Seeing Elijah—a testimony

We receive many letters and testimonials, commenting on various revelations from my weblogs. It is not possible for me to post most of them, of course, but one came today from our friends in Northern Ireland, Bill and Maureen. Many of you know them from conferences in past years.

The Letter

On 28 July 2011 Stephen Jones posted a blog, "Elijah has Ascended - Watch for Elisha."

Quotes: "Yesterday we received a significant revelation, 'Elijah has Ascended,' and ' ....on July 27, we saw the ascension of Elijah. An old FRIEND of ours with the mantle of Elijah, ascended" (died) in the midst of prophetic signs of ascension." Unquote.

As we know, that Elijah was Fred Gardner. And it came as quite a shock when we heard of Fred's passing - and I believe it was to the Sacramento group as well. To be honest, I don't think many of us SAW that coming.

2 Kings 2 v 9,10 :- And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha,' Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee.'  And Elisha said, 'I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.' And he said, 'Thou hast asked a hard thing, nevertheless, IF THOU SEE ME when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; BUT IF NOT, IT SHALL NOT BE SO.'

v 12 - "And ELISHA SAW IT.”

I now want to share something that only our Belfast bunch has been made aware of.

For some time after Fred's ascension, I have wondered if this ascension was actually SEEN by anyone. But one day it was brought back to my mind, something that had happened in our static caravan which was on a site just outside Newcastle, Co. Down, here in Northern Ireland.

It was the occasion when I was singing the chorus of Paul Kyle's song, "St. Brendan's Company."  In this song Paul quotes the names of many saints throughout history and sings of them as "travellers all heading over the sea." (In a boat.) For the most part, to me, the song brings to remembrance all those who have passed over.

Anyway, the chorus goes, "Well welcome on board FRIEND, there's room for one more friend, to join us in St. Brendan's fine company." But what was brought back to my mind was the REALISATION that I had sung, "Well welcome on board FRED, there's room for one more FRED."  So, I questioned, "Had Fred's ascension been SEEN back then? I checked my diaries to find the date. IT WAS 27 JULY 2008. Exactly 3 years (days) before Fred's ascension!

Note; 2 Kings 2 v 16 - ' Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master.'

v 17 - 'And they sought 3 DAYS, but found him not.'

 

Stephen Jones, I note in your recent blog, "The work of Elisha Part 2," you wrote, 'Many great events have small beginnings.' And, 'I think that God does small things secretly....' I agree.

I submit the above for prayerful consideration.

THE ARRIVAL OF HEN/ HENRIETTA.

Hen/Henrietta is the name given by Maureen to a pigeon/dove that DESCENDED into our yard - on 27 JULY 2021.

Note: This story begins EXACTLY 10 years (Hezekiah factor) after Fred's ascension in 2011.

(As an interesting aside, we are aware, at the time of this writing, 17 August 2021 that two tropical storms are presently active - Fred and Grace. Maureen asked, "Isn't there a Hen in the scriptures?" Yes. Zechariah 6 v 14  - .'Hen, the son of Zephaniah.' Hen is Strong’s #H2581 - meaning, GRACE. As someone once (?) asked, "Who writes this stuff anyway?"

Tuesday 27 JULY 2021. I'm sitting on my chair at our back window. Around 9:30pm I. I catch a flash of white in the corner of my eye. Then a sound against the window. I look and see a pigeon/dove. I go out to the yard and see that this bird is in distress. It is wet and bedraggled. It struggles to fly I pick it up and bring it inside for safety (there are a few domestic cats that live nearby.). Samuel gets a cardboard box. Bird placed on an old cloth in the box and we put in some sunflower hearts. The bird feeds almost immediately. Good sign. It is calm and ultimately it spends the night in the box in an enclosed hall.

Wednesday 28 July. Morning. Pigeon content in box. I bring it outside and it feeds from my hand before I set it onto yard. It climbs the steps leading up to our back garden - one at a time. So there is a concern about its ability to fly.  And indeed, it lingers in the garden on the ground, for quite some time. A further check later - and I don't see it. But as I approached the steps to go down into the yard - a loud fluttering of wings close by on my left and I behold this pigeon fly onto roof of our terraced houses. Elation!  End of story? Not quite!

Thursday 29 July. The pigeon appears again in the yard. It again feeds from my hand before ascending the steps once more to fly away from the garden.

Friday 30 July. I arrive home @ 4:30pm. Maureen informs me that I have a wee friend waiting. Looking out of the kitchen window I see Hen/ Henrietta (now named) on the wall to my right. She comes onto my hand and I stand feeding her (note that we have designated the bird as a she).

(pic—dove)

For the next 10 days (31 July to Monday 09 August) Henrietta made her presence known at the window where she first appeared. A routine developed - as soon as I sat on the bench outside, she would fly onto my knee and feed from my hand.

An interesting happening on Monday 9th; I had called out Maureen to experience the bird feeding from her hand. As Hen was feeding from Maureen's hand something 'spooked' the bird, with the result that she flew up onto my shoulder and then onto the top of my head (the bird, not Maureen).

(pic—on head)

I then place the bird onto the ground, and Maureen and I go back inside.  Hen gleans the seed she has scattered and then I hear the sound of her leaving, but on looking out I see that a cat has come into the yard. A change occurred next day.

Tuesday 10 August. Hen arrives onto outside storage bunker. But she moves away from me and doesn't feed from my hand. I leave seed on ground, and she flies down to feed.

Wednesday 11 August. Hen does not appear.

This I find interesting, because Stephen, you wrote in your fasting journal that the FAMINE of hearing the word BROKE this day. So, is there a link here?

Thursday 12 August.  Hen makes a reappearance.

I see her on the bunker. I go out with my bag of sunflower hearts and sit on the bench. She flies down immediately onto my right knee. I have my hands cupped together holding the seed and my two arms are stretched out either side of her. I begin to sense that this is quite an intimate moment. I feel her tail against my belly, her shoulders against the heel of my hands, and the pecking from my hands as she feeds. It's a place of intimacy and protection for her! (A rock dove has also recently been coming into the yard to glean.)

The scripture in Matthew 23v 37 comes to mind, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem..... how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a HEN gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would not."

This Hen finishes her feed and leaves via the wall on my left (a different direction from before).

Friday 13 August. Hen back again. I cup my hands as yesterday, but she feeds, this time, while standing on my left arm. She leaves from the bunker.

Saturday 14 August. I see Hen on the roof along with the rock dove. She apparently sees me for she moves down towards the gutter. So, I go to the bench to await her arrival. As I sit there, I hear the flapping of wings. I look up expecting to see Hen alone - but no! Both birds have flown.

At the time of writing this (now 18 August) Hen has not returned. So, a farewell on the last day of Stephen Jones's fast.

It's a long story but I needed to convey the strangeness of the drawing near of this pigeon/dove during a specific time period, i.e. between the 10th anniversary of Fred's ascension and the ending of Stephen's fast.

Any further insights from others in regard what has been shared is most WELCOME.

Blessings from me, Bill - and Maureen.

End of Letter.

My Comment:

The two birds seen at the end suggest that this is about the healing of lepers (from mortality) in Leviticus 14:4. The wounded one brought back to health suggests a death-and-resurrection experience, which is the underlying theme this law in Leviticus 14, except that it applies to us, rather than to Christ. While Christ had to literally die and be raised from the dead, we ourselves are living sacrifices. We do not have to die literally to achieve salvation.

So for us, it is about our health (“salvation”) being restored. It is about experiencing both aspects of Christ in our own bodies through the principle of baptism. This is made plain when the bird rested on Bill’s head, which is the equivalent of the dove that was seen over Christ’s head when he was baptized (Matthew 3:16).

Hen also came to be fed with “sunflower hearts.” The sun, of course, represents Christ, whose garments shone as the sun at the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:2). We are to eat Christ’s flesh and drink His blood spiritually, as Jesus taught in John 6:53. This is what gives us life and strength.

Hen seems to represent both birds in Leviticus 14. In the time of weakness and near death, Hen represents the first bird. Yet by feeding upon Christ and the New Covenant (of grace) which is in Christ’s blood, Hen is transformed into the second bird’s role. She then perches on Bill’s head to represent the second bird—even as the dove seen over Christ’s head came after His baptism had been completed.