Epitaph of a King

            There once was a king who had reigned over a mighty kingdom, but it had been under siege now for many months.  The watchman towers which once stood proud and tall were now cracked and crumbling from the many battles.  The army of the king though once loyal was deserting one by one.  The city, which once glistened in the sun with such beauty, was now a sore sight to behold having fallen into disarray.  The people, once full of life and joy, were now filled with bewilderment and despair.  Many had left searching for shelter outside of the kingdom’s walls for inside it had become a place of death, of sadness and mourning.

           Much to the king’s dismay, one of the king’s own sons had been taken prisoner and was being held in a dungeon outside of the walls and would soon be killed if ransom was not made. The treasury, which once had been so full of goods and plunder had recklessly been spent, during the previous years of plenty.  In desperation the king had gathered together the sons and the daughters of the nobles and sold them as slaves and concubines to raise money for the ransom, but even they did not bring in enough gold and silver to satisfy the demands.  The king called for all of his wisemen asking of them what else he could do, yet even they could think of nothing to save their king, their kingdom and his son.

           Suddenly the doors of the court were thrown open and in came a tower watchman carrying a leather bag who knelt at the king’s feet.  “My King, at dawn this morning, I did see a man climbing up out of the temple well.  As I called out to him to stop, he gazed at me for a moment, then smiled and threw this bag at the foot of my watchtower.  Before I could reach him, he climbed back inside of the well from whence he came and was gone.”

           The king recognized the handcrafted bag.  They once were used by all of the prophets in the land.  Taking it from the watchmen, he looked closely at the flap searching for the prophet’s initials, but they had been rubbed away.  All that remained was an embroidered golden sword.  Ordering all of the court to leave he motioned for the Queen, to open up the satchel of the prophet.  Cautiously she did as was bid, reaching inside and pulling out a long scroll. On the top of the scroll were inscribed these words, “Epitaph of a King”.  The queen’s hands did begin to shake.  “Here, Sire.  These words are meant for you and not I.  You must then be the one to read them.”

 The king grabbed the scroll from her hands.  Seeing the inscribed words he screamed out angrily, “My life’s not yet taken.  I am still here.  How dare even a prophet think of writing such words!  Are there not still many more kings than prophets in all the lands?”  And in anger and pride the king did begin to read the words therein:  

     "For yea, it is not the bands of singing men that will save you and your people but the bands of marching men that will come to hear the Word of the Lord here.  For when you do intently begin to listen and to hear the Word of the Lord, then the deliverance of men and the healing will come.  It is this move of the Spirit that will save your necks.  For when once again there is weeping and laughter around my altar, when once again the tongues and interpretations do flow, when once again my prophets do stand in a place of position and honor in the Body of Christ, then you shall see My Spirit come and visit your house. My Spirit come and visit your house.

           For it is my Spirit that the people do so desire after and do so need, for I am the cool water that will quench their thirsty souls.  I am the Spirit of God that can sustain even in the bleakest of times, even in the darkest of times, even in the hardest of times.  I Am  can restore even in the face of famine and pestilence and war.  Is there anything too hard for me?  I am the Spirit of Light and he that walks within the Light of my Spirit shall know my heart and my truth and my wisdom, for the Spirit of my truth shall set men free.

           Did the multitudes of my people rush to the feet of my son, Jesus, because he would sing to then a song or was it a fantastic play put forth by the disciples that the throngs did come for miles to see?  No, it was neither of these, but rather it was for the wisdom of his Spirit that the people did come to follow after; it was his divine revelation manifest in all that he would say and do that they came for.  It was the Eternal Love that shown within his eyes of compassion, and his mercy for the weak, the blind, the homeless, the beaten down, and distressed.

           The did not come to sit within the great coliseums of their day for you would not find the Son of Man  there, but rather they would go to find him under a fig tree or by the seashore or within a boat or inside the house of a friend, for my Son was not welcomed within the halls of the masters of his times.  He did not sit at the steps of the throne of the Jewish king, nor was he seated among the scribes and the elders of his day.

           But the Son of Man  was to be found among the common, the unlearned, and the poor.  These are the people who did welcome him and his teachings.  Not many mighty, not many noble did come, but it was by far the common and the poor, which did receive of his great wisdom and partake of his divine healing.  For he did touch their wounds and heal their diseases.  He wiped their tears and fears away.  They saw their blind eyes opened; their deaf could hear; their dead were brought back to life.  He blessed their children and gave favor to the widows, the publicans and the poor.  He treated all men equally: men and women were both welcomed to sit at the feet of the Lord as he did share his heart with him and he did give onto them the keys of the Kingdom.

           My Son  and his friends were not concerned with building for themselves an earthly temple which moth and rust doth corrupt, but he and his disciples did lay up treasures in heaven for all of eternity.  For who do sit upon the twelve thrones but the twelve men, which did walk in his footsteps.  They followed the path of Christ both in life and in death for they did not fear tribulation nor the cursing of the learned men, but they did gladly lay down their lives even unto the death of the cross for they did choose to follow in the footsteps of their Savior.

           Did not the Son of God  choose for his closest companions men of the sea – men who know how to work with their hands?  There was not a great learned man to be found among them, yet their teachings and their writings have surpassed all other great literature of their day and even down through the centuries and unto the present day. Is not The Word of the Lord still the greatest book ever written or ever told?  So why must you still hate to be seen with my common servants who on earth are not dressed like unto the kings?  For I tell you a truth, in heaven their royal robes shall outshine the garments of all the earthly kings.

           And why do you withhold from my people the word that I would speak unto them in this day and in this hour?  Where are my servants the prophets?  Have I not always used a prophet to proclaim the word of the Lord unto my people?  Even John the Revelator, is he not still considered to be one of the greatest revelators, the greatest seers, and the greatest prophets of Mine, for it is his works which are still spoken of with great wonder and amazement by men in your lifetime.  And did he not speak of the two prophets, which are yet to come unto my people with signs and wonders as Elijah of old, for they shall call down the very fire of God from my heavenly throne.

           Yea, the time of the prophets shall come and is even at hand.  Will you be one who will stand with them, or would you be one of those who will cast the first stone instead?  Of which group shall the name of the Unjust King be known?  Yea, their time is coming and I have even sent my angels to live among them for great and mighty works shall these men do.  The opening of blind eyes and the healing of the sick just name a few, for they shall see into the very throne room of the Almighty God and upon holy ground shall these men and women trod. For with the grace of Jehovah and with the sword of David at their sides, my Spirit shall guide them and their feats shall go down as the greatest of all of mankind!

           Not so, you do say?  What of the signs and wonders in the Holy Son’s day?  Did he not speak and did he not proclaim from his very lips that greater works than these shall men do, or would you believe like some others that he was just referring to Peter and Paul, to name a few?  If the truth were to be known and if the truth were to be said, even Saint Peter and Apostle Paul would rather be alive today instead of living among the heavenly dead!  For they do know and do see as I have allowed them to see the great and marvelous things, which these end time prophets of God shall do unto mankind giving all the glory unto Me.

           Why must I keep calling these men “prophets” you say.  Was not that always the title given to a holy man of God since the Old Testament days?  Were not Moses and Enoch and Elijah and even David among these men, for did I not share my innermost thoughts and ways unto them?  Once again I shall raise up this holy office to govern and to lead my sheep.  I am though with the times of the kings.  Look at what a mess they have made of things!

           For once again the Urim and the Thummim shall men see and by the workings of the Spirit shall I rule my people, the sheep, and no longer shall they have to pay homage and bow down to earthly kings, for the Lord God Jehovah  shall come and be the Good Shepherd unto his sheep.  For I say unto men this day, I am finished with the times of the kings!

           And if you do so desire to live and to see what I shall do in the latter days, then you had better change and you had better mend your ways, for I have come and I have even already begun to judge the unjust kings.  Have you not already seen ministry after ministry fall down and tumble as each unjust king was brought before Me?

           And behold now this day, I have even come neigh unto you, and behold this day, the voice of Mine Angel does declare of you the truth, for he has seen and he has written down every idle word and even every frown.  It is all recorded, all the workings you have done in the open and underground, and know that what I now do unto you all men shall be able to see.  For this day your opponent is not an earthly man which you can hope to beat, but the Lord God Jehovah  and such a fierce warrior is He!

           For the cries of my people have come forth into heaven before me, and the blood of their wounds lays splattered before my feet, and from each and every drop of blood and with each and every cry comes forth the name of the Unjust King, for it is you who have made them cry!  I am the Eternal  Judge, and I am the one who sees all things, so now look to the Book of the Kings and see how I did judge each and every unjust king which was brought unto Me.  Read now with your eyes and see how they did die and end their days, and once you are finished you had better get down upon your knees and begin to pray.

           For who shall save you from your plights in this life?  It is not by the coffers of men nor by the prayers of your wife.  For this day you and you alone do stand before my throne, and only when Christ’s blood does mingle with your own shall you find your sins are forgiven thee.  For it is only with the blood of my Son and by his prayers of intervention for thee that you will find grace and forgiveness for all of your mistakes and unholy atrocities.

           Let us see… what good deeds have you brought forth to present unto him and unto Me?  Only gifts of the Spirit shall last, and it is those, which we do seek, for only that which is pure and holy and from the heart shall sustain in the fire of God throughout eternity; gifts which promote your own selfish desires shall be rejected and torn away from the very heart of thee.  Only that which is pure and holy shall I receive this day, for all that is of earth and is carnal I will forever disdain.

           So count this day your deeds and bring them unto Me, but know that only a pure holy heart shall walk into eternity with Me.  For the treasures of Heaven which are guarded by my throne shall be given only to those whom I do cherish as my own, and they are for the blood bought ones, holy and pure and true and not for men of earthly desires whom my people they have hurt and abused.

             Treasures of earth shall upon the earth remain and only that, which is pure and holy shall return to live again with me, for only the pure and the holy shall enter Heaven’s gates and be ushered in to stay for eternity. And the only treasures in Heaven you’ll have to call your own are the ones that I do so give unto thee when you come before my throne.  Your treasures of earth shall upon the earth remain; only that which is pure and holy shall return for you to claim.  Only my gifts given unto men shall once again come through the holy gates and be ushered in.  And know this, the treasure which I shall care the most to see is what I do so most desire – my lost humanity.

           Now tell Me this day, what did you build in your life on earth for Me.  How many of my children did you hold and show forth the Father’s love for them through thee?  How many of my women poor and distressed did you help clothe and feed and provided them with shelter and rest?  Tell me, surely the list must be long of those men you did love for me on earth.  Surely there must be some heavenly deeds recorded of thee while you have been there upon the earth.

           Let’s see, how many did you visit of my young men in prison beaten down for the crimes they had committed and were upon the earth guilty tried and found?  These men who had lost all of their self worth and manly pride, did you give them the gift of acceptance and love or did you deem them unworthy to come near they side?

           Let’s see, my sons and daughters of the place you now call yours surely must have spoken well of thee.  Listen now as my angel does read what my people have spoken of their earthly king:

           “Oh, Lord Jehovah Great God, they say he is a king without a heart, one who cares not for their tears, their great hurts and many pains.  He sees them as battered sheep for the slaughter, to be sheared and to be slain.  They say he fills his coffers with their blood, sweat and tears, and then cares not when they do get on in years.  He does not even throw them a single dime, even when they have faithfully given unto you with their offerings and with their tithes.  Oh, it has come into the storehouse, yes, but it has been given all unto him.  There is none leftover for your teachers, or evangelists, or prophets among his men.  

            He gives unto the missionaries, yes, but not out of the tithes; instead he has them come to his church begging and pleading for every dime.  He does not even give enough money to take care of his own people’s poor.  For the young and the old alike have even been shoed away from his house and from the doors.  He has seen old men and ladies and young ones cry, but he has not even batted an eye at their plight.  He cares not what afflictions have been inflicted upon them.  He cares not even if they have been hurt by the hands of his own next of kin!  He says that his judgment against him has been wrong, that there is not sin in his house and that you have done him wrong!  He claims though to have forgiven you, Almighty God, for what you have allowed!”  

           Enough!  No more shall I hear!  Tell me what now can you say for yourself to make me take my wrath away from here?  It is I Am  who can forgive you, not you who can forgive ME!  To say that you, a mere man, have forgiven the Living God, is to say that you are an equal to Me!

           How many oceans, which by your very breath do clothe the earth with waters reflecting the Heavens and the earth?  How many skies have you filled with the stars, or forest with trees, or meadows with flowers?  Did you teach the birds how to sing or the hawk how to fly?  Did you paint the sunsets, which do decorate the evening sky?  How many Angels with wings do stand guard and watch by your command?  Are you the captain of the Heavenly Host that they should obey each and every one of your demands?

           Come now, let us see, in what way are you an equal with Me that you would even dream that you could grant forgiveness unto Me?  For there is only one Name by Heaven or earth that forgiveness does come with eternal worth.  It’s the Name of my Holy Son and not by the name, which you do come from – the name, which you do hold in such high esteem even as precious as riches and gold to thee.  For I have indeed heard thy name and it has become a stench unto Me, that a low earthly man and mere mortal would think of himself so highly, that he would even dare to think that he could forgive his God of the judgment he does so rightfully deserve, by the word of the Lord God Jehovah, this day my wrath you have incurred!

           For it is your love of thy name and your great love for gold, which have brought this downfall unto thee.  Because you’re loving these things more that Me, I am stripping them both away from thee: your earthly good name and earthly treasures you’ve seen departing from thee.  If you had only loved Me and my people first, then these would have been the treasures retained for thee.

           You who were born no one from no where did try to claw and push your way to the top by stepping upon others as they did cry out, but you cared not on your race to the top.  And who’s at the top, but the Lord Almighty and what does He say this day unto you?  Go back down to the earth and the mire back down to the dust where I first found you!  I’m ashamed you claim to be a servant of the Most High.  Where is your mercy and love and compassion for mankind?  For all I can see is the hate and unforgiveness in your eyes – hatred for your God and your fellowman, even hatred for your own life and how it has all ended.

           Oh, yes, a great leader and spokesman you have declared yourself to be, but you preach your own foolishness, your words do not reflect the heart and soul of Me.  For you have become your own master and it’s your own vision you have declared in vain.  For all of this shall be taken from you.  Your own destruction is just breaths away!  And no more will you hold high thine head and haughtily reply that you alone do know the will of the Lord, for soon this will be your new cry: “The Lord God Almighty  has turned away his head from the pleas and the cried from me.  He cares not for his servant, for He has turned his back upon me!”

           Look now and see there is a mighty army encamped about this place, but it’s not for the reason that you think that they stay.  Oh, they encamp round about for protection, but not to protect you!  For they’ve come to protect my sons and daughters and babes from the arrows and the spears thrown by you!  Oh yes, there is a mighty Angelic Army of God, but this day it is you they do march against, for you have willfully executed and slaughtered my own people by your words and your actions and your threats!

             For low, and behold, I have come to this House this day to declare it is the final hour for you in this place and it is time for this Unjust King to step down.  Yes, it is time for him to walk away and give back unto Me his crown.  It is nearly time for him to come and reside now with the kings who have reigned on earth years before, but now in peace do sleep.

           But wait, perhaps you could have some more time to pray?  Is it possible for the Great God Jehovah  to grant you more time to repent and change your ways?  Perhaps yes, but only if you do fall down this day upon your knees and ask me to wash these many sins away from you and this I would have to do if you would only ask Me to.  But first you must admit that you have been wrong, that these charges are true, that guilty, you have been found.

           Run now and flee to the horns of the altar; grasp on and do not let go.  For it is you that Mine Angels are after, and only I Am  can say to strike or to withhold.  Oh great and terrible is the wrath of the Almighty God  for you who have manslaughtered my sheep.  This day, yea, there shall be another man slaughtered – the man who is covered with the blood of my sheep!

           For the wounded are many and the list of the hurting is long.  Look, Mine Angels do not hold bundles of arrows and from the hearts of my people they were found.  For the hundreds who have cried out from the attacks and the pain do say their attacker is a man bearing the same name.  For from the very king’s bow were these flown and at the hands of his men and each and every arrow taken from the wound of every man, woman, and child, does bare the name of him, for the arrows have been presented and are being laid before thy feet.  What now, oh king, can you say in defense of these things?  For you who cared not how they fared shall see the Lord send them his love and tender mercy, as Mine Angels do carry healing in their wings to comfort the wounds of my people shot down by your men and thee.

             And low, even now you do cry out in intense agony and pain as an arrow shot from the very throne of God bearing His Name has come and struck within the heart and soul of you, in holy payment for my people that you have hurt and so spitefully abused.  And you would dare to come now and beg of Me to remove this great pain that is within your heart?  This arrow, which you did not know was even shot from the Holy Father’s bow is the arrow, which has broken your heart.

           Is there any holy fear now inside of thee for the awesome God who does stand before thee?  Come now and lay low, oh king.  Beg for thy forgiveness.  Call out for Christ  to save thee.  For only when your fists upon your chest do beat and the tears swell up within your eyes, as you fall down in remorse before my feet begging for mercy as you cry, when you do humble yourself before your God and man and finally submit under his almighty hand, then and only then may you find this judgment retreat as you come before my mercy seat.

           Oh, the great grace and tender mercies of the Lord, even the Angels cannot comprehend, that I would even stop and listen to the prayers of a man who has hurt so many of my children!  Look, even now, as with the thief upon the cross, the Son does intercede for you, but if it were not for his prayers and his precious blood, I tell you, I Am Jehovah  would be done with you!  For this day I have called you to stand before my Judgment Seat.  This day let all of Heaven see there are no treasures awaiting up here for thee!

           For I gave unto you my most precious and holy gifts: my moving in the spirit, my joy and my mirth, and what have you done to these and to my spiritual songs?  Where is the harp, which once played the majestic Angel songs?  You have done away with the Holy Hymns and instead have played songs written by earthly men.  And what of the thousands of my people I did send in unto thee?  Where have they gone?  Do you even know where, oh king?  Yea, they have gone unto Jesus the Savior  and at his feet have wept and cried, for you the carnal shepherd did push them outside of my fold to die!

           These tears of my people are so precious to Me that my Angels have bottled them up and presented them as offerings unto Me.  This is the treasure that awaits here now for thee - the tears of my children you have trampled under feet!  This is the only treasure I will have to give unto you – the tears of my children you have so hurt and abused!

           So, come now and drink the drink within this vase; it’s the cup of tears so gathered throughout the years from my sheep you did treat with disdain and disgrace.  And in drinking this drink shall come a pain so deep it’s more than a mere mortal could bare, yet in a second drink from the cup of Christ and his blood, you shall find my forgiveness within there.  But you shall not know the healing you do so desire until you do drink from the first cup of mine.  It’s the cup that you poured out upon the earth and by your own deeds did make up through out your lifetime.  It’s a cup of pain and a cup of sorrows.  It’s a cup of holy tears – the tears, which they have so bitterly cried as you did hurt them inside; there have been so many hurt by you down through the years.

           But as you do drink of the second cup of Christ you shall be able to know his likeness and begin to walk with him in newness of life.  As like unto “Scrooge” a new man you could be: one who is forgiving and God hearted, one who is loving and free - free from the guilt and free from the pain, even free from the shame, which now does cover your name.  For I have brought the name of  the Unjust King down and it has even been by my decree that this time of judgment has been sent out against your family.

           It is only by admitting your faults and sins this day you will ever find that peace and rest you do crave.  If you would just pray, “Lord, I am sorry and please forgive me, for I have been so very wrong.  Help me to do better and apologize to each and every one.”  For only if you do repent and truly amend your ways, will you find any treasure up here waiting when you do reach the end of your days.  For in your remaining years, which I could grant unto thee, you would be able to make up for the many hurts and pains that would have followed you into eternity.

           Here and now lies your chance to make things right between your God and between your fellowman.  Here now awaits your final chance to truly make amends.  Here and now is your chance to change your destiny and eternal fate.  Here now is the chance to become a godly man who could end his life as a true saint.

           Can your pain within now turn into kindness instead of bitterness and such hate?  Can you visit those who have hated you and your tribe?  Can you reach out in love to those who have tried to make you leave this place?  Can you show mercy to those unworthy and show love to those who were unkind?  Can you welcome into your home the fatherless, the widows, and whom ever lost that you can find, or will you continually refuse to share with them some of your fish and bread?  By the word of the Lord God Jehovah, it would go better with you if you would tend to them instead!

           Can you not be like my Son whom you claim is your Master and Lord, and become now more like unto him, for he was not one who was afraid to be seen with the publicans and sinners; he was not afraid to be seen with these men.  Why does one who come from the dust bowl himself think of himself so much more higher than these?  You who have longed for the great men and wealthy ones to sit before thee, look now where they have put your son, these men you once did crave so to be near thy seat?  Don’t you know and can’t you see that the bags of gold thrown down by men like these only bring blasphemy against Me?  I’ll not make my home among men such as these.  I still do hate the money changers within my temple walls, for the House of the Lord was made to be a place of prayer and not a den for robbers and thieves.  Only coins given from a heart that are pure and kind will I readily accept as an offering of men.

           Can you not love my people and cherish my sheep?  Can you not greet them with open arms and be a true shepherd unto them for Me?  For only if you can welcome them into your bosom even as your own family, will I ever be able to welcome you as one of my true shepherds who is faithful and true – a man who is worthy to be a servant unto Me.  Which kind of a man shall you now be?  One who does treat my children with tenderness and mercy, or one who will raise his hand to whip and merciless beat?  I tell you, whichever one you shall choose, Mine Angels shall hear and see, and they are not blind. They shall see all of your deeds down until the end of your lifetime.  Will it be sheep who are peaceful and content that they will see, or sheep bleating in pain and agony that they shall find?

           For it’s the treatment of sheep, which shall determine the end of your days.  I ask you, do you want to die in hatred or in praise?  For truly men shall gather from all around when you are one day in the ground and only you can decide if they will come with hate for you or with praise.  Shall they come by the droves to spit in hate upon your grave, or shall there be a multitude weeping for a loved master they had come to follow after?  Today, King, there is a choice you must make, for it’s only you now who can determine what shall be your eternal fate.  Now is the time for you to decide.  The hour is late.  There is not much time.

           Come and find fault with Me if you can.  Come now and see if you can make Me change my plans.  Come now and let us reason together, you and I.  Come let us see what can be changed before you die.”  

            The king dropped the scroll as it rolled across the floor and with a cry of pain did clutch his chest.  This can’t be true; this can’t be, how on earth could his life and reign be ending like this?  His face did ashen and tears of sorrow were in his eyes.  He turned his face to the wall and began to cry.  And after a moment he did manage to speak, “Wife are you still here,” and seeing her form he motioned for her to draw near.

             "There is only one prophet in all of the land left of whose pen this could be penned.  Perhaps he could pray and turn God’s wrath away.  You are the only one he does love and trust.  Go to him now and beg him to seek God on account of us.  For perhaps he could find the grace to pray God’s wrath away from this place.”

            "Dear one, haven’t you forgotten one thing?  Your dungeons do still hold his family.  Deep within the dungeon tower behind the wretched walls are enchained his wife and daughter, as well as his two young sons.”

            "God Almighty!  Go and release them; release them. Feed and clothe them quickly.  Send them now to the prophetic father, and perhaps then he will pray for you and me and our son.”

The Queen, herself to the tower did go and with the cook’s best biscuits and garments sown from her own royal robes in each child’s size, she did enter the judgment tower and open the gates wide, and what did she see before her eyes?  They were not sad, but glad, for even in their chains they did sing and pray.  Within these were the hearts of true soldiers.  She wished her own sons could behave this way, and to the wife of the Lord’s servant she did bring her very own golden crown.  She herself did wash and bathe the prophet’s children and on their feet place golden threaded shoes on which to walk the ground.

 The prophet’s wife could not believe her eyes.  Was the day of her captivity finally at its end?  “What can we do for you, oh kind Queen, for you have shown such mercy to us all these days.”  For the prophet’s wife did perceive it was she who had kept them alive and shielded from the king’s wrath time after time.  For many a prophet here had died in their chains, but she and her children had been spared such pain.  For each and everyday they had been fed and watered by the queen’s own personal maid.

 “Go now quickly, to your loved one and mine.  Find your man, the prophet.  Let him know that you are all still alive.  And if by chance he does have within his heart the grace to pray, let him know of my own son who, too has been taken away and will soon his very life will they take, unless the prophet of God does intercede.  Perhaps he still has love for me as his Queen.”

 And the prophet’s wife and daughter and sons did make their way out to the well, and one by one did climb down inside, through the secret tunnels until they were outside, and within a fourth night did come upon their husband and father’s camp light.

 The children did quickly run to his side, and picking each one up, the prophet was filled with pride, for they had withstood the pressures and were well.  Each one was counted for; each little one was well, and as each child was laid to sleep, the prophet did ask, “How was it you did come about your release?”

The prophetic word received of God long ago, it was finally delivered to the King, and low on that day he did cry and weep, and did set us free by his decree.  The Queen herself did come and unlock our chains.  This is her crown she gave me that day and the clothes which I and the children do wear, were fashioned from her very own garments, which she once did wear.”

  And there was a softness within the prophet’s eyes as he whispered the Queen’s name going down upon his knees.  This lady whom he had served so faithfully did not let him down when his turn came.  “And did she give you any message for me?

"Yes, my husband, the Queen still does care for our God and thee.  She still does cherish the prophetic words and she herself still does pray. And this one request she does make of thee for our release this day: will you now pray and intercede for the lives of herself, her son and her king?”

 The prophet stood up quickly from his knees, “How can I?  How can I, after what they have put us through.  Have you forgotten, my wife, so quickly the dungeon, which once held our children and you?”

"Of course not, but she is our Queen.  It pains me so to see her reign end so tragically.  If our Lord and God will hear any man’s prayer, it is yours He will hear.  Our children and I release you, to be that intercessor for the kingdom so near.  And if our God will receive you and your prayers of intercession hear, remember to Him our children; may they, too be in your prayers.” 

And so the prophet left at first morning light and made way to the altar in the crevasse of the hillside, and for three nights and for three days he did sit before the Lord and pray. And at the ending of the third day, the prophet did return to his family and say, “Come, my family come.  We must needs return unto the King’s kingdom.”

 The children though scared, for the king they feared, quietly their father’s voice obeyed for they knew that the Lord’s servant must know what he was saying.  And when the family did have the kingdom within their eyes reach, an Angel of the Lord did meet them there. 

 “Stop, go no further and turn your eyes away from here.  The Lord your God has seen your faithfulness and your willingness to serve.  But the time of intercession has ended and the time of judgment is here.  Take now your little ones and your wife; you lives are spared, you’ve done your time.  And even with the golden crown and threads they wear, know that you are coming into your own kingdom in a land far from here.  Go in peace and go in the grace of the Lord, for his Spirit is with you as in the days before.”

 The man of God obeyed turning his family aside, yet spoke to the Kingdom’s Angel one last time, “But what of the graciousness of the Queen?  Please if all possible spare her life, please.  For she has been such a kind lady and Queen; she’s almost been like a god-mother to my family and me.”

The Angel of the Kingdom just smiled and said, “Do not fear.  The Queen whom you love will find her life spared.  And yea, she will go down to the end of her days as a Queen who is treasured for all of the kindness she did display on all of the ones she was able to help and touch.”

 Outside the city's walls a great army was gathering, as inside a stone cutter was a king’s epitaph inscribing.  And the prophet with his wife and children departed the kingdom that day, as up ahead the Spirit of the Lord was leading the way.

  written by Bonnie Franklin.  Prophecy (04/19/96)  Parable ( 7/27/00)