04-06-14 This message may be viewed live streaming video at www.tabernacleofmoses.org commencing today Sunday at 11:00am, and repeated 24/7 for one week; thereafter, the audio and notes without video are archived.

THE PROPHECY OF THE SAVED BECOMING THE SWORD OF THE LORD

(Zec 13:7-9) Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

(Zec 13:7-9) Awake, O sword [the Word of God within the true People of the Lord] [1,2], against my shepherd [Heb: pastor], and against the man that is my fellow [Heb: associate], saith the LORD [Heb: Jehovah] of hosts [3]: smite the shepherd [4], and the sheep ["of the flock" Amplif. Bible] shall be scattered [but not smitten]: and I will turn mine hand upon [i.e., spank] the little ones ["of the flock" Amplif.] [5]. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein [two thirds, consisting of 66% of the total Christian population who are nominal (in name only) unbelieving pseudo-Christians, i.e., stony ground and among thorns persons] shall be cut off [from the church] and die; but the third [part, the truly redeemed of the Lord] shall be left therein [Heb: remain, be preserved] [be saved]. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried [6,7,8]: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

Awake = Heb: (through the idea of opening the eyes); to wake (literally or figuratively): - awaken, up, lift up (self), X master, raise (up), stir up (self). [The command is to open your spiritual eyes]

Commentary: "Awake, O sword" = directly refers to the double-edged (two-sided – just like us) sword of God which is the logos word of God (Heb 4:12) on the one side and the rhema word of God (Eph 6:17) on the other side. "Awake, O sword" also directly refers to the then resurrected People of the LORD in Christ acting in judgment, as illustrated by Gideon who was a type and shadow of Jesus Christ (the Word of God: John 1:14), and further identified by the battle-cry that was uttered by Gideon and his warriors: "The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon" (Judg 7:18,20). Gideon and those warriors within his company, "labourers together with God" (1 Cor 3:9), acted in unison "as one man" (Judg 6:16). Figuratively, both God (Jehovah) and man (Jesus Christ represented by Gideon and his company of 10,000), were fused together, were made into One double-edged sword of gold and silver.

a. Gideon = Heb: feller (warrior) /// to fell a tree; generally to destroy anything: - cut (asunder, in sunder, down, off), hew down.

b. Commentary: trees are a biblical symbol of men; Jesus Christ was not occupied as a carpenter, a feller of trees, by happenstance.

c. Gideon and his company of 10,000 believers had become in type "The sword of the LORD [the gold - Jehovah], and of Gideon [the silver - Jesus Christ]"

d. Gideon and his company of 10,000 believers shall become in prophetic actualization "The sword of the LORD [the gold - Jehovah], and of Gideon [the silver - Jesus Christ]."

Commentary: "against my shepherd" = is a reference to the full spectrum of shepherd-pastors commencing with false (in their hearts) pastors and concluding with true (in their hearts) but deceived pastors; the latter deceived pastors each "becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air [symbols of false doctrines, which are false thoughts, which are fallen angels] come and lodge [Gk: camp down, haunt] in the branches [i.e., doctrines, bunny trails] thereof" (Mat 13:32).

smite = Heb: to strike (lightly or severely): - beat, cast forth, clap, give wounds, X go forward, X indeed, kill, murderer, punish, slaughter, slay, strike, give stripes, X surely, wound.

(Luke 12:47-49) And that [saved] servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his [lord’s] will, shall be beaten with many stripes [as clearly illustrated in Judg 8:4-17 by how Gideon "taught" the 77 princes and elders of Succoth who were saved men]. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much of him they will ask the more. I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

e. (Luke 3:16) John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water [unto repentance]; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he [Jesus Chist] shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost [unto justification] and with fire [unto sanctification].

f. Commentary: The third baptism of "sanctification… already kindled" is signified in type by the O.T. washing in the "laver of brass" (Exo 30:18) after justification at the brazen altar, and a N.T. burning away ("Is not my word like as fire?" Jer 23:29) of our old man already in progress, but yet to be fully experienced by any of the living. This is a baptism that we shall fully experience who are "alive and remain" (1 The 4:17) at His Second Advent, and it is a further blessing that it shall be experienced "in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Cor 15:52).

(I, God will) refine them as silver is refined = refine = Heb: to fuse (metal): - founder, goldsmith, melt, purify, purge away.

g. (Dan 12:9,10) And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

(I, God will) try them as gold is tried = try = Heb: to test (especially metals); generally to investigate: - examine, prove, tempt, try (trial).

Commentary: Silver and Gold. Silver is the metal that symbolizes redemption (salvation); thus this metal represents Jesus Christ; this metal also represents Gideon’s 9,700 saved redeemed warriors who are God’s sheep, the support troops of His army, who have blinded themselves by carelessly sucking the water of the Holy Spirit as babes (Judg 7:4-8). The "silver" shall be "refined," melted down and purified, purging away all their dross. Gold is the metal that represents God, and thus is the purest and most precious of metals. Gold also represents God’s shepherds (the combat troops of His army) who will be examined and tested for their veracity (truth). Herein, gold represents Gideon’s 300 saved warriors as shepherd-pastors who vigilantly (1 Pet 5:8) and carefully lapped the water of the Holy Spirit out of their hand, which symbolizes the Hand Ministry of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers (Eph 4:11,12).

 

Amen