Joseph Herrin (01-28-09)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
It is the will of the Father that ALL of His children be attentive to His voice. The church of this hour teaches the saints to be attentive to the voice of man, and the people of God like it to be this way. The people of God have heaped up to themselves teachers to tell them the things THEY want to hear, and these heaped up preachers obligingly do so.
In the Old Testament we read of the Israelites being called to the foot of Mount Sinai for God to speak to them. There was fire and smoke upon the mountain and the earth shook. A voice as of a trumpet rent the air, and the people were exceedingly afraid. They entreated Moses to not let God speak to them anymore, asking Moses to be the intermediary. Many Christians today have for various reasons sought out ministers who will serve the same function in their life.
Yahshua has appointed ministers to serve as prophets, teachers, evangelists and apostles, all of which are callings that require the minister to speak forth the words of God to the people. Yet God does not intend for these ministers to serve as a substitute for the individual believer to hear God themselves. The goal of this appointed ministry is to present the body unto God as mature, having the fulness of the stature that belongs to Christ. God is at work among all of His people to conform them to the image of His firstborn Son.
We read of Yahshua that His life was one of communion with the Father. Yahshua heard the voice of the Father. He observed what the Father was doing, and He did all things in like manner. He is the pattern for all of those born of His Spirit. We are called to walk in the Spirit. By the Spirit we are to discern the mind and thoughts of the Father.
1 Corinthians 2:9-14
Just as it is written, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him." For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
It is the responsibility of every child of God to discern the thoughts of God through the ministry of the Spirit who dwells in them. In the coming days God will shake many of His people out of their lethargy. Those who have looked to a man to always speak the thoughts of God to them will find that He will not allow them to continue in a pattern that keeps them ever immature. All will be required to walk in the Spirit that they might become mature sons.
Romans 8:14
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
It is true that Yahweh has gifted certain ones to be able to discern things which are hidden from most. The Spirit has given gifts to men, which include the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, prophecy and tongues. Not all have these gifts to be exercised readily, but all are able to hear the voice of the Spirit and to receive insight from Him. Very often we have not because we ask not!
Seven years ago I gave my family a task. We were in a time where we needed some direction from the Lord. I sensed what the Father was saying, but I wanted to receive a further witness to this. The Spirit placed the thought in my mind to ask each one of the members of my family to take a piece of paper and go into their rooms, seeking the Father, and to write down whatever it was that they discerned from Him. Fifteen minutes later my wife, daughter and son all returned. All had received something from the Father, and what my request for affirmation was abundantly fulfilled.
In the process I also discovered that my daughter Kristin had been blessed with the gift of prophecy. She was only fourteen years old at the time, and when she came out of her room she had written down one of the clearest words of prophetic exhortation I had to that time received. The words were like fire bearing witness in my spirit that God had spoken. I have shared them in other writings, but I will include them again here for those readers who are new to this list. These are not the words of a 14 year old girl. They are the words of one who was animated by the indwelling Spirit of Christ.
Word From Kristin - July 24th, 2002
I have great things in store for your family.
Marvelous things that only I can get the credit for.
My sheep will hear My voice and they will know
that it is I, the Lord thy God.
My provision is on its way. My timing is perfect.
You need not fear any trouble, instead, trust Me.
The time has not yet come to reveal all things,
but behold, it is drawing nigh.
You need have no less than great expectations, for
I, the Lord thy God, am in control.
Watch and wait.
You must put behind you all foolish thoughts of
doubt and disbelief, for great is My reward for
those who trust.
Forget not those things which I have done for
you, and expect greater things in the future.
I am a just God, those who put their life in
My hands need never fear.
Await with anticipation the things that are to
come. They are drawing near.
Those things which I have spoken to you will
be fulfilled, for I do not lie.
I have listened to your heart’s cry. I have
not turned a deaf ear.
I am a father who loves to give good gifts to
His children. Trust My timing.
You must learn to listen to My voice, and My
voice alone. Take the path which I have set for
you. Do not turn to the right or to the left.
People of God, sometimes the discovery of those abilities that lie within us come from something as simple as another person giving you a piece of paper and exhorting you to go aside with God and write down what He is speaking to you. I have at times gone aside to a quiet place with paper and pen in order to receive something from the Lord. I have been in awe at the things I have received. I do not doubt that I would hear things with greater frequency if I simply waited with expectation on a more regular basis.
Today, I would challenge you as I did with my family seven years ago. Below are three news articles that were taken from three consecutive days last week. A sister in Christ sent me the links to them as she sensed there was a prophetic message in them. In each of the three articles a nearly identical event occurred. Two people were killed, and five injured and these events occurred at geographically diverse locations across the United States.
Some may object to finding symbolism in human tragedy, but there is nothing that is outside the sovereign control of God. He speaks through many things. If the lives of people are prophetic, then certainly their deaths should speak as well. I have posted a writing titled Seeing Symbolism in Human Tragedy which can be read at the following link, if you desire.
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/seeing-symbolism-in-human-tragedy.html
I would challenge you to take some time to ask the Father to speak to you to give you discernment of what He is speaking, then wait before Him anticipating that He would speak to you. If you would prefer not to ask for revelation of these three news articles, I would encourage you to simply wait before Him expecting Him to speak whatever He desires. Write down what you receive.
Hearing His voice may be a strange experience to you and you may doubt that it is truly His voice. Write it down anyway, and then patiently wait upon Him to affirm His word. It does take spiritual discernment to be able to divide between soul and spirit, for there is also a voice in our soul that speaks. Those who are mature have learned to divide between soul and spirit. We must all start somewhere. We must crawl before we walk, and we must walk before we run.
When I asked the readers of this blog some months ago to share their experiences of those things God has done in their lives, I was met with many awesome testimonies that I posted for the edification of many. As children of God YOU need to be challenged to give of that which is in you. Each joint and sinew has something to contribute to the rest of the body.
Not all are an eye, nor are all an ear. Yet the foot is as much a part of the body as the mouth. We can all hear the voice of God, and we all have a ministry to perform.
Stir Up That Which Is In YOU!
2 killed, 7 injured in Miami shooting
updated 7:38 p.m. ET, Sat., Jan. 24, 2009
MIAMI - Authorities continued Saturday to search for the person who used an assault rifle in a Friday night shooting in northwest Miami that left two dead and seven injured.
"We have someone out there that is armed; it is a dangerous situation," police spokeswoman Kenia Alfonso said.
Two males, ages 16 and 18, were slain in the shooting and police still have no motive, Alfonso said. Authorities have not yet released the shooting victims' identities.
One person remained in critical but stable condition Saturday afternoon after undergoing surgery. Four people were listed in stable condition and two others were released from a hospital, Alfonso said.
Authorities said the group was playing a dice game outside a store in the Liberty City neighborhood when the shooting started.
When paramedics arrived, many of those who had been shot were lying in the street. Lt. Ignatius Carroll with Miami Fire Rescue said the scene was chaotic.
Dozens of police cruisers swarmed the area and blocked off streets after the shooting.
Liberty City's name comes from a housing project built in the 1930s and is known around Florida for its crime and grinding poverty. The median household income hovers around $18,000 a year, some $30,000 less than the U.S. average.
The neighborhood is also known for riots.
In 1979, a black insurance agent was beaten to death by white and Hispanic police officers. An all-white jury acquitted them and a three-day riot left 18 dead and 850 arrested.
Many of the neighborhood's businesses were destroyed, then rebuilt.
Then in 1989, police killed a black motorist, and rioters spewed into the streets just days before the Super Bowl was held in Miami.
The area has never fully recovered. Boarded-up buildings, drug dealers and, recently, foreclosures have mushroomed. Racial tension among blacks, whites, Hispanics and black Caribbean arrivals have simmered for years.
Police: 2 shot dead, 7 hurt at Kansas wake
Communication at crime scene difficult because many do not speak English
updated 11:12 a.m. ET, Sun., Jan. 25, 2009
WICHITA, Kansas - Two people were killed and seven injured in a shooting late Saturday at a wake in southeastern Wichita, police said.
Sgt. Ronald Hunt says all the victims of Saturday night's shooting were adults. He did not know their ages or genders.
Hunt says one victim is in critical condition, while as many as four others are in serious condition.
Police say the shooting occurred around 9:30 p.m. on the ninth day of the wake, which was being held for an elderly woman buried earlier Saturday.
Deputy Police Chief Robert Lee could not say how many shooters were involved but says some of the shots came from outside. Police won't say if they believe the shooting is gang-related.
Officers had trouble communicating because many of those at the house did not speak English.
Police are looking for a pickup truck seen leaving the home.
Exchange students hit in Ore. club shooting
Two killed, several others injured in apparently random act, police say
updated 12:06 a.m. ET, Mon., Jan. 26, 2009
PORTLAND, Ore. - A gunman opened fire outside an under-21 nightclub in Portland, Ore., killing two girls and wounded several other people in an apparently random act, police said.
Five victims were students from other countries and another was a Portland resident planning a trip as an exchange student; they were going to The Zone club to celebrate a birthday.
The man did not have any known relationship to the victims beforehand, and he didn't appear to have been in the club or a nearby bar before the shooting Saturday night, police Detective Mary Wheat said Sunday.
Police late Sunday identified the alleged gunman as Erik Salvadore Ayala, 24. He was in critical condition after shooting himself in the head, Wheat said.
"At first blush, this incident appears to be a random act of violence, of the kind that makes you despair for America," police Chief Rosie Sizer said.
Most of those shot were on the sidewalk outside The Zone but it was unknown if they were waiting to enter the club. A bullet also hit a manager inside a neighboring bar.
Ashley L. Wilks, a 16-year-old from Portland, was killed. The other victim has not been identified, but Miguel Velasquez of the Peruvian Consulate in Seattle said she was a 17-year-old girl from Peru in an exchange program. He said her host family lives in White Salmon, Wash.
Both girls were part of a group of exchange students at The Zone to celebrate a birthday, said Chuck Itoh, chairman of the Rotary District 5100 exchange program. Wilks was getting ready to leave for her trip.
Wilks' stepfather, Randy Thiesen, told The Oregonian: "We're just shocked. We're not doing good."
Matt Utterback, the principal of Clackamas High School, said in a letter to parents that Wilks was a bright and curious student who enrolled in honors classes and competed on the swim team.
Ashley's counselor and teachers describe her as "an awesome student with a beautiful smile," the principal said. "She was the kind of person that lights up a room. A truly wonderful, delightful kid."
One shooting victim was in critical condition Sunday, and four others were hospitalized but expected to survive; two were treated and released.
Scott Bieber, the youth protection officer for the exchange program, said four of the wounded were exchange students from Ecuador, France, Guatemala and Taiwan.
"Our hearts and our sympathies, thoughts and prayers go out to the victims' parents for their loss," Bieber said. "But it just kind of makes it harder to fathom when the whole purpose of this program is to foster peace and goodwill and understanding around the world."
[End articles]
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Stir Up the Gift that is In You
Joseph Herrin (01-27-09)
II Timothy 1:6
Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
It is not the place of ministers to perform all the functions of the body while the majority of the body lies dormant. The human body would be in very sorry shape if it operated in this way. Ministers are to set an example of the proper functioning of the parts of the body, and they are to exhort and admonish the individual members to stir up and exercise those gifts that are in them.
I Corinthians 12:12
For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.
There is no member of the body of Christ that has not been endowed with a specific function to perform, in the absence of which the body will suffer. Many members of the body have been receivers, always taking from the other members of the body, but rarely, if ever, giving back. At times the cause of this is ignorance of their calling. At other times it is unbelief, a failure to embrace the truth that Christ is in them and has deposited in them something precious that the rest of the body needs. On many occasions the cause may be carnal laziness, or a selfish heart that wants others to give to them, but expressed in an unwillingness to burden themselves with the effort required to give back.
Oftentimes Christians do not look at the rest of the body, discerning the great need there. Adamic man is very selfish, thinking primarily of its own wants, and desires. Christians must cast off the old man and put on Christ. Christ did not seek His own will, but the will of the Father who sent Him. I would venture to say that there are few Christians today who are looking to the Father’s desire. They are consumed by their own desires and plans, and as a result they do not contribute to the needs of the body of Christ.
Christ would have us to view the body, discerning His desire to see it functioning in health and vitality. He would have us to share His passion to see the body cleansed, purged of toxins, and operating under a gracious anointing as the Spirit motivates and empowers all things. He would have us to consider what we can do to stimulate the other parts to life and health, and to supply all diligence in supplying what we are able to meet the lack in the other parts.
Ephesians 4:15-16
Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which EVERY joint supplies, according to the proper working of EACH individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
The Christian religious system today does not encourage the body to function as it was called. The clergy/laity mindset that is so prevalent resigns the vast majority of the body to be ever on the receiving end, giving little more than their money and a small amount of their time. The leaders of the church actually discourage members from being Spirit led, hearing the voice of the Spirit of Christ, and laboring to do that which the Spirit directs them to do.
If the body were to be Spirit directed in their activities it would mess up the neat, carefully scheduled programs of the church. What would happen to the typical one hour Sunday morning church service if the body truly began functioning? If each one had a prophecy, a tongue, an interpretation, a song, a hymn, a word of knowledge, a teaching, etc., not only would the meeting no longer fit into the assigned time slot that the church has adopted for their own convenience, but the ministers would feel threatened as their unique role as the sole source of spiritual sustenance would be forfeit.
I can tell you Yahweh’s opinion of the typical church service. It is recorded in Scripture:
Amos 5:21-23
I hate, I reject your festivals, nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.”
The church services are scheduled completely to cater to the carnal desires of man. They have nothing to do with honoring God. Services start late enough where people need not trouble themselves with getting up early on their day off from work. They are scheduled to end at the optimum time for the members to rush out and feed their flesh as they converge on the restaurants with a zeal and anticipation rarely observed inside the church building. The services are kept short, often providing no more than 15 minutes of teaching after the announcements, music and various entertainments of the church are set forth before them.
When all is set-up to cater to the selfish nature of man, why would we anticipate that the body would be acting unselfishly in their care of one another, and their desire to see the pleasure of the Father done? Where is the rising early to seek the face of God that those gathering together as a body might be prepared to give of the life that is in them, building up the members of the body whom they will meet with that day? Where is the patience to minister, tarrying before the Spirit, and setting aside the physical appetites that the will of the Father might be satisfied? Where is there a heart prepared to hear clearly the voice of the Spirit and to move and speak and He directs?
The church has no place for such things, and the saints do not practice them. It was not so in the early church, nor under the ministry of Christ. There were times when the multitudes were gathered to Christ for several days, and Christ and His disciples ministered without eating.
Matthew 15:32
And Yahshua called His disciples to Him, and said, "I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way."
The early disciples often spent all day together in ministry to one another, and even went long into the night.
Acts 15:32
Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message.
Acts 20:7-8
On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together.
The early church not only met for long periods of time, they met daily.
Acts 2:46-47
So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
If the whole body is to be edified, and have opportunity to minister life to one another, it will require more than an hour or two on Sunday morning and Wednesday night. We must get over the mindset of arranging all things for the convenience of man and begin to seek the will of the Father. Ministering the life of Christ to others is to be our manner of living every day, whether gathered together corporately, or as we move throughout our day in those encounters that come to us.
Body life is to be marked by the entire body contributing that which is needed among the members.
I Peter 4:10
As EACH ONE has received a gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Yes, EACH ONE has received a gift, and these gifts must be employed in serving one another. The Spirit of Christ has left no part of the body without a gift.
Romans 12:6-8
Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Not all are called to teach. Not all are called to lead. But all have a call. Do you know what your call is? The church has dumbed down the saints of God to lead them to think that their call is to give money and support the programs of the church. The body of Christ is organic. It is not some sterile business that functions with blue prints and planning sessions and board meetings. The body is a living thing, and the Spirit of Christ would motivate and empower all the activities of the body.
I Corinthians 12:7-11
But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit , and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
There is to be NO exercise of the gifts apart from the direction of the Spirit. Neither is there to be a failure to exercise the gifts given.
You may say, “What am I to do? My church does not allow the opportunity for the members to exercise their gifts when gathered together?” Then ask the Father to lead you to opportunities outside the meetings of the organized church. The body is not limited to functioning only during officially sanctioned meetings. The Spirit is present within you 24/7. If you have a desire and expectation to be an active member of the body of Christ, the Spirit will set opportunities before you. Don’t be constrained by traditional thoughts regarding the way ministry must be conducted.
The one who is called to serve, cannot they serve anywhere and anytime? The one who is called to show mercy, is there not a need for others around you to partake of the mercy of Christ throughout the day? Must healing only take place inside the sanctuary? Christ healed everywhere He went, and He also prophesied, and fed the people, and as we are His body, His life serves as a pattern for us. Our ministry goes forth with us into the world in which we live.
STIR UP THE GIFT THAT IS IN YOU!
Don’t let another day go by where you are not actively seeking the Lord that He might use you to minister His precious life to others. Cast off the religious mind. We do not only minister by evangelizing, or by preaching. His ministry for you today may be to visit a sick person in the hospital, or to sing a song to the prisoner in jail. His ministry may be to take some of the excess clothes out of your closet and put them in your car, asking the Spirit to guide you to someone who needs them. His ministry may be to take a meal to someone who is shut-in, or to sit with one who is lonely, spending some time in conversation with them. His ministry may be to make some craft item that shares a message of love and hope and give it to someone who needs to receive it.
It is not up to us to choose the mode of ministry. Many would choose that which is the most convenient, or the least costly, or most comfortable. This is the error of the church today. All is done for man’s convenience. We must simply surrender ourselves to the Lord and declare “Here I am. Use me as You desire.”
I have at times prayed to the Lord in the following way. “Lord, you know I am here in Middle Georgia and I know there are many needy people in this area. I know you need a body to reach those You have upon Your heart. Please use me whether it be to meet a physical or spiritual need. Guide me by Your Spirit and supply that which is needed to minister to their need. I am willing Lord. Please use me.”
Very often we do not find ourselves being used because we are not looking for the opportunity. Mankind becomes comfortable in receiving mode. We must stir ourselves up in the spirit that our minds might be ready for action, ready to be used to give of that which we have received to another. Whether that which we have is physical, or spiritual, all have something to give.
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
II Timothy 1:6
Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
It is not the place of ministers to perform all the functions of the body while the majority of the body lies dormant. The human body would be in very sorry shape if it operated in this way. Ministers are to set an example of the proper functioning of the parts of the body, and they are to exhort and admonish the individual members to stir up and exercise those gifts that are in them.
I Corinthians 12:12
For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.
There is no member of the body of Christ that has not been endowed with a specific function to perform, in the absence of which the body will suffer. Many members of the body have been receivers, always taking from the other members of the body, but rarely, if ever, giving back. At times the cause of this is ignorance of their calling. At other times it is unbelief, a failure to embrace the truth that Christ is in them and has deposited in them something precious that the rest of the body needs. On many occasions the cause may be carnal laziness, or a selfish heart that wants others to give to them, but expressed in an unwillingness to burden themselves with the effort required to give back.
Oftentimes Christians do not look at the rest of the body, discerning the great need there. Adamic man is very selfish, thinking primarily of its own wants, and desires. Christians must cast off the old man and put on Christ. Christ did not seek His own will, but the will of the Father who sent Him. I would venture to say that there are few Christians today who are looking to the Father’s desire. They are consumed by their own desires and plans, and as a result they do not contribute to the needs of the body of Christ.
Christ would have us to view the body, discerning His desire to see it functioning in health and vitality. He would have us to share His passion to see the body cleansed, purged of toxins, and operating under a gracious anointing as the Spirit motivates and empowers all things. He would have us to consider what we can do to stimulate the other parts to life and health, and to supply all diligence in supplying what we are able to meet the lack in the other parts.
Ephesians 4:15-16
Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which EVERY joint supplies, according to the proper working of EACH individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
The Christian religious system today does not encourage the body to function as it was called. The clergy/laity mindset that is so prevalent resigns the vast majority of the body to be ever on the receiving end, giving little more than their money and a small amount of their time. The leaders of the church actually discourage members from being Spirit led, hearing the voice of the Spirit of Christ, and laboring to do that which the Spirit directs them to do.
If the body were to be Spirit directed in their activities it would mess up the neat, carefully scheduled programs of the church. What would happen to the typical one hour Sunday morning church service if the body truly began functioning? If each one had a prophecy, a tongue, an interpretation, a song, a hymn, a word of knowledge, a teaching, etc., not only would the meeting no longer fit into the assigned time slot that the church has adopted for their own convenience, but the ministers would feel threatened as their unique role as the sole source of spiritual sustenance would be forfeit.
I can tell you Yahweh’s opinion of the typical church service. It is recorded in Scripture:
Amos 5:21-23
I hate, I reject your festivals, nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.”
The church services are scheduled completely to cater to the carnal desires of man. They have nothing to do with honoring God. Services start late enough where people need not trouble themselves with getting up early on their day off from work. They are scheduled to end at the optimum time for the members to rush out and feed their flesh as they converge on the restaurants with a zeal and anticipation rarely observed inside the church building. The services are kept short, often providing no more than 15 minutes of teaching after the announcements, music and various entertainments of the church are set forth before them.
When all is set-up to cater to the selfish nature of man, why would we anticipate that the body would be acting unselfishly in their care of one another, and their desire to see the pleasure of the Father done? Where is the rising early to seek the face of God that those gathering together as a body might be prepared to give of the life that is in them, building up the members of the body whom they will meet with that day? Where is the patience to minister, tarrying before the Spirit, and setting aside the physical appetites that the will of the Father might be satisfied? Where is there a heart prepared to hear clearly the voice of the Spirit and to move and speak and He directs?
The church has no place for such things, and the saints do not practice them. It was not so in the early church, nor under the ministry of Christ. There were times when the multitudes were gathered to Christ for several days, and Christ and His disciples ministered without eating.
Matthew 15:32
And Yahshua called His disciples to Him, and said, "I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way."
The early disciples often spent all day together in ministry to one another, and even went long into the night.
Acts 15:32
Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message.
Acts 20:7-8
On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together.
The early church not only met for long periods of time, they met daily.
Acts 2:46-47
So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
If the whole body is to be edified, and have opportunity to minister life to one another, it will require more than an hour or two on Sunday morning and Wednesday night. We must get over the mindset of arranging all things for the convenience of man and begin to seek the will of the Father. Ministering the life of Christ to others is to be our manner of living every day, whether gathered together corporately, or as we move throughout our day in those encounters that come to us.
Body life is to be marked by the entire body contributing that which is needed among the members.
I Peter 4:10
As EACH ONE has received a gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Yes, EACH ONE has received a gift, and these gifts must be employed in serving one another. The Spirit of Christ has left no part of the body without a gift.
Romans 12:6-8
Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Not all are called to teach. Not all are called to lead. But all have a call. Do you know what your call is? The church has dumbed down the saints of God to lead them to think that their call is to give money and support the programs of the church. The body of Christ is organic. It is not some sterile business that functions with blue prints and planning sessions and board meetings. The body is a living thing, and the Spirit of Christ would motivate and empower all the activities of the body.
I Corinthians 12:7-11
But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit , and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
There is to be NO exercise of the gifts apart from the direction of the Spirit. Neither is there to be a failure to exercise the gifts given.
You may say, “What am I to do? My church does not allow the opportunity for the members to exercise their gifts when gathered together?” Then ask the Father to lead you to opportunities outside the meetings of the organized church. The body is not limited to functioning only during officially sanctioned meetings. The Spirit is present within you 24/7. If you have a desire and expectation to be an active member of the body of Christ, the Spirit will set opportunities before you. Don’t be constrained by traditional thoughts regarding the way ministry must be conducted.
The one who is called to serve, cannot they serve anywhere and anytime? The one who is called to show mercy, is there not a need for others around you to partake of the mercy of Christ throughout the day? Must healing only take place inside the sanctuary? Christ healed everywhere He went, and He also prophesied, and fed the people, and as we are His body, His life serves as a pattern for us. Our ministry goes forth with us into the world in which we live.
STIR UP THE GIFT THAT IS IN YOU!
Don’t let another day go by where you are not actively seeking the Lord that He might use you to minister His precious life to others. Cast off the religious mind. We do not only minister by evangelizing, or by preaching. His ministry for you today may be to visit a sick person in the hospital, or to sing a song to the prisoner in jail. His ministry may be to take some of the excess clothes out of your closet and put them in your car, asking the Spirit to guide you to someone who needs them. His ministry may be to take a meal to someone who is shut-in, or to sit with one who is lonely, spending some time in conversation with them. His ministry may be to make some craft item that shares a message of love and hope and give it to someone who needs to receive it.
It is not up to us to choose the mode of ministry. Many would choose that which is the most convenient, or the least costly, or most comfortable. This is the error of the church today. All is done for man’s convenience. We must simply surrender ourselves to the Lord and declare “Here I am. Use me as You desire.”
I have at times prayed to the Lord in the following way. “Lord, you know I am here in Middle Georgia and I know there are many needy people in this area. I know you need a body to reach those You have upon Your heart. Please use me whether it be to meet a physical or spiritual need. Guide me by Your Spirit and supply that which is needed to minister to their need. I am willing Lord. Please use me.”
Very often we do not find ourselves being used because we are not looking for the opportunity. Mankind becomes comfortable in receiving mode. We must stir ourselves up in the spirit that our minds might be ready for action, ready to be used to give of that which we have received to another. Whether that which we have is physical, or spiritual, all have something to give.
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
Sunday, January 25, 2009
A Chronology of Events
Joseph Herrin (01-25-09)
Amos 3:7-8
Surely Yahweh God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will not fear? Yahweh God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?
Whenever Yahweh does something of significance in His dealing with the nations and His people He will reveal those things to mankind through various means. There are extraordinary things about to occur in this hour, for the great and terrible day of the Lord is at hand. There are few things which are spoken of more often than this event at the end of the age for it serves as a great climax to the rule of Satan over the earth and the beginning of the rule of Christ as the kingdom of this earth becomes the kingdom of our Lord and Christ.
The prophets of the Old Testament spoke much of this day and what would occur. What is described is unprecedented in the history of man.
Isaiah 2:12
For Yahweh of hosts will have a day of reckoning against everyone who is proud and lofty and against everyone who is lifted up, that he may be abased.
Isaiah 30:25
On every lofty mountain and on every high hill there will be streams running with water on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.
Jeremiah 46:10
For that day belongs to Yahweh God of hosts, a day of vengeance, so as to avenge Himself on His foes; and the sword will devour and be satiated and drink its fill of their blood; for there will be a slaughter for Yahweh God of hosts...
Ezekiel 30:3
For the day is near, even the day of Yahweh is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of doom for the nations.
Joel 2:31-32
The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of Yahweh comes. And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of Yahweh will be delivered; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as Yahweh has said, even among the survivors whom Yahweh calls.
Amos 5:18-20
Alas, you who are longing for the day of Yahweh, for what purpose will the day of Yahweh be to you? It will be darkness and not light; as when a man flees from a lion and a bear meets him, or goes home, leans his hand against the wall and a snake bites him. Will not the day of Yahweh be darkness instead of light, even gloom with no brightness in it?
These words of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel and Amos serve as a sampling of those things written about the day which is near at hand. It is evident that what is spoken of is no small event. We would therefore expect that Yahweh would provide many warnings of the day’s approach that His people might make themselves ready. This He has been doing through words of prophecy, through dreams and visions, through signs in the heavens and signs upon the earth. He has been giving a multitude of witnesses, yet tragically there have been few of God’s people who have heeded the signs. Rarely have any of these things been mentioned from the pulpit of the tens of thousands of churches that are found throughout the land.
The warnings God has given have been present for a considerable period of time. There were some who prophesied and shared visions of the things to come back in the 1950s. These words of warning were like to scattered drops of rain. They were rare and widely spaced apart. In the next decades the warnings continued. David Wilkerson began to speak of those things to come in the 1970s and 1980s. Dumitru Duduman also began to prophesy judgment and destruction upon the nations in the 1980s.
Over time the warnings increased in frequency as the day drew nearer. The 1990s saw a great increase of dreams and visions and signs in the heavens and upon the earth. Yet is has been since the events of 9-11-2001 when the towers fell in New York City, the seat of the United Nations and arguably the financial and media capital of the world, that the warnings have taken on a greater urgency and have been coming forth through signs of unprecedented scope. Did you note the words of Isaiah concerning the day of Yahweh and the towers falling?
Isaiah 30:25
On every lofty mountain and on every high hill there will be streams running with water on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.
Isaiah is not the only one to link the fall of great towers with the approach of the day of Yahweh.
Zephaniah 1:14-16
Near is the great day of Yahweh, near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of Yahweh! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. A day of wrath is that day, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and the high corner towers.
On September 11th, 2001 President George W. Bush was at an elementary school in Sarasota, Florida when the news of the towers being struck came in. Out in the Atlantic, making its way toward Florida was Tropical Storm Gabrielle. Gabriel is the name of the angel pictured by the church as blowing the trumpet of God. Tropical Storm Gabrielle was to pass directly over the heart of Sarasota a short time after the president departed. The trumpeter approached and the towers fell.
Since that date there have been an immense number of signs, many profound in scope. There are many I have not written about, and certainly there are those which escaped my notice, but were observed by others. I will set forth a chronology of events which have occurred since the towers fell. The sheer number of testimonies given to mankind is sobering. The day is very near, yet rarely have any of these things been mentioned in the church, and as a result many will be caught unaware and unprepared.
Chronology of Warnings/Judgments
9-11-2001: The World Trade Centers are struck by planes and collapse completely into a pile of rubble.
Link: Photo Essay - Babylon Burning; http://www.heart4god.ws/id495.htm
12-18 -2001: Saint John the Divine Church, just blocks from the World Trade Centers in Manhattan, the largest Gothic Cathedral in America, catches fire and is severely damaged. The fire began in the Church gift shop behind the sanctuary (symbolizing Yahweh’s judgment upon money changers and merchants in the house of God).
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id581.htm
2-1-03: Bush government announces plan to divide up Israel to bring peace to Middle East. On the same day the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates on re-entry. First debris falls on Palestine, Texas. Yahweh testifies that He will enter into judgment with those nations that seek to divide up His land.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id569.htm
3-23-2003: Jessica Lynch injured in ambush in Iraq. Jessica Lynch’s story serves as a parable of those things coming to America. Her hometown is Palestine, West Virginia.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id570.htm
8-27-2003: Mars makes its closest approach to earth since man was created. Mars is a harbinger of war and bloodshed. It is attended by its two moons, Phobos (Fear) and Deimos (Panic). This heavenly sign testifies that a time of greater war, bloodshed, fear and panic is coming to the earth than ever witnessed before.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id578.htm
8-19-2003: America’s 6th largest city, Phoenix, Arizona, runs out of gas as a pipeline ruptures. The problem continues for weeks. At the peak of the problem on August 19th only one third of the cities gas stations have fuel. People are lined up for hours, often to have the pumps run dry before they can get fuel. Altercations ensue and panic buying exacerbates the problem. The Spirit testifies that this is a sign of things to come to the nation.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id494.htm
10-28-2003: Great solar flare erupts from the surface of the Sun. It is directed straight toward the earth and comes from Sunspot 486. The Spirit testifies that this sign is related to Psalms 48:6 “Panic seized them there; anguish as of a woman in childbirth.”
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id578.htm
2004: Four land-falling hurricanes strike Florida damaging one out of five homes in the state. Hurricanes Charlie, Frances, Jeanne and Ivan each wreak devastation. Millions lose power. Oil infrastructure is greatly damaged, especially by Ivan. Each hurricane bears a name relating to a nation that will rise up against America, striking her in coming days. Ivan strikes U.S. three times.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id602.htm
12-26-2004: Tsunami in the Indian Ocean kills over 200,000 in one day. Tsunami is caused by an earthquake estimated at 9.1-9.3 on the Richter Scale, making it one of the top three most powerful earthquakes in history.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id579.htm
8-28-2005: Hurricane Katrina strikes U.S. devastating New Orleans. Over half the population of New Orleans is dislocated and does not return. Casino industry on Gulf coast is wiped out, and oil infrastructure damaged. Homosexual festival Southern Decadence is canceled.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id579.htm
9-24-2005:Hurricane Rita strikes the U.S. flooding New Orleans again just as they are set to invite the citizens of the city back. Landfall is on the opposite side of the city from Hurricane Katrina and more casinos are destroyed.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id579.htm
10-21-2005:Hurricane Wilma Strikes Cancun, Mexico and Key West Florida. It cancels two sexually debauched festivals; The Mayan Riviera Gay Fall Fiesta, and Fantasy Fest.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id579.htm
8-31-2006: Hurricane Ernesto strikes the U.S.. The name Ernesto means “earnest”: “a token or pledge of things to come,” and “intensely serious.”
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id580.htm
10-15-2007: Condoleeza Rice, Secretary of State for the U.S., announces plans to create a Palestinian state by dividing up Israel’s land. Six days later fires erupt across California fanned by 100 mph winds. Over 2,000 homes are destroyed and over a million people are forced to flee San Diego.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id571.htm
11-15-2007: Incredible sign seen in the heavens as comet Holmes brightens by a factor of a million times and expands in size to be larger than the Sun to become the largest object visible to man in the heavens.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id573.htm
3-21-2008: The largest gamma ray burst ever detected is observed by astronomers coming from the constellation Bootes; “The Coming One.” The Gamma ray burst is determined to be the most distant object ever observed by man, and it is aimed directly at the earth. A powerful heavenly sign.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id655.htm
5-2-2008: Cyclone Nargis kills 90,000 in Burma and adjacent countries. There is much prophecy contained in this event. On same date, storm in U.S. kills 6, including a teen in Siloam Springs, evoking memories of Tower of Siloam disaster that Christ spoke of to His disciples.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/news-headlines-indicate-judgment.html
5-11-2008: Mother’s Day Tornado strikes Macon, Georgia closing majority of churches set to honor mothers. Main damage on streets named after Pope and president. Many images of the flag are destroyed.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/popes-presidents-and-judgment.html
7-13-2008: Miss USA falls on stage before an international audience for the second time in two consecutive years, symbolizing that America’s fall is certain and will come soon.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/americas-fall-is-certain_16.html
5-31-2008: For the second time in as many months a major construction crane collapses in Manhattan resulting in loss of life. This occurs during a year when a rash of construction cranes collapsed signifying the end of American ascendancy and her coming collapse.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/double-portion-of-judgment.html
8-20-2008: 153 die in Spanair flight over Barcelona, symbolizing those who will not be saved in the coming days of woe.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/153-die.html
8-24-08: Tropical Storm Fay inundates Florida, defying all storm predictions, intensifying while over land, and striking Florida four times, which had never occurred before. Four speaks of humility, and many symbolic truths of coming judgment were observed.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/tropical-storm-fay.html
8-31-2008: Hurricane Gustav causes the largest evacuation in U.S. history as three million flee from its path.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/understanding-gustav.html
9-3-08: Three named storms are present in the Atlantic at the same time. Each one bears a name relating to the story of a barren woman who gave birth to a promised son in the Bible. The storms are Hannah, Ike, and Josephine. The Spirit is indicating that the barren church must bring forth sons after the mature image of Christ at the end of the age.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/hanna-ike-josephine.html
9-9-08: Sarah Palin arrives on the world scene at a time when Hurricane Ike is also forming in the Atlantic. Ike is a diminutive of Isaac, and Sarah was the mother of Isaac and the wife of Abraham. She gave birth to a son in her old age. Sarah’s number in High School while playing basketball was 22. She was born on February 11th (2-11) and is 44 years old. These numbers represent a double portion of flesh cutting which must precede a double portion of anointing.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/sarah-again.html
9-13-2008: Hurricane Ike makes landfall as the third most destructive hurricane in the United States. It caused in excess of $22 billion dollars of damage, leaving the entire Houston metropolitan area without power, and disrupting fuel distribution to the U.S. for weeks.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/isaacs-storm.html
Fall 2008: America reels as one financial disaster after another strikes resulting in Congress taking extraordinary and unprecedented measures to stave off collapse. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are nationalized, as is AIG, the world’s largest insurer. Banks are bailed out. Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers collapse. Trillions of dollars of losses are compiled and the government debt explodes. The Stock Market falls precipitously, ending the closing the year at nearly ½ of its peak just 18 months earlier.
Too many links to cite.
10-7-2008: Iceland banking system collapses, forecasting what is coming to the nations of the world.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/chill-wind-is-blowing.html
11-5-2008: Barack Hussein Obama wins the race for the U.S. presidency. The day election results are announced the Illinois lottery posts the winning numbers for Pick Three. The winning numbers are 6-6-6.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/barack-hussein-obama-antichrist.html
12-1-2008: A conjunction of Venus, Jupiter and a crescent moon in the constellation Sagittarius foretell the coming birth of the manchild and Satan being cast down to the earth where he will persecute the remnant of her seed.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/message-in-heavens.html
12-19-08: The harlot and the beast are yoked together as Barack Obama chooses Rick Warren to speak the invocation at his upcoming inauguration. Obama also appoints a homosexual clergyman to lead a prayer service at the Lincoln Memorial. What fellowship has Christ with Belial?
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/in-news.html
1-15-2009: US Airways jet crashes in the Hudson River. Both pilots and all 153 aboard are alive after what is touted as “the miracle on the Hudson.” Tremendous things are signified.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/that-i-lose-none.html
1-20-09: Barack Obama is iaugurated using the same Bible President Lincoln took his oath upon. Parallels between Lincoln’s presidency and what is coming during Obama’s presidency are seen.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/obama-lincoln-what-has-been-will-be.html
People of God, this is not an exhaustive list of signs, but I am exhausted just producing it. I have not mentioned the historic flooding in the midwest this past year, the hundreds of fires that sprung up overnight in California after the governor passed legislation in favor of homosexuality, the record setting rash of tornadoes in recent years, the earthquakes that have killed hundreds of thousands throughout the world, or a host of other things. Every day the news brings reports of business collapses, record numbers of newly unemployed, a precipitous collapse of the housing market with millions losing their homes, and a host of other signs of the times. And the worst has not even hit yet.
Are you heeding the signs? Are you walking with the Lord, embracing the cross, and walking worthy of Him, knowing that His appearing I His saints is imminent and the great and terrible day of Yahweh is at hand?
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
Amos 3:7-8
Surely Yahweh God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will not fear? Yahweh God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?
Whenever Yahweh does something of significance in His dealing with the nations and His people He will reveal those things to mankind through various means. There are extraordinary things about to occur in this hour, for the great and terrible day of the Lord is at hand. There are few things which are spoken of more often than this event at the end of the age for it serves as a great climax to the rule of Satan over the earth and the beginning of the rule of Christ as the kingdom of this earth becomes the kingdom of our Lord and Christ.
The prophets of the Old Testament spoke much of this day and what would occur. What is described is unprecedented in the history of man.
Isaiah 2:12
For Yahweh of hosts will have a day of reckoning against everyone who is proud and lofty and against everyone who is lifted up, that he may be abased.
Isaiah 30:25
On every lofty mountain and on every high hill there will be streams running with water on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.
Jeremiah 46:10
For that day belongs to Yahweh God of hosts, a day of vengeance, so as to avenge Himself on His foes; and the sword will devour and be satiated and drink its fill of their blood; for there will be a slaughter for Yahweh God of hosts...
Ezekiel 30:3
For the day is near, even the day of Yahweh is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of doom for the nations.
Joel 2:31-32
The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of Yahweh comes. And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of Yahweh will be delivered; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as Yahweh has said, even among the survivors whom Yahweh calls.
Amos 5:18-20
Alas, you who are longing for the day of Yahweh, for what purpose will the day of Yahweh be to you? It will be darkness and not light; as when a man flees from a lion and a bear meets him, or goes home, leans his hand against the wall and a snake bites him. Will not the day of Yahweh be darkness instead of light, even gloom with no brightness in it?
These words of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel and Amos serve as a sampling of those things written about the day which is near at hand. It is evident that what is spoken of is no small event. We would therefore expect that Yahweh would provide many warnings of the day’s approach that His people might make themselves ready. This He has been doing through words of prophecy, through dreams and visions, through signs in the heavens and signs upon the earth. He has been giving a multitude of witnesses, yet tragically there have been few of God’s people who have heeded the signs. Rarely have any of these things been mentioned from the pulpit of the tens of thousands of churches that are found throughout the land.
The warnings God has given have been present for a considerable period of time. There were some who prophesied and shared visions of the things to come back in the 1950s. These words of warning were like to scattered drops of rain. They were rare and widely spaced apart. In the next decades the warnings continued. David Wilkerson began to speak of those things to come in the 1970s and 1980s. Dumitru Duduman also began to prophesy judgment and destruction upon the nations in the 1980s.
Over time the warnings increased in frequency as the day drew nearer. The 1990s saw a great increase of dreams and visions and signs in the heavens and upon the earth. Yet is has been since the events of 9-11-2001 when the towers fell in New York City, the seat of the United Nations and arguably the financial and media capital of the world, that the warnings have taken on a greater urgency and have been coming forth through signs of unprecedented scope. Did you note the words of Isaiah concerning the day of Yahweh and the towers falling?
Isaiah 30:25
On every lofty mountain and on every high hill there will be streams running with water on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.
Isaiah is not the only one to link the fall of great towers with the approach of the day of Yahweh.
Zephaniah 1:14-16
Near is the great day of Yahweh, near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of Yahweh! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. A day of wrath is that day, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and the high corner towers.
On September 11th, 2001 President George W. Bush was at an elementary school in Sarasota, Florida when the news of the towers being struck came in. Out in the Atlantic, making its way toward Florida was Tropical Storm Gabrielle. Gabriel is the name of the angel pictured by the church as blowing the trumpet of God. Tropical Storm Gabrielle was to pass directly over the heart of Sarasota a short time after the president departed. The trumpeter approached and the towers fell.
Since that date there have been an immense number of signs, many profound in scope. There are many I have not written about, and certainly there are those which escaped my notice, but were observed by others. I will set forth a chronology of events which have occurred since the towers fell. The sheer number of testimonies given to mankind is sobering. The day is very near, yet rarely have any of these things been mentioned in the church, and as a result many will be caught unaware and unprepared.
Chronology of Warnings/Judgments
9-11-2001: The World Trade Centers are struck by planes and collapse completely into a pile of rubble.
Link: Photo Essay - Babylon Burning; http://www.heart4god.ws/id495.htm
12-18 -2001: Saint John the Divine Church, just blocks from the World Trade Centers in Manhattan, the largest Gothic Cathedral in America, catches fire and is severely damaged. The fire began in the Church gift shop behind the sanctuary (symbolizing Yahweh’s judgment upon money changers and merchants in the house of God).
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id581.htm
2-1-03: Bush government announces plan to divide up Israel to bring peace to Middle East. On the same day the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates on re-entry. First debris falls on Palestine, Texas. Yahweh testifies that He will enter into judgment with those nations that seek to divide up His land.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id569.htm
3-23-2003: Jessica Lynch injured in ambush in Iraq. Jessica Lynch’s story serves as a parable of those things coming to America. Her hometown is Palestine, West Virginia.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id570.htm
8-27-2003: Mars makes its closest approach to earth since man was created. Mars is a harbinger of war and bloodshed. It is attended by its two moons, Phobos (Fear) and Deimos (Panic). This heavenly sign testifies that a time of greater war, bloodshed, fear and panic is coming to the earth than ever witnessed before.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id578.htm
8-19-2003: America’s 6th largest city, Phoenix, Arizona, runs out of gas as a pipeline ruptures. The problem continues for weeks. At the peak of the problem on August 19th only one third of the cities gas stations have fuel. People are lined up for hours, often to have the pumps run dry before they can get fuel. Altercations ensue and panic buying exacerbates the problem. The Spirit testifies that this is a sign of things to come to the nation.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id494.htm
10-28-2003: Great solar flare erupts from the surface of the Sun. It is directed straight toward the earth and comes from Sunspot 486. The Spirit testifies that this sign is related to Psalms 48:6 “Panic seized them there; anguish as of a woman in childbirth.”
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id578.htm
2004: Four land-falling hurricanes strike Florida damaging one out of five homes in the state. Hurricanes Charlie, Frances, Jeanne and Ivan each wreak devastation. Millions lose power. Oil infrastructure is greatly damaged, especially by Ivan. Each hurricane bears a name relating to a nation that will rise up against America, striking her in coming days. Ivan strikes U.S. three times.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id602.htm
12-26-2004: Tsunami in the Indian Ocean kills over 200,000 in one day. Tsunami is caused by an earthquake estimated at 9.1-9.3 on the Richter Scale, making it one of the top three most powerful earthquakes in history.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id579.htm
8-28-2005: Hurricane Katrina strikes U.S. devastating New Orleans. Over half the population of New Orleans is dislocated and does not return. Casino industry on Gulf coast is wiped out, and oil infrastructure damaged. Homosexual festival Southern Decadence is canceled.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id579.htm
9-24-2005:Hurricane Rita strikes the U.S. flooding New Orleans again just as they are set to invite the citizens of the city back. Landfall is on the opposite side of the city from Hurricane Katrina and more casinos are destroyed.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id579.htm
10-21-2005:Hurricane Wilma Strikes Cancun, Mexico and Key West Florida. It cancels two sexually debauched festivals; The Mayan Riviera Gay Fall Fiesta, and Fantasy Fest.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id579.htm
8-31-2006: Hurricane Ernesto strikes the U.S.. The name Ernesto means “earnest”: “a token or pledge of things to come,” and “intensely serious.”
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id580.htm
10-15-2007: Condoleeza Rice, Secretary of State for the U.S., announces plans to create a Palestinian state by dividing up Israel’s land. Six days later fires erupt across California fanned by 100 mph winds. Over 2,000 homes are destroyed and over a million people are forced to flee San Diego.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id571.htm
11-15-2007: Incredible sign seen in the heavens as comet Holmes brightens by a factor of a million times and expands in size to be larger than the Sun to become the largest object visible to man in the heavens.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id573.htm
3-21-2008: The largest gamma ray burst ever detected is observed by astronomers coming from the constellation Bootes; “The Coming One.” The Gamma ray burst is determined to be the most distant object ever observed by man, and it is aimed directly at the earth. A powerful heavenly sign.
Link: http://www.heart4god.ws/id655.htm
5-2-2008: Cyclone Nargis kills 90,000 in Burma and adjacent countries. There is much prophecy contained in this event. On same date, storm in U.S. kills 6, including a teen in Siloam Springs, evoking memories of Tower of Siloam disaster that Christ spoke of to His disciples.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/news-headlines-indicate-judgment.html
5-11-2008: Mother’s Day Tornado strikes Macon, Georgia closing majority of churches set to honor mothers. Main damage on streets named after Pope and president. Many images of the flag are destroyed.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/popes-presidents-and-judgment.html
7-13-2008: Miss USA falls on stage before an international audience for the second time in two consecutive years, symbolizing that America’s fall is certain and will come soon.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/americas-fall-is-certain_16.html
5-31-2008: For the second time in as many months a major construction crane collapses in Manhattan resulting in loss of life. This occurs during a year when a rash of construction cranes collapsed signifying the end of American ascendancy and her coming collapse.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/double-portion-of-judgment.html
8-20-2008: 153 die in Spanair flight over Barcelona, symbolizing those who will not be saved in the coming days of woe.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/153-die.html
8-24-08: Tropical Storm Fay inundates Florida, defying all storm predictions, intensifying while over land, and striking Florida four times, which had never occurred before. Four speaks of humility, and many symbolic truths of coming judgment were observed.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/tropical-storm-fay.html
8-31-2008: Hurricane Gustav causes the largest evacuation in U.S. history as three million flee from its path.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/understanding-gustav.html
9-3-08: Three named storms are present in the Atlantic at the same time. Each one bears a name relating to the story of a barren woman who gave birth to a promised son in the Bible. The storms are Hannah, Ike, and Josephine. The Spirit is indicating that the barren church must bring forth sons after the mature image of Christ at the end of the age.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/hanna-ike-josephine.html
9-9-08: Sarah Palin arrives on the world scene at a time when Hurricane Ike is also forming in the Atlantic. Ike is a diminutive of Isaac, and Sarah was the mother of Isaac and the wife of Abraham. She gave birth to a son in her old age. Sarah’s number in High School while playing basketball was 22. She was born on February 11th (2-11) and is 44 years old. These numbers represent a double portion of flesh cutting which must precede a double portion of anointing.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/sarah-again.html
9-13-2008: Hurricane Ike makes landfall as the third most destructive hurricane in the United States. It caused in excess of $22 billion dollars of damage, leaving the entire Houston metropolitan area without power, and disrupting fuel distribution to the U.S. for weeks.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/isaacs-storm.html
Fall 2008: America reels as one financial disaster after another strikes resulting in Congress taking extraordinary and unprecedented measures to stave off collapse. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are nationalized, as is AIG, the world’s largest insurer. Banks are bailed out. Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers collapse. Trillions of dollars of losses are compiled and the government debt explodes. The Stock Market falls precipitously, ending the closing the year at nearly ½ of its peak just 18 months earlier.
Too many links to cite.
10-7-2008: Iceland banking system collapses, forecasting what is coming to the nations of the world.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/chill-wind-is-blowing.html
11-5-2008: Barack Hussein Obama wins the race for the U.S. presidency. The day election results are announced the Illinois lottery posts the winning numbers for Pick Three. The winning numbers are 6-6-6.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/barack-hussein-obama-antichrist.html
12-1-2008: A conjunction of Venus, Jupiter and a crescent moon in the constellation Sagittarius foretell the coming birth of the manchild and Satan being cast down to the earth where he will persecute the remnant of her seed.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/message-in-heavens.html
12-19-08: The harlot and the beast are yoked together as Barack Obama chooses Rick Warren to speak the invocation at his upcoming inauguration. Obama also appoints a homosexual clergyman to lead a prayer service at the Lincoln Memorial. What fellowship has Christ with Belial?
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/in-news.html
1-15-2009: US Airways jet crashes in the Hudson River. Both pilots and all 153 aboard are alive after what is touted as “the miracle on the Hudson.” Tremendous things are signified.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/that-i-lose-none.html
1-20-09: Barack Obama is iaugurated using the same Bible President Lincoln took his oath upon. Parallels between Lincoln’s presidency and what is coming during Obama’s presidency are seen.
Link: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/obama-lincoln-what-has-been-will-be.html
People of God, this is not an exhaustive list of signs, but I am exhausted just producing it. I have not mentioned the historic flooding in the midwest this past year, the hundreds of fires that sprung up overnight in California after the governor passed legislation in favor of homosexuality, the record setting rash of tornadoes in recent years, the earthquakes that have killed hundreds of thousands throughout the world, or a host of other things. Every day the news brings reports of business collapses, record numbers of newly unemployed, a precipitous collapse of the housing market with millions losing their homes, and a host of other signs of the times. And the worst has not even hit yet.
Are you heeding the signs? Are you walking with the Lord, embracing the cross, and walking worthy of Him, knowing that His appearing I His saints is imminent and the great and terrible day of Yahweh is at hand?
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Sundry Considerations
Joseph Herrin (01-25-09)
This post consists of several short topical teachings. These are derived from recent e-mail correspondence. As the questions were excellent, and many others have surely pondered similar matters, I thought I would post them here.
Note: Let me remind the readers again that I am unable to respond to questions sent to me using the “Post Reply” function of the blog as your e-mail address is hidden from me. The following question came to me a couple days ago via this method, but I had no way to write them back directly. The reader wrote an excellent question that arose in their mind as they read the post on Christ’s Appearance In His Saints, and I will answer it here:
Christ Appearing on the Mount of Olives
What about His feet touching the Mount of Olives. You say that He will not be seen physically, but what about where we are told that His feet will touch the Mount of Olives and He will come through that eastern gate?
Just as clouds are not to be interpreted literally, but serve as a parable, a type and shadow, so too do the elements mentioned here. The reference to Christ’s feet being upon the Mount of Olives is found in the prophet Zechariah:
Zechariah 14:4
And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.
The Mount of Olives serves as a type and shadow of those servants of Christ who are anointed ones. In the writing “Black Oil Anointing” I have described the symbolism of anointing and how it is derived.
http://www.heart4god.ws/id597.htm
The anointing oil used in the Temple to light the lamps and the golden candlestick was derived from the crushed flesh of the olive. The people of God are pictured as an olive tree, and the individuals as olives. The apostle Paul used this symbolism when speaking of Israel being an olive tree which was broken off and the Gentiles being grafted in as a wild olive branch (Romans 11).
Christ will appear upon those anointed servants of His in the day prophesied by Zechariah. These ones have allowed their flesh to be crushed, having submitted to the cross appointed to them, and Christ will descend upon them. On the Mount of Olives is the Garden called Gethsemane, whose name means “olive press.” It was there that the flesh of the olives was crushed to extract the oil. So too will Christ appear on those who have followed Him through Gethsemane where there soul too was brought to a death experience that the anointing of the Spirit might be fully revealed in them.
It was on Gethsemane that Christ said:
Matthew 26:38-39
"My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me."
If we share in the suffering of Christ we will also share in His glory. For this reason He is depicted as descending upon the Mount of Olives.
Romans 8:16-17
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.
His appearing on the East side speaks of the rising of the Sun (Son) upon a people made ready for His return.
Malachi 4:2-3
"But for you who fear My name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. And you will tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing," says Yahweh of hosts.
There is a great similarity between this passage from Malachi and that from Zechariah. Both speak of a day of battle and of warfare. Christ will appear IN HIS SAINTS and will through them wage war until every enemy has been conquered. The Eastern gate faces the rising of the Sun and it speaks of those who are in readiness and looking for the appearing of the Son of God.
Hebrews 9:28
Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.
In the arrangement of the camp in the wilderness there were three tribes camped on each of the four sides of the Tabernacle, which was in the midst of all. On the east side were Judah (Praise), Issachar (He shall bring a reward) and Zebulun (Habitation). These three also reveal a parable of great wonder.
There will be Praise at the rising of the Sun (Son of God) upon His people. He (Yahshua) shall bring a reward to those who are looking to His rising. These ones will become the Habitation of God. The Feast of Tabernacles will be fulfilled IN THEM. God will be seen to be dwelling in glory IN man.
Fasting and Hearing God’s Voice
Several people have written to me recently concerning the topic of fasting. One brother in Christ asked me of the relationship between fasting and hearing the voice of God more clearly. I shared the following with him.
Fasting is an active demonstration of the spirit man rising up to rule over the appetites of the flesh. These two are always contrary to one another as Paul declares in the 5th chapter of his epistle to the Galatians.
Galatians 5:16-18
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.
Our bodies, with their appetites and passions, are symbolic of the land of Canaan of which we are to take possession. We receive these bodies from Adam, and they are just like that ancient land that was filled with idols, abominable sins, and contained many giants, walled cities and fortresses. It requires warfare to subdue the land. Fasting is an act of warfare.
Christ said that the Kingdom of God is within you. He also said that the kingdom of God suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. It requires a real battle for us to subdue the flesh when it begins clamoring for us to satisfy the noisy appetites that are making their voices heard. Yet Christ within us is our Champion, and He has said that we will never be tested beyond our ability to overcome (I Corinthians 10:13). He will always provide a path to a victorious ending.
We must become violent men of spiritual warfare to subdue the clamoring voices in our flesh. I have actually experienced intense battle in this area when I was younger (in my 20s) where I found myself driving down the road shouting to Satan and speaking forth words of faith as I warred with great temptations in a period of fasting. In this most recent fast God promised a great grace to those who would obey, and I truly found this to be true. As I looked back upon this 40 days I could scarcely believe it had been that long. I cannot remember a time where the days seem to have gone by so quickly.
Going back to the symbolism of our bodies being as the land of Canaan of which we are to take possession, the Scriptures also describe the promised land as a land flowing with milk and honey. Milk is often used as a symbol of God's word in the Scriptures, and sometimes honey is also.
I Peter 2:2-3
Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.
Psalms 119:103
How sweet are Thy words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Christ, of course, is the WORD of God, and He will fill this land of our flesh with an overflowing of His presence. We will become a land flowing with milk and honey. You can see the relationship of fasting to hearing from God in this regard. As we wage war with our flesh, subduing the appetites, we become a land flowing with milk and honey, which are symbols of God's word. His word begins to flow in us.
I can attest to this being my experience as my fast progressed. Particularly in the last week of my fast, and ever since I have ended, the word of God has come with great clarity to me. He has been affirming His word with many witnesses, and I have had an uncommon assurance that I have rightly discerned His mind. His honey is in me even as Samson declared "Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet" (Joshua 14:14). Samson literally took honey from the dead body of a lion. The eater was not eating anymore when something sweet (honey) came forth from it. Has not God set marvelous parables throughout His word?
We see in these things a relationship to fasting and the WORD of God being found in us. We must crucify the flesh with its passions and desires, and then we become a land flowing with milk and honey.
Heads Will Roll
This past week I was sent a writer’s comments on Revelations 20:4:
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Yahshua and because of the word of God...
I was raised in Baptist churches where a literal interpretation of this passage was taught. It was often cited that the guillotine would be brought back as a form of punishment in the last days. I reader forwarded the comments of a Bible teacher who was providing some evidence that this would come about soon.
There is often a physical fulfillment to Scriptures, but we would be remiss to overlook the spiritual substance to which these natural shadows bear evidence. Revelations is a book where truth is “signified” (Greek semaino - to show forth by signs) (Revelation 1:1). This verse in Revelation also has a spiritual understanding, and should not be viewed on an exclusively literal level.
In the book The Mark of the Beast I shared the following insights on this passage:
http://www.heart4god.ws/id404.htm
Let us return now to that which is written of the overcomers. John records that "they loved not their lives even to death." Is it not plain now that he is not speaking of physical martyrdom, but of the working of the cross in their lives? The overcomers are overcomers because they have attained the victory over their own bodies and the beast nature that resides in the flesh. That John is using symbolic language to speak of spiritual matters is further revealed as we look at another Scripture relating to the overcomers.
Revelation 20:4
Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Yahshua and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
The word beheaded here comes from a Greek word that occurs nowhere else in Scripture. It denotes having one’s head cut off with an axe, which was a common enough type of capital punishment in Roman days. We read in the gospels where Herod beheaded John the Baptist in this way. But this was not the only method employed to martyr the saints. Many of the early saints in Roman times were crucified. Some were stoned to death. Many were taken to the forums and given to wild beasts such as lions. Others were burned to death as "Roman Candles," and there were many other such ways in which the saints have suffered death at the hands of their persecutors.
We have to conclude that the Holy Spirit is not seeking to convey with these words that only those who are physically beheaded are numbered among the overcomers and will be given the honor of reigning with Christ during the Millennial period of the Kingdom of God. Rather, the words used to describe this beheading are filled with symbolism and are intended to be understood figuratively.
In an earlier chapter we read of the overcomers being sealed in their foreheads with the names of the Father and the Son. This typifies one who has taken Christ as their Head, and they have no head of their own. These overcomers have the mind of Christ, and they live no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. In I Corinthians Paul employs symbolism of one’s head being related to authority and submission. He writes:
I Corinthians 11:3
But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.
If a man has Christ as his Head, then this indicates that a man has no head of his own. He must figuratively cut off his head in order to take Christ as his Head. A man must die to his own will, initiative and desires that are found in his head, and he must take Christ’s head as his own. Man must live for the will of Christ, not only calling Him Lord, but living as if He is Lord. He must take Christ’s desires for his own, buffeting his body and keeping it in subjection when he should find desires arising which are contrary to the desire of Christ.
No man can take Christ as Head and keep his own head at the same time. God does not desire two-headed monsters. So all those who are overcomers must lose their own heads. This is the spiritual understanding of John’s words in Revelation. He is not indicating that the guillotine will be brought back into fashion in the last days, which is an idea many prophecy teachers are promoting. He is saying that the overcomers will be beheaded by receiving Christ as their Head in place of their own head. They will be perfectly resigned to the will of God in their lives, not pursuing their own agenda and goals, but living to do the will of God.
[End Excerpt]
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
This post consists of several short topical teachings. These are derived from recent e-mail correspondence. As the questions were excellent, and many others have surely pondered similar matters, I thought I would post them here.
Note: Let me remind the readers again that I am unable to respond to questions sent to me using the “Post Reply” function of the blog as your e-mail address is hidden from me. The following question came to me a couple days ago via this method, but I had no way to write them back directly. The reader wrote an excellent question that arose in their mind as they read the post on Christ’s Appearance In His Saints, and I will answer it here:
Christ Appearing on the Mount of Olives
What about His feet touching the Mount of Olives. You say that He will not be seen physically, but what about where we are told that His feet will touch the Mount of Olives and He will come through that eastern gate?
Just as clouds are not to be interpreted literally, but serve as a parable, a type and shadow, so too do the elements mentioned here. The reference to Christ’s feet being upon the Mount of Olives is found in the prophet Zechariah:
Zechariah 14:4
And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.
The Mount of Olives serves as a type and shadow of those servants of Christ who are anointed ones. In the writing “Black Oil Anointing” I have described the symbolism of anointing and how it is derived.
http://www.heart4god.ws/id597.htm
The anointing oil used in the Temple to light the lamps and the golden candlestick was derived from the crushed flesh of the olive. The people of God are pictured as an olive tree, and the individuals as olives. The apostle Paul used this symbolism when speaking of Israel being an olive tree which was broken off and the Gentiles being grafted in as a wild olive branch (Romans 11).
Christ will appear upon those anointed servants of His in the day prophesied by Zechariah. These ones have allowed their flesh to be crushed, having submitted to the cross appointed to them, and Christ will descend upon them. On the Mount of Olives is the Garden called Gethsemane, whose name means “olive press.” It was there that the flesh of the olives was crushed to extract the oil. So too will Christ appear on those who have followed Him through Gethsemane where there soul too was brought to a death experience that the anointing of the Spirit might be fully revealed in them.
It was on Gethsemane that Christ said:
Matthew 26:38-39
"My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me."
If we share in the suffering of Christ we will also share in His glory. For this reason He is depicted as descending upon the Mount of Olives.
Romans 8:16-17
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.
His appearing on the East side speaks of the rising of the Sun (Son) upon a people made ready for His return.
Malachi 4:2-3
"But for you who fear My name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. And you will tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing," says Yahweh of hosts.
There is a great similarity between this passage from Malachi and that from Zechariah. Both speak of a day of battle and of warfare. Christ will appear IN HIS SAINTS and will through them wage war until every enemy has been conquered. The Eastern gate faces the rising of the Sun and it speaks of those who are in readiness and looking for the appearing of the Son of God.
Hebrews 9:28
Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.
In the arrangement of the camp in the wilderness there were three tribes camped on each of the four sides of the Tabernacle, which was in the midst of all. On the east side were Judah (Praise), Issachar (He shall bring a reward) and Zebulun (Habitation). These three also reveal a parable of great wonder.
There will be Praise at the rising of the Sun (Son of God) upon His people. He (Yahshua) shall bring a reward to those who are looking to His rising. These ones will become the Habitation of God. The Feast of Tabernacles will be fulfilled IN THEM. God will be seen to be dwelling in glory IN man.
Fasting and Hearing God’s Voice
Several people have written to me recently concerning the topic of fasting. One brother in Christ asked me of the relationship between fasting and hearing the voice of God more clearly. I shared the following with him.
Fasting is an active demonstration of the spirit man rising up to rule over the appetites of the flesh. These two are always contrary to one another as Paul declares in the 5th chapter of his epistle to the Galatians.
Galatians 5:16-18
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.
Our bodies, with their appetites and passions, are symbolic of the land of Canaan of which we are to take possession. We receive these bodies from Adam, and they are just like that ancient land that was filled with idols, abominable sins, and contained many giants, walled cities and fortresses. It requires warfare to subdue the land. Fasting is an act of warfare.
Christ said that the Kingdom of God is within you. He also said that the kingdom of God suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. It requires a real battle for us to subdue the flesh when it begins clamoring for us to satisfy the noisy appetites that are making their voices heard. Yet Christ within us is our Champion, and He has said that we will never be tested beyond our ability to overcome (I Corinthians 10:13). He will always provide a path to a victorious ending.
We must become violent men of spiritual warfare to subdue the clamoring voices in our flesh. I have actually experienced intense battle in this area when I was younger (in my 20s) where I found myself driving down the road shouting to Satan and speaking forth words of faith as I warred with great temptations in a period of fasting. In this most recent fast God promised a great grace to those who would obey, and I truly found this to be true. As I looked back upon this 40 days I could scarcely believe it had been that long. I cannot remember a time where the days seem to have gone by so quickly.
Going back to the symbolism of our bodies being as the land of Canaan of which we are to take possession, the Scriptures also describe the promised land as a land flowing with milk and honey. Milk is often used as a symbol of God's word in the Scriptures, and sometimes honey is also.
I Peter 2:2-3
Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.
Psalms 119:103
How sweet are Thy words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Christ, of course, is the WORD of God, and He will fill this land of our flesh with an overflowing of His presence. We will become a land flowing with milk and honey. You can see the relationship of fasting to hearing from God in this regard. As we wage war with our flesh, subduing the appetites, we become a land flowing with milk and honey, which are symbols of God's word. His word begins to flow in us.
I can attest to this being my experience as my fast progressed. Particularly in the last week of my fast, and ever since I have ended, the word of God has come with great clarity to me. He has been affirming His word with many witnesses, and I have had an uncommon assurance that I have rightly discerned His mind. His honey is in me even as Samson declared "Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet" (Joshua 14:14). Samson literally took honey from the dead body of a lion. The eater was not eating anymore when something sweet (honey) came forth from it. Has not God set marvelous parables throughout His word?
We see in these things a relationship to fasting and the WORD of God being found in us. We must crucify the flesh with its passions and desires, and then we become a land flowing with milk and honey.
Heads Will Roll
This past week I was sent a writer’s comments on Revelations 20:4:
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Yahshua and because of the word of God...
I was raised in Baptist churches where a literal interpretation of this passage was taught. It was often cited that the guillotine would be brought back as a form of punishment in the last days. I reader forwarded the comments of a Bible teacher who was providing some evidence that this would come about soon.
There is often a physical fulfillment to Scriptures, but we would be remiss to overlook the spiritual substance to which these natural shadows bear evidence. Revelations is a book where truth is “signified” (Greek semaino - to show forth by signs) (Revelation 1:1). This verse in Revelation also has a spiritual understanding, and should not be viewed on an exclusively literal level.
In the book The Mark of the Beast I shared the following insights on this passage:
http://www.heart4god.ws/id404.htm
Let us return now to that which is written of the overcomers. John records that "they loved not their lives even to death." Is it not plain now that he is not speaking of physical martyrdom, but of the working of the cross in their lives? The overcomers are overcomers because they have attained the victory over their own bodies and the beast nature that resides in the flesh. That John is using symbolic language to speak of spiritual matters is further revealed as we look at another Scripture relating to the overcomers.
Revelation 20:4
Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Yahshua and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
The word beheaded here comes from a Greek word that occurs nowhere else in Scripture. It denotes having one’s head cut off with an axe, which was a common enough type of capital punishment in Roman days. We read in the gospels where Herod beheaded John the Baptist in this way. But this was not the only method employed to martyr the saints. Many of the early saints in Roman times were crucified. Some were stoned to death. Many were taken to the forums and given to wild beasts such as lions. Others were burned to death as "Roman Candles," and there were many other such ways in which the saints have suffered death at the hands of their persecutors.
We have to conclude that the Holy Spirit is not seeking to convey with these words that only those who are physically beheaded are numbered among the overcomers and will be given the honor of reigning with Christ during the Millennial period of the Kingdom of God. Rather, the words used to describe this beheading are filled with symbolism and are intended to be understood figuratively.
In an earlier chapter we read of the overcomers being sealed in their foreheads with the names of the Father and the Son. This typifies one who has taken Christ as their Head, and they have no head of their own. These overcomers have the mind of Christ, and they live no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. In I Corinthians Paul employs symbolism of one’s head being related to authority and submission. He writes:
I Corinthians 11:3
But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.
If a man has Christ as his Head, then this indicates that a man has no head of his own. He must figuratively cut off his head in order to take Christ as his Head. A man must die to his own will, initiative and desires that are found in his head, and he must take Christ’s head as his own. Man must live for the will of Christ, not only calling Him Lord, but living as if He is Lord. He must take Christ’s desires for his own, buffeting his body and keeping it in subjection when he should find desires arising which are contrary to the desire of Christ.
No man can take Christ as Head and keep his own head at the same time. God does not desire two-headed monsters. So all those who are overcomers must lose their own heads. This is the spiritual understanding of John’s words in Revelation. He is not indicating that the guillotine will be brought back into fashion in the last days, which is an idea many prophecy teachers are promoting. He is saying that the overcomers will be beheaded by receiving Christ as their Head in place of their own head. They will be perfectly resigned to the will of God in their lives, not pursuing their own agenda and goals, but living to do the will of God.
[End Excerpt]
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
Thursday, January 22, 2009
When Will These Things Be?
Joseph Herrin (1-22-09)
Matthew 24:3
And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"
It is normal for men to want to know when God will do a specific thing. I know in this hour when the Spirit is indicating that so many things are at hand, that many would like to know precisely when they will occur. When will the manchild ascend to the throne of God? When will the woman flee into the wilderness? When will the horsemen of Revelations 6 appear?
The Spirit’s answer to all of these things is “Soon!” I am looking daily with anticipation for the manifestation of these events. This is what God desires. He wants us to be expectant, and thereby to live in a state of readiness. He does not want His children to become complacent.
II Peter 3:3-4
There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”
When I share with people the many signs the Lord is giving of those things which are soon to be upon us, many respond by saying that signs have been around for many years, and these things have not occurred yet. They respond that it may yet be years before we see any of these things. They are therefore not inclined to act as if these things are imminent. They do not ready themselves. They continue to do as the people did in the day of Lot and the day of Noah, not knowing that this may be the very day of the fulfillment of those things signified.
Luke 17:26-30
"And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it shall be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.”
We are told that Noah was a preacher of righteousness. Yet we know that no one listened to his preaching. We are told that Lot went and found his son-in-laws and told them that Sodom was to be destroyed immediately, but it appeared to them that he was jesting. I should not be surprised to be met with a similar response in this hour. The Lord said that it would be just the same in the day when the Son of Man is revealed, and I would add “IN HIS SAINTS.”
One man wrote to me today and revealed that there has been some confusion about when I have believed some of these things would transpire. I apologize for not being as clear as I could have been. Back on December 13th when I wrote of the Father directing me to a forty day fast which would end the day before Barack Obama was inaugurated, I shared that I believed the timing was significant. It was significant in a number of ways, some of which I did not realize at the time. The day my fast ended was the date of my 24th wedding anniversary. The Lord indicated that I was to end my fast at sundown on January 19th, and I did not know until just about an hour before sundown that the precise time of Sunset in Macon, Georgia on that day was 5:55 P.M.. Only God could bring a 40 day fast to conclusion at such a precise time which indicated a fulness of grace. And I truly did experience a great grace during the fast. I could not believe 40 days had gone by so quickly.
In that post which announced God’s direction to fast, and those things to come, described as the anointing of His servants to shepherd His people through the wilderness, I wrote the following:
I have grown very wary of seeking to establish dates, for when an event does not occur by a certain time many begin to doubt the event altogether. I know there must be a time when the man child ascends, and according to Revelation 12, this occurs prior to the woman fleeing into the wilderness. Do we not anticipate this wilderness experience to be soon upon the people of God? Should we not then anticipate that the man child must ascend just as soon, if not before?... I have grown wary of setting dates for things, and I am not saying that the man child company (Joseph company, Elijah company, etc.) must be endued with power on January 20th, but neither will I rule it out. Joseph was brought before Pharaoh on the day that he received authority and power, and Satan will have his man being inaugurated on January 20th. Will not God raise up a standard against him?
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/ascension-of-manchild-part-3.html
I have tried to be careful to not declare that an event must transpire on a certain date, for God has not told me a certain date. He has told me these things must transpire soon. He is indicating that we are in the hour for these things to be fulfilled. I am open to the possibility that each day might bring the fulfillment of some prophecy of Scripture and some astounding work which is being signified by the Spirit to be at hand.
In the past week there have been phenomenal signs pointing to the imminence of the day of the Lord being at hand, the great and terrible day. The airplane crash in the Hudson river; the messages God is speaking about the four horsemen, and the earlier celestial signs pointing to the ascension of the manchild; all these things are pointing to the fact that we will see these things soon, and they will come suddenly.
Today I read that the US Airways plane that crashed with a large number of Bank of America executives aboard had only been ascending for 90 seconds when the plane struck a flock of birds and lost all power. It had previously been reported that it had been ascending for three minutes. The time has been shortened.
We are in that brief period when the hopes of the nation are set upon Barack Obama and the men and women he has appointed to various high level cabinet positions. There is some euphoria and the mood of the nation is rising. Yet even as the air traffic controllers reported that they never saw the flock of birds on radar, so too will something unlooked for appear suddenly and the banking system will fail, the country will crash, and the US will be battered for many days.
People of God, even the lost can see that we are in a perilous situation. Renowned economist Nouriel Roubini reported this week that the banking system of America is insolvent. He declared that he anticipates that there will be $3.6 trillion dollars in losses and that the banks only began with $1.4 trillion dollars in assets. Congressman Ron Paul and others are declaring that the globalists and world elite are intentionally working to destroy the US economy that they might bring in a world currency and quickly advance their plans for a global government.
Satan is behind the events which will transpire. The Bible pictures Satan and his legions as the birds of the air.
Mark 4:3-4, 14-15
“Behold, the sower went out to sow; and it came about that as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up... The sower sows the word. And these are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.”
It was a flock of birds that caused the US Airways flight to lose all power. Satan is able to remove power from the kingdoms of this world that God has placed in His power. For many years America was protected, but due to her abominations and unwillingness to repent, God has removed the hedge.
Luke 4:5-7
And [Satan] led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, "I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.”
Satan has received authority to destroy America. Signs are being given. Two days ago I reported that the population of California had declined by 144,000 people last year (2008). I also mentioned that Dumitru Duduman had received a vision of California from God, hearing Him declare “This is Sodom. It will be consumed in fire.” Last year also saw California experiencing a record number of fires, hundreds of them breaking out after the Governor passed a law in favor of homosexuality.
Los Angeles Fire, October 2008
These events serve as a parable. God will now remove the righteous (144,000) from California even as He removed Lot and his family from Sodom. Then He will destroy it with fire.
Over Memorial Day week-end the United States was struck with a devastating hurricane that crippled the nation’s oil supply. The same week-end a catastrophic train wreck occurred in California. Metrolink 111 had departed UNION station and it ran full speed into a UNION Pacific freight train.
Now we have just seen Barack Obama take his oath of office upon the same Bible Lincoln used, and Lincoln was President when the UNION was faced with its greatest challenge, the secession of the southern states. We have seen this week a US Airways plane crash with Bank of AMERICA executives on board.
How loudly does the Father need to proclaim His warnings before His people begin to heed?
Yahweh is testifying that the horsemen are coming. When? VERY SOON!
The hour is late! Are you seeking the Lord to know what He would have YOU do in this hour? Are you taking the abundance of signs and warnings seriously? I cannot tell you the hour or the day, but the Spirit is declaring that these things are at hand.
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
Matthew 24:3
And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"
It is normal for men to want to know when God will do a specific thing. I know in this hour when the Spirit is indicating that so many things are at hand, that many would like to know precisely when they will occur. When will the manchild ascend to the throne of God? When will the woman flee into the wilderness? When will the horsemen of Revelations 6 appear?
The Spirit’s answer to all of these things is “Soon!” I am looking daily with anticipation for the manifestation of these events. This is what God desires. He wants us to be expectant, and thereby to live in a state of readiness. He does not want His children to become complacent.
II Peter 3:3-4
There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”
When I share with people the many signs the Lord is giving of those things which are soon to be upon us, many respond by saying that signs have been around for many years, and these things have not occurred yet. They respond that it may yet be years before we see any of these things. They are therefore not inclined to act as if these things are imminent. They do not ready themselves. They continue to do as the people did in the day of Lot and the day of Noah, not knowing that this may be the very day of the fulfillment of those things signified.
Luke 17:26-30
"And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it shall be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.”
We are told that Noah was a preacher of righteousness. Yet we know that no one listened to his preaching. We are told that Lot went and found his son-in-laws and told them that Sodom was to be destroyed immediately, but it appeared to them that he was jesting. I should not be surprised to be met with a similar response in this hour. The Lord said that it would be just the same in the day when the Son of Man is revealed, and I would add “IN HIS SAINTS.”
One man wrote to me today and revealed that there has been some confusion about when I have believed some of these things would transpire. I apologize for not being as clear as I could have been. Back on December 13th when I wrote of the Father directing me to a forty day fast which would end the day before Barack Obama was inaugurated, I shared that I believed the timing was significant. It was significant in a number of ways, some of which I did not realize at the time. The day my fast ended was the date of my 24th wedding anniversary. The Lord indicated that I was to end my fast at sundown on January 19th, and I did not know until just about an hour before sundown that the precise time of Sunset in Macon, Georgia on that day was 5:55 P.M.. Only God could bring a 40 day fast to conclusion at such a precise time which indicated a fulness of grace. And I truly did experience a great grace during the fast. I could not believe 40 days had gone by so quickly.
In that post which announced God’s direction to fast, and those things to come, described as the anointing of His servants to shepherd His people through the wilderness, I wrote the following:
I have grown very wary of seeking to establish dates, for when an event does not occur by a certain time many begin to doubt the event altogether. I know there must be a time when the man child ascends, and according to Revelation 12, this occurs prior to the woman fleeing into the wilderness. Do we not anticipate this wilderness experience to be soon upon the people of God? Should we not then anticipate that the man child must ascend just as soon, if not before?... I have grown wary of setting dates for things, and I am not saying that the man child company (Joseph company, Elijah company, etc.) must be endued with power on January 20th, but neither will I rule it out. Joseph was brought before Pharaoh on the day that he received authority and power, and Satan will have his man being inaugurated on January 20th. Will not God raise up a standard against him?
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/ascension-of-manchild-part-3.html
I have tried to be careful to not declare that an event must transpire on a certain date, for God has not told me a certain date. He has told me these things must transpire soon. He is indicating that we are in the hour for these things to be fulfilled. I am open to the possibility that each day might bring the fulfillment of some prophecy of Scripture and some astounding work which is being signified by the Spirit to be at hand.
In the past week there have been phenomenal signs pointing to the imminence of the day of the Lord being at hand, the great and terrible day. The airplane crash in the Hudson river; the messages God is speaking about the four horsemen, and the earlier celestial signs pointing to the ascension of the manchild; all these things are pointing to the fact that we will see these things soon, and they will come suddenly.
Today I read that the US Airways plane that crashed with a large number of Bank of America executives aboard had only been ascending for 90 seconds when the plane struck a flock of birds and lost all power. It had previously been reported that it had been ascending for three minutes. The time has been shortened.
We are in that brief period when the hopes of the nation are set upon Barack Obama and the men and women he has appointed to various high level cabinet positions. There is some euphoria and the mood of the nation is rising. Yet even as the air traffic controllers reported that they never saw the flock of birds on radar, so too will something unlooked for appear suddenly and the banking system will fail, the country will crash, and the US will be battered for many days.
People of God, even the lost can see that we are in a perilous situation. Renowned economist Nouriel Roubini reported this week that the banking system of America is insolvent. He declared that he anticipates that there will be $3.6 trillion dollars in losses and that the banks only began with $1.4 trillion dollars in assets. Congressman Ron Paul and others are declaring that the globalists and world elite are intentionally working to destroy the US economy that they might bring in a world currency and quickly advance their plans for a global government.
Satan is behind the events which will transpire. The Bible pictures Satan and his legions as the birds of the air.
Mark 4:3-4, 14-15
“Behold, the sower went out to sow; and it came about that as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up... The sower sows the word. And these are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.”
It was a flock of birds that caused the US Airways flight to lose all power. Satan is able to remove power from the kingdoms of this world that God has placed in His power. For many years America was protected, but due to her abominations and unwillingness to repent, God has removed the hedge.
Luke 4:5-7
And [Satan] led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, "I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.”
Satan has received authority to destroy America. Signs are being given. Two days ago I reported that the population of California had declined by 144,000 people last year (2008). I also mentioned that Dumitru Duduman had received a vision of California from God, hearing Him declare “This is Sodom. It will be consumed in fire.” Last year also saw California experiencing a record number of fires, hundreds of them breaking out after the Governor passed a law in favor of homosexuality.
Los Angeles Fire, October 2008
These events serve as a parable. God will now remove the righteous (144,000) from California even as He removed Lot and his family from Sodom. Then He will destroy it with fire.
Over Memorial Day week-end the United States was struck with a devastating hurricane that crippled the nation’s oil supply. The same week-end a catastrophic train wreck occurred in California. Metrolink 111 had departed UNION station and it ran full speed into a UNION Pacific freight train.
Now we have just seen Barack Obama take his oath of office upon the same Bible Lincoln used, and Lincoln was President when the UNION was faced with its greatest challenge, the secession of the southern states. We have seen this week a US Airways plane crash with Bank of AMERICA executives on board.
How loudly does the Father need to proclaim His warnings before His people begin to heed?
Yahweh is testifying that the horsemen are coming. When? VERY SOON!
The hour is late! Are you seeking the Lord to know what He would have YOU do in this hour? Are you taking the abundance of signs and warnings seriously? I cannot tell you the hour or the day, but the Spirit is declaring that these things are at hand.
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Obama - Lincoln; What Has Been, Will Be Again
Joseph Herrin (01-21-09)
During the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States yesterday many details of great prophetic significance were observed. None were less prefigurative of those things to come to the nation than the prominent mention of Barack Obama taking the oath of office with his hand upon the same Bible used by Abraham Lincoln in his inauguration.
Ecclesiastes 1:9
That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So, there is nothing new under the sun.
Consider a few of the parallels between these men.
Both men were legislators from the state of Illinois.
Both men were elected to the presidency the first time they ran for the highest office in the land.
Both men are closely related to civil rights issues as Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and Obama is looked upon as the fulfillment of all that which began with this proclamation and was enunciated in the words of Martin Luther King.
Lincoln was the 16th President which is 4 times 4. Obama is the 44th President.
Lincoln took office in an hour when the nation was facing a great crisis, and so too has Barack Obama.
I am confident that as time for reflection allows that many more parallels between these men will come to the surface. I do not doubt that others will write to me and share many of these facts. These obvious similarities serve to alert the people of God that there will be many other things in the Obama presidency which will also find a foreshadowing in the Lincoln years in the White House. Many of these things have been prophesied already. Following are a number of things which occurred during the term of the 16 President.
The greatest civil unrest ever seen in the nation up until that time was witnessed during Lincoln’s Presidency.
Federal troops were used on American soil against American citizens. This not only occurred during open acts of war, but to quell civil unrest. “In May, (1861) angry secessionist mobs in Baltimore, a city to the north of Washington, fought with Union troops traveling south. George William Brown, the Mayor of Baltimore, and other suspect Maryland politicians were arrested and imprisoned at Fort McHenry.”
[Source: Wikipedia]
Lincoln had dissident leaders arrested and held in military prisons without trial. Over 18,000 were arrested.
[Source: Wikipedia]
The ground work for such actions under Barack Obama have already been laid and I have reported on them in previous writings. The Posse Comitatus Act has been revoked. Federal troops are once more located on American soil and are actively being trained to be used to quell civil unrest. The precedence for detaining “enemy combatants” and holding them indefinitely without charging them has been established by President Bush and is even now being exercised at the military prison on Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere. All these things will be manifested more fully against the citizens of America in coming days.
In April 1861, after Union troops at Fort Sumter were fired upon and forced to surrender, Lincoln called on the governors of every state to send detachments totaling 75,000 troops to recapture forts, protect the capital, and "preserve the Union...”
[Source: Wikipedia]
In a similar fulfillment, we will see a crisis arise and a cry to preserve the union will serve as the justification to request of governors that they send national guard troops to be employed against the citizens of America.
A constitutional crisis arose during Lincoln’s presidency as the seceding states said that they were not bound by the constitution. A similar constitutional crisis will occur in days ahead.
A time of the greatest bloodshed of Americans occurred during the Lincoln presidency and it was the result of American killing American. This too will find its fulfillment in coming days.
During Lincoln’s presidency many cities within the United States were laid waste. Many were bombed out, and many were razed to the ground by fire. Entire populations were dislocated from their homes. These things are coming again.
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
In previous blogs I have mentioned some prophetic signs pointing to a similar end for the current President. It was mentioned on the Unleavened Bread Ministries website that on November 5th, the day that the election results were made known and Barack Obama made his acceptance speech that his wife and family were all dressed in a very symbolic manner.
The designer dress worn by Michele Obama resembled the pattern seen on the female “black widow” spider.
Even the mainstream news has been reporting concerns for the safety of the current president’s life. Last week for several days one of the top stories on the CNN website featured a descendant of a black slave who said she was afraid that someone would assassinate this man, leading her to not even vote for him out of concerns for his safety.
Yesterday I posted a writing titled The Horsemen Cometh. What is symbolized by the horsemen is a time of unprecedented distress upon the nations. There have been a wealth of signs indicating that the hour for great tribulation upon the earth is at hand. Even the plane crash which occurred last week reveals that these things are coming swiftly. The US Airways plane was in the process of ascending. It had been in the air only three minutes when a cataclysmic, unforeseen event (air traffic control had not seen the birds on radar) struck the place causing an immediate descent into a crash landing. As I mentioned, this speaks of the hope that is now in the hearts of millions of Americans and people throughout the world that America will ascend once more. Indeed, she will appear to do so for a brief moment, but her ascent will suddenly, and irreversibly be cut short.
It has come out in the news that not only were there numerous employees of Bank of America on the plane, but many of them were top executives. What is indicated is that the American banking system will collapse and the resulting chaos will leave the nation is a state where the very union is threatened. Many other events will also occur, leaving the US battered, even as it was signified in the plane being towed to Battery Park in New York.
Those who watched the inauguration of the 44th President yesterday were witnessing prophecies being acted out before their eyes. I am sure that very few have eyes to see in this hour.
A couple days ago a sister sent me an e-mail that mentioned one of the symbolic meanings of the number 44. The following is derived from the book Biblical Mathematics by evangelist Ed F. Vallowe. 40 is the number for trials, probation, and testings and 4 is the number for the World and its people. When we add the two numbers together we get a message that the World and its people are about to enter a time of trials, probation and testings. These words hardly do justice to that which is to come, for the Scriptures declare:
Matthew 24:22
"And unless those days had been cut short , no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short.”
The horsemen are coming. If you believe these things, would you not seek to prepare for what is coming? Would you not press in to know the mind of the Father that you might be positioned properly for coming days? Would you not desire to use every resource available to you, submitted to the leading of the Spirit of Christ, to make such preparation as you are directed to make? Would you not show the ultimate concern for the welfare of family, loved ones, and all those who comprise your neighbors?
Do you truly believe these things? What are you doing differently than those sleeping citizens of America who observed the events of the inauguration and who are expecting great days ahead and a return to prosperity and ease? Actions speak louder than words.
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
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Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
During the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States yesterday many details of great prophetic significance were observed. None were less prefigurative of those things to come to the nation than the prominent mention of Barack Obama taking the oath of office with his hand upon the same Bible used by Abraham Lincoln in his inauguration.
Ecclesiastes 1:9
That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So, there is nothing new under the sun.
Consider a few of the parallels between these men.
Both men were legislators from the state of Illinois.
Both men were elected to the presidency the first time they ran for the highest office in the land.
Both men are closely related to civil rights issues as Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and Obama is looked upon as the fulfillment of all that which began with this proclamation and was enunciated in the words of Martin Luther King.
Lincoln was the 16th President which is 4 times 4. Obama is the 44th President.
Lincoln took office in an hour when the nation was facing a great crisis, and so too has Barack Obama.
I am confident that as time for reflection allows that many more parallels between these men will come to the surface. I do not doubt that others will write to me and share many of these facts. These obvious similarities serve to alert the people of God that there will be many other things in the Obama presidency which will also find a foreshadowing in the Lincoln years in the White House. Many of these things have been prophesied already. Following are a number of things which occurred during the term of the 16 President.
The greatest civil unrest ever seen in the nation up until that time was witnessed during Lincoln’s Presidency.
Federal troops were used on American soil against American citizens. This not only occurred during open acts of war, but to quell civil unrest. “In May, (1861) angry secessionist mobs in Baltimore, a city to the north of Washington, fought with Union troops traveling south. George William Brown, the Mayor of Baltimore, and other suspect Maryland politicians were arrested and imprisoned at Fort McHenry.”
[Source: Wikipedia]
Lincoln had dissident leaders arrested and held in military prisons without trial. Over 18,000 were arrested.
[Source: Wikipedia]
The ground work for such actions under Barack Obama have already been laid and I have reported on them in previous writings. The Posse Comitatus Act has been revoked. Federal troops are once more located on American soil and are actively being trained to be used to quell civil unrest. The precedence for detaining “enemy combatants” and holding them indefinitely without charging them has been established by President Bush and is even now being exercised at the military prison on Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere. All these things will be manifested more fully against the citizens of America in coming days.
In April 1861, after Union troops at Fort Sumter were fired upon and forced to surrender, Lincoln called on the governors of every state to send detachments totaling 75,000 troops to recapture forts, protect the capital, and "preserve the Union...”
[Source: Wikipedia]
In a similar fulfillment, we will see a crisis arise and a cry to preserve the union will serve as the justification to request of governors that they send national guard troops to be employed against the citizens of America.
A constitutional crisis arose during Lincoln’s presidency as the seceding states said that they were not bound by the constitution. A similar constitutional crisis will occur in days ahead.
A time of the greatest bloodshed of Americans occurred during the Lincoln presidency and it was the result of American killing American. This too will find its fulfillment in coming days.
During Lincoln’s presidency many cities within the United States were laid waste. Many were bombed out, and many were razed to the ground by fire. Entire populations were dislocated from their homes. These things are coming again.
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
In previous blogs I have mentioned some prophetic signs pointing to a similar end for the current President. It was mentioned on the Unleavened Bread Ministries website that on November 5th, the day that the election results were made known and Barack Obama made his acceptance speech that his wife and family were all dressed in a very symbolic manner.
The designer dress worn by Michele Obama resembled the pattern seen on the female “black widow” spider.
Even the mainstream news has been reporting concerns for the safety of the current president’s life. Last week for several days one of the top stories on the CNN website featured a descendant of a black slave who said she was afraid that someone would assassinate this man, leading her to not even vote for him out of concerns for his safety.
Yesterday I posted a writing titled The Horsemen Cometh. What is symbolized by the horsemen is a time of unprecedented distress upon the nations. There have been a wealth of signs indicating that the hour for great tribulation upon the earth is at hand. Even the plane crash which occurred last week reveals that these things are coming swiftly. The US Airways plane was in the process of ascending. It had been in the air only three minutes when a cataclysmic, unforeseen event (air traffic control had not seen the birds on radar) struck the place causing an immediate descent into a crash landing. As I mentioned, this speaks of the hope that is now in the hearts of millions of Americans and people throughout the world that America will ascend once more. Indeed, she will appear to do so for a brief moment, but her ascent will suddenly, and irreversibly be cut short.
It has come out in the news that not only were there numerous employees of Bank of America on the plane, but many of them were top executives. What is indicated is that the American banking system will collapse and the resulting chaos will leave the nation is a state where the very union is threatened. Many other events will also occur, leaving the US battered, even as it was signified in the plane being towed to Battery Park in New York.
Those who watched the inauguration of the 44th President yesterday were witnessing prophecies being acted out before their eyes. I am sure that very few have eyes to see in this hour.
A couple days ago a sister sent me an e-mail that mentioned one of the symbolic meanings of the number 44. The following is derived from the book Biblical Mathematics by evangelist Ed F. Vallowe. 40 is the number for trials, probation, and testings and 4 is the number for the World and its people. When we add the two numbers together we get a message that the World and its people are about to enter a time of trials, probation and testings. These words hardly do justice to that which is to come, for the Scriptures declare:
Matthew 24:22
"And unless those days had been cut short , no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short.”
The horsemen are coming. If you believe these things, would you not seek to prepare for what is coming? Would you not press in to know the mind of the Father that you might be positioned properly for coming days? Would you not desire to use every resource available to you, submitted to the leading of the Spirit of Christ, to make such preparation as you are directed to make? Would you not show the ultimate concern for the welfare of family, loved ones, and all those who comprise your neighbors?
Do you truly believe these things? What are you doing differently than those sleeping citizens of America who observed the events of the inauguration and who are expecting great days ahead and a return to prosperity and ease? Actions speak louder than words.
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
Note: Please be aware of the following when clicking on the "Post Reply" button on the Parables Blog website. All comments are moderated. I only post those responses that I believe will be of value to the general readership of the blog. If your comment does not get posted it is not necessarily an indication that I disagree with what you have shared. Some comments I have agreed with wholeheartedly, but not all comments are of value to others reading the post.
Also, unless you include your e-mail address, I am unable to write back in response to your post. When you use the Post Reply feature as an anonymous user, even if you supply your name, your e-mail address is not revealed to me. Without this I cannot send you a reply.
Those who receive the blog post delivered via e-mail need only click on the Reply feature in their e-mail and they can write to me directly and I can write back to them as the e-mail addresses are disclosed via this method.
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The Horsemen Cometh
Joseph Herrin (01-20-09)
The past few days the Lord has been bringing forth a clear message each day, having attested to it by numerous witness which each serve to confirm and clarify what He is declaring. I believe the reason for this is that the message might go forth with more surety for the time is at hand for many great and terrible things to be fulfilled and Yahweh would have those servants of His which are alert and watchful to be aware of that which is coming.
Yesterday I concluded the 40 day fast the Spirit of Christ had directed me to go on, having also attained to that goal set before me of getting down to 165 pounds. There was great grace during this period and in looking back my mind could not comprehend how 40 days had gone by so quickly.
At the same time the Lord was speaking to me many things of a very imminent and catastrophic judgment to befall the nations of the world and particularly the United States of America. These things were impressed upon my mind with great assurance and I would share with you here those witnesses and testimonies I observed.
Once more the Lord ordered my steps with great precision to bring forth a clear and definite understanding of what He is declaring. On my way into town I stopped at the Post Office to check my mail. I knew in my heart that there should not be any mail in my box as I had checked my mail late Saturday and there was no mail delivery on Sunday or Monday due to the MLK holiday. Nevertheless I was led to check the box and there was a package their awaiting me.
I opened the package which came from a ministry in Colorado and found a book inside. At the moment I did not think much about it, only considering when I might have time to read another lengthy book and concluding I may not get the opportunity any time soon to read this one. The book was one speaking of judgment coming, and as I was already convinced of this matter I did not feel inclined to making a priority of reading this one. I placed the book on the seat of my van without further consideration and went to the library to attend to my writing for the day and to answer my daily e-mail.
Many responses have been coming in concerning the US Airways plane crash on the Hudson River. New insights have been shared, and the Spirit bears witness with many of them. I will share some of the significant ones as they add understanding to this event. I was sent the following words as part of an article on the symbolism found in an article posted at the door keeper ministries website.
www.doorkeeperministries.com
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Two Wings of a Great Eagle
Like most people in the U.S. I sat transfixed, staring at the surreal images of the U.S. Airways jet in the middle of the Hudson River. It seemed significant, but I could not quite figure out what the Spirit wanted me to see. I knew it was a miracle - 156 people landing in an icy, frigid river, every life saved and great tragedy averted. But I kept asking the Father, "What do you want me to see? Isn't there a message from YOU here? It is too remarkable not to be a message from You, Lord!"
I mentioned this at my group's Torah study on Shabbat yesterday. My friend Jim had the answer. He said, "Didn't you see that all the people were standing on the wings, awaiting their deliverance?" Wow! How quickly I perceived the message as soon as he used the word "wings!"
Exodus 19:3-4: "Then Moses went up to God, and Yahweh called to him from the mountain and said, 'This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. "
Revelation 12:13-14: "When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach."
In the first exodus, as Yahweh delivered His people from bondage in Egypt, they were delivered through the waters. They did not fly on eagles - they miraculously passed through the sea on dry land. Yet, the LORD wanted them to understand the powerful picture of their deliverance that only HE could orchestrate, like an eagle carrying its young to safety.
He uses the same language in referring to the second exodus, which will occur during the Great Tribulation. The "woman" - the righteous Remnant of the Restored Israel - is delivered out of the reach of Satan (who indwells the anti-Messiah) and is "carried on the two wings of a great eagle" to a place of safety.
[End Excerpt]
This last passage of Scripture cited from the book of Revelation is the same one which describes the woman giving birth to the manchild who is caught up to the throne of God. This event precedes the dragon being cast down from heaven and then seeking to wage war against the woman who is a symbol of the church. Those who flee into the wilderness and are provided for by Yahweh are a precise number who are chosen to be saved during a time of great calamity and tribulation which comes upon the earth.
Another reader of this blog sent me a link to a website that provides the meaning of the name Hudson, the name of the river the plane crashed into. The name Hudson is derived from a French word meaning “Soul.”
http://www.babynamer.com/Hudson
What is pictured in this body of water are the souls of mankind. The 153 who are saved speak of those souls destined to be pulled from the waters of humanity that they might enter into a wilderness experience and be purged, purified and refined in readiness for the appearing of Yahshua.
The Macon newspaper Sunday contained a large Associated Press article on the man who captained the airplane to a safe landing. The heading read, “Pilot’s life had prepared him for ‘miracle flight.’ Following is a quote:
Chesley Sullenberger spent practically his whole life preparing for the five minute crucible that was US Airways flight 1549.
Many of God’s elect have been in places of intense preparation for prolonged periods of time. Yahweh has spared no effort in making them ready for the brief, but intense, period which is just ahead. Many have not understood the length or intensity of their preparation. Much hardship, persecution, rejection, loss and sorrow has been their portion. Many have been beaten down emotionally and even spiritually, but those things they have endured were necessary to prepare them to stand and accomplish a great work in an extraordinary hour.
In comparison to the length of time many have spent in preparation, the coming ministry assigned to them will be brief, even as Chesley Sullenberger’s preparation found its ultimate consummation in a five minute flight and a brief period on the water. The woman is prophesied in Revelation to flee into the wilderness for 1,260 days. This period of three and a half years will be intense, but it will appear as a mere exclamation point at the end of the history of Adam’s race in this age.
Christ spent the first thirty years of His life preparing for a 3 and ½ year ministry. He must conclude His ministry now at the end of this age as He appears again IN HIS SAINTS who have been appointed to shepherd a people through the wilderness. This will bring His ministry to a fulness of seven years and will result in a people appearing upon this earth who are cleansed of all defilement and made ready for His appearing for them.
Yesterday as I checked my e-mail many witnesses of those things which are coming kept coming in one after another. One profound witness was received in a news link provided by a brother in Christ. Following is an excerpt:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/financialcrisis/4225988/Soaring-cost-of-living-drives-residents-from-California.html
Even the state's celebrated assets - year-round sunshine, sandy beaches and proximity to the glamour of Hollywood - can't compensate for the soaring cost of living in the nation's most populous state, according to those that have decided to leave.
For the fourth year running, more residents left California than moved there from other states. In the year ending July 1, 2008, the state lost 144,000 people, more than any other US state, according to census estimates.
California, which has lured people throughout history from the Gold Rush to Hollywood, the Dot com boom and beyond, hasn't witnessed such a prolonged period of departures since the downturn of the early 1990s.
[End Excerpt]
This article speaks of the State of California losing population in 2008 due to the depressed economic conditions and loss of jobs. The Spirit bears witness that this is a prophetic message. The pattern of God is “first the natural, then the spiritual” (I Corinthians 15:46).
Last year the population of California shrank by 144,000 people. This number speaks of the overcomers in Christ. This is the number of elect spoken of in the book of Revelation. It is the number of those “who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” It speaks of those who are not defiled, and in whose mouth is found no lie, for they stand apart unto Christ.
God must remove the overcomers from the path of judgment before He sends His fire to consume the wicked land. In the 1980s the Lord showed Dimitru Duduman a vision of different locations in the United States. One of the places he saw was California. Upon being shown California Dimitru Duduman heard the Lord proclaim, “This is Sodom. It will be destroyed by fire.”
When God judged Sodom He first removed the righteous from the midst of it. The angels took Lot and his family and led them outside the city. They were instructed to flee to the mountains for the angels could not destroy Sodom until they were out of the way. Any hesitation, any looking back, would prove fatal, and so it was for Lot’s wife.
The Spirit is testifying that in the natural 144,000 left California in 2008. Now the elect and overcomers must depart, for judgment has been decreed. I urge all of you who dwell in this area to pay close attention to the voice of the Spirit in this hour. Around the same time that I received a link to this news article a brother in Christ sent me a link to a prophetic word that contained the following words:
When no one realizes, it will come upon them suddenly like the days of Noah. (I am reminded of all the tigers that went out from the California Zoo and killed. It was in the news for two months and it was like a sign to California concerning what is about to happen… the Asian Tiger is very near.) With a large earthquake on its way and major hits to California cities and a hit to the pacific Naval fleet, California is about to have its candle stick removed.
[End Excerpt]
The Spirit is testifying that He will bring a terrifying and complete judgment to a land which has sold itself to work iniquity. Those dwelling in the land must not hesitate to depart when the Spirit says it is time to flee. The wise will seek the mind of Christ that they might not lose all in the process. When Lot left he departed with only the clothes on his back. So too will many who tarry long in Sodom. Those who escaped alive from the US Airways plane crash left all their possessions behind. They too escaped with only their lives.
A brother in Christ sent me a link to a recent prophetic word by Michael Boldea, the grandson of Dumitru Duduman. I highly recommend reading the word as I have found the writings and visions of Michael Boldea to bear the clear imprint of the Spirit of Christ. You can find this word here:
http://mikeboldea.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html
In the word Michael was made aware that the army of God is now preparing for battle. The time is at hand. America stands upon a precipice and a time of unprecedented darkness is bearing down swiftly upon her. Yet in a time of darkness Yahweh will raise up a light and draw a people unto Himself.
The last thing I did yesterday before leaving the library was to research the life of Vince Lombardi. Many of you already know that this man was the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers. He led them to three consecutive championships in the 1960s, including the first two Superbowls. This man’s name has been much in the news recently as Superbowl 43 is approaching and the name of the trophy awarded to the winner bears his name.
The Spirit of Christ directed my attention to Vince Lombardi through a completely different source. Several days back I was reading an article on the plane crash in the Hudson River. It mentioned that the first boat on the scene to rescue passengers was a Ferry captained by Vincent Lombardi. My mind immediately knew this name was significant and it would provide part of the message of this parable being revealed in the eyes of the world.
I was busy the next couple days and did not have a chance to look further into this name. However, yesterday before leaving the library I was led to not put it off any longer. I went to the website www.wikipedia.com and found the following information on this man.
Vince Lombardi
In 1933, Lombardi accepted a football scholarship to Fordham University in The Bronx to play for new head coach Sleepy Jim Crowley, one of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame in the 1920s. Lombardi was an undersized guard (5'8" 185 lb.) on Fordham's imposing front line, which became known as the Seven Blocks of Granite. It held Fordham's opponents scoreless several times during a string of twenty-five consecutive victories. Frank Leahy, future head coach at Notre Dame, was Lombardi's position coach. In the classroom, Lombardi was a great student and ended up graduating cum laude with a bachelor's degree in business in 1937.
[End Excerpt]
I then looked up the four horsemen of Notre Dame, and found the following information.
The Four Horsemen
The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame comprised a winning group of football players at the University of Notre Dame under coach Knute Rockne. They were the legendary backfield of Notre Dame's 1924 football team. The players that made up this group were Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley, and Elmer Layden.
In 1924, a dramatic nickname coined by a poetic sportswriter and the quick-thinking actions of a clever student publicity aide transformed the Notre Dame backfield of Stuhldreher, Crowley, Miller and Layden into the most fabled quartet in college football history, the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame.
Quarterback Harry Stuhldreher, left halfback Jim Crowley, right halfback Don Miller and fullback Elmer Layden had run rampant through Irish opponents' defenses since coach Knute Rockne devised the lineup in 1922 during their sophomore season...
The foursome needed some help from Grantland Rice, a sportswriter for the former New York Herald Tribune, to achieve football immortality. After Notre Dame's 13-7 upset victory over a strong Army team, on October 18, 1924, Rice penned a famous passage of sports journalism:
"Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as famine, pestilence, destruction and death. These are only aliases. Their real names are: Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds this afternoon as 55,000 spectators peered down upon the bewildering panorama spread out upon the green plain below."
[End Excerpt]
When I saw the connection between Vince Lombardi and The Four Horsemen I knew I had seen what the Lord wanted me to observe. Vince Lombardi honed his skills under the tutelage of one of the four horsemen. So too is the Spirit testifying that the four horsemen of Revelation will be released at this time upon the earth.
Revelation 6:2-8
And I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him; and he went out conquering, and to conquer.... And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men should slay one another; and a great sword was given to him... And I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard as it were a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine." And I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. And authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.
What is symbolized in the event which transpired upon the Hudson River? Vincent Lombardi was removing people from the scene of tragedy and taking them to a place of safety. So too will Yahweh have CHAMPIONS who are raised up in this coming hour to deliver those appointed to salvation. Not all will be spared, but of all those whom God has chosen not a single one will be lost.
Jeremiah 15:2
"And it shall be that when they say to you, 'Where should we go?' then you are to tell them, 'Thus says Yahweh: "Those destined for death, to death; And those destined for the sword, to the sword; And those destined for famine, to famine; And those destined for captivity, to captivity."'
Revelation 9:4
And they were told that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
I left the library pondering these things. I was asking the Lord for clarity. I wanted to know if this was the message that He wanted to convey to me that day. Were the four horsemen appointed to be released upon the land at this hour. As I climbed into my van my eyes fell on the book I had received in the mail earlier that day. I had not even paid attention to the title when I received it. It was titled “The Horsemen Cometh.”
As I looked at the book closely I understood what it was the Father was speaking. These things are at the door. They will fall suddenly. Most will be caught unaware, but God would have His people who seek His face to understand what must transpire at this time.
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
The past few days the Lord has been bringing forth a clear message each day, having attested to it by numerous witness which each serve to confirm and clarify what He is declaring. I believe the reason for this is that the message might go forth with more surety for the time is at hand for many great and terrible things to be fulfilled and Yahweh would have those servants of His which are alert and watchful to be aware of that which is coming.
Yesterday I concluded the 40 day fast the Spirit of Christ had directed me to go on, having also attained to that goal set before me of getting down to 165 pounds. There was great grace during this period and in looking back my mind could not comprehend how 40 days had gone by so quickly.
At the same time the Lord was speaking to me many things of a very imminent and catastrophic judgment to befall the nations of the world and particularly the United States of America. These things were impressed upon my mind with great assurance and I would share with you here those witnesses and testimonies I observed.
Once more the Lord ordered my steps with great precision to bring forth a clear and definite understanding of what He is declaring. On my way into town I stopped at the Post Office to check my mail. I knew in my heart that there should not be any mail in my box as I had checked my mail late Saturday and there was no mail delivery on Sunday or Monday due to the MLK holiday. Nevertheless I was led to check the box and there was a package their awaiting me.
I opened the package which came from a ministry in Colorado and found a book inside. At the moment I did not think much about it, only considering when I might have time to read another lengthy book and concluding I may not get the opportunity any time soon to read this one. The book was one speaking of judgment coming, and as I was already convinced of this matter I did not feel inclined to making a priority of reading this one. I placed the book on the seat of my van without further consideration and went to the library to attend to my writing for the day and to answer my daily e-mail.
Many responses have been coming in concerning the US Airways plane crash on the Hudson River. New insights have been shared, and the Spirit bears witness with many of them. I will share some of the significant ones as they add understanding to this event. I was sent the following words as part of an article on the symbolism found in an article posted at the door keeper ministries website.
www.doorkeeperministries.com
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Two Wings of a Great Eagle
Like most people in the U.S. I sat transfixed, staring at the surreal images of the U.S. Airways jet in the middle of the Hudson River. It seemed significant, but I could not quite figure out what the Spirit wanted me to see. I knew it was a miracle - 156 people landing in an icy, frigid river, every life saved and great tragedy averted. But I kept asking the Father, "What do you want me to see? Isn't there a message from YOU here? It is too remarkable not to be a message from You, Lord!"
I mentioned this at my group's Torah study on Shabbat yesterday. My friend Jim had the answer. He said, "Didn't you see that all the people were standing on the wings, awaiting their deliverance?" Wow! How quickly I perceived the message as soon as he used the word "wings!"
Exodus 19:3-4: "Then Moses went up to God, and Yahweh called to him from the mountain and said, 'This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. "
Revelation 12:13-14: "When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach."
In the first exodus, as Yahweh delivered His people from bondage in Egypt, they were delivered through the waters. They did not fly on eagles - they miraculously passed through the sea on dry land. Yet, the LORD wanted them to understand the powerful picture of their deliverance that only HE could orchestrate, like an eagle carrying its young to safety.
He uses the same language in referring to the second exodus, which will occur during the Great Tribulation. The "woman" - the righteous Remnant of the Restored Israel - is delivered out of the reach of Satan (who indwells the anti-Messiah) and is "carried on the two wings of a great eagle" to a place of safety.
[End Excerpt]
This last passage of Scripture cited from the book of Revelation is the same one which describes the woman giving birth to the manchild who is caught up to the throne of God. This event precedes the dragon being cast down from heaven and then seeking to wage war against the woman who is a symbol of the church. Those who flee into the wilderness and are provided for by Yahweh are a precise number who are chosen to be saved during a time of great calamity and tribulation which comes upon the earth.
Another reader of this blog sent me a link to a website that provides the meaning of the name Hudson, the name of the river the plane crashed into. The name Hudson is derived from a French word meaning “Soul.”
http://www.babynamer.com/Hudson
What is pictured in this body of water are the souls of mankind. The 153 who are saved speak of those souls destined to be pulled from the waters of humanity that they might enter into a wilderness experience and be purged, purified and refined in readiness for the appearing of Yahshua.
The Macon newspaper Sunday contained a large Associated Press article on the man who captained the airplane to a safe landing. The heading read, “Pilot’s life had prepared him for ‘miracle flight.’ Following is a quote:
Chesley Sullenberger spent practically his whole life preparing for the five minute crucible that was US Airways flight 1549.
Many of God’s elect have been in places of intense preparation for prolonged periods of time. Yahweh has spared no effort in making them ready for the brief, but intense, period which is just ahead. Many have not understood the length or intensity of their preparation. Much hardship, persecution, rejection, loss and sorrow has been their portion. Many have been beaten down emotionally and even spiritually, but those things they have endured were necessary to prepare them to stand and accomplish a great work in an extraordinary hour.
In comparison to the length of time many have spent in preparation, the coming ministry assigned to them will be brief, even as Chesley Sullenberger’s preparation found its ultimate consummation in a five minute flight and a brief period on the water. The woman is prophesied in Revelation to flee into the wilderness for 1,260 days. This period of three and a half years will be intense, but it will appear as a mere exclamation point at the end of the history of Adam’s race in this age.
Christ spent the first thirty years of His life preparing for a 3 and ½ year ministry. He must conclude His ministry now at the end of this age as He appears again IN HIS SAINTS who have been appointed to shepherd a people through the wilderness. This will bring His ministry to a fulness of seven years and will result in a people appearing upon this earth who are cleansed of all defilement and made ready for His appearing for them.
Yesterday as I checked my e-mail many witnesses of those things which are coming kept coming in one after another. One profound witness was received in a news link provided by a brother in Christ. Following is an excerpt:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/financialcrisis/4225988/Soaring-cost-of-living-drives-residents-from-California.html
Even the state's celebrated assets - year-round sunshine, sandy beaches and proximity to the glamour of Hollywood - can't compensate for the soaring cost of living in the nation's most populous state, according to those that have decided to leave.
For the fourth year running, more residents left California than moved there from other states. In the year ending July 1, 2008, the state lost 144,000 people, more than any other US state, according to census estimates.
California, which has lured people throughout history from the Gold Rush to Hollywood, the Dot com boom and beyond, hasn't witnessed such a prolonged period of departures since the downturn of the early 1990s.
[End Excerpt]
This article speaks of the State of California losing population in 2008 due to the depressed economic conditions and loss of jobs. The Spirit bears witness that this is a prophetic message. The pattern of God is “first the natural, then the spiritual” (I Corinthians 15:46).
Last year the population of California shrank by 144,000 people. This number speaks of the overcomers in Christ. This is the number of elect spoken of in the book of Revelation. It is the number of those “who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” It speaks of those who are not defiled, and in whose mouth is found no lie, for they stand apart unto Christ.
God must remove the overcomers from the path of judgment before He sends His fire to consume the wicked land. In the 1980s the Lord showed Dimitru Duduman a vision of different locations in the United States. One of the places he saw was California. Upon being shown California Dimitru Duduman heard the Lord proclaim, “This is Sodom. It will be destroyed by fire.”
When God judged Sodom He first removed the righteous from the midst of it. The angels took Lot and his family and led them outside the city. They were instructed to flee to the mountains for the angels could not destroy Sodom until they were out of the way. Any hesitation, any looking back, would prove fatal, and so it was for Lot’s wife.
The Spirit is testifying that in the natural 144,000 left California in 2008. Now the elect and overcomers must depart, for judgment has been decreed. I urge all of you who dwell in this area to pay close attention to the voice of the Spirit in this hour. Around the same time that I received a link to this news article a brother in Christ sent me a link to a prophetic word that contained the following words:
When no one realizes, it will come upon them suddenly like the days of Noah. (I am reminded of all the tigers that went out from the California Zoo and killed. It was in the news for two months and it was like a sign to California concerning what is about to happen… the Asian Tiger is very near.) With a large earthquake on its way and major hits to California cities and a hit to the pacific Naval fleet, California is about to have its candle stick removed.
[End Excerpt]
The Spirit is testifying that He will bring a terrifying and complete judgment to a land which has sold itself to work iniquity. Those dwelling in the land must not hesitate to depart when the Spirit says it is time to flee. The wise will seek the mind of Christ that they might not lose all in the process. When Lot left he departed with only the clothes on his back. So too will many who tarry long in Sodom. Those who escaped alive from the US Airways plane crash left all their possessions behind. They too escaped with only their lives.
A brother in Christ sent me a link to a recent prophetic word by Michael Boldea, the grandson of Dumitru Duduman. I highly recommend reading the word as I have found the writings and visions of Michael Boldea to bear the clear imprint of the Spirit of Christ. You can find this word here:
http://mikeboldea.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html
In the word Michael was made aware that the army of God is now preparing for battle. The time is at hand. America stands upon a precipice and a time of unprecedented darkness is bearing down swiftly upon her. Yet in a time of darkness Yahweh will raise up a light and draw a people unto Himself.
The last thing I did yesterday before leaving the library was to research the life of Vince Lombardi. Many of you already know that this man was the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers. He led them to three consecutive championships in the 1960s, including the first two Superbowls. This man’s name has been much in the news recently as Superbowl 43 is approaching and the name of the trophy awarded to the winner bears his name.
The Spirit of Christ directed my attention to Vince Lombardi through a completely different source. Several days back I was reading an article on the plane crash in the Hudson River. It mentioned that the first boat on the scene to rescue passengers was a Ferry captained by Vincent Lombardi. My mind immediately knew this name was significant and it would provide part of the message of this parable being revealed in the eyes of the world.
I was busy the next couple days and did not have a chance to look further into this name. However, yesterday before leaving the library I was led to not put it off any longer. I went to the website www.wikipedia.com and found the following information on this man.
Vince Lombardi
In 1933, Lombardi accepted a football scholarship to Fordham University in The Bronx to play for new head coach Sleepy Jim Crowley, one of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame in the 1920s. Lombardi was an undersized guard (5'8" 185 lb.) on Fordham's imposing front line, which became known as the Seven Blocks of Granite. It held Fordham's opponents scoreless several times during a string of twenty-five consecutive victories. Frank Leahy, future head coach at Notre Dame, was Lombardi's position coach. In the classroom, Lombardi was a great student and ended up graduating cum laude with a bachelor's degree in business in 1937.
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I then looked up the four horsemen of Notre Dame, and found the following information.
The Four Horsemen
The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame comprised a winning group of football players at the University of Notre Dame under coach Knute Rockne. They were the legendary backfield of Notre Dame's 1924 football team. The players that made up this group were Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley, and Elmer Layden.
In 1924, a dramatic nickname coined by a poetic sportswriter and the quick-thinking actions of a clever student publicity aide transformed the Notre Dame backfield of Stuhldreher, Crowley, Miller and Layden into the most fabled quartet in college football history, the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame.
Quarterback Harry Stuhldreher, left halfback Jim Crowley, right halfback Don Miller and fullback Elmer Layden had run rampant through Irish opponents' defenses since coach Knute Rockne devised the lineup in 1922 during their sophomore season...
The foursome needed some help from Grantland Rice, a sportswriter for the former New York Herald Tribune, to achieve football immortality. After Notre Dame's 13-7 upset victory over a strong Army team, on October 18, 1924, Rice penned a famous passage of sports journalism:
"Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as famine, pestilence, destruction and death. These are only aliases. Their real names are: Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds this afternoon as 55,000 spectators peered down upon the bewildering panorama spread out upon the green plain below."
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When I saw the connection between Vince Lombardi and The Four Horsemen I knew I had seen what the Lord wanted me to observe. Vince Lombardi honed his skills under the tutelage of one of the four horsemen. So too is the Spirit testifying that the four horsemen of Revelation will be released at this time upon the earth.
Revelation 6:2-8
And I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him; and he went out conquering, and to conquer.... And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men should slay one another; and a great sword was given to him... And I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard as it were a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine." And I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. And authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.
What is symbolized in the event which transpired upon the Hudson River? Vincent Lombardi was removing people from the scene of tragedy and taking them to a place of safety. So too will Yahweh have CHAMPIONS who are raised up in this coming hour to deliver those appointed to salvation. Not all will be spared, but of all those whom God has chosen not a single one will be lost.
Jeremiah 15:2
"And it shall be that when they say to you, 'Where should we go?' then you are to tell them, 'Thus says Yahweh: "Those destined for death, to death; And those destined for the sword, to the sword; And those destined for famine, to famine; And those destined for captivity, to captivity."'
Revelation 9:4
And they were told that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
I left the library pondering these things. I was asking the Lord for clarity. I wanted to know if this was the message that He wanted to convey to me that day. Were the four horsemen appointed to be released upon the land at this hour. As I climbed into my van my eyes fell on the book I had received in the mail earlier that day. I had not even paid attention to the title when I received it. It was titled “The Horsemen Cometh.”
As I looked at the book closely I understood what it was the Father was speaking. These things are at the door. They will fall suddenly. Most will be caught unaware, but God would have His people who seek His face to understand what must transpire at this time.
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.
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