Plane Crash in Buffalo - A Lesson in Judgment

Joseph Herrin (02-14-09)













Bombardier Dash 8 Q400

Here, in a short span of time, the world has witnessed two plane crashes in New York state with vastly different outcomes. The Lord revealed to me in a remarkable way the context in which the first plane crash was to be understood. I have written of US Airways flight 1549 in the post titled That I Lose None.

http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/that-i-lose-none.html

In that earlier plane crash there was no loss of life. Now we have witnessed another plane crash in which there were no survivors. I asked the Lord to give me understanding of those things which are being signified. I asked Him to provide the context by which this event is to be understood. This morning as I waited upon Him in this matter, the following was revealed.

The first plane crash was a parable of God saving a chosen people who are drawn from the waters of humanity. The symbolism evoked was that of the disciples of Christ pulling the 153 large fish out of the water when Christ told them to cast their net on the right side of the boat. The right side speaks of the righteous.

What was depicted in the US Airways crash in the Hudson River was that in a day of judgment, when the United States will be brought low and the banking system will fail, God will deliver His people through it all. They will emerge safely, but will escape with only the clothes on their backs. All possessions of this world will be left behind in a day of calamity, yet there will be great rejoicing that their lives were spared.

As I thought on this first great sign, and compared it to that which has just occurred in this second plane crash, the following Scripture came to mind.

I Peter 4:17-18
For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?

The first plane crash is a picture of the judgment which must begin with the household of God. It was with difficulty that they were saved, but God manifested great grace. There was present on the plane a pilot whose entire life had prepared him for just that moment. He was an expert on plane safety. He had military training and was conditioned to remain calm in a time of crisis. Although his plane failed over a densely populated metropolitan area there was close at hand a waterway upon which he could land and many boats which could rush to the aid of those in the water.

It was difficult, but in this event we were given a parable of the righteous being saved. Peter then continues with the thought, “What will be the outcome of those who do not obey the gospel of God? What will become of the godless man and the sinner?” The answer is given in the event now witnessed in Buffalo. Those who do not obey the gospel, the godless and the sinners, will all perish.

The Spirit of Christ directed my attention to another passage of Scripture that reveals a parallel thought. Some object to drawing spiritual insight from tragic events of human suffering, yet there were tragic events occurring in the day of Christ’s ministry, and He used them as an opportunity to instruct His disciples concerning righteousness and judgment.

I do not think that those involved in the crash in the Hudson River, or those involved in the crash in Buffalo, were any more righteous or unrighteous than other people in America. Christ expressed the same sentiment when His disciples told Him about a tragedy that occurred in Israel.

Luke 13:1-9
Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And He answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."

And He began telling this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it, and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?' And he answered and said to him, 'Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'"

The parable of the fig tree serves as a parallel lesson to the tragedies Christ had been discussing with His disciples. Trees represent peoples and nations, and God has a right to expect fruit from those whom He has created. The fruit that God seeks is righteousness and justice. God will bear long with a people, but if He continues to come to them year after year, having provided them with every necessary thing to bear this precious fruit, and He finds none, He will in anger ask the question, “For what reason do you even take up space upon the earth if you refuse to bring forth fruit to satisfy Me?”

Christ is pictured in the vineyard-keeper. He ever lives to make intercession, and He intercedes on behalf of the fig tree. He says, “Let it alone sir, and let Me put in fertilizer to stimulate the production of this fruit. If it produces fruit next year then we will spare it, but if it still will not produce fruit we will cut it down.”

What is the fertilizer that Christ uses to elicit the fruit of righteousness and justice? Fertilizer in those days was dung. In fact, the King James Bible says, “Let me dung around it.” Dung symbolizes something unpleasant and detestable. It serves as a sign of that which man despises, but which is necessary for fruit bearing. The dung is the judgments of God.

Isaiah 26:9
For when the earth experiences Your judgments the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

Righteousness is the fruit God seeks from the nations, and His judgments are the fertilizer to stimulate this production. God has been coming to America year after year looking for this precious fruit, but she has refused to bring it forth. He has therefore sent His judgments. Terrorist events of grand magnitude have occurred. Record setting years of hurricanes, fires, floods, drought and tornadoes have ravaged the land. The once vaunted economy, the envy of all the world, has been in free fall. Millions of Americans are losing their homes and their jobs. The manure has been piled on that fruit might come forth, but what has been the outcome?

Rather than producing righteousness and justice, America and her leaders have hardened their hearts and declared that they will not give to God that which He desires. The highest courts, state governments, and Federal authorities have been pushing forth an agenda of ever increasing unrighteousness. In an hour when God’s hand has been heavy upon the nation, and the politicians have been consumed with the troubles that fill the land, seeking feverishly to stem the hemorrhaging with one bailout after another, trying to produce a stimulus package to turn things around, they have neglected the one thing that would work. They have refused to repent of the abominations found in the land and to turn away from a course of unrighteousness.

How can a nation expect to escape judgment when they give a record approval rating to a new President who begins his tenure by inviting a homosexual clergyman to offer up a prayer at his inaugural events? How can a nation be spared judgment when this same President immediately sets his hand to expand the atrocity of abortion, and to establish an agenda to divide up the land of Israel?

Is this the fruit that God is seeking? Will He turn away His wrath from a people who call that which is good evil, and that which is evil good? No, but I tell you, unless the people repent, they will all perish.

Christ not only spoke of this matter in a parable, He gave His disciples a live demonstration of what He will do to those who do not produce the fruit He seeks.

Mark 11:12-14
And on the next day, when they had departed from Bethany, He became hungry. And seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And He answered and said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again!" And His disciples were listening... And as they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. And being reminded, Peter said to Him, "Rabbi, behold, the fig tree which You cursed has withered."

The people of America have been prosperous for so long; they have attained the status of the world’s greatest power; they have dictated to the nations what they will do and will not do; they have grown fat with prosperity, ease and abundance, until they have become arrogant even against God. This proud people and nation who has known staggering blessing, wealth, freedom and has had the gospel freely presented to them, have scorned God’s cry for righteousness.

America sits as a proud harlot, clothed in purple and adorned with gold and jewels. She says “I am a queen and I will never know mourning,” but God will not be mocked.

Revelation 18:8-20
"For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong. And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying,' Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.' And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more; cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble, and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves and human lives. And the fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them. The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, saying,' Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!' And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance, and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying,' What city is like the great city?' And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!' Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her."

Because this nation has not produced the fruit God has longed for, He will judge her by removing all the fruit that she desires. The wealth, ease, prosperity and comfort America craves will be stripped from her. No longer will these things be found in the land. Through it all, the righteous will be saved, but the godless man and the sinner will perish.

The Spirit has been testifying through a myriad of signs that judgment is at the door. Recently I posted a compilation of the many signs God has been giving in recent years.

http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/chronology-of-events.html

Year after year, God has borne patiently with a wicked nation that refuses to bear the fruit of righteousness. He has watched as transgression has increased. He has sent forth judgments to provoke America to bring forth the fruit He demands, but she has refused. The judgment will come as swiftly as the crash of the Continental Airlines flight over Buffalo. There was not even time to broadcast a distress call. The last communication was a calm repetition of the air traffic controller’s instruction about which runway to land upon.

So too has America been descending. She has been told repeatedly by the media and the nation’s leaders that a safe landing is at hand. The descent of the nation will end in a controlled and safe manner, the people have been assured. Yet in one moment these statements will prove to be false. A gradual descent will suddenly become an uncontrollable free fall. There will be no actions possible to prevent a devastating crash. The one thing that would have saved the people and the nation has been rejected. Righteousness has been despised.

God has been testifying that the Horsemen of the Apocalypse are coming. They are swiftly bearing down upon an unsuspecting people. The plane that crashed was heading for the Buffalo Niagara Airport. Both of the names, Buffalo and Niagara, are related to horses. The Niagara River was called by the French “Riviere aux Chevaux,” River of Horses. The Wikipedia website also provides one explanation of the manner in which Buffalo came to bear this name.

The earliest name origin theory to appear in print (1825) relates a story about stolen horsemeat being passed off as bison flesh, with the site of the illicit picnic henceforth remembered as "Buffalo..."
[Source: www.wikipedia.com]

Those things that people eat are symbolic of their experiences. We read of Christ in Gethsemane being presented a “cup of suffering” from which He was asked to drink. In another place Yahshua asked His disciples, “Are you able to drink from the cup I must drink?” In essence, He was asking them if they were willing to experience the suffering He had was called to experience.

Eating horsemeat is symbolic of experiencing those things typified by horses, and the Spirit of Christ has been testifying recently of the four horses of the Apocalypse: warfare, violence, famine, and disease. According to Wikipedia, some in their deceit dared to call the meat served buffalo, but that which the people were served was horse flesh.

The horses will come as a raging river that plunges over a great cliff. Niagara Falls is a natural wonder. People stand in awe as they observe such a vast amount of water pouring over a precipice. Some foolhardy individuals have dared to risk the falls by going over them in a barrel, but most have perished, and the practice is banned. This River of Horses has truly been a river of death.

Did not the airplane plunge suddenly in a similar fashion? And the suggested culprit was ice build-up on the wings. Ice is water that has been frozen. It was water that led to the death of all aboard.

Firemen from nine fire stations responded to the fiery crash site in a neighborhood of Buffalo. Nine is the number of judgment, and in this judgment none were able to be saved. Christ told those to whom He spoke, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

The Horsemen are coming. It will be with difficulty that the righteous will be saved. What then will become of the godless man and the sinner?

Addendum: In reading about this tragic event, I was reminded of a dream a brother shared which I posted back on 7-22 (numbers representing Fulness and Flesh Cutting). The post can be viewed here:

http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/prophecy-and-dream.html

Following is an excerpt from that article:

In this dream I was on a plane; in the rear of the plane, actually, where I felt more like an observer than I did a passenger. This plane seemed as though it was preparing for a landing for we were slowly descending, but during this descent something went terribly wrong. In an instant it seemed as though the pilots completely lost control of the plane, and the plane then took a nosedive. It was headed directly for the ground.
Now, the pilots at this time were panicking while trying to pull us out of the dive. I knew though that we were going to crash, but I had no fear. None at all.

For some reason, the cockpit of this plane was not separated from the rest of the cabin, so I could actually see the pilots panicking as well as see through the front windshield of the plane to the ground below. I must say that I was actually quite taken in at this time by the view that I saw through the windshield. There I saw lush green trees and beautiful blue water, though I knew that we were not going to land in these things apart from a very great calamity.
I then woke up ....
Now after praying considerably about this dream, it seems that the Spirit bears witness that the plane represents the United States of America and the pilots somehow represent the "leaders." It seems that the "slow descent" of this plane represents the presently faltering US economy, which somehow is going to take a nosedive ... and that quite suddenly.
I find it interesting that I had absolutely no fear through any of this, and I believe that this represents the people of God who find their peace (and put their trust) in God alone and not in their outward circumstances. I also believe that the view of the green foliage and of the blue water below represents vision for the blessings of God that will come to those who actually survive (in heart) this calamitous "crash."
It seems that Daddy is now giving many of us a "heads up" about things like this, beloved, lest these things come to us like "a thief in the night." Oh sure, many do not want to hear about such things, for "Peace and safety!" is all that their itching ears want to hear right now! But the scriptures are clear that sudden destruction will come upon such as these like birth pangs come upon a woman with child, and these then shall be overwhelmed with fear to the extent that their hearts may even fail them.
But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that things like this should overtake you like a thief, for you are all sons of light and sons of day! So let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober -- fully prepared for whatever may come our way.
[End Quote]

The news on the plane crash in Buffalo says it went into a steep nosedive, which was just like that described in the dream this brother in Christ received.

CLARENCE CENTER, New York (CNN) -- A commuter airliner whose crash late Thursday killed 50 people was in such a sharp nosedive when it hurtled into a residential area that only one house was damaged, local authorities said Saturday...
[Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/02/14/plane.crash.newyork/]

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