Tragedy on the Bounty

Joseph Herrin (10-30-2012)

Bounty - Three Masted Tall Ship

A remarkable tragedy, full of spiritual significance relating to the people of God, has played out in the past couple days as Hurricane Sandy made its way up the East Coast to spend its wrath upon the most densely populated and developed area of the United States. That Sandy’s impact was felt especially sharply from Washington D.C., the seat of American government, to New York City, the nation’s financial center, stands out as a testimony of that storm that is looming that will soon ravage both the United State’s political and economic foundations.

In the midst of this a story has arisen of a tragedy at sea off the coast of North Carolina. In 1960 MGM Studios commissioned the construction of a replica of the HMAV (Her Majesty’s Armed Vessel) Bounty to be used in the film Mutiny on the Bounty starring Marlon Brando. The film was based on the historical account of the mutiny of half the crew of the HMAV Bounty against her captain, William Bligh, which occurred in 1789. Noteworthy is the fact that this was the same year that America seated her first government as George Washington began serving his first term as president in 1789.

If one considers the true history of America as told in the recent series Dragon Flood, they will perhaps see a parallel to the event that occurred aboard this British vessel. There were 46 crew and men aboard the Bounty when the mutiny occurred. Half of these men, twenty-three in all, formed a rebellion against the captain of the vessel and wrested control of the ship. Similarly, no more than half of the Colonial Americans supported rebellion against the King of England, yet this percentage was enough to wrest control of the country and establish their own government. Wikipedia provides the following information:

Of the 42 men on board aside from Bligh and Christian, 22 joined Christian in mutiny, two were passive, and 18 remained loyal to Bligh.

(Note: There was also a botanist and his assistant aboard the ship, but they were not numbered among the crew, not being members of the British Navy.)

These figures mirror the situation in America when rebellion broke out in 1776. There was a dedicated core of rebels, a significant number of Colonists who were loyal to the king, and a third group who remained neutral. Upon seizing control of the HMAV Bounty, the mutineers put the captain and those loyal to him aboard an open boat and set them adrift.

The mutineers ordered Bligh, two midshipmen, the surgeon's mate..., and the ship's clerk into the ship's boat. Several more men voluntarily joined Bligh rather than remaining aboard. Bligh and his men sailed the open boat 30 nautical miles (56 km) to Tofua in search of supplies, but were forced to flee after attacks by hostile natives resulted in the death of one of the men. Bligh then undertook an arduous journey to the Dutch port of Coupang, located over 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km) from Tofua. He safely landed there 47 days later, having lost no men during the voyage except the one killed on Tofua.
[Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Bounty]

•    Green line indicates voyage of Captain Bligh and abandoned crew in an open boat.
•    Yellow line indicates voyage of mutineers after wresting control of the ship.

The mutineers having command of the Bounty sailed for Tubuai where they attempted to settle. They were harassed by the cannibalistic natives there, so they returned to Tahiti where they had sailed from. Wikipedia provides the following history.

After three months of being terrorized by the cannibalistic natives, however, they returned to Tahiti. Sixteen of the mutineers and the four loyalists who had been unable to accompany Bligh remained there, taking their chances that the Royal Navy would find them and bring them to justice.

Immediately after setting the sixteen men ashore in Tahiti in September 1789, Fletcher Christian, eight other crewmen, six Tahitian men, and 11 women, one with a baby, set sail in Bounty hoping to elude the Royal Navy. According to a journal kept by one of Christian's followers, the Tahitians were actually kidnapped when Christian set sail without warning them, the purpose of this being to acquire the women. The mutineers passed through the Fiji and Cook Islands, but feared that they would be found there. Continuing their quest for a safe haven, on 15 January 1790 they rediscovered Pitcairn Island, which had been misplaced on the Royal Navy's charts. After the decision was made to settle on Pitcairn, livestock and other provisions were removed from the Bounty. To prevent the ship's detection, and anyone's possible escape, the ship was burned on 23 January 1790 in what is now called Bounty Bay.
[Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Bounty]

The rebellious crew did not fare well. Possibly due to the fact that they kidnapped the Tahitian men and women that went with them, there were conflicts when they arrived at Pitcairn Island.

The American seal-hunting ship Topaz visited Pitcairn in 1808 and found only one mutineer, John Adams (who had used the alias Alexander Smith while on the Bounty), still alive along with nine Tahitian women. The mutineers who had perished had, however, already had children with their Tahitian wives. Most of these children were still living. Adams and Maimiti claimed Christian (the leader of the mutineers) had been murdered during the conflict between the Tahitian men and the mutineers. According to an account by a Pitcairnian woman named Jenny who left the island in 1817, Christian was shot while working by a pond next to the home of his pregnant wife. Along with Christian, four other mutineers and all six of the Tahitian men who had come to the island were killed in the conflict. One of the four surviving mutineers fell off a cliff while intoxicated and was killed. Quintal was later killed by the remaining two mutineers after he attacked them.
[Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fletcher_Christian]

A further correlation between the American rebellion and the Mutiny on the Bounty is the name of this lone survivor of the original crew who lived to provide a history of the events. The crewman’s name was John Adams, the same as the first Vice President and second President of the United States. A prominent figure in the American Revolution, John Adams assisted Thomas Jefferson in writing The Declaration of Independence, the principle document of the rebellion.

Other than the ship itself, there is a remarkable link between the original mutiny and the recent tragedy at sea. The leader of the mutiny in 1789 was Fletcher Christian, the Master’s Mate on the ship. When the reproduction of the ship sank, one of the crew members was Claudene Christian, the great-great-great-great-great granddaughter of Fletcher Christian.

There were 16 crew members aboard the Bounty when it sank. Fourteen were rescued by helicopter, while Claudene Christian and the captain of the vessel had been swept overboard and never made it into life boats. The captain has not been found. Claudene was found floating in her cold water survival suit, being unresponsive. She was declared dead later at a local hospital.

There is much to be considered in these events. The name Fletcher means “a maker of arrows.” Fletcher Christian was a man who used violence and insurrection to get what he wanted. King David wrote the following words:

Psalms 57:4
My soul is among lions; I must lie among those who breathe forth fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword.

From the very early days of the church there have been men who have sought to wrest control of the church by carnal means.

III John 9-10
I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church.

Diotrephes was a Christian whose words were as arrows. He rejected those leaders Christ had appointed as shepherds of His flocks, and sought to rule in their stead. As such he is similar to Fletcher Christian. Such ones God will judge. Those who are spiritual descendants of this carnal spirit are represented by the descendant of Fletcher Christian.

Claudene: Feminine form of Claudius. From a Roman family name which was derived from Latin claudus meaning "lame, crippled."
[Source: http://www.behindthename.com/name/claudius]

The female crew member who died bore the same name as her mother. In name, they were both “lame, crippled Christian.” A Coast Guard spokesperson stated that Claudene was “unresponsive” when she was found. This is the condition of many Christians today. When God calls out to them, they do not respond.

In many stories, Captain William Bligh is depicted as an overbearing tyrant, and Fletcher Christian as the sympathetic protagonist of the story. Recently, historians have begun to challenge this depiction, arguing that Captain Bligh was far more lenient with his men than many British Navy officers. That half of the crew remained loyal to the captain provides further testimony to the fact that life was not intolerable under his leadership, as some have suggested. Furthermore, the actions of the mutineers as they subsequently kidnapped natives, and sought to rule them by force, reveals definite character flaws among these men. They were rebels and violent men at heart.

These events parallel the facts of the American Revolution. Those advocating rebellion sought to vilify the King of England. The offenses charged against the King were magnified to make rebellion seem justified. Even so, those in favor of rebellion never garnered the support of more than half of the American Colonists.

I have pondered the fact that this descendant of Fletcher Christian should choose to seek a career as a crew member on a ship that traces its history back to her rebellious ancestor. There was nothing noble in the actions of Fletcher Christian. He was a rebel, a kidnapper, a murderer, and a instigator of mutiny who would make himself the appointed leader of men. He manifested none of the fruit of the Spirit, despite his name, but rather was a man of strife and discord. Why would a descendant of such a man wish to say, “This was my ancestor,” and choose a career that would associate their own name with his?

In truth, this is what the church has done as they have aligned themselves with despots and rebels. There are legions of Christians who champion the founding fathers of America as great, moral, men. Had they failed in their attempt to overthrow the King of England, history would record these men as failed insurrectionists. They would remain the Masonic agitators that they truly were, men of violence and deception, seeking to elevate themselves and profit by installing a new government under their own control.

Similarly, many Christians profess affiliation with men such as John Calvin. Should any care to read about the life of this man, his persecutions of fellow believers, and endorsement of the slow torture of men such as Michael Servetus who was burned at the stake over green wood to prolong the agony, they should stand ashamed of ever having claimed to be a “Calvinist.”

People of God, the fruits of following in the steps of those who have acted carnally, rather than walking as spiritual men, are clearly seen in this nation today. The church is weak and crippled. It is unresponsive to the voice of God. There is a storm coming upon the nations and those Christians who do not walk as spiritual sons and daughters of the Most High will perish. When God sends them succor, even as the Coast Guard mounted an airborne rescue operation, they will not respond. Failing to act upon the voice of God, they will perish.

Some may argue that this woman was unable to respond. This is precisely the point. Those Christians who have spent their lives following the course their own soul has directed, choosing earthly affiliation over that which is spiritual, aligning themselves with deceivers and rebels, rather than with the meek, humble, and suffering Son of God, will find in the coming storm that they lack the ability to respond to the voice of God.

One of the things that has contributed to this lack of sensitivity to the voice of God is a love of the world and the things in it. Amazingly, this too is revealed in the parable now being visited. Fletcher Christian’s father Charles owned a large estate in England. Fletcher was very young when his father died. His mother then took over the management of the estate. She proved to be “grossly irresponsible” with her financial affairs.

Charles died in 1768 when Fletcher was not yet four. Ann proved herself grossly irresponsible with money. By 1779, when Fletcher was fifteen, Ann had run up a debt of nearly £6,500 (equal to £697,277 today), and faced the prospect of debtors' prison. Moorland Close was lost and Ann and her three younger children were forced to flee to the Isle of Man where English creditors had no power.
[Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fletcher_Christian]

In a remarkable parallel, Marlon Brando who played Fletcher Christian in The Mutiny on the Bounty is also credited with single-handedly running the production into financial ruin. He acted like a prima donna, even having the original movie director replaced. Talk about fiction imitating history. Marlon Brando exhibited the rebellion and usurpation of Fletcher Christian while making this movie, calling for a change of leadership, and ultimately inserting himself into the role of director. Although Lewis Milestone replaced Carol Reed as director for the film, Brando held everyone hostage to his whims, threatening to quit the film if his will was not carried out.

The 1962 film has become legendary for Brando's behaviour during filming. Allegedly, this was what led to Carol Reed's departure, and caused confrontations with Lewis Milestone. According to fellow actor Richard Harris, Brando got along badly with several cast members, including Harris himself, whose resentment was fuelled in part by Brando's refusal (or inability) to memorize his lines; Harris was later quoted as saying, "The picture and Brando were a large dreadful nightmare for me and I’d prefer to forget both as soon as my nerves recover." Brando would even reportedly rewrite portions of the script to his liking from day to day, leaving the rest of the cast bewildered as to what was to be filmed. According to the biography by Peter Manso, Brando's antics included pulling members of the film crew away from the set to work on the decorations for a friend's wedding in Tahiti and flying airplane loads of expensive food and drinks to the island for parties he would throw. The press accused Brando of throwing the film into weeks of overbudget, but Brando denied this and said the producers made a few mistakes as well that made the film's release late.
[Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutiny_on_the_Bounty_%281962_film%29]

The ship that sank was constructed for this movie and was intended to be destroyed after filming. Brando threatened to quit if they destroyed the ship, so MGM kept the ship as an exhibition piece. Old wooden ships are expensive to maintain, and the ship has passed through numerous hands. The most recent owners have been the HMS Bounty Organization LLC. They have sought to generate revenue by leasing her out to charter, excursions, sail training, and for use in movies. She appeared as “The Black Pearl” in Pirates of the Caribbean which starred Johnny Depp.

The Black Pearl

The name Bounty is of French derivation and means “goodness; abundant fruitfulness.” Vehicles often represent ministries, and as a sailing vessel, a ship powered by the wind, the Bounty represented a Spirit driven ministry. It stood as a symbol of the church itself. Yet this ship had been hijacked and put to uses other than those the Spirit of God intended. It is symbolic that in its most recent film role it was the ship of pirates, men of violence and deceit whose lust was for sex and money. The name “Black Pearl” itself speaks of something that was formerly pure and valuable becoming soiled. Pearls throughout the Bible are symbols of holiness, but the church has corrupted itself through love of the world and the things in it. Those who remain aboard this corrupted vessel become corrupt themselves. Spiritually they become weak and lame and unable to respond to the voice of God.

Revelation 21:21, 27
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl... and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it.

Claudene Christian

Claudene was a former beauty pageant contestant, and a singer. Note the microphone in front of her and the beer mug on the stool for people to put money in. The Budweiser advertisement over her head completes the image of one who has taken their talents and used them for personal pleasure and worldly gain. This is symbolic of the church who loves the world and the things in it, but which has become spiritually weak and insipid as a result.

I John 2:15-17
Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

The Bounty serves as a symbol of the church of Christ even as Fletcher and Claudene stand as types of those Christians who have followed their own course rather than following in the footsteps of Christ. The church was created to be a Spirit led and empowered vessel. In its latest incarnation, the Bounty had a diesel engine added to it. This engine, among other things, was used to power the pumps in the hull. This is symbolic of men in the church making use of worldly power as a substitute of those things Yahweh would accomplish through men empowered and guided by His Spirit. Wooden ships are leaky, and the pumps must be manned at all times. In the old days the pumps were literally “manned.” They were operated by men assigned that task by the captain of the vessel.

It was due to the diesel engine failing that the Bounty sank off the coast of North Carolina. In rough seas the engine failed and the pumps would not operate. The water level rose two feet inside the ship in an hour’s time. Soon the ship had to be abandoned.

Those who have been relying upon carnal means to accomplish the things of God in the church will find that these methods will shortly fail. The church has been reliant upon a healthy economy, fleshly fund raising methods, and a prosperity gospel to keep the pumps primed and running. A storm is coming that will devastate the world economic system and the church will find out suddenly, and with paralyzing fear, just how much she has been dependent upon this world system to accomplish her desires. The church has reshaped the gospel into something that can be sold. It has conjured up a prosperity message that will attract legions of followers who will put money in the offering plates. In a moment of time this will all end.

The Bounty has been for sale for the past two years. It was still on the market when it sank. Likewise, the church has offered herself up to whoever will show her the money.

Ezekiel 23:28-30
“For thus says Yahweh God, ‘Behold, I will give you into the hand of those whom you hate, into the hand of those from whom you were alienated. They will deal with you in hatred, take all your property, and leave you naked and bare. And the nakedness of your harlotries will be uncovered, both your lewdness and your harlotries. These things will be done to you because you have played the harlot with the nations, because you have defiled yourself with their idols.’”

People of God, from beginning to end the story of the Bounty has been a Christian parable. When the flesh replaces the Spirit in guiding the body of Christ the end is tragedy. A storm is coming upon the nations and judgment must begin at the house of God. There are multitudes of spiritually weak and lame Christians today who are unresponsive to the voice of God. The seas were 18 feet high (6+6+6) when the ship sank. The winds were 40 knots. The beast system is rising. A wilderness experience lies ahead of the people of God. If you find you are in a church that traces its history back to the usurpations of man; if the leadership of the Spirit has been replaced by flesh and blood, flee from it.

Perhaps one of the most tragic aspects of this recent story is that God warned this woman named Christian of what was coming.

CBC News spoke to Claudene Christian, whose daughter was a crew member on the Bounty, Monday morning as the rescue efforts began. She said her daughter Claudene had contacted her before heading out on her journey.

"She says, 'We're heading out and I just wanted to tell you and dad that I love you.' And I said, 'What are you saying that for?' And she said, 'Just in case something happens,'" Christian said in a phone interview from Oklahoma.
[Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2012/10/29/ns-hms-bounty-hurricane-sandy.html]

Bounty Sinking

The Spirit is testifying that a storm is soon to fall upon the nations. Like the captain and crew of the Bounty, many will seek to sail around the storm, but they will be unable to do so. If you are being guided by your soul or by men who have usurped the role of the Spirit of Christ, NOW is the time to return to the rightful Captain of your life. He will lead you safely through the storm ahead.

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

Following the Cloud

Joseph Herrin (10-26-2012)

Being Led by God in the Wilderness

Exodus 13:21-22
Yahweh was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

I never cease to be in awe of the manner in which Yahweh is able to lead me as His son. There is something greatly comforting when God manifests His presence in one’s life to give them specific guidance. I view it as a tangible demonstration of my Father’s watchfulness and care over my life.

Yahweh had led me this past May to relocate my bus/motorhome to a small RV Park in the town of Montezuma, Georgia. Although I do not comprehend all of the reasons that the Father led me to this campground, one of His purposes was made known to me about the time I moved there. This occurred just after the Father had provided me with a 16 foot trailer to pull behind my bus, and His Spirit put it upon my heart to use the trailer to store up grains and legumes, as well as to mount a grain mill and roller/flaker (for rolled oats).

My Bus and Trailer

Just a few miles up the road from the campground was a Mennonite country market that sold bulk grains and legumes. I had wondered where I was to purchase these items. I had  priced some bulk items on the Internet, but with shipping the total cost of most of the items was exorbitant. A stop by this local market revealed that the owner had 50 lb. Bags of wheat, spelt, and other grains, and she told me she could order most of the other items on my list. When I compared prices with the best offers online, even discounting the cost of shipping, I found that this local market offered better prices on almost all items.

The owner purchased bulk items only once a month. Conveniently, she was to send out a new order in the next week so I placed a large order including oats, barley, rye, whole grain rice, and a variety of peas, lentils and beans.

           
















Grain Storage

I filled up forty-two five gallon buckets with grains and legumes, and have other provisions as well. The Spirit gave me great assurance of His will in this matter, and I sensed Him going before me to get this done. Being at this RV park also made it convenient for me to get my own mail. I have had a P.O. Box at the Montezuma post office for years, although I had never lived in the town previously. I had rented a P.O. Box there because my daughter Kristin lived in the area, and she had agreed to check my mail for me when I was traveling.

One way in which the Father has often revealed His will regarding moving was by withholding the financial means to pay to remain in a place. From January 2011 until the end of February 2012, a total of 14 months, the Father had directed me to stay at an RV park in Perry, Georgia. This marked the beginning of my living in The Dreamer, which is the name of my bus. During this entire period I always had sufficient funds on hand month by month to pay the lot rental. This too is an amazing thing considering that for a number of years I have had no other occupation besides the ministry of writing and teaching. I have not mentioned personal needs on my websites, but have been instructed of the Father to make my needs known to Him.

Matthew 6:31-33
“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat? or ‘What will we drink? or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

It is an awesome thing to have one’s life completely cast over into the hands of the Father, trusting Him to meet every need, and to find day by day, week after week, month by month, and year after year, that He abides faithful. Having first been directed to a life of faith in 1999, and having observed the faithfulness of the Father for an extended period of time, I have come to be much more at rest when my finances dwindle. Rather than fearing that God has forgotten me, I have learned to consider that Yahweh does all things for a purpose, even the withholding of funds.

After being at the Perry campground for fourteen months my finances were reduced so that I could not pay the next month’s rent. The RV park owners would have let me stay and pay later when I had the funds in hand, but I have sensed that the Spirit would not have me to operate in this manner. I have had no financial debt since the end of 1999, and I believe the Father would have me to live contentedly with what He provides day by day, rather than reckoning on what I might have tomorrow.

So, at the beginning of March 2012 I left the Perry RV park and drove over to Walmart where I camped for a few days in their parking lot. By the time the third day was up the funds were on hand to rent another space at a different RV park. I stayed there three months before the Spirit directed me to Montezuma in May of this year.

My rent was due on the 11th of this month (October 2012). I had been at the same campground five months when once again my funds had dwindled down. Even before this occurred, however, I had a sense in my spirit that the Father would be relocating me. A month earlier I had made reservations at the RV park on Jekyll Island just in case the Father might allow me to return there for a season. I was unsure of the Father’s guidance relating to Jekyll Island, so I continued to pray and seek His face. I prayed that if it were NOT His will that the funds would not be available for me to travel there. It would cost nearly a thousand dollars to drive there and back and stay for a month.

When there was only three days left before my reservation date and the money had not materialized, I discerned that it was not the Father’s will that I travel to this Georgia barrier island. I had to contact the campground 3 days before my reservation to cancel or I would lose my deposit, so I called and canceled. At the same time, I still sensed that I was to leave the RV park in Montezuma. In the Spirit I sensed that my time was up there.

My funds were still low, and I did not have the means to move to another RV park. I began praying for the Father to direct me by His Spirit. The Spirit brought to mind a parcel of land in a remote rural area that belongs to someone I know. I had a growing sense that it was the Father’s will that I relocate there. On the morning I had to leave the RV park I prayed to the Father for guidance. As I prayed, three separate thoughts came to mind. First, I would go to the Post Office one last time and see if anyone had sent a financial gift. If there were not sufficient funds to go to another RV park I would conclude that the Father did not desire me to do so. Second, the thought arose while praying to ask the Father that if it was truly His will for me to relocate to the property of the person I knew that the person would call me that day and invite me out to lunch with them, which was not a common event. Thirdly, I mentioned to the Father that I would need to speak to the RV park owner and tell him I was leaving. Being a small RV park the owners had no staff and did not keep regular office hours. Many days I did not see them at all.

With peace in my heart I rode my bike to the post office. Someone sent a small gift that day, but it was not enough to pay the rent at an RV park for a month. As I was still in the post office, addressing some mail to be sent out, my phone rang. It was the person whom the Father had placed on my mind to move to their property. They called to invite me to have lunch with them. A few minutes later, as I walked out the front door of the post office, I observed the RV park owner getting out of his pick-up truck. I walked over and told him I would be leaving that day. Like clockwork, the Father had answered all three of the items the Spirit had directed me to pray that morning. Over lunch, the person with the property expressed excitement about having me to park my bus on their property, which I later found had water, electric, and sewer connections, something I had not anticipated.

A remarkable part of this story is that for the past couple years the Father has laid it upon the heart of a sister in Christ to send a regular financial gift that has been sufficient to pay the monthly rent at an RV park. She wrote to me about a week before the time was to arrive when I would have to pay the lot rent or move. She did not know my situation, but volunteered that she had the money on hand to send me, but the Spirit of Christ had not released her to send it. I commended her for being sensitive to the voice of the Spirit, and encouraged her to continue to do only as Yahweh directed her to do. Had the Spirit of Christ not restrained this sister from sending her gift, the will of the Lord in this matter would not have been so clear to me.

I have been at this rural location for two weeks now, and I love it here. It is so remote that one has to drive down dirt roads for several miles to access it. The property I am parked on is not even visible from the dirt road. Despite this, I actually get a cell phone signal here and I am able to use my Verizon broadband modem for Internet access.

Champ, my dog, also loves the location. Part of the property contains a level grass lawn which was somewhat grown up when I arrived here. From my youth I have enjoyed mowing grass, and as soon as I arrived here I began to desire to cut the grass. A nicely manicured lawn is a thing of beauty. It also serves as a profound parable.

Isaiah 40:6-7
A voice says, "Call out." Then he answered, "What shall I call out?" All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of Yahweh blows upon it; Surely the people are grass.

Mowing grass is a parable of flesh cutting. Even as people who are fleshly appear unattractive to spiritual eyes, so too does a yard of grass that has not been cut appear unattractive. Having been parked at RV parks for a couple years I have not had any grass to cut, and I looked forward to being able to cut some again.

At the same time, I desired to remain free from dependency upon worldly power sources such as gasoline, or electricity, to cut the lawn. I began to consider getting an old fashioned reel mower.

Reel Mower

The mower above reminds me of the very first lawn mower I used. I was probably about 8 years old and the year 1969 when my dad began assigning me the task of mowing the lawn. You will note that there is no motor on this unit. The blade spins as the mower is pushed forward. It is a pretty good workout, especially if you use one of the old school mowers like the one pictured above. There are much better reel mowers for sale today that are easier to push. The Fiskars reel mower is one of the highest rated, and the blades need sharpening only once every 5-10 years, which is remarkable.

   






Fiskars StaySharp Reel Mower

Having read numerous reviews online, and watched videos of this mower, I decided this was the one I desired to have to keep the grass cut at my new location. I sensed that the Father had some purpose in this, for He orders all the events of our lives. It was the Father that led me to this new location with perhaps ½ to 3/4 acres of grass. I sensed it was the Spirit producing in me a desire to get out and mow the grass and get it in shape. I believed there was some parable in all of this, so I began praying that if the Father wanted me to purchase this mower to cut the grass that He would send me the funds. Amazon was asking $199.00 for this mower.

On the 23rd I arose and spent time in prayer. I specifically made mention of the mower, and a desire to get the grass cut. I asked the Father to send the provision if He wanted me to get this mower. After praying I checked my PayPal account and found that the sister who had previously shared that the Father had held her back from sending her regular gift had the night before (the 22nd) sent $200. This struck me as symbolic for the number 22 is related to flesh cutting, and the Father had spoken to me about mowing grass and the number 22 in great detail at an earlier point in my life. There is a chapter in my autobiography Evidence of Things Unseen that speaks of these matters.

Although the sister sent the gift on the 22nd, I learned of it on the 23rd. The Father has also used the number 23 to signify His provision in my life. He has related this to Psalm 23 which states, “The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want (lack for any necessary thing).” So I ordered the mower that same morning and it was delivered the next day. The mower works very well, as you can see in the following video which I found on YouTube.

http://youtu.be/Y7ey2FHIVvg



I have pondered the parable that the Father is providing through this lawn mowing experience. I actually ordered the Fiskars “Momentum” reel mower, but found out they have changed the name to the Fiskars “StaySharp” reel mower. The mower cuts an 18 inch swath of grass (6+6+6). This speaks of the beast nature that must be dealt with in each of our lives. The cutting of grass is a parable of the removal of the flesh from our lives.

The biggest improvements I see over this mower and the one I used as a child is that it is much sharper, and cuts the grass with greater ease. It is advertised as being 40% easier to push than a standard reel mower. Also, the blades stay sharp due to the design of the Fiskars mower. The blades never touch another metal surface. This keeps them from dulling. The blades are so sharp that you are instructed to adjust and test the blades by slicing paper with them.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m33ZK8EWYZ08MF/ref=ent_fb_link

Back around the end of 1999 as the Father was leading me out into a new experience of following Him wherever He would lead, He spoke to me of the ministry He was preparing me for. As I sat at my sister’s house in Mississippi watching a large tractor mow a field of sod across the way, I told the Father that I would love to have a job like that. It seemed so peaceful. I had always found mowing grass to be a choice time for meditation. As I spoke to the Father, He responded, “I have indeed called you to a ministry of cutting grass, for all flesh is as grass. But first you must allow me to cut the grass in your life.”

In the interim I have come to discern that gasoline, or petroleum, is often a symbol of a counterfeit anointing. See the presentation titled Black Oil Anointing.

http://www.heart4god.ws/index_htm_files/Black%20Oil%20Anointing%20-%20Presentation.pdf

This mower I am now using does not run on petroleum. It is the Spirit of Christ who gives life to my mortal body that produces the power.

Romans 8:11
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Yahshua from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Yahshua from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Zechariah 4:6
Then he said to me, “This is the word of Yahweh..., ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says Yahweh of hosts.”

Perhaps the time is at hand to begin a new phase of ministry. I have been sensing that changes are at hand. Having completed the series titled Dragon Flood I felt strangely empty. I had felt driven to complete that series, and was eager to work on it. Yet now I am casting about to know what is next.

This morning I was praying and asking the Father for direction, and understanding of why He led me to where I am at and what is next. When I later checked my e-mail I had a message from a Christian brother in Australia. He wrote:

I want to share this with you. I downloaded all of your PDF books just a couple of days ago. I was impressed of the Lord a few weeks ago to copy my own material off the website and store it offline so it would not be lost should we lose access to the Internet for some reason. Then in the last few days, the Lord has again impressed this upon me, more strongly this time. He is even leading me to move it from electronic copy to printed copy. I value what you have brought forth in the humility and wisdom of the Lord so I felt to download and store your material as well.

A couple of things have happened by way of confirmation of the Lord’s leading.

1.    We very rarely turn on the television. But interestingly, for more than a week now, I have also not obtained the news from the Internet, or any other source. This is remarkable for me – I usually keep myself regularly updated and certainly at a time like this! And yet the Lord has directed me as part of the separation He is leading me in to wean myself even from the news. I have jokingly shared with the brothers (that are part of this work) that they please let me know if WW3 has started or anything else of significance as I would have no idea (from natural sources, at least). I must confess I have not missed the muddied waters of the news at all. I believe this weaning is in preparation for a time when we won’t have ready access to outside sources for insight into the times and seasons of the Lord.
2.    I thought to check online if it was possible for the Internet to be switched off, from a technology point-of-view. I quickly found an article online written in 2011 just after the Egypt riots that confirmed it would take about 30 minutes for Australia’s Internet to be taken down at the directive of the government. Of course, the article suggests this is highly improbable given our stable democracy over the past 110 years. The reasons it cites as possible triggers for Internet removal are terrorist crisis, or financial crisis, or environmental disaster, or the like. You can read the article here: http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/374883/can_australia_internet_switched_off_too_/
3.    I just finished reading the article (as linked above) to my wife and was talking to her about how I am sensing this is what’s about to happen when the computer rebooted itself!? It was though someone pressed reset. I was genuinely shocked. There was no obvious explanation for the reboot.
4.    I was sharing these leadings with a brother over the phone and as I was sharing, a word came to me that someone brought forth a couple of years ago in a believer’s meeting that I was visiting. This was a couple of years ago and I didn’t write anything down and yet it came back to me very clearly. The brother leading worship in that meeting, shared a word that the Lord had shown him that the world system was literally built on sand. i.e. the silicon chip. He was working in IT at the time when he received this revelation. I’ve not seen this brother since that meeting, but I emailed him and told him how that word had come back to my remembrance and what I was hearing the Lord saying now about the Internet. The brother responded and emailed me the sand – silicon chip parable...

Joseph, the Lord has been speaking to me about the judgment season we are entering into. He will appear in these days in a way many will not recognise Him. It is a hiding in a sense (Ps 18:11; 97:2). There will be a famine for the word of the Lord (Amos 8:11-12) as the sun sets on the false prophets (Mic 3:6). A bride will be prepared in the wilderness (Rev 12:6,14) led by a company who have been consecrated for ruling and reigning and judging in this season. There is a changing of the guard taking place for the sake of His people. We rest in the sure truth that everything Yahweh does is in love. Of course, we don’t choose or dictate to Him the season. Peter did this when Yeshua shared with His disciples the times and seasons of the Father and he was rebuked as being under the influence of Satan himself.

As surely as Yahweh directed Eljiah into hiding (1 Kings 17:1-7), I believe this intense separation, a hiding almost, that the Lord has called me into is a sign of the coming season of judgement and the coming famine of the Word. I have stopped meetings in the hall now and am not uploading any new written words or preaching to the Internet. Those who are hungry and who have a desire to purify in preparation for His appearing (1 John 3:3) are gathering with us in our home. Very rich, very real. Glory to God.

For your prayerful consideration, brother.
Grace and peace, richest blessings
Name Withheld

There is much to ponder here. Since moving to this new location I have considered whether the Lord was relocating me in preparation for a storm that the Spirit has been testifying is coming to this land. I had specifically thought of Elijah being led of the Lord to go hide himself by the Brook Cherith. It seems that the Spirit has led me to a similarly remote place. This brother from Australia made reference to the same scriptural story. I will be seeking the Father to know whether He is stating that it is time to lay low for a season.

Have we reached that time when the grain has now been gathered into the barns and we must await a famine for the word of God to induce people to seek out that Joseph company that has been storing up spiritual seed for such a time as this?

Genesis 41:55-57
So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, you shall do." When the famine was spread over all the face of the earth, then Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. The people of all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth.

These are some of the things I am pondering. I would appreciate hearing from those who read this blog whether you are hearing anything similar from the Lord about this hour. For me at least, I seem to be in a time of transition. Change is in the air. Of this I am certain: The Spirit of Christ has led me here. I am looking intently to perceive what is on the horizon. Your prayers are greatly cherished.

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

P.S. “Stay Sharp” is an English expression meaning “Be Alert!”


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

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

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

Disqualified

Joseph Herrin (10-24-2012)

II Timothy 2:5
If anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.

For a time Lance Armstrong lived a fairy tale life. A survivor of testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain, he overcame this obstacle to become a seven time winner of the Tour de France. Such success in the face of adversity led to lucrative endorsement deals with companies such as Nike, Annheuser-Busch, and Oakley. Armstrong’s golden boy image was further enhanced by the cancer foundation he established. The LiveStrong foundation became a source of hope for millions, and the little yellow bracelets distributed by the Lance Armstrong Foundation became a social icon. For millions who struggled with cancer, or had a loved one who was battling this disease, Lance Armstrong’s life became a source of great hope.

Lance Armstrong - LIVESTRONG

Had these facts been the sum and total of Lance Armstrong’s life, he would truly have left an inspiring legacy. Yet, beneath the facade of success and the image of a champion there were rumors of cheating. Doping, the use of banned, performance enhancing drugs, has fallen as a plague on the sport of cycling in recent years. From 1999-2005, the years in which Lance Armstrong won his record seven tour events, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency reported that 20 of the 21 riders on the podium have been "directly tied to likely doping through admissions, sanctions, public investigations" or other means. It added that of the 45 riders on the podium between 1996 and 2010, 36 were by cyclists "similarly tainted by doping..."
[Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-400_162-57537025/lance-armstrong-stripped-of-tour-de-france-medals/]

There have been a number of high-profile cyclists who have been stripped of their medals and banned from the sport recently. Rumors persisted that Lance Armstrong had employed illegal means to achieve his victories. The International sport of cycling relied upon blood and urine tests to catch those who were seeking an illegal advantage. Lance Armstrong had submitted routinely to such testing and had never been caught. Yet it was known that his cycling team employed physicians who had been linked to doping.

Reports from team-members, and associates began to surface, giving testimony to the fact that Lance Armstrong had practiced doping. Armstrong’s defense repeatedly was that he had never had a positive indication of doping from a blood or urine test. Armstrong survived several challenges in this manner, while the USADA contended that Armstrong’s cycling team had employed such sophistication in their doping schemes that they were able to pass the chemical analysis being used.

In the end, it seems that Armstrong relied too much upon gaming the system through sophisticated medical practices, while neglecting to consider the importance of eye witness accounts.

In total, 26 people — including 15 riders — testified that Armstrong and his teams used and trafficked banned substances and routinely used blood transfusions. Among the witnesses were loyal sidekick George Hincapie and convicted dopers Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis.
[Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-400_162-57537025/lance-armstrong-stripped-of-tour-de-france-medals/]

The Bible states that an accusation is not valid if there is only one witness testifying to a matter. The principle has been that there must be two or three witnesses for a matter to be established (Deuteronomy 17:6). This requisite number has been greatly exceeded in the case of Lance Armstrong. As a result, the USADA banned Lance Armstrong from all international events which it oversees. The Tour de France vacated all seven of Armstrong’s victories, and all of the sponsors that had endorsement contracts with him canceled. The final insult occurred when Armstrong was forced to resign as chairman of the cancer foundation that he created and which had been indelibly linked to his name.

Cheat to Win

Those who have truly been cheated are the cancer victims and their loved ones who embraced the LiveStrong Foundation wholeheartedly as a symbol of hope and courage. Lance Armstrong was the face of this organization, and now his name conjures up associations of lying, cheating, and fraud. The Internet is rife with reports of people re-thinking their views of this very popular institution and its chief spokesman.

Others, however, who saw Armstrong as a symbol of hope and solidarity were completely devastated by his fall, with some cynically wondering if Livestrong was a front to deflect attention from doping allegations.

"It seemed that only a few years after his early comeback, he reverted into the same crass and cocky fella he was known to be pre-cancer. He lost any humility and never seemed contrite or thankful to be alive anymore," iReporter Paul Smeulders said. 'It appeared he started using LIVESTRONG as a brand to elevate himself and as a shield to cover or dodge criticism of his unsportsmanlike behavior."

Wendy Adams of Manchester, Pennsylvania, and her sisters have been wearing their yellow bracelets since their father was diagnosed with end stage prostate cancer in 2004.

"We bought bracelets for more strength, for unity, and suddenly Lance wasn't just an athlete any longer, he was hope," Adams, 51, said in a CNN iReport. "We were connected to others who were proudly wearing the same [bracelet] yet living this horror of cancer, all of us, together with Lance, a man who went through it, and came out stronger and better."

When her father died in 2005, the family respected his wish to be cremated wearing the bracelet and spent $200 dollars on the bracelets for family and friends to hand out.

Now, she says she can't wear the bracelet with pride anymore because of its connection to Armstrong and the organization. She has taken it off and vows to never again wear it.

"My heart is broken by this news. I never thought Lance was involved in doping, I thought he was above it, an honest man with integrity and honor," she said. "Lance is Livestrong, he is the face of hope. And when that face is that of a liar, a manipulator, for me? I can't wear it with pride anymore..."

"Seven Tour de France wins is a long time to keep up a lie. He was worshipped (sic) and adored by many people," said Rosado, 42.

"If you can't accomplish the feat without cheating then it is not a feat," he said. "It is a lie, and lots of people were looking up to those lies."
[Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/10/18/living/lance-armstrong-livestrong-legacy/index.html]

(Note: Image is of Armstrong’s former teammate Floyd Landis who was charged with doping in 2006 and stripped of his Tour de France medal.)

It is shattering to fall from the heights. To rise to the pinnacle of honor and glory only to have it all erased is a devastating blow. Yet, to have one’s name and reputation become a synonym for cheating and lying, and to become an icon of shame, is truly tragic.

Lance Armstrong - Liar

The hubris of mankind is observed in the fact that Lance Armstrong believed he could game the system and get away with it. He received the glory and the accolades of a champion when he had not competed according to the rules. He was enriched with magnificent endorsement deals that were all based upon fraud and deception.

In this story is a parable for Christians today. There are many who have made a name for themselves. They have learned to achieve success through carnal methods. Their names have risen until even the worldly have taken note of them. There are myriads of Christians who have found success in this fallen world system. The church has patterned itself after the ways of the world. The church has its shining stars. Big name ministries and ministers are all the rage. Preachers of prosperity have accumulated legions of followers. They produce a stream of books with lucrative publishing contracts. They are paid exorbitant salaries by their churches and ministries.

The church also has its entertainment icons. The Christian music industry is identical to the secular. It seeks to stir the souls of men and women with professionally produced and skillfully engineered music and lyrics. An image is created around the singers and groups. Sex, attractiveness, and worldly success, or whatever titillates and stirs interest, is used to increase popularity.

Among the membership of the church there is also a cadre of the successful and popular. The church has adopted the mindset of the Laodiceans. They equate material prosperity, ease, and comfort with spiritual success. Yet, like Lance Armstrong, a great many in the church have not been competing according to the rules. They have been gaming the system. They have fooled the majority and appear successful outwardly, yet God has a very different view of things.

Revelation 3:17-22
You say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent... He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Lance Armstrong is like the emperor who was shown to not be wearing any clothes. His nakedness has been uncovered. His victories were all cheats and deception. The image of a champion was an illusion that fooled some for a season. Even so, many in the church will have the facade of spiritual success stripped away and their nakedness will be exposed. Their wealth will be revealed to be poverty. Their success will be exposed as defeat.

Christ revealed through His life that the way to life, and to honor and reward before the Father, is a life of humility and suffering. He stated:

Matthew 7:13-14
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is afflicted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

To receive glory and honor at the Father’s hands you must compete according to the rules. One of the rules is that you must surrender your life and take up your cross to follow Christ. There is an afflicted path appointed to all who would be numbered among the overcomers in Christ. If you have been choosing your own course in this world, a course of comfort and ease, then you are gaming the system. You may fool a great many people, and even gain the approval of the majority in the church, but there is One who is Judge who will show no partiality. It is not possible to deceive the One with whom we must deal.

Are you walking humbly before God and man? Have you given the reins of your life over into the hands of the Father for Him to guide you wherever He desires? Have you counted all things of this world as loss in exchange for gaining Christ? Are you enduring hardship, and remaining free of worldly entanglements that you might please the One who has chosen you?

If you are being led by your own soul down the path you are walking, you are not competing according to Yahweh’s rules. His word states:

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

Can your life be described as a “Spirit-led life”? Are you bearing your cross, denying your own soul’s desires, and choosing first the kingdom of God?

Don’t let the tragedy of Lance Armstrong be the story of your life. Shame and disgrace and great sorrow will be the portion of many when they appear before the throne of God and are recompensed for the life they have led.

Matthew 8:11-12
"I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Many who are first in this life will be last, and many last will be first. Many are called by God to the wedding feast of the Lamb, but few are chosen. There are multitudes of Christians who are choosing to partake of their good things now. They are eschewing the cross and suffering. A day of great calamity awaits them when they will be stripped of their reputation and comforts and worldly attainment.

It is far better to be reproached, rejected, and little esteemed in this world, to eat the bread of poverty and to endure hardship now, following in the steps of Christ while looking to the reward to come, than it is to receive one’s good things now and receive shame and reproach at the appearing of Christ.

Revelation 14:12-13
Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Yahshua. And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Write, "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them."

Are you competing according to the rules of Yahweh’s kingdom? Are you running a good race that you might receive the reward? In time, all will be disclosed and nothing hidden.


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

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

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

New Book Available

A number of people have written to ask if they could receive the recent series titled Dragon Flood in a single document so that they could print it out, and have it available to share with others in printed or electronic format. The series has been formatted as a book, in PDF format, with an index and chapter hyperlinks. It is available to be read, downloaded, or printed out from the BOOK page of the Heart4God website.

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

Scroll down to the bottom of the book listings and you will see the book, along with the PDF download button.


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

Joseph Herrin

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

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

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

Dragon Flood - Part Twenty - Don't Drink the Water

Joseph Herrin (10-17-2012)

The name of this series is Dragon Flood. The title is derived from a passage of Scripture in the book of Revelation that focuses on Satan’s attacks on the church in the last days before the return of Christ.

Revelation 12:15-16
And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth.

The book of Revelation conveys spiritual truth through images and symbols. A river of water coming forth from the mouth of the dragon, Satan, symbolizes an overflowing volume of words that are designed to move the people of God in a specific direction. Even as raging flood waters exert an irresistible force upon all that are caught in them, so too is Satan pouring forth such a massive volume of lies and deception that the vast majority of men and women, in or out of the church, are being inexorably manipulated in their thoughts and actions, with the result that they are being swept away toward destruction.

The Biblical correlation between water and words is observed in this passage. As I have researched and meditated upon this series of writings I became aware of a profound parable that exists in America and certain other nations that typifies the work of the adversary and the willingness of the masses to lap up the poison that spews from his mouth. This parable is observed in the introduction of a toxic industrial waste to the public drinking water. This toxin is referred to as fluoride.

Perhaps you believe you have heard all about fluoride, and are convinced that those who decry its sinister characteristics are a bunch of conspiracy nut jobs. I would suggest that if this is your conception of the fluoride controversy then you have been receiving most of your information from the government and the media which have been shown throughout this series to deliberately deceive, lie to, and manipulate the masses all in the name of the betterment of society.

If you were to read only one book on this topic, I would recommend The Fluoride Deception by Christopher Bryson. This skillfully written, highly readable, and extensively documented book includes over 100 pages of footnotes and source references at the end of the book. It demonstrates convincingly that the introduction of fluoride into the American public water supply was not an act originated by the Public Health System out of concern for American’s dental health. Rather, the introduction of fluoride to America’s drinking water was initiated by the Aluminum Corporation of America (Alcoa), and other corporate interests, as a means to deceive the public about the dangers of fluoride compounds that were the byproducts of aluminum and steel manufacturing, and the burgeoning nuclear industry.

If one follows the trail of the introduction of fluoride to the public drinking water, the presence of powerful corporate interests is easily observed. The head of the Public Health System in America at the time of fluoride’s adoption and promotion by the government was a man named Oscar Ewing. In 1944 Oscar Ewing earned $750,000 as the lead attorney representing Alcoa. This was a tremendous sum of money in those days. Yet, in 1945 Ewing gave up this lucrative position to accept a government post as Federal Security Administrator. In this position Ewing oversaw the U.S. Public Health System.

At the time of Ewing’s appointment the Federal Security Agency fell under the control of the Treasury Department, and the head of the U.S. Treasury was none other than Andrew Mellon, who made his fortune in aluminum and steel manufacturing. With Ewing’s appointment the policy of the PHS reversed, and they began promoting the addition of fluoride to the public’s drinking water.

At the time the aluminum industry was under siege as hundreds of millions of dollars in lawsuits were being brought against the manufacturers. Farmers and ranchers were having their lands poisoned, their crops destroyed, and their livestock crippled by the hazardous waste pouring forth from the smokestacks of the huge industrial smelters. Citizens were being poisoned, sickened, and even dying. The primary culprit was the fluoride produced as a byproduct of aluminum manufacturing. Christopher Bryson shares the following information.

Ray Weidlein and the Mellon Institute were in full crisis mode that spring of 1935 helping Union Carbide and other top corporations contain public outrage over workplace carnage - and head off draconian legislation for better pollution control inside factories. The corporate strategy was clear: get dominion over basic science, wrestle control of health information from labor groups, and in turn, reinvest that medical expertise in the hand of industry-anointed specialists... The besieged corporations organized a lobbying group known as the Air Hygiene Foundation because, as the group noted, “Sound laws must be based upon sound facts”; and, perhaps more importantly, because “half a billion dollars in damage suits have been filed against employers in occupational disease claims.”

Headquartered at the Mellon Institute, in 1937 the Air Hygiene Foundation had a membership list sporting many of the best-known names in the industry, including Johns-Manville, Westinghouse, Monsanto, U.S. Steel, Union Carbide, Alcoa, and DuPont.
[Source: The Fluoride Deception, Christopher Bryson]

Alcoa was one of the companies facing a tidal wave of litigation.

Alcoa’s research director, Francis Frary, took action. In September 1935 he approached Gerald Cox, a Mellon Institute researcher... Frary now had a suggestion that would ultimately transform the public perception of fluoride (propaganda)... Frary took upon himself to make a generous suggestion to the Mellon researcher. Had Cox ever considered that good teeth might be caused by fluoride?

Cox understood that Frary was suggesting that he include fluoride in his tooth-decay study. Although this suggestion flew in the face of the result from the dental study at Johns Hopkins a decade earlier - which had showed that fluoride hurt teeth - nevertheless the Alcoa man’s proposal was “the first time I ever gave fluorine a thought,” Cox later told historian Donald McNeil.

The great makeover of fluoride’s image had begun.
[Source: Ibid]

Notice who the principle players are in this action to get fluoride’s image changed from that of a health hazard. It was industrialists who produced fluoride in their plants, and who were facing hundreds of millions of dollars in suits from injured employees, and from farmers, ranchers, and citizens who lived in the vicinity of their plants. The researchers were employed by Institutes wholly owned by these same industrialists. Thus, the “science” was bought and paid for by the men who stood to gain the most financially by altering the public perception of fluoride’s danger. As was stated in the last chapter, “‘truth happens to an idea...’” Something asserted might become a fact, regardless of its connection to actual events.”

Enter the Professional Deceivers

In the 1930s Edward Bernays was a consultant to Alcoa. One of Bernays’ primary methods of changing public opinion was to enlist “professionals” to endorse something. He routinely used doctors to alter public perception. Bernays understood that Americans are over-awed by the opinion of “specialists” and “professionals,” especially those in the medical field. Bernays was at times hired by the cigarette industry to increase their sales. One method that was found to be effective was to get doctors to attest to the health benefits of smoking.

1930 Cigarette Ad

Cigarettes were even marketed as a method of weight control, and in this way were promoted as a health inducing product.

There was never any lack of doctors, dentists, or other professionals who would agree to state that a product was safe and health promoting when they were paid to endorse a product.

Note the MD on “More Doctors” is Highlighted

Dentist Recommendation

Those reading this post will recognize the deceit being practiced in these ads. It is widely understood today that cigarettes cause cancer, lead to heart disease, COPD, emphysema, and a wide range of other maladies. It is estimated that 100 million people died in the 20th century from smoking cigarettes. How deplorable, unethical, and damning is it for cigarette merchants to not only ignore the negative health effects of smoking, but to promote the idea that smoking is actually healthy and endorsed by physicians and dentists?

•    Around 6 million deaths a year are caused by tobacco.
•    Every 6.5 seconds a current or former smoker dies, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
•    An estimated 1.3 billion people are smokers worldwide (WHO).
•    Over 443,000 Americans (over 18 percent of all deaths) die because of smoking each year. Secondhand smoke kills about 50,000 of them.
•    1.2 million people in China die because of smoking each year. That's 2,000 people a day.
•    Tobacco use will kill 1 billion people in the 21st century if current smoking trends continue.
•    33 percent to 50 percent of all smokers are killed by their habit.
•    Smokers die on average 15 years sooner than nonsmokers.
[Source: http://www.inforesearchlab.com/smokingdeaths.chtml]

It should be obvious that the corporate money powers care nothing for the value of human life, nor does the government. Not only has the American government sent millions of young Americans to be killed and maimed in foreign wars that were fought under false pretense, they made sure the soldiers, sailors, and airmen had plenty of cigarettes to take along with them.

WWI Government Cigarette Ad

People of God, it is the same corporate and government interests that have sold fluoride to the public as an advantageous health benefit. In truth fluoride is an industrial toxin that has been linked to bone cancer, bone deformities, Alzheimer’s disease, increased bone fractures, adverse thyroid function, dental fluorosis, osteoporosis, and decreased mental ability, among other maladies. Fluoride accumulates in the body, concentrating mainly in the bones.

The thinking of the aluminum manufacturers is that if they could change the public perception of fluoride from that of a hazardous waste, to a substance endorsed by medical and dental professionals as beneficial to human health, then they could defeat the burgeoning legal attacks levied against them. Furthermore, if they could get people to ingest fluoride regularly, then it would be all the more difficult to prove that the fluoride in a person’s body was the result of a nearby aluminum plant, rather than from the water they drink.

Christopher Bryson points out in his book that one of the chief medical doctors responsible for getting fluoride approved by the government was Dr. Robert Kehoe who sponsored fluoride research at the University of Cincinnati in the 1940s and 1950s.

Kehoe is better known today for his career-long defense of the safety of adding lead to gasoline (now discredited). But he was also a leading figure reassuring citizens and scientists of the safety of industrial fluoride and water fluoridation, while burying information about the chemical’s toxic effects and privately sharing doubts with his corporate sponsors about the safety of even tiny amounts of the chemical.
[Source: The Fluoride Deception, Christopher Bryson]

The same people who have brought you leaded gasoline, and the health benefits of smoking, have assured the American public that fluoride is both safe and beneficial, and they should not be worried about this industrial chemical being added to their drinking water.

Fluoride has never actually been proven to help prevent cavities, and evidence reveals that if it has even a minute benefit, that is derived by the fluoride being applied topically to the outside of the teeth while brushing. There is absolutely no evidence that fluoride ingested into the body by drinking and absorbed into the bloodstream to be deposited into the teeth and bones has any benefit. Quite the contrary. Fluoride accumulation in the bones has been linked to osteosarcoma (bone cancer), arthritis like symptoms, bone deformities, and brittleness of the bones.

One sign of over-saturation of fluoride in the body is dental fluorosis. This accumulation of fluoride is revealed in a mottling or discoloration of the tooth enamel. In its mildest form there may be white specks that appear on the teeth. In more severe forms the teeth can appear stained with yellow or brown discoloration.

Dental Fluorosis

Dental Fluorosis is a telltale sign that fluoride levels have accumulated to dangerous levels in the human body. The government’s own statistics state that one third of all people in the U.S. manifest signs of dental fluorosis. In some cities, such as Atlanta, the percentage of the population with dental fluorosis is as high as 80%.

Fluoride is added to public water supplies under the guise of helping to prevent tooth decay. Yet it causes far more serious disorders than it is supposed to address. Dispensing any type of medication through a municipal water supply is fraught with danger. The government guidelines state that 1 part per million of fluoride in the drinking water is safe. Yet it makes no allowance for certain members of the population being more sensitive to fluoride than others. Neither does it account for the fact that some people drink far more water than others, and thereby ingest much larger quantities of fluoride.

I suspect this is at least partly the reason that Atlanta has such a high percentage of dental fluorosis. Atlanta is a Southern city that has very hot summers. Children are especially susceptible to dental fluorosis and other effects of fluoride. Children playing outside during the summer will drink lots of water. Additionally, iced tea is a staple drink in the south, and it is usually made with local drinking water.

Although the original motive for the introduction of fluoride into the water system seems to have been a desire to indemnify the aluminum and steel manufacturing industries against loss by legal actions taken against them for fluoride pollution, there is a more sinister motive to consider. It is suggested by some that fluoride has been so strenuously promoted by the government because of its neurotoxic effects. Fluoride studies have shown that the ingestion of fluoride by children markedly lowers their IQ.

Remarkably, the studies demonstrating that fluoride has a dampening effect upon intelligence have come from varied sources, including Harvard University. The most recent study I have seen published is as recent as this summer (2012).

Harvard Study Finds Fluoride Lowers IQ - Published in Federal Gov't Journal
NEW YORK, July 24, 2012

Harvard University researchers' review of fluoride/brain studies concludes "our results support the possibility of adverse effects of fluoride exposures on children's neurodevelopment." It was published online July 20 in Environmental Health Perspectives, a US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences' journal (1), reports the NYS Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc. (NYSCOF)

"The children in high fluoride areas had significantly lower IQ than those who lived in low fluoride areas," write Choi et al.

Further, the EPA says fluoride is a chemical "with substantial evidence of developmental neurotoxicity..."

They point out research by Ding (2011) suggested that low water fluoride levels had significant negative associations with children's intelligence...

"It's senseless to keep subjecting our children to this ongoing fluoridation experiment to satisfy the political agenda of special-interest groups," says attorney Paul Beeber, NYSCOF President.  "Even if fluoridation reduced cavities, is tooth health more important than brain health? It's time to put politics aside and stop artificial fluoridation everywhere," says Beeber.

After reviewing fluoride toxicological data, the NRC reported in 2006, "It's apparent that fluorides have the ability to interfere with the functions of the brain."

Choi's team writes, "Fluoride readily crosses the placenta. Fluoride exposure to the developing brain, which is much more susceptible to injury caused by toxicants than is the mature brain, may possibly lead to damage of a permanent nature."

Fluoride accumulates in the body. Even low doses are harmful to babies, the thyroid, kidney patients and heavy water-drinkers. There are even doubts about fluoridation's effectiveness. New York City Legislation is pending to stop fluoridation. Many communities have already stopped.

Infant formula when mixed with fluoridated water delivers 100-200 times more fluoride than breastmilk.
[Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/24/idUS127920+24-Jul-2012+PRN20120724]

The Natural News website posted an article in 2010 about an earlier study that was performed in China that showed a marked difference in children’s IQ among test groups that were exposed to different levels of fluoride in their drinking water.

A new study pre-published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives confirms that fluoridated water causes brain damage in children. The most recent among 23 others pertaining to fluoride and lowered IQ levels, the new study so strongly proves that fluoride is a dangerous, brain-destroying toxin that experts say it could be the one that finally ends water fluoridation.

"This is the 24th study that has found this association," explained Paul Connett, Ph.D., director of the Fluoride Action Network (FAN). "[T]he authors found a correlation between lowered IQ and fluoride levels in children's blood."

For the study, researchers evaluated 512 children ages 8-13 in two Chinese villages, one village with higher than average fluoride levels and the other with lower than average fluoride levels. After accounting for external variables like lead exposure, iodine deficiency and other conditions that might affect brain health, the team still found that the number of higher intelligence children in the low fluoride community was 350 percent higher than the number in the high fluoride community.
[Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/030819_fluoride_brain_damage.html]

The reports of fluoride’s effect on the human mind date back at least as far as World War II. A number of books and websites that focus on the harmful effects of fluoride, recount a story of an American chemist who was assigned along with others to oversee the immense I.G. Farben production facilities in Germany after the defeat of the NAZIs. I.G. Farben was involved in the manufacture of a great many chemical agents, including the chlorine gas used to kill tens of thousands fighting in the trenches of France during World War I.

The American chemist was Charles Elliot Perkins. He allegedly uncovered evidence of a NAZI plan to use sodium fluoride (the same chemical produced by the aluminum plants and shortly to be introduced to the American water supplies) to make German prisoners of war more docile and easier to control. It was claimed that it was the ultimate intent of the NAZIs to fluoridate the water supply of every country that they conquered and controlled.

Australia is another country that has had fluoridation forced upon its citizens by the government. In 1987, a member of the Australian Parliament named Harley Rivers Dickinson, delivered an address in which he made mention of the NAZI use of Fluoride. The address by this Australian MP is summarized as follows:

At the end of the Second World War, the United States Government sent Charles Eliot Perkins, a research worker in chemistry, biochemistry, physiology and pathology, to take charge of the vast Farben chemical plants in Germany. While there he was told of a scheme which had been worked out by them during the war and adopted by the German General Staff. This was to control the population in any given area through mass medication of drinking water. In this scheme sodium fluoride occupied a prominent place. Repeated doses of infinitesimal amounts of fluoride will in time reduce an individual's power to resist domination by slowly poisoning and narcotizing a certain area of the brain (the hippocampus) and will thus make him submissive to the will of those who wish to govern him. Both the Germans and the Russians added sodium fluoride to the drinking water of prisoners-of-war to make them stupid and docile." (Reference: Victorian Hansard of 12th August 1987)

I.G. Farben had immense interlocking agreements with American corporations where they shared technologies and entered into agreements to prevent competition. The technology and research of American corporations were shared with Germany’s I.G. Farben, and Farben’s research and technology was shared with the American corporations. It is conceivable that the “Intelligent Aristocracy” of America wanted to keep the masses docile and governable, and to mitigate any intelligent threat to their own rule, they intentionally introduced a chemical into the America water supply that would reduce the overall IQ of the population and render them more susceptible to their control.

If such a plan sounds far-fetched, consider that in the book The Fluoride Deception, the author shares the ground breaking studies of Dr. Phyllis Mullenix who studied the cognitive effects of fluoride on rats. Christopher Bryson writes:

When the scientists gave fluoride to the baby rats following their birth, the animals had “cognitive deficits,” and exhibited retarded behavior...

By 1990 the data were crystal clear. The women had tested more than five hundred rats. “I finally said we have got enough animals here for statistical significance,” said Mullenix. “There is a problem,” she added.
[Source: The Fluoride Deception, Christopher Bryson]

Dr. Mullenix shared her findings with government and industry leaders, but she was completely ignored, and later ousted from her job. At one meeting Dr. Mullenix met with representatives of three of the world’s most powerful drug companies, all of which made products that contained fluoride.

Mullenix outlined her fluoride findings. The men took notes. Suddenly Joe Kanapka of Unilever leaned back in his chair with an exasperated look. “He said, ‘Do you realize what you are saying to us, that our fluoride products are lowering the IQ of children?’” remembers Mullenix. “And I said, ‘Well, yes, that is what I am saying to you.’”
[Source: Ibid]

When the company representatives left they said they would be in touch with her, yet despite repeated attempts, Dr. Mullenix was unable to contact them again, and they never got back in touch with her.

The Mullenix research eventually caught the attention of another team of Boston’s scientists studying central-nervous-system problems. They produced a report in 2000 reviewing what they described as “an epidemic of developmental, learning and behavioral disabilities” in children. Their report considered the role of fluoride, and focused on the Mullenix research in particular. “In Harm’s Way - Toxic Threats to Child Development” by the Greater Boston chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility described how 12 million children (17 percent) in the United States “suffer from one or more learning, developmental, or behavioral disabilities.” Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder ADHD affects 3 to 6 percent of all school-children, although recent evidence suggests the prevalence may be much higher.
[Source: Ibid]

Why Johnny Can’t Read

When proponents of fluoridation encounter the arguments of those against adding this toxin to the drinking water, they often cite the improvement in dental health that has occurred since World War II, the time period generally in which fluoridation of public water systems has been carried out. Yet, there were equal declines in the rate of dental decay in other nations and communities that did not fluoridate their water during this same time period. It is arguable that fluoride was not the key factor leading to improved dental health. Rather, it was the widespread use of antibiotics, improved nutrition, better oral hygiene, and increased access to dental care. Studies have been conducted between towns in America that fluoridate their water supply and those that do not, and the cities with fluoridated water fare no better in dental comparisons than those without.

It is quite evident that men like Edward Bernays, and the rich bankers and industrialists who have employed them, have an elitist view on the world. They perceive themselves to be members of an illumined aristocracy, an attitude that Satan certainly encourages among them. They believe it to be their right, even their duty, to control and manipulate the masses through whatever means are available. They would have no more scruples about introducing a known neurotoxin into the public water systems to lower the overall intelligence of the population, than they would in printing lies and distortions in the newspapers, or fabricating false histories of nations or individuals. The end justifies the means.

As evil as such actions are, and as important as it is for the church to understand the malevolence of those who are joined with Satan in his effort to rule the nations, I would draw your attention to the parable contained in this matter of water fluoridation.

Even as the public water supply is poisoned, so too are the words, images, and thoughts that are poured forth daily by the dragon. Those who drink freely of the flood of ideas that originate with Satan will find that their spiritual senses are retarded. Even as those drinking fluoridated water manifest cognitive defects, so too do those who drink indiscriminately of that which Satan pours out will exhibit spiritual defects. Consequently, they will become much more amenable to his control.

This series has been offered to open the eyes of the saints to the extent of the lies and deception all around you. The deceit of the enemy is as ubiquitous as the fluoride in America’s drinking water. It goes unnoticed by most, but continually, ever accumulating, it is producing negative effects in the lives of the saints. The church has been dumbed down both mentally and spiritually through the work of the adversary.

If you are given to watching much television, spending long hours reading novels, magazines, listening to the radio, or surfing the Internet, I encourage you to alter your habits. Open your Bible and drink in the pure water of the word of God. Spend time in His presence. Pray, and meditate upon spiritual thoughts. Develop a communion with the Father and let Him teach you truth.

For too long the body of Christ has been drinking from those polluted streams that flow forth from the mouth of the dragon. As a man lives he must drink. The question remains, “What source will you drink from?” Know of a certainty that what you imbibe will bear fruit in your life.

John 7:37
Yahshua stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.”

Revelation 22:17
The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

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


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Joseph Herrin
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