Stir Up the Gift that is In You - Part 4

Joseph Herrin (02-04-09)

I Corinthians 14:29
And let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment.





















Recently I sent out three news articles, inviting those who read this blog to ask the Lord to speak to them and reveal to them the symbolism and the message that they contained. I was delighted to receive a number of responses to this challenge.

I would like to preface those comments I received by saying that most of those who participated in this exercise were new to such things. There was much humility expressed by them. They did not write dogmatically, but invited me and others to test what they had written, admitting that they might not have arrived at the full or correct understanding of the matter.

Discernment of spiritual things is a gift and talent that must be developed. It is not too dissimilar to Bible study where the apostle Paul exhorts us to “study to show your self approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of God.”

It is obvious today that there are many wrong interpretations of God’s word that come forth. Many errors arise as sincere saints seek to comprehend those things they are reading. It is a growth process to be able to discern between the thoughts that arise from within the soul and those which we receive from the Spirit of Christ. We must always be learning the discipline of making such a division and manifesting restraint.

I encourage you, therefore, as you read the responses that were sent to me to be gracious in your appraisal of these things. Those who wrote to me were eager. They were willing to take up the challenge offered to them, and they are among a very small percentage who actually did so. Some of the things shared do not resonate in my spirit, but some I bear great witness to. Each person simply presented these things to be tested, and this is what those who examine these things are exhorted to always do with prophecy and teaching.

A few days ago the Lord showed me a practical lesson through means of a parable. I have enjoyed doing crossword puzzles, and in the daily paper there is one included. I sat down to work it out and was able to fill in over half of the answers, but there were still a good many that eluded me. I put the puzzle down, having gone as far as I could with it.

Mr. Stanfield, the 83 year old brother in Christ who has opened his home to me to stay at this time suggested that he would take a look at the words I could not complete. I left it with him, and a short time later he came to me and said that he had filled in more of the words, but there were still some that he could not finish on his own. He suggested that we look at it together.

We both gathered over the puzzle, and as I saw the additional letters he had filled in, more of the answers became obvious to me. As I filled in more words, he also discerned more of the answers. In a few minutes we had completed the entire puzzle together, and when we checked the answers in the next days paper we found that we had gotten everything right.

I have often found that discernment of the meaning of events, and interpretation of Scripture, is brought to completion and fulness through very similar means as the body of Christ all contribute what they are able to provide. One man sharpens another, and a full and rich understanding comes forth at the end.

This is one of the reasons that each member of the body of Christ needs to stir up the gifts that are in them, and exercise them regularly. You may feel that you have only one thing to contribute to a matter, but that one thing may be the key that unlocks understanding to many others.

I want to thank each person who sent in comments and insights into these articles. I am going to include the articles again at the end of this post for those who may want to review them again. Here is what was sent to me by members of the body of Christ.

Dear Joseph,

These thoughts occurred to me while I read your blog today. I have little knowledge of your countries geography so I checked an atlas then typed these words.

The order of events date wise was Miami, Wichita, Portland

South East, Dead Centre, North West.

It doesn't appear that you can get a greater distance apart on main land USA than Miami - Portland.

I don't know if this means ALL America, or on this seemingly straight line or path (and on a map it looks dead straight!), or just these three cities or places.

This is the message:

9 is the number of judgement.

Like a gunshot, or the speed of a bullet from a car or high powered rifle, judgement will appear suddenly unseen, no warning on time nor place. A witness of 2 out of every 9 will die instantly. A witness of 2 out of every nine will live after recovering quickly. 7 out of every 9 will not walk away. 5 out of every 9 will live ONLY by pure grace. 4 out of every 9 will never be the same again. 1 out of every 9 will appear to have enough grace for hope to live (but I believe all three critically injured will not make it, perhaps to show man's inability to stop the judgement and carnage).

Gender, age, language, colour, race, wealth and activity will not decide those people chosen for the outcome.

All were physically looking down at something, emotions running high. Dice, Death, Drink.

Yahweh will choose.

3 days, 3 critically injured, 3 culprits. 3 is fullness.

That's it. I could be wrong. Do with as you wish.

additional thoughts:

USA cut in 2 by this coming event(s).
The times of day are 7:38 = Rev 7:3-8 (judgement then manchild), 11:12 = Rev 11:12 (two witness ascending)
12:06 = Rev 12:06 (woman to the desert)
E W Bullinger Numbers In Scripture p70 words that occur once

kritikos = "critic" means “able to judge or skilled in judging”

p99 (<--- 11="" 1="24th" 22="" 2="25th" 3="26th" 5="" 666.="" 6="" 74.="" 74="" 7="" 9="" a="" absence="" activities="" and="" been="" begetting="" br="" bringing="" by="" change.="" choking="" day="" death="" difference="" earlier="" enjoyment="" err="" eyes="" flesh="" forth="" had="" happened="" have="" hospital.="" in="" incident="" incidents="" interesting.="" is="" judgement="" judgment="" life.="" lust="" mins="" numbers="" occurring="" of="" on="" p235="" people="27)" perhaps="" pleasures="" pride="" scripture="" seducing="" see="" simon="" sin="" sins="" that="" the="" then="" third="" this="" times="" to="" total="" twice="" vapour="" words="" would="" wounds="" you="">
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Dear Brother Joseph,

regarding the three cities where the shootings took place, the first obvious message that came to me upon pulling out a map and looking at these three locations was that it encompasses the entire USA from the NE corner to the far SE corner, with Wichita in the very center of the country. I took a ruler and placed it on my USA map and it lines up perfectly from Portland to Wichita to Miami in a straight line. So the random violence that has appeared so abruptly, without provocation from the victims would be from coast to coast and include the heartland. Also Wichita seemingly being the exact center of the country, I-35 which is a major north south interstate, runs right through the city, and goes from Laredo, TX on the south end all the way to Lake Superior on the north end.

The violence started on the east coast in Miami (dice/gambling) on Friday night, spread to the Heartland in Wichita (Wake, disrespect for the family of the dead) and then continued on to the west coast in Portland (youth underage entertainment), within a 24-30 hour time frame thru Saturday night. If this is a parallel event to expect in the future, then perhaps that is where a future event will begin, in Miami??? and move across the USA.

Surely these three cities are linked in some way the Holy Spirit has not yet revealed.

Blessings, Carolyn

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Hello Mr Herrin,

I tried to allow the Spirit to speak to me concerning those three incidents and below is what I believe he lead me to understand. This was an interesting exercise as it involved me doing a bit of research into the meaning of names and numbers along with the Spirit adding further understanding to the meanings. I believe though that there is much more that can be gained than what I have listed below. There are certain things I know have some meaning but I just have not grasped it yet. For example, each incident involved 2 deaths, 1 in critical condition, 4 in stable / serious condition and 2 being released from the hospital. I have found significance in a few of these numbers in isolation and also in some combinations, however I have not yet be given understanding on spiritual significance of the combination containing all the numbers together. The fact that these numbers are represented in the same way in each incident tells me that it has meaning but I am yet to receive it. I will continue to pray about it and study it more. Also, as I get more understanding, I will send it to you.

REVELATION ON THE THREE SHOOTINGS

In each incident, the total victims were 9. The number 9 represents finality or judgement and hence from this we know that what is happening represents JUDGEMENT that will happen at the FINALITY of the age. Note that in the first two incidents, the attacker is unknown, however in the last incident the attacker starts out being unknown and is then later revealed and his name is Erik Salvadore Ayala. The name 'Erik' means 'Eternal ruler' while the name 'Salvadore' means 'Saviour.' This signifies that it is only at the end of the suffering when the world will know that it was the Lord Jesus Christ (our eternal ruler and saviour) that was behind the judgement.

It is also stated that this man Erick Salvadore shot himself in the head and was in critical condition but not dead. This again signifies that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will injure his body (the church) just before he comes to setup his eternal rulership. Each incident, involved 2 people being killed. 2 is a number that denotes separation therefore signifying that Jesus is going to bring a separation in the church through this sudden suffering.

Luke 12:51
Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.

7 of the victims, though they were injured, they did not die. Now 7 denotes spiritual perfection. Put the 2 that died with the 7 that did not die and what you have is the church being perfected through suffering and through death, the church will gain eternal life. The number 3 signifies divine perfection and because the incidents are three, it again signifies that the church will be perfected through the suffering just as Jesus was perfected through suffering and rose on the third day. Consider also the fact that the percentage of those that died (2) out of the total victims in each case (9) is 22.22. The number 22 is that which represents flesh cutting, again signifying that this is something that will affect the church in order to purify it.

The victims in each incident were all from various races and nationalities. This signifies that the judgement will be on the entire world and everyone will be affected. Also in each incident, the attack seemed very random in nature with no motive which signifies that the suffering that is to come upon the world would be sudden. Man will not know what hit him and many won't understand the reason for the suffering.

It is said that in the third incident, most of those shot where outside a club called The Zone and it was not certain if they were trying to get in. I believe The Zone signifies the true virgin church while those outside on the sidewalk signifies the indecisive (one foot in, one foot out) lukewarm church. Just as those inside the The Zone were not affected, its the lukewarm church that will be the most affected by this sudden trouble. Though these troubles are mostly for the perfecting of the church, others outside the church will also be affected but not as much as those in the church. This is seen by a stray bullet also hitting a nearby manager of a nearby bar (someone outside the church camp).

Consider also that the victims of the first incident were playing a game outside of a store in Liberty City. I believe this signifies that the church is busy playing games and being sensual instead of spiritual. They are using their liberty for an occasion to please the flesh. The store in the first incident as well as the Zone in the third signifies a place of refuge that is found in Christ but the victims were not in this place. They were outside of it when they should have been in it and it is those that are not in this place that will be affected the most.

Note this. The first set of victims were playing games and indulging in self. The second set was mourning death and the third, celebrating life. I believe that this order signifies what the suffering will accomplish in the church. The suffering will take a people indulging in much pleasing of the flesh and bring the same flesh to a death from which they will then receive life eternal.

In the first incident, police spokeswoman Kenia Alfonso stated... "We have someone out there that is armed; it is a dangerous situation,..." The name 'Kenya' means 'animal horn' while the name 'Alfonso' means 'ready for battle.' Both her name and her statement signifies that the one that will carry out this judgement is already armed, waiting and ready to carry it out and therefor it is any moment now. An animal uses his horn to carry out an attack.

Ifeanyi

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Janie, the sister in Christ who sent me the links to these three stories originally, wrote to me again yesterday. She said she had received a mailing from Andrew Strom’s prophecy list and in it he spoke of two Christians who had died, and how these deaths had affected the church. This sister pointed out that the book of Revelations speaks of two witnesses and seven churches.

Andrew Strom wrote of the death of Jill Austin, a woman with a prophetic ministry whom he had issued warnings about in the past, with good reason. Andrew Strom stated, “As many of you know, she was a major instigator in spreading the same kinds of manifestations, ‘angel’ experiences, “second heaven” visitations, drunkenness, etc, as people like Todd Bentley and Patricia King.”

No doubt there is a message in this as well. God will judge those false witnesses that have been ministering before the idols that have been erected in the church. The judgment upon these evil workers will be severe, and the church itself will experience injury. We observe in this a parallel to the three stories in which two are killed and seven are injured.

As I have said, many of the things shared resonate in my Spirit. The Lord recently indicated to me through affirming testimonies that the horsemen of Revelation are coming quickly. These horses and horsemen represent various judgments which are loosed, resulting in the purification of a remnant of God’s people. We should not be surprised that God would then provide a testimony of some very dark things coming to America and the nations.

Some of the things that stand out prominently are that America will be divided. These three events lined up in a near perfect line from one end of the nation to the other, bisecting it through the middle. There are coming divisions among the people, even as the first event occurred in an area of Miami that has experienced much racial division and rioting. The church will also be divided as indicated in the book of Revelation. There will be those who submit to the leading of God and take the wings of a great eagle to flee into the wilderness. There will also be the remnant of her seed whom Satan will persecute with fierce wrath.

There were numerous nationalities represented in this story. It was mentioned that the police had a difficult time investigating the matter due to an inability to communicate. What is coming will affect all nations. At the same time, there will be much confusion in the church because not all Christians are speaking the same spiritual language. We have at present in the church the multiplied languages of Babylon. There will be much confusion surrounding the events to come as many Christians have been taught falsehood concerning the events of the last days. Many have been told they would be raptured out of days of tribulation. Many will lack the spiritual language to put events into perspective.

The things which are coming are terrible and calamitous, but the Scriptures and the Spirit both testify that they are coming from the hand of God.

Amos 3:6-8
If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble? If a calamity occurs in a city has not Yahweh done it? 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?

Ifeanyi shared that the name of the police spokesman in the first incident was Kenia Alfonso, meaning “animal horn” and “ready for battle.” Throughout Scriptures animal horns were used to alert the people to be ready for battle. I am confident that this is to be understood from this sign. Great and terrible things are at hand, and the Lord is blowing the sound of alarm as He is speaking through the mouth of His prophets. The people are to stir themselves up and make themselves ready for that which is coming swiftly.

In each event the calamity struck suddenly, and the people were unprepared for it. The situation will be the same for the vast majority in the church and the nations, for they are not heeding the signs, nor listening to the words of God’s prophets. But this need not be the situation for you and I. A trumpet is being sounded.

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

Following are the three articles which were sent out for study and comment.

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."

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Joseph Herrin
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