as I am in theirs? For these are the dogs and the circumcision of whom you were warned, that grievous wolves would come in, not sparing the flock. These are not your "fathers." You have one Father and it is your Father in heaven.

You see the Sword and the Stone. I even I have laid the foundation and I have arisen to finish the work. I have arisen far above all counsel and might, My beloved sons and daughters. For I promised you in the pages of My word:

"After this I will return and I will build again the tabernacle of David which is fallen down and I will build again the ruins thereof and I will set it up that the residue of men might seek after the Lord and all the Gentiles upon whom My name is called says the Lord who does all these things."

THEY WORSHIPPED THE RUINS:

But they worshipped the ruins. They have worshipped these ruins says the Lord. More than their King. I say, more than their King. For I said to Israel: I would make you a kingdom of priests. For I longed to have fellowship with them. But they were afraid. They said: Moses, you talk to God and tell us what He said.

My Spirit cries for those who would have intimate fellowship with Me. I shall not allow the religiosity to stand between Myself and those who are the very object of My affections. And I will make this pronouncment if you will: Do not form barriers between Me and that which is mine. For I AM still the Word that demolishes strongholds and no matter how longstanding and impregnable and well fortified the walls appear to be, nothing is so strong as the wrath of God revealed against all ungodliness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

I AM THE GREAT GOD AND SAVIOUR:

How My lambs have wept tears in the night. How they have cried to Me to save them from their distress. I Am the great God and Saviour, says the Lord. And as surely as Elymas the sorceror sought to turn away one of My lambs from the faith, was dealt with; it is within My hand to rebuke and chasten those who would hinder, those who thrust with side and shoulder and push the diseased with their horns till they have scattered them abroad.

Those who eat up the good pastures, but tread with their feet the residue of the pastures. Those who have drunk deep waters, but foul it with their feet, so My flock must eat and drink what they have soiled. My people are enibriated with the foul, soiled waters and I am raising up a

breed of pastors that will give honour and homage to the Chief Shepherd, the Stone of Israel. And these shall return only to spoil. For they are part of that great "Eleazar Company"of your day and of your generation. For your generation is awakening from out of a deep spirit of slumber that the magicians cast over the peoples. They are waking up and they are rising up! They are not worshipping at the groves and grottos of generations past. They are declaring as the spirit of Elijah: "The Lord our God is Lord and His name one. For as it is written:

"In that day when the spoil shall be divided in the midst of you, the Lord shall be King over all the earth; and in that day shall there be one Lord and His name one."

They shall have gods many and lords many. But to you there is one God, the Father who indwells you and of whom are all things and you by Him. (Matthew 10:20) But there is not in every man this knowledge: and some to this hour eat things sacrificed to idols.

I am sweeping My house for it is time to do some house cleaning. There are many like the man who having the unclean spirit cast out, and that spirit has found no rest, has returned to find it swept and has entered again and become more fortified the second time for the house was empty and not filled with the knowledge of God.

IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD:

In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God. And in the fulness of time, the Word became flesh and dwelled among you and you beheld My glory---the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

And I prophesied to you. Yes, it was prophesied to you beforehand. "I shall not leave you comfortless, when I go away. But I shall come to you." For did you think that I who laid the foundation woul leave the work to another? No, but My hands---even the hands of your Great High Priest, laid the foundations and My hands also shall finish the work and there is not a wise builder among you that would dare to set Me aside and to trust in his own devices, for you would surely fall.

And I who promised you that I would not leave you comfortless, but I would come to you, did appear to just such a builder on the road to Damascus and set his plumb-line straight and I sent him on his way under My direction saying:

" Arise and stand on your feet. For I've appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of those things which you have seen and of those in which I will appear to you."

Did I appear to Saul, who himself became Paul the wise master-builder---only to become a Chief Corner Stone to be cast aside? Did I leave him to figure things out alone? No, but I said: You'll be a witness of those things you've seen and in which I will yet appear to you. And did I lie? Or do you see Paul and certain disciples with a Sword and a Stone that clave together---receiving certain instructions from the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel, when they were to preach the gospel in Asia and when they assayed to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not?

YOU ARE NOT ORPHANS:

"God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your heart crying Abba, Father..."

Galatians 4:6

"For it is not you that speak but the Spirit of your Father which speaks in you."

Matthew 10:20

For I said: If a man love Me, he will keep My words and My Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him. Your Father has not left you orphans. Didn't I say that He that has seen me has seen the Father? Your Heavenly Father is in you of a truth. (If so be the Spirit of the Lord dwells in you.) For I and My Father have taken up our abode in you. For I said: I will not leave you comfortless, but I will come to you. And appear I did, and shall continue to you even as I did on your own Damascus Road---on your own Emmaeus Road when your eyes were so blinded by the tears that you could not see that it was I. For I loved you as a Shepherd, and not a hirling that flees when the lambs need Him most, but as one who cares with the tenderest compassion.

You've been marching around those walls and look! The walls are tumbling down My beloved. For it has been those walls of church tradition that have tried to keep Me on the outside and you on the outside---peering like ragged beggar children into the windows of a great house in which a feast is spread, but feeling unable to partake of it. Come and dine your Master calls, come and dine.

If you allow that strong man of church tradition to control you he will. But I said: If you first bind the strongman you shall spoil his goods. Do you want to be like Eleazar, the mighty warrior who fought till his sword clave to his hand? Then cleave to Me and only to Me and to My Word, as My church and My bride for I have prepared a table for you even in the presence of your enemies.

ONE WITH THE LORD:

You are members of My body, of My flesh and of my bones. For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and cleave to his wife and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak of this one Spirit/one flesh relationship between Me and My church. For he that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit. And you are members of My own body, of My flesh and of My bones.

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