Friday, July 30, 2010

Meetings and More

The following image is presented as food for thought.














(Click on image to view larger)

Luke 6:20-26
And turning His gaze on His disciples, He began to say, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and cast insults at you, and spurn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets."

Following is the schedule for upcoming meetings:

Spokane, Washington

Dates: July 30 - August 1

Address:
Grange Building
11000 North Forker Road
Spokane, Washington

Schedule of Meetings:
Friday Evening 6:30 P.M. until 9:00 P.M.
Saturday Morning 9:00 A.M. - Noon
Break for fellowship and a potluck meal (Please bring a dish - There is a kitchen in the building.)
Saturday Afternoon 2:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Sunday Morning 9:00 A.M. until Noon

------------------------------

With some searching, I found a way to post audio files to the Parables Blog. I have to make the audio file into a video, and then upload it using the "Insert Video" feature.

The first audio messages I am posting are taken from meetings  in Mesa, Arizona at the home of Mike and Kathy Vye. This being my first attempt at posting these files to the blog, I am not sure how they will be handled for those who are subscribed to the blog. Hopefully the video will not be attached to each e-mail. Please bear with me as I test this method of making audio messages available.

The message titled "The Heart of a Son" was delivered on Father's Day 2010. It speaks of the heart that our Father desires to find in each one of His sons. This heart was manifested by Christ who lived to do the pleasure of His Father. It is a very timely message in this hour when Yahweh is working to turn the hearts of the sons to the Father.









Also, for those interested, there have been a string of comments added to the previous post titled "The Rat Race of the Religious System." Some of the comments are affirming, and some disagree. For those interested in reviewing them, you can find them at the end of the following blog page:


http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/rat-race-of-religious-system.html


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

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

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com  

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

Monday, July 26, 2010

The Rat Race of the Religious System

Joseph Herrin (07-26-2010)





















"Christianity started out in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise." -Sam Pascoe

What I would share with you in this post is extremely important. You will have to be patient for a moment, slow your racing mind down, and focus intently upon the words I am writing. Some concepts are so foreign to the religiously trained mind that they are at first difficult to grasp. If you have spent any significant length of time in the Christian religious system, in denominational, or non-denominational churches, then your mind has been influenced subtly, yet powerfully, in ways you may not have contemplated.

Have you ever considered that the entire system of what passes for Christianity today is a perverse corruption of Yahweh’s plan for His people? I am not speaking merely of the many doctrines of demons that have entered into the church, such as that which is called “prosperity doctrine.” No, I am referring to the overall system of getting people saved so they can join a church, get involved in its programs, and devote their lives to a corporate entity that is proclaimed to be the body of Christ.

Recently, a brother in Christ forwarded to me the speech given by an 18 year old girl in upstate New York. Erica Goldson was the valedictorian of Coxsackie-Athens High School, and was given the opportunity to address all those gathered at her 2010 class graduation ceremony. What she shared is remarkable in its insight for one so young.

Erica chose to talk about the education system in America. Following is the major portion of her speech. As you read it, please consider how these words spoken of the American education system relate to the Christian Religious System, for they are very similar in purpose and practice.

Here I Stand
Erica Goldson

(Valedictorian Speech 2010 - Delivered Wednesday, July 7, 2010 to the students, parents and faculty gathered at Coxsackie-Athens High School.)

There is a story of a young, but earnest Zen student who approached his teacher, and asked the Master, "If I work very hard and diligently, how long will it take for me to find Zen? The Master thought about this, then replied, "Ten years..."  The student then said, "But what if I work very, very hard and really apply myself to learn fast - How long then?" Replied the Master, "Well, twenty years." "But, if I really, really work at it, how long then?" asked the student. "Thirty years," replied the Master. "But, I do not understand," said the disappointed student. "At each time that I say I will work harder, you say it will take me longer. Why do you say that?"  Replied the Master, "When you have one eye on the goal, you only have one eye on the path."


This is the dilemma I've faced within the American education system. We are so focused on a goal, whether it be passing a test, or graduating as first in the class. However, in this way, we do not really learn. We do whatever it takes to achieve our original objective.


Some of you may be thinking, “Well, if you pass a test, or become valedictorian, didn't you learn something? Well, yes, you learned something, but not all that you could have. Perhaps, you only learned how to memorize names, places, and dates to later on forget in order to clear your mind for the next test. School is not all that it can be. Right now, it is a place for most people to determine that their goal is to get out as soon as possible.


I am now accomplishing that goal. I am graduating. I should look at this as a positive experience, especially being at the top of my class. However, in retrospect, I cannot say that I am any more intelligent than my peers. I can attest that I am only the best at doing what I am told and working the system. Yet, here I stand, and I am supposed to be proud that I have completed this period of indoctrination. I will leave in the fall to go on to the next phase expected of me, in order to receive a paper document that certifies that I am capable of work. But I contest that I am a human being, a thinker, an adventurer - not a worker. A worker is someone who is trapped within repetition - a slave of the system set up before him. But now, I have successfully shown that I was the best slave. I did what I was told to the extreme. While others sat in class and doodled to later become great artists, I sat in class to take notes and become a great test-taker. While others would come to class without their homework done because they were reading about an interest of theirs, I never missed an assignment. While others were creating music and writing lyrics, I decided to do extra credit, even though I never needed it. So, I wonder, why did I even want this position? Sure, I earned it, but what will come of it? When I leave educational institutionalism, will I be successful or forever lost? I have no clue about what I want to do with my life; I have no interests because I saw every subject of study as work, and I excelled at every subject just for the purpose of excelling, not learning. And quite frankly, now I'm scared.


John Taylor Gatto, a retired school teacher and activist critical of compulsory schooling, asserts, “We could encourage the best qualities of youthfulness – curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight simply by being more flexible about time, texts, and tests, by introducing kids into truly competent adults, and by giving each student what autonomy he or she needs in order to take a risk every now and then. But we don't do that.” Between these cinderblock walls, we are all expected to be the same. We are trained to ace every standardized test, and those who deviate and see light through a different lens are worthless to the scheme of public education, and therefore viewed with contempt.


H. L. Mencken wrote in The American Mercury for April 1924 that the aim of public education is not to fill the young of the species with knowledge and awaken their intelligence... Nothing could be further from the truth. The aim... is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed and train a standardized citizenry, to put down dissent and originality. That is its aim in the United States. (Gatto)


To illustrate this idea, doesn't it perturb you to learn about the idea of “critical thinking.” Is there really such a thing as “uncritical thinking?” To think is to process information in order to form an opinion. But if we are not critical when processing this information, are we really thinking? Or are we mindlessly accepting other opinions as truth?


This was happening to me, and if it wasn't for the rare occurrence of an avant-garde tenth grade English teacher, Donna Bryan, who allowed me to open my mind and ask questions before accepting textbook doctrine, I would have been doomed. I am now enlightened, but my mind still feels disabled. I must retrain myself and constantly remember how insane this ostensibly sane place really is.


And now here I am in a world guided by fear, a world suppressing the uniqueness that lies inside each of us, a world where we can either acquiesce to the inhuman nonsense of corporatism and materialism or insist on change. We are not enlivened by an educational system that clandestinely sets us up for jobs that could be automated, for work that need not be done, for enslavement without fervency for meaningful achievement. We have no choices in life when money is our motivational force. Our motivational force ought to be passion, but this is lost from the moment we step into a system that trains us, rather than inspires us.


We are more than robotic bookshelves, conditioned to blurt out facts we were taught in school. We are all very special, every human on this planet is so special, so aren't we all deserving of something better, of using our minds for innovation, rather than memorization, for creativity, rather than futile activity, for rumination rather than stagnation? We are not here to get a degree, to then get a job, so we can consume industry-approved placation after placation. There is more, and more still.


The saddest part is that the majority of students don't have the opportunity to reflect as I did. The majority of students are put through the same brainwashing techniques in order to create a complacent labor force working in the interests of large corporations and secretive government, and worst of all, they are completely unaware of it. I will never be able to turn back these 18 years. I can't run away to another country with an education system meant to enlighten rather than condition. This part of my life is over, and I want to make sure that no other child will have his or her potential suppressed by powers meant to exploit and control. We are human beings. We are thinkers, dreamers, explorers, artists, writers, engineers. We are anything we want to be - but only if we have an educational system that supports us rather than holds us down. A tree can grow, but only if its roots are given a healthy foundation...


I am now supposed to say farewell to this institution, those who maintain it, and those who stand with me and behind me, but I hope this farewell is more of a “see you later” when we are all working together to rear a pedagogic movement. But first, let's go get those pieces of paper that tell us that we're smart enough to do so!
[Source: http://americaviaerica.blogspot.com/2010/07/coxsackie-athens-valedictorian-speech.html]

I (Joseph Herrin) attended the public education system for 12 years, graduating from High School, and later going on to earn a college degree. It was what I was conditioned to do. The thought never occurred to me while I was in attendance that the system itself could be an evil thing. I never questioned whether it was preparing me to be a godly person, or considered if the goals of my education were those God would choose. The American education system was training me to be a good corporate citizen. I was a member of the greatest consumer nation on earth, and I was being groomed for a life devoted to consumption.

While in school, the merits of excelling in the system were made known to me. With better grades came the promise of higher pay, and more money being available to spend on my pursuit of “The American Dream.” Little did I realize that I was being indoctrinated in the art of consumption. I was fed dreams of materialism, and my pursuit of materialism served the ends of the global corporations. My money would end up in their pockets. My life’s labor would further their empire.

II Peter 2:3
And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you...

American society promotes covetousness. Advertisements are inescapable. If you watch television, or even go to the movies, you will have to abide a barrage of commercials that are aimed at creating a desire for some company’s product. If you drive down the road you will be met with billboards intended to produce a desire for some service or product. You cannot read a magazine, or listen to the radio, without the constant drone of corporate consumerism invading your mind through sounds and images.

How many Americans ever question whether the endless drive to attain material possessions, and to enjoy one pleasure after another, is actually righteous? How many have considered what type of life God would lead them to if there were not the constant and pervasive influence of society telling them what they should be pursuing? The American education and cultural system has made slaves of an entire population. The citizens of the nation live to acquire material possessions, and then spend the balance of their lives trying to hold onto what they have gained. Is this the will of God?

Luke 12:15
And He said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions."

This article is not about the American system of materialism, however. It is about the Christian Religious System. The same blindness that affects the citizens of America, also holds sway in the church.

Isaiah 42:19
“Who is blind but My servant, or so deaf as My messenger whom I send? Who is so blind as he that is at peace with Me, or so blind as the servant of Yahweh?”

I want to entreat you to consider the goals and practices of the Christian Religious System, particularly in Western nations. Going to church is what people are conditioned to do. Participating in the stereotypical programs of the various denominations is considered both right and proper. A focus on church attendance, supporting the church financially, and living a church-centric life is accepted without any critical thinking as being the right thing to do.

How many Christians have stopped to question whether the goals and practices of the church are in synch with the desires of God? Christians are conditioned to not ask such questions. They are herded along with everyone else, directed through endlessly repeated sermons that proclaim the virtues of attendance, program participation, and tithing. Being a good corporate citizen of the church is equated with spirituality.

What is Yahweh’s desire for His sons and daughters? As I have been sharing everywhere I go, He desires sons (male and female). He wants sons in His image. He is seeking sons who are conformed to the image of Christ so they can rule and reign with Him in the ages to come.

Are the churches producing sons in the image of Christ? Absolutely not! Rather, they are aborting every son that begins to show marks of maturity.

To be conformed to Christ’s image, one must be led of the Spirit, not led of man.

Romans 8:14
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Christ did not lead a life centered on the synagogue. He did not live to fulfill the programs and plans of the synagogue’s leaders. Christ never equated participation in the life of the local synagogue with spiritual life. He lived to do the will of His Father. This will was not made known to Him by men, but by the Spirit who was given to indwell Him. Those who have been born of the Spirit of Christ have received the same Spirit to guide them.

I Corinthians 2:10-13
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...

The Christian Religious System is antithetical to the purposes of God. The system has indoctrinated Christians to believe that they must come to the church building weekly to hear the word of God spoken to them by an appointed minister. The minister will perhaps give them a 15-30 minute message, often including admonitions on attendance, participation in programs, and tithing. Before and after the message of the minister there will be announcements that serve as commercials for all the events, programs and services of the corporation called the church.

The saint is trained to be a good corporate citizen, and his continuance as a good corporate citizen is assumed to last as long as life is in him. Do the programs of the church lead to conformity to Christ? The instrument Yahweh uses to conform sons to the image of Christ is the cross. There is an afflicted path to be walked. There are difficult experiences to be endured. There are trials to be passed through, all the while the saint is to be crucifying the flesh that the Spirit of Christ within him might arise.

The church does not offer this path to conformity to Christ. They are more likely to offer baseball, softball, golf, and excursions to the mall than they are to lead the saints to affliction. The church stands in the way of the believer, for it will not permit any to be led of the Spirit. Being led of the Spirit will interfere with being led of the church leadership. One cannot fulfill the goals of the corporation while being led of the Spirit. The church leaders are all too willing to usurp the role of the Spirit, telling the saints what the will of God is for their lives. The end is always self-serving, fostering a dependence upon the church leaders, and resulting in a continuance of the church as a corporate entity.

Eighty years ago, a wise Christian minister named T. Austin Sparks wrote the following words:

We realize with intense sorrow of heart that all is not well with that which ostensibly represents the Lord here, and that there is a state of things widely prevailing which does not truly accord with the revealed desire of God.


"We live in a time of more than usual dearth spiritually - the state of things may well remind us of Ezekiel's valley of dry bones - we have not merely to cope with evils which have characterized bygone ages, but also with the matured corruption of a time wherein the varied evils of the Gentile world have become connected with, and covered by the cloak of Christian profession; and when we turn to the state of those whose knowledge of truth and high profession might naturally encourage the expectation of more healthy and vigorous Christian action, we find, alas! in many - yes, in the majority of cases - that the knowledge is but cold and uninfluential theory, and the profession but superficial."


Christianity has become so largely a matter of doctrine and creed. The test of Christian life is very much a matter of subscribing thereto. Christian experience has become largely limited to a matter of being saved, without the great Eternal and universal relative factors and issues. Christian service is resolved far too much into a matter of enthusiasm in a great enterprise apart from an adequate apprehension of what the Lord is really after and the indispensable energy and equipment of the Holy Ghost. The Christian "church" is very largely reduced to earthly institutions, societies, denominations, buildings, activities and orders, and the spiritual revelation and apprehension of "the One Body" and "One Spirit" is for by far the most part lacking. Christian teaching has very largely become - at best - a matter of giving addresses and preaching sermons with a presentation of "the letter of the Word," a giving forth of truth as truth, but lacking in "revelation in the knowledge of Him" (Eph. 1:17); that true inwardness of meaning which reaches the heart and meets the deepest spiritual need of the hungry.


The result of all this is that the impact of that which stands for God upon the world, and particularly upon "the world rulers of this darkness" is almost nil, or a minus quantity...


As we get nearer the close of this age the contact with and impact of the forces of Satan is going to be such that only those who know the full testimony of Jesus and stand experimentally in it will be able to go through without being paralyzed. The aspect of things is fast changing. The past twenty years has seen a movement into a realm where the old methods and means no longer prove effectual. We shall soon find a tremendous pressing down of the powers of darkness upon this earth, using the world-powers to such a degree and in such ways as to eclipse anything which has hitherto been. This is in full accord with the Word of God. There will be one, and only one hope for God's people, and that is their knowledge of Him in Christ and the power of His resurrection as a present spiritual reality. Not their activities, enthusiasms, organizations, enterprises, creeds, "churches," orthodoxy, and so on, but HIMSELF. That time, which is now coming upon us - though imperceptible to so many who are preoccupied with plans and programs - will make manifest the principle of the "One Body..."
[Source: "A Witness and A Testimony" magazine, Sep-Oct 1930 Vol. 8-5]

It is no wonder that so many are hearing the Spirit calling to “come out of her, My people, lest you participate in her sins and partake of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4). The church has become a place of confusion (Babylon). Not only are her doctrines leavened, but the very system stands in the way of the saints attaining to “the fulness of the stature which belongs to Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).

It is time for all saints to examine the system itself. Does the system of religion promote a Spirit directed life? Have you been brought to a complete abandonment to go wherever Christ would lead you, and to do whatever He would instruct you to do? Are you comfortable in the church because it assures you that Yahweh is well pleased with those who participate in its programs, while not requiring you to give up everything?

Luke 14:33
“So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all he possesses.”

There is a reason that the Christian Religious System is not under attack by the masses of Christians. There is a reason there is no wide call for reform. The church as a man-made institution is comfortable for those who do not wish to be disturbed. To be led of the Spirit will cost a man or woman everything. Nothing can be held back. Yet the corporate religious system will permit a man or woman to hold onto a significant portion of their property and their life.

People of God, the hour is late. It is time for all believers to question the Christian Religious System in the same way that Erica Goldson has questioned the American educational system. The religious system permits men and women to continue to walk after the desires of the flesh. The Spirit of Christ will not. Do not allow yourself to follow blind guides. There is One who is appointed to lead you. That is the Spirit of Christ who indwells all the saints.

Galatians 5:16
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

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

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws 
 
Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com  

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

Friday, July 23, 2010

Update and Meeting Itinerary

Joseph Herrin (07-23-2010)














Meeting with the Sheep of God’s Pasture in Newcastle, California
(Pictured: some of the sheep at the Phillip’s farm.)

The Father continues to lead Randy Simmons and I across this nation. We have traveled nearly 7,000 miles since departing from Macon, Georgia in May and have a long way to go before we are back home. We are presently about as far from Georgia as one could get and still be in the lower 48 states as we are camped near Spokane Washington.

Randy and I have seen some beautiful country as we have traveled. More importantly, we have met many precious sons and daughters of Christ. Our most recent meetings near Sacramento, California were a wonderful experience as we met in the home of Rich, Kelly and Brittni Phillips. Randy and I parked our vans on their farm right between the sheep on one side, and the goats on the other. The Father worked numerous parables relating to ruminant animals into the talks, and I found the information provided by Kelly about the farm animals to be very enlightening.

Following is the schedule for upcoming meetings:

Spokane, Washington

Dates: July 30 - August 1

Address:
Grange Building
11000 North Forker Road
Spokane, Washington

Schedule of Meetings:
Friday Evening 6:30 P.M. until 9:00 P.M.
Saturday Morning 9:00 A.M. - Noon
Break for fellowship and a potluck meal (Please bring a dish - There is a kitchen in the building.)
Saturday Afternoon 2:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Sunday Morning 9:00 A.M. until Noon

-----------------------------------

Kooskia, Idaho

Dates: August 6-8

Address:
Home of Dan and Nancy Fowler
188 Flying Eagle Road
Kooskia, ID 83539

Schedule of Meetings:
Friday Evening 6:30 P.M. until 9:00 P.M.
Saturday Morning 9:00 A.M. - Noon
Break for fellowship and a meal
Saturday Afternoon 2:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Sunday Morning 9:00 A.M. until Noon

----------------------------------------------

Kadoka, South Dakota

Dates: August 13-15

Address:
Home of Kenton and Angela McKeehan

Schedule of Meetings:
Friday Evening 6:30 P.M. until 9:00 P.M.
Saturday Morning 9:00 A.M. - Noon
Break for fellowship and a meal
(Note: The hosts will provide main dish. Please bring side dishes for the meal when you come.)
Saturday Afternoon 2:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Sunday Morning 9:00 A.M. until Noon

---------------------------------------------

After the meetings in South Dakota, we will be heading to Illinois and Indiana for more meetings. These will be announced as the time draws closer.

Some may wonder what the meetings are like. The atmosphere is very relaxed, as the majority of meetings are in the homes of the saints. There is no hurry to rush off after meetings, for those who want to stay longer and fellowship.

During the meetings I use my laptop and a projector as I talk. I display numerous scriptures, as well as graphics, that go along with the talks, and this helps to guide the messages in a very orderly sequence that aids understanding and comprehension. Many listening to the meetings and receiving teachings that are new to them. Over the years the Father has trained me to be a skillful teacher, even leading me to take a job as a college instructor for a couple years, and I recognize the value of visual aids and a logical presentation.

Aside from this, all would be vain if the Spirit of Christ were not present to guide my words, and to open the eyes and ears of those in attendance. Before every meeting I pray that the Spirit of God might have free rule and reign in the meetings to accomplish all that is upon the Father’s heart. I always want to be sensitive to any direction He would lead in, and it is not uncommon for me to be given new revelation at the very moment in which I am speaking, and to be directed to share it with those gathered.

If you have listened to any of the audios posted thus far from the meetings, you will realize that they are very practical and personally challenging. The Father is seeking to raise up sons (male and female) to maturity in this hour. The process is one that requires complete devotion, great determination and endurance.

The messages being proclaimed focus upon the hour we live in explained by examining signs and parables in the heavens and on the earth; the very specific work Yahweh is performing among a remnant of His people; the goal set before all sons of God which is to attain to the first resurrection and be numbered among the firstborn of Christ’s seed. The instrument of perfecting sons, being the disciple’s cross, is evident in all teachings.

People of God, these are messages that lie heavily upon the Father’s heart at this hour. There are few shepherds among the body who are proclaiming these things. There are only a remnant who are willing to receive the words of the Father. If you are able to attend any meetings, I strongly urge you to make every effort to do so.

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

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

Parables Blog:
www.parablesblog.blogspot.com

Mailing Address:

Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

Friday, July 16, 2010

Absinthe

abSINthe
Joseph Herrin (07-16-2010)

Note: A clarification needs to be given as some have evidently misunderstood one point of yesterday's blog. I was not as clear as I needed to be in mentioning the reference to the plagues and judgments of Revelation chapter 8. I do NOT believe that what we are presently seeing in America is the fulfillment of these Scriptures. What I desired to convey is that the judgments of God follow a pattern. "That which has been is that which will be. There is nothing new under the Sun."

From the plagues of Egypt, to present day, there are similarities when Yahweh judges a nation. America is a nation under judgment, and this judgment will increase in coming days. America is a type (not the ultimate type) of Babylon. She has drunk from the cup of sensuality and abominations, and now must drink the cup of judgment.

The following Scripture surely relates to America, for she is a type of Babylon, though I do not believe she is the ultimate type of Babylon. This world has known many manifestations of Babylon, and they all end in the same judgment.

Revelation 18:1-12
After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory. And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! And she has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality."

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out of her, my people, that you may not participate in her sins and that you may not receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, 'I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.' 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..."

After posting yesterday's blog, I was also made aware that a brother in Christ (Art) had posted a writing on the same subject a few weeks earlier. It is an excellent article which can be read here:

http://newine.wordpress.com/2010/06/28/bitter-as-wormwood/


I begin more meetings tonight. These current ones will be held in Newcastle, California. From there I have meetings scheduled as follows:

July 28 - August 1 in Spokane, Washington
August 6-8 in Kooskia, Idaho
August 13-15 in Kadoka, South Dakota

Further details of these meetings will be made available as soon as I am able to post them.

The Father is ordering my steps and filling in meetings on a great circuit across this nation. I anticipate continuing East, with meetings in Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. I am still waiting upon the Father to see if He would lead me to visit the New England area, but as that will still be a couple months away, I am sure I will have clarity by then.

Please continue to uphold Randy Simmons and I in prayer. May the Father use us as vessels of honor in His hand. We have nothing to offer that arises from self in this work, but where we are weak, He is strong. Please also lift up Angelo as he labors to re-design and update the Heart4God website. I do anticipate posting many more audio files soon.

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

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

Parables Blog:
www.parablesblog.blogspot.com

Mailing Address:

Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Then Comes the End...

Joseph Herrin (07-14-2010)




















On July 11, 2010 (1st of Av - Hebrew calendar) the date of the 3rd total solar eclipse in three years, Bob Sheppard, the longtime public address announcer for the NY Yankees baseball team died. He was 99 years old. Two days later, on July 13, George Steinbrenner, the longtime owner of the same sports franchise, died of a heart attack. He was 80 years old.

There are reasons I believe this to be a prophetic sign. The word Yankee is used worldwide as a reference to the citizens of America. George Steinbrenner, the owner of the Yankees, was born on the 4th of July, 1930. He serves as symbol of the American nation, being born on the day of the nation’s birth, and owning the ultimate symbol of America, her premiere baseball team. His worldly success is a symbol of the American dream. He bought a floundering sports franchise for $10 million dollars and built it into a behemoth valued at $1.6 billion dollars today.

George Steinbrenner had just experienced his 81st 4th of July. The number 81 is 9 times 9. In the Scriptures the number 9 denotes judgment. Furthermore, Steinbrenner died 9 days after he witnessed his 81st Independence Day.

Bob Sheppard was 99. This is a multiple of the numbers 9 and 11. The number 9 once more denotes judgment, and 11 denotes disintegration and disorder.

Nine
THE NUMBER OF FINALITY OR JUDGMENT,

for judgment is committed unto Jesus as "the Son of man" (John 5:27; Acts 17:31). It marks the completeness, the end and issue of all things as to man—the judgment of man and all his works.


It is a factor of 666, which is 9 times 74.


The gematria of the word "Dan," which means a judge, is 54 (9x6).


"th orgh mou" (tee orgee mou), my wrath, = 999 (Heb 3:11).


The solemn amhn (ameen), amen, or "verily," of our Lord, amounts also to 99, summing up and ending His words.

[Source: http://philologos.org/__eb-nis/nine.htm]

Bob Sheppard had been the public address announcer for the Yankees for 56 years. One of the nicknames ascribed to him was “The voice of God.” See article:

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/top-posts/bob-sheppard-the-voice-of-yankee-stadium-1910-2010.php


It seems significant that the number 9 is related to “summing up and ending [God’s] words.” Bob Sheppard’s entire career was based upon the spoken word. He was the public address speaker for the Yankees baseball team and the NY Giants football team, as well as for St. John’s University football. In addition he taught speech. This man known for his golden voice, and extolled as “the voice of God” has now come to the end of his words.

Has Yahweh similarly come to the end of speech and warnings with America? Will she now witness judgment? To continue the parable of these events related to the Yankees, Bob Sheppard’s death at the age of 99, the sign of words and speech ending in judgment, disintegration and disorder is followed in very short order by the death of George Steinbrenner.

I have no doubt that America’s days are numbered and are quickly coming to an end. In 2007 and 2008 Yahweh gave a profound sign when Miss USA fell two years in a row at the Miss Universe Pageant.




















Rachel Smith / Crystal Stewart

The repeating of the sign twice indicated that Yahweh had determined the matter, and it would come quickly.

Genesis 41:32
Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about.

Shortly after Miss USA fell in 2008 the entire financial structure of America began to unravel. Day after day new financial crises arose. Emergency measures were taken. Trillions of dollars were borrowed and spent to stave off systemic collapse. The problem has not gone away. At present, over 40 states are running deficits. California has a $19 billion dollar shortfall for the current year. The housing and construction markets have collapsed. Banks are failing as mortgage defaults are piling up. The bad news is seemingly endless.

The attempts to stop the hemorrhaging of the Deepwater Horizon oil gusher in the Gulf seem emblematic of the struggle America is facing. She cannot turn off the toxic fountain that is spewing death across the land. America’s moral pollution is killing her, and judgment will not now be held back.


























Statue of Liberty on 9-11-2001

Many warnings have been given to the nation, yet she continues down a path of increasing abominations. At some point the warnings of Yahweh will cease and a full and final judgment will ensue.

Revelation 2:21-22
I gave her time to repent; and she does not want to repent of her immorality. Behold, I will cast her upon a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation...

Great things are transpiring in the earth. These recent signs in the Sun bear tremendous meaning. Great darkness is upon the earth, and gross darkness is over the people. A day of mourning is at hand.



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

Parables Blog:
www.parablesblog.blogspot.com

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

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Update




















Me at Glacier Point - Yosemite National Park

What an awesome creation our Father has made! From the time I was a young man I have desired to travel and see the marvels of my Father's creation. He has given me the desire of my heart at this time of my life when I still have my health and am able to enjoy it immensely.

Last year as I traveled across the country I saw many sights as I was driving. I shared a number of these sights in blogs including the following:

Ground Zero and the Sycamore whose roots were bronzed:
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/road-signs-part-3.html

Little Bighorn Battlefield and Bighorn Mountains

Independence Rock
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/pioneers-o-pioneers.html

The Arizona Desert
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/thorns-in-desert-part-1.html
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/thorns-in-desert-part-2.html

The Grand Canyon

This year as I am traveling the Father has blessed me with the opportunity to visit Carlsbad Caverns, Sequoia National Park, and Yosemite National Park. I am seeing many parables in these excursions, along with many natural wonders.




















Me by a Giant Sequoia - Sequoia National Park
(click on picture for larger image)

For those interested in seeing photos I have taken at these places, I am posting them to Facebook. If you have a Facebook account, just search on joseph.b.herrin to find my page. If we are not yet friends on Facebook, I will be glad to make you one.

Please Note: Due to a heavy teaching and writing load, and due to my present travel schedule, I am not able to socialize on Facebook. I do read comments, but I am not always able to respond to them. If you desire to correspond with me personally, please use my e-mail address.

Meetings in Sacramento, California Area

I want to announce once more the next series of meetings which will begin this coming Friday evening in Newcastle, California. The meetings will be hosted by Rich and Kelly Phillips and their daughter Brittni.

Dates/Times:
July 16th (Friday) 7:00 P.M. - 9:30 P.M.
July 17th (Saturday) 11:00 A.M. - 1:30 P.M.,
Break for a meal, Potluck: (bring a dish to share if you can, but not required)
3:30 P.M. - 6:00 P.M.
July 18th (Sunday) 11:00 A.M. - 1:30 P.M.

Location:
4650 Fruitvale Road
Newcastle, California

Contact:
Please contact Kelly if you plan on attending so She will know how many to plan for. She will provide directions. For those traveling and needing lodging, the following is recommended:

Lincoln Holiday Inn Express
http://www.hiexpress.com/hotels/us/en/licca/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=mdpr-_-googlemaps-_-ex-_-licca

Spokane, Washington Meetings

I am also in contact with some saints in Spokane, Washington who are working to arrange a meeting venue there for the dates July 30 - August 1. I hope to have the details to post soon.

This does leave me a week open as I travel from California, through Oregon up to Spokane. If any along that path are interested in hosting meetings during the dates July 23-25 please contact me to let me know. If no meetings are forthcoming for those dates, I hope to spend some more time in writing and getting audio files edited and posted to the Internet.

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

Parables Blog:
www.parablesblog.blogspot.com

Mailing Address:

Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

Saturday, July 10, 2010

The Sun Will Be Darkened - Part Three

Joseph Herrin (07-10-2010)

Let’s Play Baal





















Special Jabulani Ball for Current World Cup in Johannesburg
(Note name under Adidas logo.)

Tomorrow, July 11 2010, is the date of the third of three total solar eclipses to occur in consecutive years on the same date of the Hebrew calendar (the 1st of Av). In the previous two posts on this series I spoke of what this heavenly sign is testifying. In this post I will look at a remarkable sign on the earth that brings remarkable affirmation of the hour we live in.

Tomorrow, July 11, 2010 is also the date that has long been pre-selected for the final of World Cup Football (soccer to Americans). Adidas is the world’s largest supplier of football equipment and clothing and have the authority to produce soccer balls of their own design for the games. For this year that designed a soccer ball that has been extremely controversial due to its erratic play due to changes in the ball’s design that have affected its aerodynamics.

What I would point out, however, is what is symbolized by the World Cup of Football being held in Johannesburg, and the meaning of the name assigned to the ball.

Last year I did research to prepare for a series that I never finished or published. This series was tentatively titled “Baal Worship in America.” The name Baal, although pronounced as “Bay-el” by many Americans, is more accurately spoken as “Bah-all.” Strong’s Concordance lists it in the following way:

OT:1168 Ba`al (bah'-al); the same as OT:1167; Baal, a Phoenician deity: -Baal, (plural) Baalim.

As I was researching this subject last year I came across a thought provoking series that examines the rules and play of major sports, observing in them symbolism relating to Baal worship. These “Ball games” (pronounced similarly to Baal Games) are reminiscent of the ancient sporting events held in honor of pagan deities, and have many associations with the sensual and idolatrous religions attached to false deities.

Alexander Hislop in the book The Two Babylons reveals that Nimrod, the founder of Babylon (Genesis 10:9-10) was an original of the god called Baal, which in the Hebrew means “Lord,” “Master,” or “Mighty One.” The ancient Babylonian mystery religions were fertility cults attended with all manner of symbols of fertility and procreation, which continue to this day. We see this symbolism brought even into the churches on Easter (A name synonymous with Ishtar, Astarte, Ashtoreth, Isis, etc.). This date set aside for the worship of the pagan goddess of fertility, whose original was Semiramis, the wife of Nimrod, includes symbols of fertility such as colored eggs, bunny rabbits, baskets of grass and flowers, and much more. I will not go into this detail here as I have covered it at length in the following writing:

http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/cup-of-christ.html

Interestingly, I titled this much earlier post “The Cup of Christ.” This is in contrast with “The World Cup” that is now in focus. When the church and the world choose the World Cup over the Cup of Christ, the result is that the Cup of Divine Wrath is poured out on the nations.

Going back to the subject of Ball Games and their relationship to Baal Games, many of the ancients would hold sporting events in conjunction with the worship of local deities. This was the origin of the Olympics, and the reason for the construction of many stadiums throughout ancient civilizations such as Phoenicia and Rome. The games would be dedicated to the gods, and indeed they continue to do so, although stealthily in many instances.

The article I mentioned, (sorry, I cannot find the link) examined the rules of play of many sports that utilize a ball, showing their relationship to the ancient fertility rites, which were renowned for their debauchery, being attended with orgies and all manner of sexual sin. The language of these sporting events today are employed similarly in the language of sex. For example, those who are sexually promiscuous are called “players.” A man will speak of a sexual conquest of a female as “scoring.” Even the word ball has come down to us as a slang term denoting the act of intercourse.

I do not want to belabor this point, but these examples merely scratch the surface of the correlation between ball games and the sexual transgressions associated with fertility rites. A case in point, that brings this to the modern era is that one of the widely broadcast news items in the lead-up to the World Cup Football games in Johannesburg was the report in the thousands of prostitutes that would be descending upon Johannesburg for this event.

Following is an example of an excerpt from The Telegraph, a major UK media source.

World Cup 2010: 40,000 prostitutes to enter South Africa

We've been told by event organisers that they are aware of about 40,000 new prostitutes being recruited to come into the country for the World Cup. The women are expected to travel from countries all over the world, especially from eastern Europe.
[Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup-2010/7374301/World-Cup-2010-40000-prostitutes-to-enter-South-Africa.html]

You cannot have the world’s largest celebration of Baal Worship without a massive influx of prostitutes, for this is a debauched fertility religion. Indeed, there were hundreds of thousands of more coming for the purpose of sex who are not classified as prostitutes. The men and women in attendance at this event are extremely promiscuous and their dress and actions are sensual and provocative. There is a very unclean spirit over the entire event.

As I have pondered this, the following Scripture has come powerfully to mind.

Isaiah 60:2
For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples...

On the very date when the earth is experiencing a third consecutive total solar eclipse, people of the world are gathered in South Africa to engage in acts of deep darkness. IDOLS (the players are referred to often as sports idols) and sexual promiscuity are once again front and center even as they were in ancient days when the fertility cults were the rage of the nations.

Yet, the most profound testimony of this event and its link to Baal worship has not yet been touched upon. It is the name given to the ball created by Adidas for this event. Jabulani.

Having been led of the Lord to research the subject of Freemasonry some years ago, I am familiar with the name that Freemasonry ascribes to the deity that they worship. Albert Pike, Sovereign Grand Commander of Scottish Rite Freemasonry, and author of the masonic manual titled Morals and Dogma, divulged that Freemasonry was devoted to Lucifer and taught the ‘Luciferian doctrines’ to those at the highest levels, those above the 30th degree. At the lower levels the novices were deliberately fed deceptive explanations of all the rites and symbols of Freemasonry.

For more information see the writing Freemasonry - The Spirit of Babylon.

http://www.heart4god.ws/id546.htm

In one rite of Freemasonry, considered by them to be extremely sacred, three men come together to proclaim the name of the god they serve. This act is performed by men who reach the level known as Royal Arch Freemasons. Each man will come together, join hands in a convoluted form (similar to the patterns on some soccer balls) and proclaim the name of the deity they serve.

The name given to the deity of Freemasonry is actually a joining of the names of three deities. These are Jah, Bul, and On. The following information is provided by the website Wikipedia.

According to Stephen Knight..., the word is a compound of the names of three gods worshipped in the ancient Middle East.

* Jah (= Yahweh)

* Baal

* On, a name in Genesis in the Bible (in "Potiphar priest of On"), thought in older times to be a name of Osiris (but now known[by whom?] to be the Hebrew form of the Ancient Egyptian name of the city of Heliopolis).

[Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jahbulon]

This becomes the name ascribed to Lucifer who ever desires to make himself like the Most High.



























Note that in this depiction of the ritual being performed by Royal Arch Freemasons, the delta (curved triangle) is formed multiple times as the name of their god, Jahbulon is pronounced. Consider now the changes Adidas made to this soccer ball, and the shapes formed on its surface. Rather than using the common design of a soccer ball that uses 32 hexagonal panels, this ball has only 8 panels, and the design on the ball is that of three 3dimensional rounded triangles.





















Jabulani Ball

When compared to the design of the Royal Arch of Freemasonry, and knowing the name they are proclaiming as they form the arch, it is easy to see the influence of Satan, the god of this world, in this event.

A similar practice of deception is practiced here as it is with Freemasonry. A seemingly innocent explanation is given for the design of the ball and the name assigned to it. Adidas offers this explanation of the name.

Jabulani - meaning 'to Celebrate' in the isiZulu language - is the name of the new ball for the FIFA World Cup 2010™.
[Source: http://www.jabulaniball.com/]

Before going further, let me mention that Baal is a title ascribed to Satan. Even though it was used to denote Nimrod, there is both a human and an angelic counterpart to this being. Even as we read of Satan giving his authority to a world ruler in the last hour called The Beast and the Antichrist, this human agent is merely an emissary of the fallen heavenly ruler that stands behind him.

That Satan is known as Baal, is revealed in the words of Christ.

Mark 3:22-24
And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said,"He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons." So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: "How can Satan cast out Satan?”

In this passage we see that the name Beelzebub and Satan are equated with one another. Beelzebub is described in Strong’s Concordance in the following manner:

OT:1176 Ba`al Zebuwb (bah'-al zeb-oob'); from OT:1168 and OT:2070; Baal of (the) Fly; Baal-Zebub, a special deity of the Ekronites:

Is it not interesting that the ball above has also been described as resembling the eye of a fly? Look closely at the following two images together.















(Click on image for larger picture)

Note that Adidas has even formed the pattern of the triangles by using a much touted 3D technology. This 3D technology gives the appearance a much enhanced look, making it appear even more as the eyes of a fly.

Adidas website devoted to the Jabulani ball provides this further information.

The number 11 carries heavy symbolism - the tribes of South Africa, the players in a football team. In honour ofthis, there are 11 colours used on the ball.
[Source: http://www.jabulaniball.com/]

Indeed, the number 11 does carry great symbolism in the occult, but not the symbolism described here. It is not by chance that this ball dedicated to Baal (Satan) is marked by the number 11. Occultists, higher level Freemasons, Illuminati, and others consider the number 11 to be the Master Number. Remember, the word Baal is translated as Master. Much can be read on this number at the following link:

http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/wtc/index02.htm

I will however, focus on the meaning Yahweh associates with this number. E.W. Bullinger in the book Number in Scripture, shares the following information.

ELEVEN

If ten is the number which marks the perfection of Divine order, then eleven is an addition to it, subversive of and undoing that order. If twelve is the number which marks the perfection of Divine government, then eleven falls short of it. So that whether we regard it as being 10 + 1, or 12 - 1, it is the number which marks, disorder, disorganization, imperfection, and disintegration.
[Source: http://philologos.org/__eb-nis/eleven.htm]

It should be noted that there has been a large outcry from the Football community, including many athletes participating in these games, regarding the unpredictable, chaotic flight characteristics of this ball. Art, a brother in Christ, has written a blog that includes information on this topic. Following is an excerpt.

To say that the ball has been controversial would be a gross understatement. Just this morning, the UK Telegraph notes NASA’s confirmation of the ball’s unpredictability. (NASA also does the eclipse predictions. Not a surprise. Their expertise centers on spherical things moving around in space).

Analysis compiled by NASA’s Ames Investigation Centre experts, who specialise in the field of aerodynamics, revealed that the Jabulani becomes unpredictable at speeds in excess 44 mph*.


Further criticisms voiced by a host of World Cup players, before and during the tournament, of the ball’s inconsistent flight patterns have been attributed to it’s ultra light weight of just 440 grams which makes it vulnerable to a force known as the ‘knuckle effect’ [i.e., its tendency to change direction suddenly, without notice].

[Source: http://newine.wordpress.com/2010/07/08/rejoice/]

Note that the key numbers here are multiples of 11, and they are related to disorder and chaos. One might also describe the flight of a fly with similar terms. Flies are not known for traveling in straight lines. They bob and weave and change directions unpredictably.

Art quotes a man named Craig Johnston, who wrote a 12 page open letter to the world Football federation officials. Following is an excerpt.

a new, perfectly round match ball…the players won’t like it at all…there will be more mistakes made than in any other World Cup… less control by players….and roughly 70% of crosses and shots on goal will miss wide and go way over the crossbar…

the Jabulani ball issue… could ruin the game as we now know it…


the word disaster is on a lot of players and managers lips…


the best players and teams in the world are struggling to control this ball to their own satisfaction…


statistics are showing that is the worst passing, shooting and controlling of the ball of any World Cup in history…


The problems with this ball will not go away and they need to be understood…before there are any more on field disasters


It makes world-class players look like drunken sailors


The erratic behavior of this ball is ruining the flow of the game…


This is
an absolute disaster…
[End Excerpt]

I believe what is stated here is a parable of that which is coming upon the world. On a SUNday when the world will witness a rare total eclipse of the SUN for the third year running on the same Hebrew calendar date, much is being signified. Baal was a solar deity. He was represented by the SUN. The day we call Sunday received this designation as it was the name set aside for worship of the Sun. Satan would represent himself by this same Sun, for it is the most glorious object in the heavens.

What I believe is near to fulfillment is the following.

Isaiah 24:20-21
The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. And it shall come to pass in that day, that Yahweh shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.

Revelation 12:10-13
"Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down... For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time." And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.

Days of great trouble are coming to the earth. Things that were once predictable will be completely unpredictable. The words, “Ruin” and “Disaster” will be the buzzwords of the day. Yet, through all of this, Yahweh will bring forth a remnant who are purified and brought into a mature conformity to the image of Christ. These will overcome, as described in the words of this same passage of Scripture.

Revelation 12:11-12
"And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death.”

People of God, we live in momentous days. Much is at hand. Truly darkness is over the earth, and gross darkness upon the people. Yet the glory of Yahweh will be seen to arise upon a remnant who are wholly devoted to Him.

It is a time to be vigilant, be sober.

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

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

Parables Blog:
www.parablesblog.blogspot.com

Mailing Address:

Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

The Sun Will Be Darkened - Part Two

Joseph Herrin (07-07-2010)




















Path of Solar Eclipse August 1, 2008 (1st of Av)

Is not the Father signifying great things when He has a total solar eclipse occur on the earth three years in a row, falling on the same date of the Hebrew calendar? The improbability of these being chance occurrences (there is no such thing in Yahweh’s creation) becomes even more staggering as one realizes that the last two years of this seven year period (August 1, 2008 - September 28, 2015) contain four lunar eclipses (blood red moons) and two more solar eclipses, all falling on significant dates in the Jewish Calendar.

The Lunar eclipses break down as follows:

Passover April 15, 2014
Feast of Tabernacles October 8, 2014
Passover April 4, 2015
Feast of Tabernacles September 28, 2015

The Solar eclipses in 2014-2015 occur:

Adar 29/Nisan 1(new year) March 20, 2015
Feast of Trumpets September 13, 2015

Says J. R. Church, in a letter accompanying the magazine issue, “Four lunar eclipses occurring on the Feast of Tabernacles and Passover in two successive years are phenomenal. But add to them two solar eclipses on the two days that open the Jewish year – Adar 29/Nisan1, just two weeks before Passover, and Tishri 1 (Rosh Hashannah) – is uncanny. On each of these six Jewish Holy Days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give her light. Will this happen again in the 21st century? No. Did it happen in the 20th century? Yes, in 1949/1950, the year following Israel’s statehood, and 1967/1968, the year Jerusalem was liberated in the Six-Day War! Before that, you have to go back to 1493 for four successive lunar eclipses on Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles” (May 2008 letter).
[Source: http://www.triumphpro.com/blood-red-lunar-eclipses-and-solar-eclipses.htm]

From August 1, 2008, the date of the first of the three total solar eclipses, to September 28, 2015, the date of the lunar eclipse on the Feast of Tabernacles, we have a seven year period or very remarkable heavenly signs. It is incumbent upon the sons of God to apply themselves to discerning what our Father in heaven is testifying through His heavenly scroll.

Peace and Safety

One need not look to the heavens to see signs that the hour of tribulation is now upon the earth. The following words of the apostle Paul have never seen a greater fulfillment than at this very hour. Please read them carefully.

I Thessalonians 5:1-6
Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.

A reader posted a comment to the blog today providing links to the G-8 and G-20 summits. Both of these international forums have as part of their meetings an emphasis on “Peace and Security.” This is a fulfillment of the prophetic words of Paul. While they are saying “Peace and Safety (Security)” THEN destruction will come upon the suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman. Following are excerpts and the links to the sites of these two international gatherings.

International Peace and Security
The G-8 has a solid record of providing leadership and action in responding to a range of international peace and security challenges including conflict, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and transnational organized crime.

Peace and security issues will figure prominently at the G-8 in Muskoka as leaders discuss pressing security vulnerabilities, including terrorism, piracy, organized crime, trafficking in drugs, natural disasters and how regional conflicts can affect the security of all nations. The issues of nuclear non-proliferation will be of considerable interest to all leaders in light of continuing challenges in Iran and North Korea.

[Source: http://g8.gc.ca/for-media/other-services/media-briefing-books/priorities-for-the-g-8-summit-in-muskoka/]

Here in Toronto, the G-20 Summit will give global leaders the opportunity to discuss ways to restore the health of the global economy, and lay the foundations for strong, sustainable and balanced growth in the years ahead.
[Source: http://g20.gc.ca/address-by-minister-van-loan-at-munk-school-of-global-affairs-g-20-conference/]

It sounds like the nations are planning not only for peace and safety going forward, but also a renewal of global prosperity. People of God, the Spirit testifies that quite a different future lies ahead for the nations. Days of great tribulation are at hand. Are you attentive to the voice of the Spirit so that you may know what Yahweh would have you to do for yourself and your family to be properly positioned for coming days? Are you even entertaining the idea that He may call you to a radical obedience that your neighbors and Christian friends may deem to be fanatical?

The Spirit has testified to me that the things He has walked me through in the past 11 years are a pattern of that which His obedient people must experience in days ahead. In 1999 the Father called me to leave my employment as a computer professional and to look to Him for all the provision of my wife and children. We were directed to follow wherever He led, and to do whatever He said.

Many in the church declared me to be delusional, and even in great disobedience, yet we were directed faithfully by the Father and His provision was constantly manifested on our behalf. Miracles of provision occurred, many of which have been set down in the autobiographical book Evidence of Things Unseen. (You can read this book freely on the Heart4God website - just as soon as it is back online.)

I am hearing from brothers and sisters in Christ who are being directed at this hour to make great changes in their lives. Some are being led out from very good jobs to follow the Spirit wherever He leads. One brother was recently instructed by the Spirit to leave his home in the Los Angeles area and begin preparing a ranch he owns in a remote area for he and his wife to be able to move. Only those who are giving an attentive ear to the voice of the Spirit, coupled with a willing obedience, will avoid much loss and calamity that the Father would have delivered them from.

Discerning the Heavenly Signs

In previous posts on signs in the heavens I have testified that in order to understand a heavenly sign one must look at it in its context. Our Father is the One who established the stars in their courses, and Who formed the constellations that make up the heavenly testimony. Many Christians today have been conditioned to fear, or even despise, the witness of the heavens, associating their testimony with pagan astrology. Satan, however, has merely sought to corrupt that which Yahweh has established as a true witness.

If you have not read the previous post where I revealed the Scriptural basis for Christians to be attentive to heavenly signs, and to not fear them, I would recommend that you read it here:

http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/message-in-heavens.html


The Scriptures themselves name numerous constellations, and Yahweh ascribed four purposes to the stars of the heavens. The first, and foremost purpose is that they are given for signs.

Genesis 1:14-15
Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so.

The birth of Christ was announced with signs in the heavens. Wise men who understood the true testimony of the heavens, saw the star in the East that gave testimony that the king of the Jews had been born, the long promised Messiah. They acted upon this witness and were led faithfully to the Son of God that they might worship Him.

Yahshua testified that before His return there would be more “signs in sun and moon and stars.” The child of God should therefore not despise that testimony that Yahweh has established. They should seek to move past the fear of Satanic corruptions, while pressing in to discern Yahweh’s true testimony.

There are three books in my possession that have been very helpful in my own study of the heavenly testimony. They are as follows:

The Gospel in the Stars by Joseph A. Seiss
The Heavens Declare by William D. Banks
The Witness of the Stars by E. W. Bullinger

This last book can be read freely online.

http://philologos.org/__eb-tws/

All three of the authors cited above refer to the voluminous research conducted by Frances Rolleston. Her writing titled Mazzaroth, or the Constellations can also be accessed online.

http://philologos.org/__eb-mazzaroth/

To discern the meaning of a heavenly sign, one must understand the message contained in the heavens at the location which the sign occurs. For example, in the last post I mentioned that an eclipse of a full moon occurred while the Moon was in Virgo and the Sun was in Pisces. Understanding this gives needed details to discern the meaning of the sign.

In looking into the three total solar eclipses occurring in 2008, 2009, and 2010 I have understood that they occur in the following constellations.

Total Solar Eclipse August 1, 2008


The Solar Eclipse on August 1, 2008 occurs at 9°32' of Leo.

Total Solar Eclipse July 22, 2009


The Solar Eclipse on July 22, 2009 occurs at 29°27’ degrees of Cancer.

Total Solar Eclipse July 11, 2010


The Solar Eclipse of July 11, 2010 occurs at 19°24' of Cancer.

























As one can see from the graphic above, Cancer and Leo are the last two constellations of the heavenly Zodiac (Hebrew Mazzaroth). The word Zodiac, according to some, means “animal sign.” Frances Rolleston differs with this origin of the word. She writes: “Those who derive zodiac from Zao, to live, as composed of living creatures, instead of from the primitive root Zoad, way, going on by steps, not only overlook the balance in Libra, but the vase for Aquarius, and the bow for Sagittarius...” Mrs. Rolleston contends that the word originally was intended to denote a way, or path followed by steps. The Hebrew word equivalent for Zodiac, is Mazzaroth. The word is recorded as having been spoken by God in the book of Job.

Job 38:31-33
Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the belt of Orion? Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?

Unfortunately, most Bible translators have very little education in the heavenly host and its ancient testimony. They have therefore rendered certain constellations according to their corrupted pagan forms, rather than the originals that Yahweh intended. It takes some study to delve back to the original testimony established by Yahweh. That the constellation Cancer is depicted as a Crab is unfortunate, for its more authentic original appears to be the scarab that begins life as a worm, then transforms into a winged beetle, following a metamorphosis similar to that of the caterpillar into a butterfly. Two of the decans (minor constellations) associated with Cancer are Ursa Minor and Ursa Major, the Lesser Bear, and the Greater Bear. These are also corruptions, for these constellations in antiquity were not featured as bears, but rather as sheepfolds, a fact to which the names of the stars in the constellations attest.

The Mazzaroth by Degrees

You will note that the graphic of the major signs above is arranged in the shape of a circle, or a wheel. This relates to the course of the Sun in the heavens. The sun travels along a circuit known as the ecliptic. The sum of degrees of any circle is 360. Since there are 12 major signs along the circle, each one is allotted 30 degrees.

Each major constellation has three minor constellations associated with it. These three minor constellations are all allotted ten degrees, by which they derive their name “decans.” Thus, each constellation actually has four constellations associated with it; a major constellation, and three minor constellations known as decans.

Following is a table listing the decans for each constellation, and the degrees they occupy in their respective groups.




















With this information in hand, we can determine the context for each of the three solar eclipses by looking at the constellation and decan in which they occurred. Interestingly, each of the occurrences were positioned in the last degree of its particular decan. You will note that each one is marked by the number 9, a number denoting judgment.

Total Solar Eclipse August 1, 2008

August 1, 2008 occurs at 9°32' of Leo. Leaving Hydra, entering Crater.

Total Solar Eclipse July 22, 2009

July 22, 2009 occurs at 29°27’ degrees of Cancer. In Argo.

Total Solar Eclipse July 11, 2010

July 11, 2010 occurs at 19°24' of Cancer. Leaving Ursa Major, Entering Argo.

Let us begin with the first eclipse of August 1, 2008.

Sign of Leo, Decan of Hydra and Crater

E.W. Bullinger shares the following information on these constellations.

Here we come to the end of the circle. We began with VIRGO, and we end with LEO. No one who has followed our interpretation can doubt that we have here the solving of the Riddle of the Sphinx. For its Head is VIRGO and its Tail is LEO!

In LEO we reach the end of the Revelation as inspired in the Word of God; and it is the end as written in the heavens.

[End Quote]

So here we have a great sign in the heavens in the constellation that marks the end of Yahweh’s work of redemption among mankind. Truly we are at the time of the end. We therefore observe the Father drawing the attention of those who are looking to the heavens to the fact that the time of the end is now upon them.

Bullinger continues...

In the Denderah Zodiac he is treading upon a serpent (Hydra), as shown in Mr Edward Cooper's Egyptian Scenery.

Its Egyptian name is Pi Mentekeon, which means the pouring out. This is no pouring out or inundation of the Nile, but it is the pouring out of the cup of Divine wrath on that Old Serpent.


This is the one great truth of the closing chapter of this last Book. It is


THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH AROUSED FOR THE RENDING OF THE PREY.


His feet are over the head of Hydra, the great Serpent, and just about to descend upon it and crush it.

[End Quote]

For those Christians excited to learn of the nearness of Christ’s judgment upon Satan and all his works, the following Scripture should be kept in mind.

I Peter 4:17-19
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? Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.

The people of God must also pass through days of tribulation. It will be “with difficulty” that the righteous is saved. Let all Yahweh’s people put on a heart of humility as they approach these final days. What will Yahshua accomplish as He rouses Himself up at this hour as The Lion of the Tribe of Judah? We read of His end-time work in the following Scriptures.

Genesis 49:8-9
"Thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies;... Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?"

Numbers 24:8-9
"He shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows, He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion; who shall stir him up?"

Amos 3:4, 8
"Will a lion roar in the forest when he hath no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he hath taken nothing?... The lion hath roared, who will not fear?"

The prophet Amos has testified of the days at hand. Those Christians who declare with satisfied smugness that they are looking forward to the Day of Yahweh, believing they will be raptured out, and only the godless nations will be subjected to tribulation, need head the prophet’s words.

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?

The hour is at hand when the Lion of Judah will roar. Many will flee, but they will not be able to escape. Those sons of God who discern the hour should be sober and vigilant, clothing themselves in humility and righteousness.

Zephaniah 2:3
Seek Yahweh, all you humble of the earth who have carried out His ordinances; Seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger.

Let us pass on to look at the decan of Crater.















Constellation Crater - The Cup Poured Out

Bullinger writes the following concerning this constellation.

The Cup of Divine Wrath Poured Out

Psalm 75:8
"God is the Judge. He putteth down one, and setteth up another, FOR IN THE HAND OF THE LORD THERE IS A CUP, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture, and He poureth out of the same: But the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out and drink them."

Psalm 11:6
"Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest: THIS SHALL BE THE PORTION OF THEIR CUP."

This is no fabled wine-cup of Bacchus; but it is "The cup of His indignation" (Rev 14:10); "The cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath" (Rev 16:19). This is what we see set forth in this constellation. The Cup is wide and deep, and fastened on by the stars to the very body of the writhing serpent. The same stars which are in the foot of the Cup form part of the body of Hydra, and are reckoned as belonging to both constellations.

This Cup has the significant number of thirteen stars (the number of Apostacy). The two stars - Al Ches (a), which means the Cup, and (b) - determine the bottom of the Cup.
[End Quote]

I am mindful that as one speaks of a cup of divine wrath that a Scripture and a prophecy have been much in my mind of late. The Scripture relates to the Great Harlot, Babylon, and those people of God who have entered her embrace. There is a harlot church at this hour that refuses all suffering. She declares, “I will not know mourning.” She lives for pleasure and sensuality, yet Yahweh who judges her is strong. He will pour out His plagues upon her in this hour, and all His people who remain in her will partake of them. It is time to heed the call to come out of Babylon.

Revelation 18:4-9
Come out of her, my people, that you may not participate in her sins and that you may not receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, 'I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.' 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.

A cup is being poured out. Both the nations and the apostate church will drink up the judgment of Yahweh.

What is signified by a total solar eclipse occurring in this constellation on the Hebrew Date of the 1st of Av? The 1st of Av falls toward the center of a three week period of infamy in Jewish history. For three weeks the Jews mourn. These days are known as “the dire straits.” They conclude on the 9th of Av, a day in which great judgments and terrible calamities have befallen the people of God. Following is a summary of some of the events that have occurred on this date taken from an Internet website:

Tisha b’Av (9th of Av)

It was on this day of the Hebrew Calendar in 586 BC that Solomon’s Temple was destroyed. It was on that day in 70 AD that the second (Herod’s) Temple was destroyed and on it goes.

August 4, 135 AD (9th of Av), the Bar Kochba revolt was crushed by the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Over 100,000 Jews were slaughtered; Jerusalem was plowed under and later rebuilt as a pagan city forbidden to Jews.

Pope Urban II declared the First Crusade. Tens of thousands of Jews were killed, and many Jewish communities were obliterated.

July 25, 1290 [9 Av 5050] marked the first nation-wide rejection of Jews when the official decree expelling them from England was signed.

In 1492, [9 Av 5252] King Ferdinand of Spain issued the expulsion decree, setting Tish B’Av as the final date by which not a single Jew would be allowed to walk on Spanish soil.

August 6, 1555 [9 Av, 5315] Jews were first ordered into a ghetto when the Jews of Rome were ordered to live in a district near the Tiber.

August 1, 1914 [9 Av, 5674] W.W. I broke out on when Germany declared war on Russia. German resentment from the war set the stage for the Holocaust. A total solar eclipse occurred on August 21st of that year. (This agrees with the theory that solar eclipses occurring within the proximity of Tish B’ Av effect gentile nations more than Israel which bases their dates on a lunar calendar).

August 2, 1941 [9 Av 5701] Reinhardt Heydrich was ordered to carry out the “final solution” on European Jewry.

August 14, 2005 [9 Av 5765] 8,000 Jewish settlers were forcefully expelled from their homes in Gush Katif, the Southern Gaza strip.

That brings us up to the current trifecta of TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSES that occur around the 1st of Av on each of the year’s 2008, 2009 and 2010.
[Source: http://thefundidriveby.blogspot.com/2009/07/total-solar-eclipse-and-ninth-of-av.html]

Observing that judgment upon the nations is signified, what occurred soon after this solar eclipse? On Rosh Hashanah - The Blowing of the Trumpet on September 29, 2008 the Dow Jones Industrials experienced their greatest single day point decline in history. The Stock Market fell 777 points, equating to 7% of the market’s value, and losing an estimated $700 billion dollars in value. These sevens denote the time of the end.

The sign in the heavens had been given. The trumpet had sounded. Yet this is just the beginning of the birth pangs. A sudden collapse will occur when people are saying peace and safety and predicting a return to prosperity.

Let me now conclude this teaching with a look at the final two solar eclipses that occurred in Cancer. E.W. Bullinger writes the following concerning Cancer and its decans.

Sign of Cancer, Decans of Ursa Major and Argo

With regard to the sign of CANCER, one thing is certain, that we have not got the original picture, or anything like it.

It does not agree with the names either of its three constellations which have come down to us, or of its stars.


In the ancient Denderah Zodiac it is represented as a Scarabaeus, or sacred beetle.* In the Zodiac of Esneh and in a Hindu Zodiac (400 BC) it is the same.


* The Scarabaeus, passing its early existence as a worm of the earth, and thence issuing as a winged denizen of heaven, was held sacred by the Egyptians as an emblem of the resurrection of the body...


The Denderah name is Klaria, or the cattle-folds, and in this name we have the key to the meaning of the sign, and to the subject of this chapter.


The Arabic name is Al Sartan, which means who holds or binds, and may be from the Hebrew to bind together (Gen 49:11). There is no ancient Hebrew word known for the crab. It was classed with many other unclean creatures, and would be included in the general term "vermin."


The Syriac, Sartano, means the same. The Greek name is Karkinos, which means holding or encircling, as does the Latin, Cancer, and hence is applied to the crab. In the word Khan, we have the traveller's rest or inn; while Ker or Cer is the Arabic for encircling. The ancient Akkadian name of the month is Su-kul-na, the seizer or possessor of seed.


The sign contains 83 stars, one of which is of the 3rd magnitude, and seven are of the 4th magnitude, and the remainder of inferior magnitudes.


In the centre of the Sign there is a remarkably bright cluster of stars, so bright that they can be sometimes seen with the naked eye. It looks like a comet, and is made up of a great multitude of stars. Modern astronomers have called it the Beehive. But its ancient name has come down to us as Praesepe, which means a multitude, offspring.


The brightest star, z (in the tail), is called Tegmine, holding. The star a (or a1 and a2), in the lower large claw, is called Acubene, which, in Hebrew and Arabic, means the sheltering or hiding-place. Another is named Ma'alaph (Arabic), assembled thousands; Al Himarein (Arabic), the kids or lambs.


North and south of the nebula Praesepe are two stars, which Orientalists speak of by a name evidently of some antiquity. Asellus means an Ass, and one was called Asellus Boreas, the northern Ass; while the other, Asellus Australis, is the southern Ass...


This connects it with the Tribe of Issachar, who is said to have borne upon the Tribal standard the sign of two asses.


This is doubtless the reference in Jacob's blessing (Gen 49:11, RV):


"Issachar is a strong ass, couching down between the sheepfolds; And he saw a resting-place that it was good; And the land that it was pleasant; And he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant under task work."


Have we not here the gathering up of the teaching of this sign--


MESSIAH’S REDEEMED POSSESSION HELD FAST.


Here we come to the completion of His work. In CANCER we see it with reference to His redeemed, and in the next (the last) Sign, LEO, with reference to His enemies.


The three constellations develop the truth. What is now called Ursa Minor is the Lesser Flock; Ursa Major gives us The Sheepfold and the Sheep; while Argo, The Ship, shows the travellers and the pilgrims brought safely home--all conflict over.

[End Quote]

Cancer represents Yahweh’s redeemed held fast. The lesser sheepfold represents Israel. The greater sheepfold represents the Ekklesia, the called out from all nations. Argo is the ship representing the great journey of many trials that the redeemed of the Lord must experience.

People of God, the Spirit is declaring that the time of the end is at hand.

John 12:31
"Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world shall be cast out.”

The Spirit would lead me to close with the following words applied to this hour.

Revelation 12:12-17
"For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time." And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. And the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, in order that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. And the serpent (Hydra) poured water like a river out of his mouth (what do you get from a hydrant?) after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Yahshua.

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