Friday, June 27, 2014

Thank You to Readers



















I want to thank all those who wrote with suggestions or offers related to the book I was trying to locate that was mentioned in yesterday's blog post. It is a blessing to observe so many individuals taking their time, and offering their resources, to assist me in this work.

Nobody responded who had a copy of the book, but about half a dozen individuals offered to purchase one of the copies available on Amazon. I do have a copy of the book in transit now. I believe it will be a valuable resource as it deals with aspects of the ancient subject of Biblical astronomy that are not specifically addressed in other books in my collection.

May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.,

Joseph Herrin

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Study Time and a Request

I appreciate the patience of readers as they await new blog posts. This series I am presently working on is requiring significant research time. I have purchased about half a dozen books in the last week to aid in my study of the Biblical Zodiac. I am working my way through the material, gathering what valuable information I can, while examining various claims against the testimony of the Scriptures and other sources.


















There is one book I would particularly like to read, but it is out of print and the only copies I have been able to find are offered by resellers at Amazon for exorbitant prices. This is a rather slim paperback of 112 pages. It is referred to by a number of other books I am reading and my interest has been piqued. I thought I would ask readers if any of them might have a copy of this book laying around that they would be willing to share with me. It is titled "Astrology: The Ancient Conspiracy." The author is Ben Adam and it was published in the early 1960s.

If any of the blog readers have access to a copy of this book, I would be grateful to be able to borrow it for a time. Please contact me for my residential address if you have a copy of this book, as I am not able to ride my bike the 30 mile round trip to town every day to check my P.O. Box. I normally make that trip no more than once a week.

I am enjoying my study of this subject and believe the insights I am gaining will be profitable to myself and readers in understanding the world we live in. To rightly grasp the beginnings of man's experience on this earth, his dealings with God, and the schemes and corruptions of Satan, cannot help but to illumine one's understanding of this present hour when so many ancient works and plans are now coming to their fulness.

I appreciate your prayers for the Spirit of Christ to guide me and to give me a spirit of revelation and understanding.

May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days,

Joseph Herrin

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

FOUNDATIONS - Yahweh's Calendar


The study of the early foundations of human history and this present creation would be incomplete if it did not include an examination of the celestial testimony that Yahweh wrote upon the immense canvas of the heavens. It is a message placed where all mankind and the angels can read it. In this present age the heavenly constellations are viewed with great disdain by the church. Christians have been taught to associate the constellations of the Zodiac with pagan astrology. To many believers, looking to the stars to discern a divine message is considered as great of an evil as consulting a medium, or participating in a seance. The majority of Christians today have been taught that the practice of star-gazing to receive a divine message has its origins in idolatrous religions.

The rejection of Yahweh’s heavenly message provides evidence of how little most Christians study the Scriptures to discern truth for themselves. Many, having heard their pastor, or some Christian teacher, warn against paying heed to occult astrology and horoscopes, have been all too willing to relegate the entire field of celestial signs and messages to Satan’s domain. This constitutes an imprudent overreaction to Satan’s corruption of a mode of communication that Yahweh originated. Rejecting celestial signs and messages is an untenable position to adopt from a purely Biblical perspective.

Christians exhibit a mental contradiction when they annually recount the story of the magi who were informed of the birth of the King of the Jews by their observations of the heavens, while at the same time condemning the practice of receiving divine messages from the stars. In the Gospels we read of the wise men seeing the Messiah’s star announcing His birth. Acting upon the celestial revelation, these wise men traveled to Jerusalem, ultimately arriving at the home where Joseph and Mary dwelt with the young Messiah in Bethlehem.

Matthew 2:1-2, 10-12
Now after Yahshua was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him...” And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their own country by another way.

Here we have worshipers of the Son of God bowing prostrate before Him and presenting gifts of great value and significance. Not only are we informed that these wise men from the East rightly discerned the heavenly message announcing the birth of God’s Son, but they afterward received further communication from God in a dream, informing them of the treachery of King Herod, and advising them to take another route on their return journey. It is readily apparent that Yahweh spoke to these learned men of the East through the stars even as He did through a dream. There is NOTHING in this account that would condemn the practice of looking to the heavens for divine messages.
















Star of Bethlehem, 1890, Sir Edward Burne-Jones

If this passage were an isolated account, and there were no more Scriptural references to Yahweh speaking to mankind through celestial signs, it might be viewed as an anomaly, with no endorsement of the practice implied. However, it is not an anomaly. There are many passages that speak of the role of the stars and constellations being used as a divine message board by Yahweh. Not only was the first coming of the Messiah announced by signs in the heavens, but Yahshua has informed His disciples that His second coming to the earth will be preceded by a similar testimony in the heavens.

Luke 21:25-28
“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars and upon the earth, dismay among nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Even as there were signs in the heavens announcing the birth of the King of the Jews, there will be heavenly signs announcing the time of His return. The Sun and Moon and stars serve as Yahweh’s appointed messengers. The wise men from the East understood this and accurately read the divine message while King Herod and the Jewish religious leaders were ignorant of the fact that the birth of their long awaited Messiah, the most anticipate event in all of Jewish history, was occurring in their day.

It should not seem strange that Yahweh would use the stars to speak to mankind. There is a profound correlation made between stars and messengers in the Bible. We begin to see this as we observe that the angels of God are often associated with the stars of the heaven.

Job 38:6-7
“On what were [the Earth’s] bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”

“The sons of God” (bene ha elohim) is a reference to the angelic hosts. They were present at the creation of the Earth. These sons of God are also called “morning stars.” In this passage from the book of Job we read of the stars “singing” and “shouting for joy.” Both “singing” and “shouting for joy” are forms of communication, something most people do not associate with stars.

In the New Testament, the Greek word used to describe these heavenly messengers is “angelos.” This Greek word that is rendered into English as “angel,” literally means “a messenger.” We see this meaning affirmed in the word “evangelist” which is defined as “a messenger of good news.” In the New Testament angelos is oftentimes translated as “messenger,” whether heavenly or terrestrial.

Matthew 11:9-10
“But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger (angelos) before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.’”

In these words, Yahshua describes John the Baptist as an “angelos,” a messenger. The correlation between an “angelos” and a star is further revealed in the book of Revelation as the Son of God is figured as holding seven stars in His right hand.

Revelation 1:20
“As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”


















Star of Bethlehem - Close Up, Sir Edward Burne-Jones

Some translations render the word “angels” here as “messengers.”

Revelation 1:20
As to the hidden meaning (the mystery) of the seven stars which you saw on My right hand and the seven lampstands of gold: the seven stars are the seven angels (messengers) of the seven assemblies (churches) and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
[Amplified Bible]

Revelation 1:20
The seven stars are the messengers of the seven assemblies, and the seven lampstands are the seven assemblies.
[The New Testament: An Expanded Translation by Kenneth S. Wuest]

Revelation 1:20
The secret of the seven stars that thou hast seen upon my right hand, and the seven golden lamp-stands: the seven stars are messengers of the seven assemblies, and the seven lamp-stands that thou hast seen are seven assemblies.
[Young’s Literal Translation]

It is demonstrably proven by the Scriptures that stars are intended to be viewed as divine messengers. The utilization of stars and other heavenly bodies as divine messengers is established from the very first chapter of the Bible.

Genesis 1:14-18
Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. And God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.

There is a mystery contained in these words whose depths need to be plumbed. Many Bible teachers when discoursing on this passage from Genesis, comment on the divine role the heavenly bodies serve as they mark the annual seasons and passage of months and years. Although much more is indicated by this passage, it is certainly true that Yahweh determined that the lights in the heavens should serve as a sort of divine calendar. The passage above states that the lights in the heavens are “for seasons.” We recognize that the angle at which the earth faces the Sun changes over the course of a year. This results in distinct seasons being observed on the earth.














The Hebrew word translated as “seasons” in the passage above is “moed.” A common mistake is made due to the fact that we are reading an English translation of a book originally written in ancient Hebrew. The mistake is in assuming that the Hebrew word translated as “seasons” is referring to the  four seasons of the year that we know as winter, spring, summer and fall. The Hebrew word “moed” actually means an “appointed time.”

The feasts of God are collectively called “moedim.” Three times a year, on dates prescribed by God, all Israel was required to gather at the place appointed to observe the feasts. The dates were based upon Yahweh’s divine calendar. We can see the relationship between the moon and Yahweh’s calendar and appointed times in the following verses.

Psalms 104:19
You made the moon to mark the [moedim], and the sun knows when to set.

Isaiah 66:23
“And it shall be from new moon to new moon and from sabbath to sabbath, all mankind will come to bow down before Me,” says Yahweh.

If we were to state the verse above in modern vernacular we might say, “from month to month and from week to week, all mankind will come to bow down before Me.” The new moon marked the beginning of the month for the Jews. This was Yahweh’s design for a calendar. The English word month is derived from an ancient Germanic word meaning “moon.” The time it takes for the moon to go through all of its phases and return to the same point is 29.53 days. Because the lunar cycle does not perfectly match the solar day, the month prescribed by Yahweh may be either 29 or 30 days in length.











The first day of every month is referred to in Hebrew as Rosh Chodesh. Rosh Chodesh means “head of the month” and it occurs on the first sighting of the new moon over Israel. You can note on the calendar above that the days of the week are numbered, rather than named. Yahweh did not assign names to the days of the week such as Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc.. These names are pagan in origin, the days of the week being named after a specific god that was honored during each consecutive 24 hour period. The beginning of this practice was ancient Babylon. The Babylonians recognized five planetary bodies, as well as the Sun and Moon. Each one of these planetary bodies were named after gods.

It is easy to recognize the name of the moon in Monday, and the Sun in Sunday. The other five days of the week which correlate to planets and their associated gods bear different names depending upon the nation, language and century in which the calendar was in use. Four of the five names for the days of the week have come down to us in English through Norse or Teutonic mythology. The fifth bears a Roman name.

Tuesday - Tiws’ Day, Tyr - God of War. One of the sons of Woden. (Corresponds to the Roman god Mars.)
Wednesday - Woden’s Day - The chief Teutonic deity. (Corresponds to the Roman god Mercury.)
Thursday - Thor’s Day - Hammer wielding god of thunder and lightning. (Corresponds to the Roman god Jupiter.)
Friday - Frige’s Day, Freya - Wife of Woden, and goddess of beauty and love (Corresponds to the Roman goddess Venus.)
Saturday - Saturn’s Day - The Roman God Saturn.

For obvious reasons, Yahweh eschewed the use of such names, referring to each day of the week solely by its numeric value. This is true even of the Sabbath, for the word Sabbath (shabbat) in Hebrew means “seventh.”

Yahweh’s appointed calendar for His people has always been a Lunar calendar. It seems significant that Yahweh would force men to look up toward the heavens to determine what time it is. Yahweh desires mankind to remember that the creation runs according to a divine calendar of events. Yahweh has appointed times and seasons for mankind. Every event upon this earth is running according to a heavenly timetable, a divine plan of the ages. It is important for Christians to recognize this truth. Nothing can hinder God’s calendar, or speed it up. There is a time appointed for all things under the Sun.

Isaiah 46:9-10
“Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, 'My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.'”

Isaiah 48:3
“I declared the former things long ago and they went forth from My mouth, and I proclaimed them. Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.”

Before Adam was formed, even before the stars were set in their courses, Yahweh established by His own counsel a divine plan of the ages. He saw the end from the beginning and appointed times for every event, culminating in the reconciliation of the entire creation back to Himself through His Son Yahshua.

Ephesians 3:8-11
Unto me—the less than least of all saints, was given this favour, unto the nations, to announce the glad-message of the untraceable riches of the Christ, and to bring to light—what is the administration of the sacred secret which had been hidden away from the AGES in God, who did all things create: In order that now, unto the principalities and the authorities in the heavenlies, might be made known, through means of the assembly, the manifold wisdom of God,— According to a plan of the ages which He made in the anointed Jesus our Lord.
(Rotherham's Emphasized Bible)

There is a profound precision to the calendar of God. The exactness of events that occur on Yahweh’s timetable is observed everywhere throughout the Scriptures. The Israelites wandered for forty years in the wilderness, and Yahshua was tested for forty days in the wilderness at the beginning of His ministry. The Israelites came up from Egypt at the appointed time, on the night of the first Passover. This occurred 430 years to the day from the time they first entered Egypt.

Exodus 12:40-41
Now the time that the sons of Israel lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. And it came about at the end of four hundred and thirty years, to the very day, that all the hosts of Yahweh went out from the land of Egypt.

The first three kings of Israel, and the only three to rule over the entire twelve tribes, each in turn ruled for forty years and then died.

Acts 13:21
And then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

I Kings 2:11
And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years...

II Chronicles 9:30
And Solomon reigned forty years in Jerusalem over all Israel.

Similarly, we see that Joseph, David and Yahshua were all 30 years of age when they began their ministry.

Genesis 41:46
Now Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt.

II Samuel 5:4
David was thirty years old when he became king...

Luke 3:23
And when He began His ministry, Yahshua Himself was about thirty years of age...






















The design of God’s plan bears a greater precision than a Swiss made watch. The stars serve as the jewels in Yahweh’s heavenly chronometer, marking the precise moment of every event established by divine fiat. It was Yahweh who determined that there should be 14 generations to divide each of His great works among His chosen people.

Matthew 1:17
Therefore all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the time of Christ fourteen generations.

Before Adam was formed of the dust of the earth, Yahweh had already set a star in motion that would appear at a precise moment to announce the birth of the Seed of the woman who would redeem mankind from their sins.

Galatians 4:4
But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son...

Truly the stars and heavenly bodies are given for much more than to mark seasons as most men understand seasons. They were established to declare the “appointed times” of Yahweh. Only One with all power, Who has a will that cannot be resisted, could establish the course of the stars of the heavens to mark events that would not occur until thousands of years later. This knowledge should give great confidence to the faithful servants of God. No matter how much Satan boasts and wicked men prosper, Yahweh has set a limit to their activity. The day has been established when Yahshua will return to rule upon the earth. The minute has been established when every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Yahshua the Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Despite the great pride and swelling words of Satan, he recognizes that he is operating on borrowed time. The book of Revelation announces the following.

Revelation 12:12
"For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time."

Before Satan ever rebelled, Yahweh had established a limit to the time of his insurrection. The day of Satan’s judgment was determined from the beginning of Yahweh’s plan of the ages. It will not delay. Christ announced during His time on earth that the very hour and day of His return are known to the Father, yet disclosed to no one. That hour hastens forward, and will not delay.

Hebrews 10:37
For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay.

The remarkable characteristic of Yahweh’s creation that sets it apart from the works of men and angels, is its irresistible character. There is an appointed time for everything. The clock of God, just like the starry heavens above, never loses a second, nor does it run fast. It is always right on time.

We have observed that the calendar Yahweh delivered to His people to mark the time of events established by His will follows the template of a lunar calendar. Each month begins with a new moon and goes through one complete lunar cycle. God has pegged His moedim, His appointed times, to precise dates on this calendar.

Exodus 12:2
“This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you.”

Numbers 9:2-3
Now, let the sons of Israel observe the Passover at its appointed time (moed). On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall observe it at its appointed time (moed); you shall observe it according to all its statutes and according to all its ordinances.

There is a great preciseness to the times established by God. Note that for the Passover Yahweh identified the month, the day, and even the hour of day (at twilight) in which the Passover is to be observed. The hour and day and year in which the Son of God was offered up as the Passover Lamb to secure the life of mankind was similarly set to occur at the precise time determined by Yahweh from the very creation of the earth.

Revelation 13:7
And they shall worship him, all who dwell upon the earth, [everyone] whose name does not stand written in the scroll of the life [the scroll] belonging to the Lamb who has been slain [in the mind and purpose of God] since the time when the foundations of the universe were laid...
[The New Testament: An Expanded Translation by Kenneth S. Wuest]

Because Yahweh established a plan of the ages, and His good will shall prosper with no one to turn it back, He is able to show forth by signs and parables the length of time between the formation of the first Adam and the appearing of the Last Adam who will come to establish His kingdom upon the earth. The time between these two events is revealed in the seven days of creation. A key to understanding Yahweh’s prophetic timetable is declared in the following Scripture verses.

Psalms 90:4
For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it passes by...

II Peter 3:8
But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

It should be obvious to any reasoning child of God that Yahweh did not need six days to create the earth as it is described in the opening chapter of Genesis. Yahweh did not need as much as six minutes. He could have created all things as they exist today in no time at all. He is omnipotent. There is no limit to His power and wisdom. He chose six days because it conformed to a specific pattern established in His own mind that He devised to show forth His mighty works among the creation.

Exodus 20:11
For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day...

The Scriptures declare that when Christ returns He will set up His kingdom upon the earth. In that day the earth will know rest.


















Isaiah 65:25
"The wolf and the lamb shall graze together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain," says Yahweh.

The rule of Christ is described as “the millennial kingdom,” for it shall last for a thousand years.

Revelation 20:6
Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

Peter has told us that one day with God is as a thousand years. The seventh day is holy in the sight of God. It is a day of rest. This seventh day corresponds to the millennial rule of Yahshua. It comes after six days of humanity’s existence on the earth. Six thousand years from the creation of Adam the Lord must return and establish His rule upon the earth. That hour is near at hand, for Yahshua appeared the first time, born of a virgin, 4,000 years after Adam was created. It has now been 2,000
years since Yahshua ascended to the Father. We stand at the end of 6,000 years of human history. The 6th day of mankind is coming to a close, and the 7th day is about to begin.

It is an important matter in the sight of God for His people to recognize the times in which they live. Yahshua chided the Jews for failing to recognize the time of their visitation by the Son of God.

Matthew 16:2-4
He answered and said to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?”

Luke 19:41-44
And when He approached, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days shall come upon you when your enemies will throw up a bank before you, and surround you, and hem you in on every side, and will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

Brothers and sisters, if we would live in readiness as wise men and women, knowing that the return of the Lord is near at hand, we must look to that heavenly calendar that Yahweh set before us to give us knowledge of His appointed times. Providing a detailed discussion on the heavenly signs being observed at this hour is beyond the scope of this book. The intent of this chapter is to declare that the heavenly luminaries were established by Yahweh for this purpose. Wise men will continue to look to the heavens to discern the days in which they live and the acts of God that must be accomplished during their lives.

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

Monday, June 16, 2014

Summer Ministry Update

Joseph Herrin (06-16-2014)






















My Daughter Kristin and I - Father’s Day 2014

It is hard to imagine that Summer has not yet started here in Georgia, USA. The first day of Summer is June 21, so there are five days of Spring left. It already feels like Summer. We have started the typical pattern of hot and muggy days with scattered afternoon and evening thunder storms. Temperatures have been reaching the low 90s for a couple weeks (32-35 Celsius for international readers). My newly installed rooftop air conditioner should get a good work-out this summer.

I have spent some time recently praying and thinking about what projects Yahweh would have me to pursue at this time. There is no end of possibilities, but I believe the Lord would have me prioritize a number of items for completion this Summer. I will detail those items below.

Completing the FOUNDATIONS series.
I have made a good beginning on this series, which will eventually be posted online as a book. My word processing program shows the chapters completed thus far as spanning 152 pages, and I have a long way to go. This could end up being one of my lengthier books. I last posted a chapter on April 24th, taking a hiatus to write the two series Double Jeopardy and Deception.

Expanding the Parables Bookshelf Newsletters.
The Father directed me to convert my books, and many of my other writings to a newsletter format several years back to share with men in prison. Each newsletter ranges from 16-26 pages in length. They are sent out weekly to all who ask to receive them. There are 88 newsletters total in the series, so it takes a man about 1-1/2 years to go through all of them.

A significant number of men have now gone through the entire series and have asked for more newsletters. There is a general dearth of quality Bible teaching material that promotes sound doctrine and spiritual growth to maturity. Prison ministries sadly reflect the state of Christianity in the culture. There has been a falling away from truth. Teachings seldom rise above that which the apostle Paul described as “elementary things.”






















Parables Bookshelf Newsletter

There are a surprising number of men in prison who are spiritually awakened and hungry. For a remnant of men, the prison system represents a low point in their lives where they reach bottom and begin looking up to God. I have had precious correspondence with a number of men who have demonstrated significant spiritual growth in their lives while incarcerated. Some have asked to continue receiving the newsletters after they were released.

Many of the men receiving the newsletters have lengthy prison sentences. Their earliest release date is years down the road, sometimes decades. Some who receive the Parables Bookshelf Newsletters have life sentences without parole. I truly sympathize with those who must endure the dark, godless environment of the prison system for such extended periods of time. It is a blessed opportunity to be able to provide teaching material to these men at no charge.

Matthew 25:36
“I was in prison, and you came to Me.”

I have not added any new material to the newsletters in a couple years. Books that have been written in that time include Dragon Flood, No Apologies, Yahweh’s Book, Push Back, and, when it is completed, FOUNDATIONS. With a number of shorter series and standalone writings, I could easily expand the newsletters to provide another year’s worth of material for these men in prison. It would likely take me a couple weeks to create the newsletters. This is a top priority item for me as I now have a backlog of 36 men who have received the entire series and I have no more material prepared to send to them. My top two priorities, therefore, are to complete the FOUNDATIONS series and then convert all of these recent writings to newsletter format.

Audio Books
There is a page for audio messages on the Heart4God website. This has proven to be a popular offering for many Christians. Some have written to me to share that they have listened to all of the audio messages that are available which currently number about 80. These are all messages recorded live during my years at the Macon Rescue Mission as I spoke during chapel services, or during my travels across the country to meet with small groups.

For some time it has been on my heart to record all of my books in audio format. This would be a fairly simple task, though it would take some time as FOUNDATIONS will be my 19th book. All of my books are available freely in digital print format at no cost on the Heart4God website as PDF files. Ten of the books are also available in Amazon’s Kindle format. Amazon has a feature where Kindle books can be synched to audio recordings of the books so that the reader can listen to the book being read aloud as they follow along on the page. This feature is called Audible and would be a nice option to make available to readers who use Kindle devices or apps. At the same time I would like to record the books in MP3 format for anyone to listen to on a wide range of devices.

A further benefit of creating audio versions of these books is that it gives me a chance to read through all of them again. Believe it or not, I sometimes forget the things I have previously written. It is good to refresh my mind and memory by reviewing those things the Spirit of Christ has revealed to me and directed me to share with others over the years of ministry.

Videos
Once I have created quality audio recording of my books, I would like to create videos from a number of them. This would require matching images, text, and various screen shots to the subject being read. Books such as Dragon Flood, Yahweh’s Book, Push Back and Living Epistles would be readily adaptable to a video format due to their inclusion of many graphics and photos.

Update Heart4God Website
Any time I create new material I try to catalog it and make it available through one of the pages on the Heart4God website. I need to keep the site current with new books, newsletters, audio files, videos and other material.

Correspondence and Current Events
Although this does not fit the description of a project that is pending, handling personal correspondence tends to be one of the items that regularly consumes significant amounts of time. It can be one of the most fruitful and rewarding uses of my time, and I consider it a privilege and an honor to provide counsel, encouragement, and fellowship to the people of God through e-mail. I anticipate that correspondence will continue to be a regular part of my summer activity.

Additionally, as significant events occur over the next three months I will take time out from current projects to address that which is important.

Daily Living
I think some readers envision me as sitting behind the computer all my waking hours, but like everyone I have matters of daily living to attend to. I ride my recumbent trike to town, a round trip of 30 miles, about once a week to fetch my mail at the post office and to buy groceries. I live alone and cook my own meals and wash my clothes, hanging them out on the line to dry. I can be found outside in the evenings mowing grass 2-3 times a week. I also take my dog Champ for runs as often as I can squeeze them into my schedule.

This physical activity is a good counterpoint to the mental activity of writing and ministry. The body needs exercise, and the mind functions better when the body is healthy.

As you can see, I have many opportunities set before me. I am eager to see these projects develop and be brought to completion. As with anything we do in the kingdom of God, our own strength and abilities are inadequate for the task. I therefore entreat readers to pray for me that I would have an anointing from Yahweh to perform each labor so that when all is said and done I might know that it is pleasing to the Father.

May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days,

Joseph Herrin

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Father's Day














I remember my siblings and I asking my parents why there wasn't a Children's Day, since there was both a Mother's Day and a Father's Day. My parents' sage reply was that every day is Children's Day. It is the nature of parenthood to daily seek the welfare and benefit of one's children. Now that I have raised children of my own, I can appreciate my parents' response those many years ago.

The Scriptures declare that it is more blessed to give than to receive. The nature of God is one of giving. God is love, and the apostle Paul wrote "Love does not seek its own." Love is not selfish. It desires to spend and to be spent on others. I have found this to be the nature of my heavenly Father, and I desire to be conformed to His image and likeness.

This morning I was up and outside early as I had a project that needed to be completed before it got too hot. The fan motor had been squealing and seizing up on my rooftop air conditioning unit. I had ordered a replacement, and anticipated that it would take a couple hours to swap the motors.

Shortly after 9 A.M. I was done, and had the air conditioner buttoned back up. Blessedly, I only had to climb up and down from the roof three times. I then went inside to switch the AC unit on and to enjoy the refreshing coolness. The unit was blowing out prodigious amounts of air, but after a few minutes I noticed that the air was not very cold. I had fixed the fan, but now the compressor was not working.

This was not expected, though I noted that the old fan motor, and the compressor were heavily rusted. The AC unit is only about 6 years old, but the heat and humidity of Georgia have taken a toll on it. Most motorhomes the size of my bus have two rooftop units. Since I have only one, it runs nearly all the time during the hot months of the year.

Upon discovering that the compressor was not working, I got down on my knees and asked Yahweh to guide me, showing me what I needed to do about it. I entreated Him for grace and guidance. As I think of this, I realize how truly blessed I am to be able to go to my heavenly Father at any time and ask for His wisdom, and His grace. He is truly the very best of Fathers. He has said:

Jeremiah 29:11-12
"For I know the plans that I have for you," declares Yahweh, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you."

I know that many of God's sons and daughters pray to Him, but how many have an expectation that He will both hear them and answer? I can attest to having a much greater expectation of Yahweh hearing and responding to my prayers than I did in the days of my youth. Having walked with Him for many years in a condition of daily dependence, I have found Him to be a very present help in a time of need.

Although I am not surprised that Yahweh heard me speak to Him this morning, I continue to stand in deep appreciation and unfeigned gratitude when He answers with an evident abundance of grace. I considered my options. I could call an AC repairman to tell me what was wrong with my unit. Perhaps it was the capacitor that starts the compressor, or a bad thermostat, or it could be something else. The fan motor I had just installed had a defect that I discovered when I installed it. It ran, but I suspected it would fail prematurely due to a manufacturing defect. I could return it and get the $100 refunded to me that I had paid for it. I could purchase a new air conditioning unit and install it myself since I had done the installation on the original unit.

I began looking into my options. I spoke to an AC repairman who was very helpful. He helped me rule out a number of simple and inexpensive possibilities. I looked into the cost of new units. The Coleman Mach AC unit that I have been using is about $1,200 at Camping World. Amazon has generic units at half the cost, but it would be a few days before I could get one delivered.

I decided to check on Craigslist. There was an ad for a new Coleman rooftop AC unit available in a town about 90 minutes away. I talked to the man and found him to be very congenial and helpful. He works for a trailer company and has dealings with a supplier that annually sells him their close-out AC units at a very deep discount. He had several different models available. One of them is a 15,000 BTU air conditioner, which would cool better than my 13,500 BTU Coleman. That would make a difference in my bus. The man informed me that the additional electric draw would be negligible between the two units. Better yet, he was asking $600 less than the retail price.

I checked my PayPal account to see what funds I had available. I discovered that this very morning while I was up on the roof working on the AC that a brother in Christ had sent a gift of $200. The provision was there. Before I had asked, God had sent forth His supply.

My daughter is going to let me use her car to go pick up the unit this afternoon. Tomorrow morning, Father's Day, I anticipate installing it. 15,000 BTUs. 15 is 5+5+5, signifying fulness of grace. Tomorrow is Father's Day and I ought to be doing something for my heavenly Father. Instead, He is once again blessing me. After all, every day is Children's Day.

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

Saturday, June 7, 2014

DECEPTION - Part 5 (Conclusion)

Joseph Herrin (06-07-2014)


















Recent correspondence with two different brothers in Christ has led me to a consideration of how the church was rendered susceptible to the great falling away from truth occurring in this hour. Beginning with the Azusa Street Revival that occurred a century ago, there has been a renewed interest in spiritual gifts in the church. Spiritual gifts are a wonderful thing. They were given by God to the saints for the mutual edification of the body of Christ. As so often happens, however, the church which had wrongly despised spiritual gifts for centuries climbed out of the ditch on one side of the road only to fall headlong into the ditch on the other side.

If you have been a Christian for very long, you have likely heard someone ask, “Have you received the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues?” Such a question was relatively unheard of prior to the Azusa Street Revival. In the past century, with the rise of the Pentecostal Movement and the emergence of Charismatic churches, people began to speak openly of spiritual gifts. Consequently, the role of the Holy Spirit in the churches gained a new ascendancy. In an earlier post in this series I remarked upon Frank Bartleman’s insightful comments upon visiting the Azusa Street Revival. He discerned that an imbalance existed in this revival movement.

The temptation seems to be toward empty manifestations. This does not require any particular cross, or death to the self-life. Hence it is always popular... Any mission that exalts even the Holy Ghost above the Lord Jesus Christ is bound for the rocks of error and fanaticism.

What essentially occurred is that men and women began to measure their spirituality, their standing and approval before God, by the spiritual gifts they possessed. Speaking in tongues; prophesying; healing the sick; these things became badges of honor worn proudly by Pentecostal and Charismatic believers. If you manifested these gifts you were considered to be spiritual, and highly favored of God. Spiritual manifestations became the yardstick by which Christian men and women measured one another.













Religious men demonstrating pride about their actions is nothing new. Yahshua rebuked the Jewish religious leaders of His day for their spiritual pride.

Matthew 23:5-7
“But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries, and lengthen the tassels of their garments. And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called by men, Rabbi.”

It is common to find men (and women) among the leadership, as well as the laity, of the Pentecostal and Charismatic churches who manifest spiritual gifts while carrying on grossly debauched lives. One brother whose father was a Pentecostal minister has shared horror stories regarding what he has observed and personally experienced within one of the major Pentecostal denominations. The transgressions reported by this brother include his own father seducing the son’s wife, and spiritually dominating her so that he could continue to engage in sexual relations with his daughter-in-law. Think this is an exception? Tragically, it is not. The Pentecostal and Charismatic churches are rife with scandals, and what has come to light is only the tip of the iceberg.

I mentioned previously that Roberts Liardon wrote the book God’s Generals. He has actually written a significant number of books on this theme, as well as producing a 12 video set on the lives of 12 of these Pentecostal/Charismatic/Healing leaders. A brother in Christ wrote to me after reading the post in which I made reference to Roberts Liardon. He informed me that Liardon was exposed as a homosexual, and publicly confessed to a “short term homosexual relationship” with a young man who served as a youth minister at his church. Upon looking further into this matter I found that Roberts Liardon was involved in this homosexual relationship at the very time he was writing his books relating to the leaders of the Pentecostal, Charismatic, and Healing movements.


















Roberts Liardon

I believe there may be a connection to Roberts Liardon’s intense focus on these Pentecostal and Charismatic leaders and his own behavior. Liardon has testified that he provided a “warts and all” account of these leaders. He did not shrink back from disclosing many of their serious moral failings. At the same time, he stridently argued that God can, and will, use any instrument of His choosing to display His power and to speak forth His truth, irregardless of the individual’s shortcomings. Liardon’s approach essentially indemnifies these “gifted” spiritual leaders from being disqualified by any moral failing. Such a view is erroneous. At the same time it explains the mindset of Roberts Liardon. We are enabled to understand how this man was able to continue to engage in Christian ministry while living a lifestyle that Yahweh has declared to be an abomination. If gifts, rather than character, are the measure of a man’s spirituality, then a person can persuade both themselves and others into believing they are walking in God’s favor while living grossly immoral lives.

This was certainly the mindset adopted by Jim Bakker. He was recognized as being a man of great Charisma. He boasted of walking in the blessings of God, and being a partaker of the Holy Spirit. Yet, Jim Bakker’s veneration of the Holy Spirit did not lead to personal holiness. Jim Bakker was focused far more on the gifts of the Spirit, than the fruit of the Spirit.















Jim Bakker’s trial brought to light his hedonistic lifestyle which included six luxury homes, as well as an air-conditioned dog house. Bakker was charged with diverting $3.7 million of the donations given to the PTL ministry for his personal use. It was also disclosed that he paid Jessica Hahn $250,000 in an attempt to keep the sexual affair he had with her hidden. Tammy Bakker also appeared before millions as a spiritual leader, yet her focus on the gifts of God did not produce spiritual fruit in her life either. Tammy divorced Jim after he was sent to prison and then committed adultery by marrying Roe Messner, a contractor that had built many of the facilities at PTL. Tammy carried on a “non-judgmental ministry” to homosexuals, even making appearances at Gay Pride events nationwide.

http://youtu.be/_XVy88x63yg



Tammy Faye Messner on RuPaul (Transexual) Show















Tammy Faye at the Queer OUTFEST

It has become the norm, rather than the exception, to find gross moral failures among those who elevate the gifts of the Holy Spirit above obedience to the commandments of Christ. Christ spoke through the mouths of His apostles that the people of God should walk in holiness even as God in heaven is holy.

Ephesians 1:4
He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.

My own home state of Georgia has known its share of moral failures by Pentecostal and Charismatic church leaders. One of the wealthiest was Earl Paulk, founder of The Cathedral at Chapel Hill near Atlanta. One of the first scandals occurred when Earl Paul and his brother Don had allegations brought against them of sexual infidelity by four women in their church. Later, in 2001, another female church member filed a lawsuit claiming Paulk sexually molested her as a child and into her teen years. This was followed by more allegations in August 2005 when church soloist Mona Brewer and her husband Bobby, major financial supporters of the church, filed a lawsuit against Earl Paulk charging him with abusing his spiritual position by manipulating her into being his mistress over a period of 14 years. Mona Brewer says that the members were conditioned to give unconditional obedience to the pastor, who called himself “Archbishop Paulk,” and that he taught her that those who are spiritually exalted can have sexual relationships and it isn’t adultery. He called it “kingdom relationships.” Mrs. Brewer stated that Paulk even “shared” her sexually with family members (including Paulk’s brother Don who was serving as senior pastor at the church) and visiting Charismatic preachers.










Earl and Don Paulk After Beating by Mona’s Husband

After 14 years of being Earl Paulk’s personal sex toy, Mona confessed to her husband what had been going on. Bobby Brewer arranged a meeting with Earl and his brother Don and gave them both a thrashing, leaving Earl Paulk with two black eyes, and Don with a busted lip and one black eye. Further claims of sexual abuse by other members subsequently came to light, including the account of Cindy Hall, another married church member whom Paulk used for sexual favors for a period of ten years. An expose on CNN stated, “Cindy Hall is also a married former member of the Chapel Hill Harvester Church, who claims to have also been manipulated by Paulk for ten years into performing sometimes twice daily sexual acts with him and occasionally other men and women.” Hall recalled how Paulk would even pray over her during the act and make it look like something holy she was doing for God.

Again, these are not aberrations from the norm. Like the widespread sexual abuse of minor boys by Roman Catholic priests, this is a systemic problem. It stems from a fundamental error that the belief systems of these churches and ministers are based upon. This error is the belief that spirituality is measured by gifts rather than character.

The Los Angeles Times reported over a three day period beginning September 12, 2004 that Paul Crouch, head of Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) had paid $425,000 in 1998 to Enoch Lonnie Ford, an employee at TBN, to keep him from going public with his allegation that they had a homosexual encounter. The payment was made in an out-of-court settlement, and included a gag order to prevent Ford from making public a written testimony of his affair with Paul Crouch.



















One of the biggest names, and most financially successful of the Charismatic preachers was Jimmy Swaggart, cousin of Rock legend Jerry Lee Lewis. (Lewis was himself an exceedingly evil man and is believed to have murdered one young wife who objected to his lifestyle.) By the mid-1980s Swaggart’s broadcast appeared on more than 250 television stations across the U.S. and pulled in about $150 million dollars a year. Swaggart jealousy guarded his corner of the Charismatic market. When Marvin Gorman, another Assemblies of God minister with a television broadcast was gaining in popularity, Swaggart hired a private investigator to dig up whatever he could on his rival. Evidence revealed that Gorman was having multiple affairs, though he eventually confessed to only one. He was defrocked by the Assemblies of God. Jimmy Swaggart had removed a rival to his popularity, but payback was soon to come.

Gorman, being a great example of Charismatic/Pentecostal morality, refused to take his lumps and move on. He hired his own private investigator, and placed upon his son Robert the task of assisting the private detective in gathering dirt on Jimmy Swaggart. Dirt was not hard to find. Swaggart was caught visiting a prostitute at a local hotel. The prostitute, Debra Murphree stated in a Penthouse interview that Swaggart visited her often, and had asked if he could have sex with Murphree’s nine year old daughter.

Marvin Gorman confronted Swaggart at the hotel and proffered a deal. If Swaggart would initiate Gorman’s reinstatement with the AOG churches, Gorman promised not to expose Swaggart. Gorman waited a year, and when Swaggart did not comply, he contacted the AOG leadership and presented the evidence against Swaggart. Swaggart was the largest financial contributor to the AOG churches, contributing more money to their missions’ budget than all other AOG churches combined. The AOG presbytery were loathe to be too harsh on Swaggart, and asked him to take a 3 month break from public ministry. This was extended to 2 years when Swaggart manifested great arrogance to the AOG leadership and demonstrated no contrition. A few years later Swaggart was once again caught in the act, this time by a California patrolman who pulled Swaggart over for driving on the wrong side of the road and for propositioning a prostitute.
















Jimmy Swaggart in 2002

Following are another half dozen accounts of Pentecostal/Charismatic transgressions that were collected on an Internet website.

By the 1980s Pentecostal evangelist PETER POPOFF had a ministry on 51 television channels and 40 radio stations and an annual income of seven million dollars. He also held healing crusades in many cities, during which he would exercise a “word of knowledge” by calling out the names, addresses, and illnesses of strangers who were in attendance. In 1986 the news broke that Popoff’s amazing “revelations” were actually broadcast to him by his wife after she had conversed with members of the audience. She transmitted her information by radio signal and Peter could hear her voice through a tiny receiver in his ear. A team of skeptics discovered the ruse and recorded the private broadcasts using a scanning receiver and recording equipment (Los Angeles Times, May 11, 1986). When questioned about the matter by John Dart, religion writer for the Los Angeles Times, Popoff replied that his wife only supplied him with about 50% of the information and the rest he got from the Lord! Popoff was forced to file for bankruptcy in 1987 but by 1990 he was back in business with a new book entitled Dreams, which he announced in a full-page ad in Charisma magazine...

In November 2006, TED HAGGARD resigned as senior pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs and as head of the National Association of Evangelicals on revelation of exploits with a homosexual prostitute named Mike Jones. Though Haggard denied the accusation at first, he eventually admitted his ‘dark side.” A letter from Haggard was read to the New Life Church on November 5 in which the founding pastor admitted that he is “guilty of sexual immorality” and “a deceiver and a liar.” He said, “There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I’ve been warring against it all of my adult life.” Haggard is a Charismatic, a New Evangelical, and a radical ecumenist. In October 2005 Haggard said, “New Life doesn’t try to ‘convert’ Catholics” and “the church would never discourage its members from becoming Catholic or attending Catholic Mass” (Berean Call, Jan. 2006). In January 2009, Brady Boyd, who succeeded Haggard as senior pastor at New Life Church, disclosed that Haggard also had a homosexual relationship with a member of the church that “went on for a long period of time” (“Disgraced Pastor Faces More Gay Sex Allegations,” AP, Jan. 24, 2009)...

In 2007 wrongful termination suits were filed against Oral Roberts University by former professors alleging that the founder’s son RICHARD ROBERTS and his wife LINDSAY misappropriated school money and other improprieties. According to the suit, they spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund their lavish lifestyle, including a stable of horses for their daughters, a $29,400 trip to Orlando and the Bahamas aboard a university jet for a daughter and her friends, and a $39,000 shopping spree at one clothing store for Lindsay (“Healing ORU,” Christianity Today, September 2008). The suit also alleges that the Roberts’ home has been remodeled 11 times in the past 14 years, that Lindsay spent nights in the ORU guest house with an underage 16 year old male, and that she frequently had cell phone bills of more than $800 per month, with “hundreds of text messages sent between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. to underage males who had been provided phones at university expense” (“Oral Roberts University Faces the Blue Screen of Death,” http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2007/10/oral-roberts-university-faces-blue.html). The professors were fired for trying to expose “the leadership’s moral failings and financial improprieties...”

Also in August 2008 MICHAEL GUGLIELMUCCI of the Assemblies of God in Australia admitted that he had been lying about having an advanced stage of cancer. For the past two years Guglielmucci, a popular contemporary worship leader and former pastor, had claimed to have terminal cancer. He even recorded a song called “The Healer” that became a hit and was featured on Hillsong’s latest album. For two years he allegedly fooled even his wife and parents and closest friends into thinking that he had cancer. He sent e-mails to his wife from phony doctors, shaved his head, walked with a cane, and carried around an oxygen bottle. In one church performance that attracted one-third of a million hits on YouTube, he sang with an oxygen tube in his nose! He claimed that God gave him the song after he learned that he had “an aggressive form of cancer.” Guglielmucci now claims that he faked cancer to hide a longtime addiction to pornography. He is the former pastor of one of Australia’s largest youth churches called Planetshakers. More recently he was the worship leader at Edge Church International, an Assemblies of God congregation pastored by his father, Danny. 

In July 2009, RIVA AND ZACHARY TIMS, founders of the charismatic megachurch New Destiny Christian Center in Orlando, Florida, were divorced. This occurred two years after Zachary admitted a year-long affair with stripper Judy Nguyen. In August 2011, the 42-year-old preacher was found dead in a New York hotel room under suspicious circumstances. The Wall Street Journal reported that police suspected drug overdose and that an envelope of white powder believed to be narcotics was found on Tims, but his mother is fighting in court to have the record sealed, claiming that his “cause of death would be an embarrassment to her, his children, her grandchildren and his congregation.” 

In February 2010, “healing evangelist” BENNY HINN’S wife filed for divorce. On August 2, National Inquirer published a photo of Hinn and Pentecostal preacher Paula White (who was divorced the previous year) walking hand-in-hand leaving a Rome hotel. The accompanying story said that the two spent three nights in a five-star hotel which Hinn booked under a false name. Hinn admitted to being with White in Rome and having a “friendship” and an “inappropriate relationship” with her, but both parties claimed there was no affair.

















Benny Hinn and Paula White - National Enquirer

In September 2010 megachurch “bishop” EDDIE LONG of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta was accused of seducing four young men into sexual relationships in exchange for cars, clothes, and trips. Long settled out of court by paying the men off. In December 2011, Long’s second wife filed for divorce.
[Source: http://www.wayoflife.org/database/recent_pentecostal_scandals.html]

This is just a sampling of the sordid immorality that occurs commonly among the leadership and the laity of the Pentecostal, Charismatic, and Healing movements. I have previously recounted the transgressions of some in the Prophetic Movement, including the homosexuality and alcoholism of Paul Cain, the seduction, sexual and spiritual abuse of women by Bob Jones, and the adultery and drunkenness of Todd Bentley.

The multitude of egregious moral failures among the Pentecostal/Charismatic/Prophetic sectors of the church require exploration. Why is there such a prevalence of financial and sexual transgression among the leaders of this group? Why is integrity so lacking? Why is there no fear of God before the eyes of these men and women who publicly disgrace the name of Yahshua? Why do the mass of churchgoers in these churches tolerate this behavior? Why are these men and women’s sins made light of, allowing them to either continue to minister without interruption, or to quickly return to ministry after a period described as “restoration”?

I believe the answer lies to a large degree with the shift away from a focus on Christ coming to set men and women free from sin, to an emphasis on spiritual gifts. Rather than emphasizing the growth of spiritual character in the disciple’s life, the focus has shifted to one of empty spiritual experiences. This past week someone told me about a young rising star among these segments of the church. When I looked up the person’s name I was led to websites where this young man was speaking of oil supernaturally dripping from his hands and fingers, gold dust appearing, and diamonds miraculously materializing. Vanity of vanities. It is all vanity. None of these things has any power to transform a self-centered, fleshly man or woman into the image of Christ.

The disciple’s cross has been replaced with the mystic’s mantle. Self-denial is eschewed in favor of self-fulfillment. Mortifying the deeds of the flesh has fallen out of vogue. The theme of these new movements is prosperity, ease, pleasure, and the titillation of mystical experiences.

Brothers and sisters, it is gross delusion to believe that God’s favor rests upon covetous and immoral men and women. It does not matter how charismatic the personality, or how spiritually gifted the individual appears, a person is NOT spiritual if their behavior is carnal.

Galatians 5:16-21
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please... Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

“The deeds of the flesh are evident...” These are the very deeds that these men and women are engaging in. Regarding such ones the Spirit of Christ declares, “I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” This truth was declared by all of Christ’s apostles.

I John 3:7-10
Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God...

It is insightful to note that of the seven churches Christ addressed in the book of Revelation, there was one that was noted for giving place to a false spirit of prophecy, and sexually immoral behavior. These two things frequently are found together, and they always invite the judgment of Yahweh. To the church of Thyatira, Yahshua spoke the following:

Revelation 2:20-23
“I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray, so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent; and she does not want to repent of her immorality. Behold, I will cast her upon a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. And I will kill her children with pestilence; and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.”

God will not be mocked. It matters not how many prophecies a man or woman gives, or how much they speak in tongues. Signs and miracles will avail nothing for a man or woman if they are not living a self-controlled life, putting to death the passions and desires of the flesh.

Galatians 5:24
Now those who belong to Christ Yahshua have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

In the hall of shame that has been set forth in this writing, I seriously wonder whether there is a single individual named who will stand before the Lord and escape the experience declared by Yahshua in the Gospels.

Luke 13:27-29
“I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being cast out.”

Brothers and sisters, test all men and all teachings carefully. Do not abandon the exercise of spiritual discernment. Study the word of God. Surrender your will to Christ and take up YOUR CROSS daily to follow Him. I will close this series with the following words of Scripture.

II Peter 2:17-22
These people are as useless as dried-up springs or as mist blown away by the wind. They are doomed to blackest darkness. They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With an appeal to twisted sexual desires, they lure back into sin those who have barely escaped from a lifestyle of deception. They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you. And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life.
[New Living Translation]

May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

DECEPTION - Part 4

Joseph Herrin (06-03-2014)

















II Corinthians 10:12, 18
For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves, and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding... For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.

One thing that I have continually come across as I have looked at the lives of men and women who laid the foundation for the prophetic movement of this day, is that these individuals were self-promoters of the highest degree. Whether a person looks into the life of Alexander Dowie, John G. Lake, Aimee Semple McPherson, Kathryn Kuhlman, A.A. Allen, Oral Roberts, or any of the other big names of the healing movement, it is quickly discovered that these individuals invested much time and resources into building up their own reputations.

The one distinction I would note regarding these men and women of an earlier generation, and the present crop of leaders among the prophetic movement, is that there is a greater degree of cooperation and networking among those who are esteemed to be prophets, apostles, and spiritually gifted men and women of renown today. Whereas the early generation of healers were well known for their spirit of competition and jealousy, today’s prophetic leaders are much more likely to be found singing the praises of one another. This spirit of cooperation has proven to be mutually beneficial to all involved. It certain bolsters the financial bottom line, and increases name recognition when Jim Bakker, Rick Joyner, Mike Bickle, Bill Johnson, Steve Schultz, and a myriad of others, all sell one another’s books, CDs, and DVDs at their respective websites.

The fame and regard afforded to those who appear as luminaries in the prophetic movement largely owes its existence to the frequent accolades that these ministers pay to one another. There is a sort of “you rub my back and I will rub yours” agreement that exists among them. Somewhere along the line, the leaders of the prophetic movement discovered that they were shooting themselves in the foot whenever they criticized another leader in this group. There appears to be a sort of gentleman’s agreement that they will cease and desist from offering criticism, even when the behavior or teaching of a colleague is so egregious that it demands nothing less than bold public censure.

At times the mutual admiration and praise is so obvious that it is astonishing no one seems to question the propriety of it. Take as an example, the celebration held at Morningstar this past December 6-7th to honor Rick Joyner’s 30 years of public ministry.














It is more than a little self-serving for Morningstar, a ministry which Rick Joyner founded and where he serves as Executive Director, to organize and host a 2 day celebration in honor of a currently serving leader. As Executive Director, Rick Joyner had to approve this use of the ministry’s resources and facilities. I am reminded of the following words of King Solomon.

Proverbs 27:2
Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.

Rick Joyner, and the Morningstar leadership may protest that they actually fulfilled this verse, for the celebration did feature other men offering up praise of Rick Joyner. Such a response would be disingenuous, however, for this was not a spontaneous offering. Morningstar invited a raft of well known personalities to show up for this two day event in order to celebrate Rick Joyner’s 30 years in ministry.














Some Who Were Invited to Celebrate Rick Joyner














More Who Were Invited

These two promotional images are taken from a video on Morningstar’s website that advertises this celebratory event.

http://www.morningstarministries.org/events/morningstar-conferences/celebration-rick-joyner-s-30-years-ministry#.U4yA_vldV8E

Of course, each of the speakers received plenty of praise themselves, for even on the promotional page for this event there is a short biography of each speaker. Just in case people attending the event don’t know of the fame, spiritual greatness, or worldly achievements of these men, a bio is provided so everyone can be duly impressed.























Let us take as an example, the biographical statement for Lt.Gen. (Ret.) W.G. Boykin. The following information is provided.

Lt.Gen. (Ret.) W.G. Boykin was one of the elite warriors chosen in 1978 to make up the first unit in America's ultrasecretive and deadly Delta Force. He then became commander of the unit, and later still, commander of all U.S. Army Special Forces. His thirty-six years in the military included a tour at the Central Intelligence Agency and clandestine missions around the world. Jerry retired in 2007, serving his last four years as the deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence.

Boykin is a leader of The Oak Initiative, a ministry of Morningstar in which Rick Joyner also serves in a leadership capacity. I would question why a man with General Boykin’s background should be associated with a ministry that bills itself as being Spirit led and empowered, doing the work of the Lord on the earth. Did his background with the “ultrasecretive and deadly Delta Force” impart to him some spiritual character that made him more Christ-like? Was Boykin able to violate the Lord’s statement with impunity where He stated “those who live by the sword will die by the sword”? Did not Boykin violate the counsel of the apostle Paul who declared “Do not be entangled with the affairs of this world”?

The biographical statement also relates that Boykin’s 36 years in the military included service at the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA was created by none other than President Harry S Truman, the 33rd degree Freemason who dropped two atomic bombs on Japanese cities. The CIA serves as the intelligence gathering, and death dealing arm of the global financial elite. It is well known that the CIA controls the global drug trade as well as running prisons throughout the world where men and women are tortured, humiliated, and killed. Who was General Boykin truly serving during his many years in the military? Was his career of violence and death dealing in service to Christ, or was it in service to the one whom Christ said “comes only to kill, steal, and destroy”?

I highly recommend the book War is a Racket written in 1935 by U.S. Marine Major General Smedley Butler. After a career in the U.S. military, including service during World War I, General Smedley Butler came to the realization that the only ones who profit from war are bankers and corporations, and their profits are huge. Butler sadly confessed that he had spent his years in military service as an “enforcer” for the biggest, most corrupt, group of racketeers that exist in this world. Blinded by patriotic fervor, few in the military realize that they are not servants of the United States people, nor are their activities promoting the welfare of America as a nation. They are indentured servants of a fascist corporate/government system that seeks always its own interests and profits. General Smedley Butler wrote:

I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.
[Source: Smedley D. Butler, War is a Racket]
http://www.amazon.com/War-Racket-Antiwar-Americas-Decorated/dp/0922915865/

Unlike Major General Smedley Butler, not only has General Boykin not admitted the truth of his service as a death dealer for the global elite, but he is using his achievements in this industry of violence and destruction to impress Christians who have lost all discernment. General Boykin was made a Knight of Malta during the same investiture ceremony as Rick Joyner. These men are either profoundly blind leaders of the blind, or they have sold themselves intentionally to be servants of Satan and corrupters of the body of Christ.

The system works very well, nonetheless. As long as Christians have abandoned discernment, and it is no longer considered politically correct to examine a man’s life to see whether he is walking in conformity to the character of Christ, the church has become defenseless. The most ungodly men, and the greatest spiritual charlatans can sing the praises of one another and the body of Christ eats it up like candy.

Let me pass on to draw attention to the man who is at the top of the list of those who were invited to speak the praises of Rick Joyner. This is Bill Johnson. After I posted the recent blog exposing the bizarre and errant activities of Bill Johnson and the students of his Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, a reader posted a comment that included a link to an expose of a book that Bill Johnson contributed to (Thank you Carina).

http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=15508























Three of the men who spoke at Rick Joyner’s celebratory event contributed to this book; Bill Johnson, Bob Jones, and Larry Randolph. It would be naive to think that Rick Joyner does not find agreement with what is written by these men whom he counts as colleagues and fellow ministers in the prophetic movement. This book is a shockingly blatant endorsement of New Age spiritualism. Following are some excerpts from the tract offered at the link above that reviews this book. Please note that I do NOT agree with everything in this tract. I do agree, however, that Bill Johnson, Bob Jones, Larry Randolph, and those who walk in agreement with them, are teaching New Age spirituality.

The New Age Propensities of Bethel Church’s Bill Johnson
By John Lanagan

At that time I could not find a single Christian leader who shared a similar interest in finding out if there were truths hidden in the New Age. Now we are beginning to hear more and more revelation that is in line with what New Agers have been saying all along and we are hearing more and more teaching about Christians “taking back truths” from the New Age that really belong to citizens of the Kingdom of God.
[Ellyn Davis, co-author, The Physics of Heaven]

In Redding, California, Bethel Church has become one of the largest evangelical churches in North America. Many people from around the world travel to Redding to attend the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, and C. Peter Wagner (“founder” of the New Apostolic Reformation movement) has called Bethel’s senior pastor, Bill Johnson, an “apostle.”

Given that title with claims on the church website that Bethel has a “global impact as a revival resource and equipping center,” it is expedient and responsible to examine Johnson and determine if he is indeed an apostle sent from God to the body of Christ.

The Physics of Heaven, a recent book Bill Johnson contributed to, and his personal assistant co-authored, reveals a very different picture than that of the apostles described in the Bible. It appears that rather than an apostle of God, Bill Johnson may be poised to serve as the vehicle that carries the New Age and quantum spirituality deep into the Body of Christ.

Being drawn to New Age ideas is not something new to Bethel’s leader. In a 2006 book titled Dreaming with God, Johnson writes, when referring to a practice associated with the New Age:

Many prominent pastors and conference speakers add fuel to the fire of fear by assuming that because the New Age promotes it, its origins must be from the devil. I find that form of reasoning weak at best. If we follow that line of thought we will continue to give the devil the tools that God has given us for success in life and ministry.

Stop and think about what is being said here: “the tools that God has given us” somehow ended up in the New Age? How did that happen? And which tools is he talking about? Why would a professing Christian say something like this? New Age teaching is in total opposition to the Word of God. To suggest that New Age practices are really just hijacked Christian truths is utterly absurd.
Research analyst Ray Yungen explains the basis of New Age thought:

Everything that exists, seen or unseen, is made up of energy - tiny particles of vibrating energy, atoms, molecules, protons, etc. All is energy. That energy, they believe, is God, and therefore, all is God. They believe that since we are all part of this “God-energy,” then we, too, are God. God is not seen as a Being that dwells in heaven, but as the universe itself.

Bill Johnson and Bethel Church exert significant influence in the body of Christ. And whatever path Bethel and its leaders travel is the path on which many will follow. We need to pay attention to what is happening here, using discernment and godly wisdom.

While Bill Johnson’s approach to prayer and worship and the extreme emphasis placed on signs and wonders has concerned many, it is the 2012 book titled The Physics of Heaven (in which Johnson is one of eleven contributors) that indicates the real direction Johnson and Bethel are heading.

In addition to Johnson’s own contribution to the book (one full chapter), his personal assistant, Judy Franklin, is a co-author; and the foreword of The Physics of Heaven is written by Kris Vallotton, Senior Associate leader at Bethel. Vallotton lauds the contributors as “seers.” Banning Liebscher, Director of Bethel’s Jesus Culture, adds his praise. Bill Johnson’s wife, Beni Johnson, also has a chapter in the book. With all that, The Physics of Heaven undeniably has the approval of Bethel’s leaders.

So what does The Physics of Heaven reveal?

The Next Move of God?

Ellyn Davis, one of the authors of The Physics of Heaven, says this:

[The contributors of the book] all agree that the next move of God will cause a shift at the deepest level of who we are - perhaps the very “vibrational level” that the New Age movement has been exploring. They also all agree that there are precious truths hidden in the New Age that belong to us as Christians and need to be extracted from the worthless.

Contributor Jonathan Welton adds:

I have found throughout Scripture at least 75 examples of things that the New Age has counterfeited, such as having a spirit guide, trances, meditation, auras, power objects, clairvoyance, clairaudience, and more. These actually belong to the church, but they have been stolen and cleverly repackaged.

Welton believes:

We need to begin to use [New Age] counterfeits as signposts. Every time a counterfeit shows up, take it as the Lord presenting you with an opportunity to reclaim . . . the Church’s stolen property.

This is like taking a bottle with a “Poison!” warning on it and re-labeling it, “Honey.” Contemplative prayer, which is essentially Eastern/New Age meditation disguised with Christian terminology, entered the church in just this manner.

Co-author Ellyn Davis asserts:

It wasn’t that I wanted to become a New Ager, I just wanted to find out if maybe they had uncovered some truths the church hadn’t.

Davis then attempts to justify her position by claiming much of what she found “embodied biblical principles” and “could be backed up by Scripture...”

Bill Johnson’s view of Scripture may give us a clue as to how he ended up being attracted to extra-biblical leanings. According to Johnson:

Those who feel safe because of their intellectual grasp of Scriptures enjoy a false sense of security. None of us has a full grasp of Scripture, but we all have the Holy Spirit. He is our common denominator who will always lead us into truth. But to follow Him, we must be willing to follow off the map - to go beyond what we know.

This is dangerous thinking. The Bible is our map. To go “beyond what we know” is to go beyond the parameters of Scripture...

The Physics of Heaven, whether intentionally or unintentionally, serves to illustrate how the false church will form - or, more accurately, how it is forming. New Age practices will increasingly be welcomed into the Body of Christ. These practices will be presented as redeemed or Christian in origin. The church will be subverted - turned toward Eastern/New Age/Quantum mysticism. Language, terms, and trappings may even remain essentially “Christian” - but acceptance of the biblical Christ will diminish.

Quantum Sounds?

In light of this, consider how The Physics of Heaven describes what God is supposedly going to bring about. A theme of the book is that God may somehow bestow incredible power on believers through vibrations/sounds/frequencies/energies, with “sound” mentioned a number of times throughout the book:

This book is just a precursor to the revelation that God is going to give us when He releases a new, transforming sound.

We’re talking about 10 times the power that was released at Pentecost.

The sound God desires to release will chase religion from the church and bring truth.

[We] suspect God is up to something new—something that will transform us at the deepest level of who we are and will be ushered in by a new form of “sound” or “vibration.”

This coming new sound . . . can change DNA so we are genetically growing up. Your genetics are the same as His was. Our genetics came out of the Father in our spirit. We are becoming like an instrument being tuned, where our genetics are getting aligned with the Father’s genetics, in harmony with Him.

What if there really are “good vibrations” that God has imbedded into everything He created and we just need to be open to experiencing them?

[W]e became interested in such weird and wonderful phenomena as energy, frequencies, vibrations, and quantum physics.

What The Physics of Heaven is doing is turning God into more of a cosmic quantum force that permeates everything rather than a Creator who is separate from His creation as described in the Bible (e.g., Romans 1:25; Isaiah 42:8; 46:9). New Agers frequently talk about sounds and vibrations as signs of this “god” force. Occult “prophetess” Alice Bailey says:

[T]here is a group of human beings, integrating now . . . upon whom is laid the burden of leading humanity. They are starting movements that have in them the new vibration, they are saying things that are universal in their tone, they are enunciating principles that are cosmic...

Bethel and Contemplative Prayer

Some may be asking, what would cause an evangelical church to become receptive to New Age ideas and concepts? For Johnson and Bethel, as with so many Christian leaders and churches today, contemplative prayer has played a significant role in “conditioning” the people at Bethel to head in the New Age direction. There is much irony in suggesting, “[E]very time a counterfeit shows up, take it as the Lord presenting you with an opportunity to reclaim . . . the Church’s stolen property,” since this is how contemplative prayer snaked its way into the body of Christ in the first place.

Contemplative adherents, such as Richard Foster, have convinced Christians that Eastern and New Age meditation are actually counterfeits of the real deal (i.e., contemplative prayer). Contemplative prayer is presented as an ancient Christian tradition.

Yet, contemplative prayer is not prayer at all. It is essentially Eastern/New Age meditation thinly coated with Christian terminology. The goal in contemplative prayer is to stop the thinking process and to enter what is known as the silence. This is accomplished by repeating a word or phrase over and over (or focusing on the breath) until the word loses its meaning and the mind becomes void.
In this void—this silence—many wonderful deceptions can occur: spirit guides, ascendant masters, oneness, bliss, false “christs.” The deception that occurs through contemplative prayer destroys doctrinal soundness and ultimately even faith.

In comparison, when we are truly “meditating” on God’s Word, the mind remains active, and we ponder upon or think about the Word of God. Never do we try to cease active thought in order to empty our mind or as Ray Yungen says putting our mind into “neutral” so that God can supposedly fill it.

Where does Bethel stand with regard to contemplative prayer? There is ample evidence that Bethel has embraced it. For example, Bill Johnson’s wife, Beni, oversees Bethel’s prayer intercessors and Prayer House. In a book that Beni compiled, in a chapter she wrote on prayer titled, “Mystics, Mystical Experiences, and Contemplative Prayer” she says that the chapter is “dedicated to the mystics, the contemplatives, those now and those who have gone on before us.”

Like all committed contemplatives, Beni believes, “When it comes to prayer and intercession, words are important but not necessary.

Practicing contemplative prayer changes how one understands spiritual things. Beni writes:

A thin place is where heaven and earth are close. It is easier to experience the spiritual realm in these places.
[End Excerpt]

Now you know where all the nonsense about visiting graves of dead mystics who professed to be disciples of Christ comes from. You can perceive why Mike Bickle at IHOP thinks there is spiritual blessing and impartation to be received by locating to President Harry S Truman’s property, and why Rick Joyner and Morningstar feel the same way about Moravian Falls, North Carolina. These are viewed as “thin places” where access to the spiritual realm is more readily accomplished.

It should be noted that what Mike Bickle has promoted at IHOP with its non-stop, 24/7 music and open prayer rooms, is a form of contemplative prayer. The interns at IHOP are taught to fixate on some romantic image of the Christ, and to quiet their minds. They open themselves up to mystical experiences, and the music serves as a mind drug to put them into the proper contemplative attitude. This is more readily accomplished when interns are encouraged to visit the prayer rooms at all hours of the night when their minds are tired, and their thoughts are fuzzy.

The same thing occurs at Morningstar with their emphasis on “prophetic music.” If you listen to the albums Morningstar produces, a single song may be 20-30 minutes long, consisting of phrases that are repeatedly sung producing a sort of spiritual stupor among those in the audience.

As far back as 1933, Watchman Nee warned about this form of New Age/Eastern Mysticism entering into the church. In his book titled The Latent Power of the Soul he warns Christians of the danger of mistaking the stimulation of the soul of man for a divine spiritual work. This is another book that I highly recommend. The Preface includes the following statement.

When in 1924 I first called the attention of God’s children to the  dividing of spirit and soul, many well-disposed brethren thought of it as merely a dispute over words having no great significance. What they failed to see was that our conflict is not concerned with word but with that which lies behind. The spirit and the soul are two totally different organs: one belongs to God, while the other belongs to man. By whatever names one may call them, they are completely distinct in substance. The peril of the believer is to confuse the spirit for the soul and the soul for the spirit, and so be deceived into accepting the counterfeit of evil spirits to the unsettling of God’s work.

This series of articles had originally been intended to be written immediately following the completion (in 1928) of “The Spiritual Man.” But because of physical weakness and the heavy burden of other service, I was only able to have them published in last year’s issues of Revival magazine. In response to the request of its readers, I now put forth this booklet.

The greatest advantage in knowing the difference between spirit and soul is in perceiving the latent power of the soul and in understanding its falsification of the power of the Holy Spirit. Such knowledge is not theoretical but practical in helping people to walk in God’s way.

Just last night I was reading what F. B. Meyer once said in a meeting shortly before his earthly departure. Here is a section of it:

“This is an amazing fact that never has there been so much spiritualism outside the church of Christ as is found today... Is it not factual that in the lower part of our human nature the stimulation of the soul is quite prevailing? Nowadays the atmosphere is so charged with the commotion of all kinds of counterfeit that the Lord seems to be calling the church to come to a higher ground.”

Today’s situation is perilous. May we “prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thess. 5.21). Amen. 
Watchman Nee 
March 8, 1933 



















http://www.amazon.com/The-Latent-Power-Soul-Watchman/dp/093500825X/

There exists today a large number of evil workers among the body of Christ who are leading the people of God into the bondage of deception. These men and women in positions of leadership go about praising one another, extolling the spiritual insight and divine power resident in each other. Christians who are impressed with spiritual manifestation more than spiritual fruit will be led astray. Tragically, these false leaders are immensely successful in their efforts. Their influence goes far beyond their own churches and organizations and is infiltrating churches worldwide.

Brothers and sisters, you need to test ALL THINGS carefully. Do not be impressed with the pedigrees of men. How many do you suppose read on the Morningstar website of the accomplishments of General Boykin, his involvement with the elite killers of Delta Force and service with the CIA, and were impressed by what they read? The Son of God is NOT impressed by such things. The day will come when men like W.G. Boykin will stand ashamed of the very things of which they now boast. Like the apostle, Paul they should renounce the vanity and shame of all the years they spent in darkness.

Philippians 3:4-8
If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Yahshua my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, that I may gain Christ...

Brothers and sisters, we live in a very dark hour spiritually. Truth is being eclipsed. Spiritual manifestations are accounted as evidence of divine approval. Those who despise the practice of discernment, of judging all men and their teachings, will suffer greatly as Satan’s deceptions advance. The end of the age is upon us. Let us walk in soberness and wisdom

Proverbs 1:7
The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.

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