Crushed by the Master's Hand - The Mystery of Godliness

Kenneth Visscher
October 14, 2009

But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. 1Timothy 3:15-16

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, He comforting us in all our trouble, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in every trouble, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds by Christ. And if we are troubled, it is for your consolation and salvation, being worked out in the endurance of the same sufferings which we also suffer; if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is certain, knowing that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also of the consolation. For, brothers, we would not have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength; so much so that we despaired even of life. But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, so that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver; in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us, with you also helping together by prayer for us, so that the gracious gift by many persons be the cause of thanksgiving through many for us. 2 Corinthians 1:3-11

And I will give power to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy a thousand, two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. And if anyone will hurt them, fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone will hurt them, so it is right for him to be killed. These have authority to shut up the heaven, that it may not rain in the days of their prophecy. And they have authority over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire. And when they complete their testimony, the beast coming up out of the abyss will make war against them and will overcome them and kill them. Revelation 11:3-7

There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like a sin which comes from a ruler's presence; foolishness is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place. I have seen servants on horses and princes walking as servants on the earth. Ecclesiastes 10:5-7

Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels, And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil. And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense, And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. Exodus 30:22-29

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10

And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God. Revelation 14:1-5

(2 Visions)

(1st Vision) “Then being in spirit on the Lord’s Day I was taken into that place which was the Holiest place of all, even the place of mercy upon which was the Throne set. Below the Throne was the paved work as though it were a seat although it looked as though it were fearsome in the form of that which was transparent, even as crystal (Ezekiel 1:22). As I beheld the Throne and looked at the work paved under it understanding was given unto me and in the thoughts of my spirit did wisdom rise. I knew that this was even the place wherein was once the presentation of blood, even the blood of the covenant which Christ did offer for the sins of whole world. Looking up upon the Throne one did sit, even the Ancient of Days, the Lord God Almighty, the Father, He to whom all things will return. Before the Throne was the Candlestick, the Altar which burned with hot coals and incense and a Table filled with bread. Christ Jesus the Lord stood beside the table of bread and with his left hand, bearing the scars of crucifixion, upon the edge of the table He did press and crush the cloves (cassia), the cinnamon, the myrrh and calamus mixed moist with crushed olives, the ingredients of the holy anointing oil. As these were crushed on the edge of the table of bread I saw around Jesus the appearance of 144,000 taken from amongst they that were scattered within the earth. The more Jesus crushed the spices, the more they appeared albeit they only appeared as transparent. So then the 144,000 were gathered unto Jesus as He brought crushing into their lives but they only appeared as though they were ghosts and not with solid bodies and not with any resemblance of flesh and bone, but as though they lived as ghosts gathered around the living Christ in this most holy place even before the Throne set upon the seat of great mercy.”
(End Vision)

(2nd Vision) “Christ then brought a second much harder crushing to the spices which sat upon the edge of the table of bread. As He did, the elements crushed were mingled with the oil from the olives upon this table. So much was the oil crushed under the nail scarred hand that the oil literally ran down the front of the table and covered the table until the whole of the table was covered with the oil fragrant in crushing. It was the hand of the living Christ that did this. As before, the 144,000 Overcomer’s were gathered around Christ. At the beginning they appeared half way, they were only partly in appearance and they only partly were seen as though they were ghosts. But as Christ continued to place pressure upon the spices and upon the edge of the table of bread, so much so did their appearance become clearer to see. The more the spices were crushed, the clearer did the 144,000 become. Finally, once the spices were thoroughly crushed the 144,000 then fully appeared in flesh and bone bodies but bodies that had the power of endless life for these bodies were fully glorified. When the bodies of the 144,000 changed from being transparent as ghosts to being fully physical and glorified there was the blasting sound of a trumpet and the declaration of the Feast of Tabernacles and the full liberty of the Sons and Daughters of God was placed upon this little company who surrounded the living Christ. Upon them each were the Royal Robes of the order of Melchisedek and upon the skirts of the robes were bells and the pattern that denoted holiness in all that was now upon them in their persons. In my spirit I knew that these were those raised in the first resurrection and who were HOLY unto the Lord and who were of the order of Melchisedek who had no beginning of days nor ending of life, these were they that had Overcome and were now standing as priests of God before the eternal Throne, which Throne rested upon the seat of great mercy. To look upon them was to look upon Christ Himself, they were as He is, Holy, perfect and priests forever.”
(End Vision)

The beginning study on the first writing on the Mystery of Godliness. That definition, Godliness, is one that is mistaken more than any other in our day. The definition of godliness is so maligned, just like the visage of Jesus face, so maligned is this understanding of what true godliness is. The reason for this is because godliness is the final result of our faith. The culmination of faith brings one to godliness, and godliness cannot be defined in the world’s language, the world is unable to understand it. Godliness in the core of our definition must only be seen and known by identity with a person. That person is Jesus alone; He is the only true definition of godliness. In our day we have in the world such a distorted view of Jesus that no one is able to clearly define His person. He cannot be known by definition or by those who would put forth a show of godly character, it cannot be duplicated. And to become godly one must take on the person of Jesus fully. You will not be able to find in the world today a true definition of godliness, you can only see it in He who stands as the great high priest at the right hand of God, and nowhere else can godliness be defined.

Now that does not mean that the scripture found in 1 Peter 2:9 is of none effect. We ARE that people, but I daresay that the reality of this, or the finding of this kind of people in the world is mostly impossible. Everywhere you look this kind of people, holy and peculiar showing forth the true light of who Christ is cannot hardly be found at all anywhere! The entire gamut of our modern world has been given over to illusion, not the testament of this sort of generation of holy ones! Some may protest that I say this, but it is truth, that there is now in the earth such a rise of iniquity that everything else has become clouded. The true member of Christ’s ecclesia can only be found separated unto God by the Holy Spirit. They cannot be found in assembly or function or gatherings or groups unless for a specific time and for a specific purpose in the Lord’s mind, but to find them as assembling AS a peculiar people, the Lord simply does not have that kind of assembly anymore. The assembly of the Lord’s people into one focal group showing forth the praises of Christ is almost impossible to find. The world has become steeped in every other kind of show other than the true one. Now don’t take my words wrong. You may be led to gather unto the Lord in a small group, but the manifest presence and knowledge of “godliness” is NOT YET BEEN DEFINED TO US. The doctrine of this hour holds that true godliness and the mystery of it will not be seen or known in the earth UNTIL THE MANIFESTATION OF THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF GOD.

The only true definition of Godliness is seen ONLY in the life of Jesus, justified, certified, confirmed, yet crucified and slain, died, then received up into Glory, HE ALONE HAS THE DEFINITION OF GODLINESS. He is the only example we have. In our day however we have so many false imitations of the true that the entire sickening mess is to be utterly abandoned! Nothing is going to change in this world UNTIL THE LORD MANIFESTS HIS SONS AND DAUGHTERS. Then the pattern of Jesus as being GODLY and filled with GODLINESS will be seen in a people. A people with flesh and bone, but a people in eternal deathless glorified bodies, RIGHT HERE ON THIS EARTH. It is all going to happen HERE. The glorification of the Overcomers IS GOING TO HAPPEN AND I SAY IN PROPHECY THAT THIS IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. We are about to hear the Tabernacle declaration where the Lord IN TRUTH WILL TABERNACLE IN GLORIFIED BODIES. The holy anointing oil of His precious spirit will be upon this crew of 144,000 taken from amongst men in the earth, not a literal number, but figurative of those who learned to reign BY SERVING. They learned to reign with the Lord by serving all others! They did not serve “self” but “those who were around them”. They overcame every obstacle all in order to SERVE and these ones who learned this also learned the true right of God’s order of things. That one cannot rule with the Lord in authority until one has served with the Lord in humility. Both must work together as one and be seen as one in the life of those separate unto the Lord in this hour.

Backing up just a little, allow me to give you a defining of those who will be defined! The ones who will be seen as Godly! Right now the ones to whom godliness will be imputed and through whom the mystery of it will be openly revealed are right now overcome in worldly circumstances! They are themselves OVERCOME BY EVERYTHING THEY DO NOT WANT TO POSSESS IN THEIR FAITH. The one called to the first resurrection, called to inherit the blessing of life evermore, the one called to receive the glorified body at the onset of the age of His Kingdom is first overcome by all the circumstances that surround them in the earth. They are subjected to every sort of constraint and restriction that this modern world affords. Taken in by circumstance they are ones who have their own will removed. They are as it were “impaled” upon whatever structure is necessary to remove personal will from them. They are identified with Jesus as being pinned by nails upon the tree of death so that they with their own will cannot move or function or breathe except by pure heavenly mercy. The way of the world has overcome THEM it seems, it does not seem like they have overcome IT. They to look upon are a ghastly group. They have no semblance of any sort of real victory other than being cut off and alone. These are the ones who will form the government of the Kingdom, the right to rule and reign with Christ in this age that is dawning.

The member of the 144000, or the manchild, or the two witnesses, or the one called “Overcomer” by the lips of the risen Lord doesn’t look anything like a victorious one. Instead they are surrounded by impossible situations. They are covered in sorrows. The trial of their faith has nearly left them dead. Scourged, chastened and beaten down again and again these find themselves alone, apart, separate from all others, famished looking, gaunt, away from those who are eating swine’s flesh of religious tradition in an over abundant supply. The Lord skilfully, by the baptism of the Holy Spirit, separated again and again, over and over again, the Overcomer from all those who surrounded them. Every part of their life has been brought to constraint, not freedom, and every decision they make seems to make the constraints worse. Nothing of this world works our right for them, no relationships seem to last and all they do seems to be almost futile in tremendous struggle. Now I could say that this describes most people who live in the world, and it is. But there is for those slated for the first resurrection one more vital thing that separates them from all others. And that is the heat of the fire of the Holy Ghost burning up in them all that is contrary to GODLINESS.

How do you know if you are part of the 144,000? The answer is simple. You don’t. How do you know that you will be part of the first resurrection and receive at the beginning of the age of His Kingdom a glorified body? That answer is also simple. You don’t. You simply do not know FOR SURE, but you DO know one thing, THAT THE TRIALS HAVE NOT STOPPED. The trials and testings of life and the inworked power of the cross will continue to work in you all along until Jesus appears. Strange as it may sound, the Lord’s will concerning us is not to make us anything more than a people who bear the same semblance as Jesus. For the 144000 will look like Him. They won’t look like anyone else; they will be perfect mirrored reflections of Christ Jesus. To get there the trials now must continue to be endured, nothing can remain of your life in this world and everything must remain of His life in you in this world. All else must be removed by the heat of trial and testing, separation and scourging, rejection and being hated by those round about. These who have become your enemies you must love with no exception knowing that the rejection of your person which they do, the walking away from you which is their common action, those things are necessary to BARE YOUR HEART BEFORE THE LORD. The Lord allows these to reject and curse you all so that you can have your heart laid open before the Lord who consumes the dross within it with His piercing gaze and holy fire! If ever there was a time to be cognizant of what you are enduring, it is now so that you know it is a matter of heart, your heart and it is a matter of the Lord viewing it all and pouring forth the heat of His fire upon it.

So Christ then watches over His word to perform it. What this means to us is that He instils in us the measure of His word which we cannot mistake for any other thing. But then He takes that same word and He “presses” that word into our beings. He by the heat of trial and testing tests that word over and over and over again. He tests it with pressures, fires, judgments, scourgings and every imaginable circumstance all to catch you up into seeing that same word reduced to one simple faith trust in the Lord alone. Removed from you will be any thought that you can endure or make all that is in your life something you can remain faithful to by your own ability or accord or personal strength of character. The word is set in you, but then tried until all you have left is simple faith and nothing more, that word holds you, but it becomes faint and distanced. It is not as prominent as it once was; all because the Lord wants you to follow the same pattern He followed and be found in Christ with His righteousness and where He alone is GODLY IN YOU. The pressures you have had up till now are all for that purpose. You are left with a single trial, a single experience, a single hope, everything else falls away. This pressing by the hand of Christ upon you bursts forth the fragrance of the Lord like no other thing. We have to come to the place where we do not care if we are of this company or that order or do this thing to inherit some other thing. We have to come to the place where we only want the Lord to be LORD in us completely and that all we are is a complete glory unto Him. THEN we will know if we are part of His true government in the earth, not before!

You cannot compare yourself with someone else who is experiencing the same. The way the Lord works upon each one differs with each one. You may have an easier time walking with the Lord and perhaps not much is removed from you. You may instead have it very hard and suffer the loss of many things, many precious needful things. In either case the Lord is the judge as to whether or not you are being groomed for rulership upon the Throne with Him, it is not for you to know until you have experienced this full crushing of heart. Then you WILL KNOW but it will be to you as one who is being prepared to rule as a SERVANT to this fallen creation. Not one who will rule as a worshipped deity, but one who serves this creation in such a manner as to consume the dearth and remove the death, all in the name of that which is godly.

The Lord’s archangel is sounding the trumpet of Tabernacles. It is ringing out now from the expanses before His Throne out unto the outer edges of the cosmos. The time has come for the Lord to manifest His Sons and Daughters. He will be right on time with this, not one second late nor one second too soon. His timing in manifesting His people as His government and revealing to the world the true definition of godliness will be absolutely perfect. This trumpet is not YET to sound, it IS SOUNDING NOW. We ARE in the time of the sounding of the trumpet which declares the coming of the Lord in the full revelation of GODLINESS in the lives of those who have overcome. Come! Let us rise and meet the Lord even in this feast of eternal reward!

Kenneth B Visscher

The End of Vanity Fair

Posted: 08 Jul 2009 10:55 AM PDT

Joseph Herrin (07–08-09)




I would like to comment somewhat further on the events I wrote of yesterday. I shared some experiences that occurred over the 4th of July week-end involving broken boats, inoperable jet skis, failed air conditioners and the like. It is important that we be sensitive to every detail the Father sets before us. We should heed His every whisper, not requiring that He shout at us.

I have developed a habit of looking and listening for every message the Father might speak. I do not say that I perceive them all, for I too wrestle with dullness and insensitivity. Yet I can say that I am much more alert to the voice of the Spirit as He speaks through a myriad of ways than I once was. For example, I looked at my trip odometer on my van this morning and it read 345.6. I then arrived at the library to write today’s post and I observed that the date is 7-8-09. Do I think there is significance in this? Absolutely! Yet, understanding of what is being signified often takes careful consideration and patient meditation before the Father, looking to Him to guide me.

So it is with events such as those I spoke of yesterday. Yahweh truly orders our steps, and I know that every event of my life holds purpose. As I pondered the things I observed I thought of how Yahweh does truly order these things. Lake Sinclair exceeds 14,700 acres in size. It is a very large lake and I was camped along one small spot on the lake. The chances of a jet ski foundering and being towed ashore less than 20 feet from where I was sitting are indeed slim. To then observe another boat being towed past me within ten minutes of the jet ski being towed away, also strikes me as a rare occurrence. Certainly, these events could have occurred elsewhere, or at a time when I was not looking, but they did not.

As Randy Simmons and I observed the man’s struggles with the jet ski, he told me about the air conditioner going out at his grandfather’s house. Being a holiday week-end, and a rare occasion when guests were invited over, some of those gathered looked forward to playing the card game rook. When the air conditioner failed, they put a box fan in the window to blow air across them. Randy took the fan from his room, and brought it to those playing cards. He had used this fan for three years without fail, but when he plugged it into the outlet to cool those gathered to play cards, this fan also failed.

The same week-end, my daughter went to Lake Blackshear with a group from her church. They too encountered obstacles. The boat the family she was with had brought to the lake would not run. Two other people were ticketed for causing a wake with their boat in areas posted as no-wake zones. One person backed their vehicle into another person’s car.

My daughter had reason to ponder these things, for there was a time some months back that two people from her church both received tickets at the same place on the same morning. God used this event to speak profoundly, and a very clear message came forth from the event.

As I consider all of these events there is a common theme running through them. All of the people were involved in some form of entertainment, some idle activity designed to pass the time while providing fun. The people who were participants in all of these events, as far as I know, were all Christians. Those I do not know, I would not be surprised to find are also Christians.

Let me insert here the following word of explanation. I am not criticizing, condemning, or finding fault with any of those involved in these actions. There have been times in my life when I gave myself to an excess of vain amusements. I have done all of the things mentioned, other than riding a jet ski, and I am sure I would have done that too had I the opportunity.

Up until 1999, when I was employed as a computer professional, had a good income, and was living the typical life of the American Christian, my life was marked by a devotion to entertainments. Since 1999 this aspect of my life has changed drastically, but not completely. I still participate in some forms of entertainment, though to a far lesser degree.

I also want to declare that I am not suggesting that all forms of entertainment are inherently evil. We are to be led of the Spirit of Christ in all things. I can imagine occasions when God would direct a father to go out in the yard and play with his children, or take his family to the lake, or even to sit down around a table and play a game with them.

Without question, however, the people of God have given themselves too much to these things. Indeed, the entire direction of a great many Christians’ lives is focused upon passing the time in entertainment. This preoccupation with vain things has crept up upon the people of God. It has been subtle and persistent in its increase until there are few who can testify in truth that passing the time in some pleasurable pursuit has not become the chief characteristic of their life.

I think if each believer were to keep a diary of their daily activities for a month, they would be absolutely shocked at how much of their lives are given to pleasure and entertainment.

It is perhaps necessary here to define what pleasure is. Pleasure is anything done to please self. We can either live for our own pleasure, or we can live for the pleasure of another. We are called to live for the pleasure of God, this being the example of Christ.

John 6:38
"For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own pleasure (Greek thelema), but the pleasure of Him who sent Me.”

The apostle Paul declared that the last days of the church would be characterized by men and women giving themselves to a love of selfish pleasure, rather than a love of God.

II Timothy 3:1-4
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money... lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

As many times as I heard this Scripture cited in all of my years attending church services, I never once heard any man or woman stand up and confess, “That describes my life.” It is not likely that many reading this will make a similar confession. Yet where are all those men and women that Paul describes? He is speaking about this hour, and he is speaking of those in the church.

The apostle Paul declares that the overriding mark of all men in the last days will be this focus upon pleasing self. There was a time in my life when I could have stood up and said that these words of the apostle Paul described me. If the evidence used to judge our lives is our actions, what would be the verdict of your life today?

How are we to judge such things? Over and over in the book of Revelation, as Christ addresses the churches, He declares, “I know your deeds...” He does not say, “I know your heart,” or “I know your intentions.” Christ will judge us by our deeds.

I know this is a very difficult matter to convince anyone of, for it is ever our tendency to judge ourselves by what we are persuaded is our heart’s motive. We often believe that we truly love God, yet our actions reveal that we love self much more. If our actions reveal a life devoted to personal pleasure, comfort, and entertainment, will not God judge us to be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of Himself?

Galatians 6:7-8
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Can you define the difference between sowing to the flesh and sowing to the Spirit? Can you distinguish the difference in your own life? If you are sitting in front of the television being entertained many hours a day, are you sowing to the Spirit or to the flesh? If you are focused upon sports, or music, or movies, hunting and fishing, novels and magazines and newspapers, games, cars, houses and furnishings, or any other thing that appeals to your flesh and soul, are you sowing to the flesh, or to the Spirit?

Yahshua described the last days just prior to His return in the following manner:

Luke 17:26-30
"And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it shall be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.”

How much time do we spend in pursuit of something good and pleasurable to eat? I was so given to this one area for most of my life that I greatly declined in physical health. I was not concerned for what God would have me put in my body. I wanted something pleasing to my fleshly appetites.

How much do we devote to finding a happy and fulfilling relationship with a life mate? This too can be a selfish pursuit, and it is summed up in the words “they were marrying, they were being given in marriage.” How much time is spent on our next acquisition, the latest toy, gadget, auto or home enhancement, some new clothing item, or entertainment? How much time have Christians spent in building their dream home? The character of the days when Christ returns will show the people of God to be focused upon these very things.

In 1999 when I heeded the call of Christ to follow Him wherever He would lead me, and to accept whatever He chose for my family and me, I had been living for many years as the people described above. I had a nice home and a big yard. I had vehicles and furnishings and many possessions. I had gadgets, stereos, televisions, VCRs. I did not see these things as excessive, for every other Christian I knew lived similarly. Yet, is this not the point of Christ’s words? His own people would be living this way in the day He returned. They would be doing precisely as the people did in the days of Noah and Lot.

Beginning in 1999 my life took a great turn. I let go of my house and kept only one vehicle. I gave up furnishings and all the material accumulation of the years of fatness. My family and I then entered into a much simpler life. Doing the will of God became my great focus. Doing His pleasure (thelema) was the overriding rule in all life decisions.

This immediately brought me into conflict with other Christians. I was driven from among them, castigated as an evildoer. Will not all experience the same who walk similarly? How can a Christian stand with Christ in all things and be accepted by the world and a worldly church? If you are comfortable in your relationships with the worldly, is it not possible that you are living just as they?

In considering this writing today I was reminded of John Bunyan’s description of Vanity Fair in the book Pilgrim’s Progress. I will quote a part of the chapter describing Christian and Faithful’s entry into the town of Vanity Fair. Please consider carefully what is shared.

Then I saw in my dream, that when they were got out of the wilderness, they presently saw a town before them, and the name of that town is Vanity; and at the town there is a fair kept, called Vanity Fair: it is kept all the year long. It bears the name of Vanity Fair because the town where it is kept is lighter than vanity; and, also because all that is there sold, or that comes there, is vanity. As is the saying of the wise, "all that comes is vanity."

This fair is no new-erected business, but a thing of ancient standing; I will show you the original of it.

Almost five thousand years agone, there were pilgrims walking to the Celestial City, as these two honest persons are: and Beelzebub, Apollyon, and Legion, with their companions, perceiving by the path that the pilgrims made, that their way to the city lay through this town of Vanity, they contrived here to set up a fair; a fair wherein, should be sold all sorts of vanity, and that it should last all the year long: therefore at this fair are all such merchandise sold, as houses, lands, trades, places, honours, preferments, titles, countries, kingdoms, lusts, pleasures, and delights of all sorts, as whores, bawds, wives, husbands, children, masters, servants, lives, blood, bodies, souls, silver, gold, pearls, precious stones, and what not...

Does this not describe what Satan has set before all those Christians who would travel to Zion? He has made it necessary that all must pass through a world of vanities. They are beset with temptations to begin to buy and trade and participate in vain pursuits in the same way that the people of Noah’s and Lot’s day were ensnared.

Some Christians resist these enticements when their love for Christ is fresh and their zeal is fervent. They see them for the distractions that they are. They know that these entertainments and worldly pursuits are robbers of the time and devotion that are requisite with a pure devotion to Christ. America has been chief among the nations when it comes to the vain things that beset all who dwell there. It is not surprising then to find that Christians in America have given themselves to every form of entertainment and vain activity more than all others. Indeed, whole churches are devoted to providing “Christian vanities” to their people that they might live for selfish pleasure without guilt. John Bunyan continues:

Now, as I said, the way to the Celestial City lies just through this town where this lusty fair is kept; and he that will go to the city, and yet not go through this town, must needs go out of the world. [1 Cor. 5:10] The Prince of princes himself, when here, went through this town to his own country, and that upon a fair day too; yea, and as I think, it was Beelzebub, the chief lord of this fair, that invited him to buy of his vanities; yea, would have made him lord of the fair, would he but have done him reverence as he went through the town. Yea, because he was such a person of honour, Beelzebub had him from street to street, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a little time, that he might, if possible, allure the Blessed One to cheapen and buy some of his vanities; but he had no mind to the merchandise, and therefore left the town, without laying out so much as one farthing upon these vanities. This fair, therefore, is an ancient thing, of long standing, and a very great fair.

Does not Satan today tempt the people of God with the same temptations that Christ faced? The majority of Christians, rather than passing through Vanity Fair, refusing to be enticed with its offerings, have grown comfortable there. They have hewn them out a section of the town where the more debased forms of entertainment are hidden out of sight, but the spirit of the town yet prevails. There is a prevailing emphasis upon pursuits that are pleasing to self. The aim is to spend one’s days in comfort and ease until one can pass from this world to the next.

It is so very easy to get caught up in this life of selfish living. When one observes the rigorous life of Christ, the trials that accrue to all true disciples (“Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Yahshua will be persecuted” II Timothy 3:12) cause many to be persuaded that a life of vanity is a better way. This vain manner of living is proclaimed in a great many churches today. It is exhibited by those who sit in the pews and stand in the pulpits. Preachers and parishioners alike spend their days with a focus upon self, seeking to find happiness in endless amusements and activities.

I Timothy 5:6
Whereas she who lives in pleasure and self-gratification [giving herself up to luxury and self-indulgence] is dead even while she [still] lives.
[Amplified Bible]

People of God, let me tell you what I have discovered concerning the enticement of Vanity Fair. The only defense against the temptations of this world is to wholeheartedly give oneself to the Lord, determining to live daily for His pleasure, no matter what He may ask of us.

I know that such surrender terrifies the natural man. What might God ask of us if we give Him complete charge of our lives? Perhaps He will strip us of all of our comforts, our nice homes and furnishings, our easy chair and television set. Perhaps He will lead us to empty our bank accounts, giving our money to the poor, and then call us to come and follow Him. Perhaps He will lead us to live in such a way that all around us ridicule, scorn and despise us, call us deluded, and charge us with heresy.

Do you think it is for no reason that ALL who would live righteously in Christ WILL suffer persecution? It is not merely because they say they love Christ. There are millions today who say such things, but they are not persecuted. It is when they begin to live for the pleasure of God alone, scorning the passing pleasures of this world, that they find the world and a worldly church can no longer abide them.

Hebrews 11:24-26
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin; considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.

People of God, the passing pleasures of sin are not the heinous things Christians identify them with. The passing pleasures of sin are none other than living for selfish pleasure when we are called to live for the pleasure of God the Father. The passing pleasures of sin can be sitting at home being entertained when God has prepared other things for you. The passing pleasures of sin can be spending your days in outdoor activities, sports, boating, fishing, etc., when God has a work prepared for you. The passing pleasures of sin can be participating in every event your church has planned to entertain Christians whose appetite for amusement is insatiable.

The voice of the Spirit of Christ is sounding forth in this hour, “Come out of her My people, lest you participate in her sins and partake of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4). Come out of this place of mixture. Come out of the harlot who has been espoused to Christ, but has pursued many other loves. Come out of the confusion of a Babylonian church system that lulls the people of God into complacency through its universal lukewarmness.

If the church you attend is not absolutely committed to living for the pleasure of God, no matter the cost, then how can it influence you toward anything other than compromise? If the church, its leaders and members, are living in Vanity Fair, enjoying the passing pleasures of this world, satisfied with endless activity that seeks to entertain, then how can they influence you toward anything other than the same mindset?

Very soon now, we will see a great judgment fall upon the house of God. It will no longer be possible to halt between two opinions. All true saints will be forced to choose between complete commitment to God, or the absolute embrace of the world. Even now, Christ is ready to vomit the entire lukewarm mass of Christianity out of His mouth. He would that they be either hot, or cold, and the days ahead will force them to choose.

Is there something holding you back from a total commitment to Christ? Do you yet believe that such an extreme, radical, entire surrender to the will and pleasure of God can be avoided? Do you think it can be postponed further? The Spirit is testifying, “DELAY WILL PROVE COSTLY!”

There is great grace available to all who will come out of Vanity Fair today. You will be met with the disapproval of the world and a worldly church, but you will have the approval of Yahweh. Do not be deceived! If you are seeking to have the approval of the world and God you will surely be led to compromise.

James 4:4
You adulterers and adulteresses, know you not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

I despair at times in bringing such a message to the people of God. My mind cries out, “Lord, who will hear? Who will respond by changing the direction of their life from one of selfish comfort, ease and pleasure to one focused upon obeying every leading of Your Spirit?”

I do not share this message to condemn anyone. I too wrestle with the same enemies in this flesh. We all need the same grace and mercy. I share this message because I know that Yahweh will very soon bring His people to choose. His methods will be severe for His people have grown dull of hearing and slow to respond. I would spare them from such loss and pain as can be avoided.

May the people of God hear and heed the voice of the Holy Spirit.

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

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 5546
Macon, GA 31208

Who Shall Ascend?

- Charles Elliot Newbold

I called upon the name of the Lord, "Who, Lord, shall ascend to the high mountain of our God and King?"

He answered, "He who has a broken and contrite heart. He who humbles himself in My presence. He is the one who shall ascend unto My holy hill." And I called again and I asked, "Lord, how does one humble himself? Man is so full of pride."

And He said, "He who humbles himself is he who recognizes his pride and breaks before Me. I will see him. I will come to him. I will break his heart. He will weep and mourn for he will know that he is a man of unclean lips. I will see him and I will lift him up. But if he lifts himself up, I will let him fall again."

I asked again, "Lord, where do we go from here?"

And He answered, "Where do you want to go? Whatever is in your heart, that is where you will go. If it is in your heart to follow after Me, then we will walk together and abide in deeper and richer things. We will go from glory to glory, from faith to faith. Yes, we will ascend and ascend, every round going higher and higher. This, My son, is a place in Me. I am Mount Zion. I am My holy hill. When I say come unto Me, I am calling you up to My high hill.

"If, on the other hand, it is in your heart to go down to Babylon or back to Egypt, then you shall go there. The rewards of Babylon will be there and the jewels of Egypt will be yours. Only do not trust in them for they cannot save you, and in that hour when I come in all My glory, do not try to ransom your soul with them. They are vile to Me. I shall cast them away from you. I shall strip you naked and leave you in your shame.

"There is glory in Babylon and there are riches in Egypt, but they will go down to the pit. For from the pit have they ascended. They are flesh and appeal to the flesh. Do not touch them. Do not go after them, for surely they shall be yours if you like."

"Lord," I inquired, "this is a great deception isn't it--Babylon and Egypt?"

"There has never been a greater deception than this," He answered.

I shuddered at the thought of this.

"So great is this deception," He explained, "that men go down to Babylon, adorn themselves in religion and piety, and truly believe that they have come unto Me. They are shaken to anger at the suggestion that this, their Babylon, is not of Me, that I am not there.

"And Egypt, what can I say of My son, Egypt? He, too, is beautiful and rich and dwells in houses and owns land and buys and trades and sells in the marketplace. The prosperity abounds and so does the deception. For in their riches they live and move and have their being. But where will their riches get them, and what will it buy them when I come? I will look the poor man in the eye and see from whence came his hunger. I will look the rich man in the eye and ask from whence came his satisfaction, and he will be lifted up in his heart, and he will show Me all the things in his barns and say, 'My Lord, from all that is mine.' I will turn again to the poor man, and I will ask from whence came your poverty, and he will point to the rich man's barn and say, 'My Lord, from all that is his.' From whence comes your satisfaction? The poor man will bow and say, 'Ah, my Lord, from You; from You, my Lord, from You.'"

I said, "Lord, speak plainly to us. What is Babylon and what is Egypt?"

He answered, "Babylon is all that the carnal mind devises. It is the pride and arrogance and the haughtiness of man who exalts his own knowledge above the knowledge of God.

"As for Egypt, this is the flesh and all the lust thereof.

"Can you not see, My son, how the carnal mind has devised his own plan with all its traditions and labeled it church? For generations men thought this was of Me and for Me, but it is not so. This is the harlot, the woman who sits on many waters, who pretends allegiance to Me, but she is widowed. She is not My bride. Her deception is great. She has attained for herself the riches of this world. She has lavished herself with fine buildings and calls them temples and cathedrals and synagogues and churches. She has dressed herself in royal robes which she wove by her own hands. The linen I give is righteousness which has been purchased by My blood. She has accrued great riches with bank accounts and investments and have men bound to her by these things. She has purchased these things by the blood of martyrs.

"Everywhere you look, you can see the harlot. She is everywhere in men's hearts. Men go after her, and she loves it so. She is not married, but has taken unto herself many lovers. She is defiled and those who sleep with her are defiled.

"Mercy and peace are with those who have eyes to see and ears to hear when the trumpets sound and the call goes forth, 'Come out of her, My people, come out!'

"The road to Zion is paved with humility."

"Lord," I cried, "it's so hard to say. Why is it so hard for me to say it plainly? Why is it so hard for you to say it plainly?"

He answered, "Because the deception is so great.

"Christianity is a religion, and religious men are caught in its web. Who can hear Me," said the Lord, "or who can hear My prophets when it is said of Christianity that it, as a religious system, is a false religion? Who can understand when I declare that all religion is false? The greatest deception of all is for men to come to it in My name, thinking they have come to Me. I am not an "it." I am not a religion. I am the living and true God. I require that men come unto Me and renounce all religion, but who can hear?

"Religion has boundaries. I am boundless. It has its laws and rules and regulations. I offer grace and love and peace. Religion binds men; I free them. Religion suppresses men; I call them to ascend into the heavenlies. Religion restrains and controls; I release. Religion requires obedience to it; I require obedience to Me. Yes, obedience is far better than sacrifices. I loathe religion and religious men. They are dangerous and spread the deception to innocent hearts."

"Lord, you have spoken plainly. So where shall they go who come out of Babylon?"

And He answered simply, "To Jesus."

"Ascend, My holy ones, ascend into the heavenlies. Sit at My right hand and at My left. I will show you mysteries. I will show you great and glorious things.

"You are My witnesses--My two witnesses--one on My left and the other on My right. On My left is grace and mercy and peace. And on My right is righteousness, justice, and wrath. I am a two-edged sword. My sword goes forth out of My mouth. It divides the righteous from the unrighteous. It is sharp and quick and sure.

"Behold, I am dividing right from wrong. I am making straight the path. I am exalting valleys. I am moving mountains. The high will be made low, and the low will be made high.

"If he cannot understand this (the man of sin), let him go down into his house, shut his door and weep and mourn, for surely pity shall come upon his house."

"How shall they come out of Babylon?" I asked the Lord.

"They shall come out by coming unto Me. Simply leave. The door is opened. The way is made clear. The prophets have gone before. Do not look back. Do not go back. Simply leave.

"And when they criticize you and call you blasphemous names, let your head be as flint; be silent; be at peace; love them; turn the other cheek, for they so persecuted your fathers before you.

"Do not look back. Do not do anything. Do not say anything. Simply leave. Say in your heart, 'I have left Babylon and have ascended the high hill of my God. I have come to Mount Zion, to Jesus, the author and finisher of My faith.'

"You cannot take Zion down to Babylon. You have to come out of her. You cannot sing Zion's songs in Babylon. They can only be sung in Zion.

"Zion is a place in the Spirit where Jesus is the only thing there is."

"Lord," my questions seemed endless, "this kind of freedom, this independence, this liberty--will it not be a great threat to those who lead in Babylon?"

"Oh yes, My son, they will take great offense at My holy ones. They will say you are deceived. They will slander, accuse, and defame you. They would plot to kill you if they could. For you, My holy ones, have become what they cannot, because they cannot let go of what they have. Yet, it shall all very soon be taken from them anyway."

"Tell me, Lord, in view of all of this, have we really heard the gospel yet? What is the gospel? Speak plainly to us."

"The gospel has been twisted and perverted to fit the molds of traditions and religions--so uniquely so, that men confuse the Christ with their systems and join converts to them rather than to Him.

"But the truth of the gospel is this: that I, the Lord God of Israel, came in human flesh, fulfilled the Law and Prophets, shed My blood of righteousness, arose from the grave, ascended into heaven where I now sit at the right hand of God the Father, where I intercede on behalf of the saints, and through faith am gathering unto Myself My assembly of holy ones. They are gathered into Me. They are My general assembly of the first-born. I have birthed them by My Spirit. I have filled them with My Spirit. I lead them by My Spirit. They are one in faith, hope, spirit, and love. They are everywhere and worship Me in spirit and truth. In obedience they serve Me where they are, out of who they are in Me. And none of this has anything to do with that Thing men call church. They are My body, My temple, My holy ones, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. They are above institutionalism--beyond doctrines, creeds, and rituals. They are not religious. They are sanctified.

"This is the good news: that Jesus Christ is Lord. And whosoever shall call upon His name shall be saved."

"Lord, I know of young pastors, Spirit-filled, who love you and want to go on with you. What shall they do once they see these things?"

"No man having put his hands to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of heaven."

"Again, I plead with you, my Lord, speak plainly."

And He said, "He who sees these things and obeys My word will simply come out. He will leave home and family and friends and come out. It is a hard word, who can hear?

"These are they who follow the Lamb wherever He goes." Rev. 14:4.

"Lord, what shall I do with this word?"

"Shout it from the housetops. Proclaim it to the nations. What has been revealed to you in secret, proclaim it in the open. Be bold! Be forthright! Be strong! Speak it boldly. Shock the nations. Rattle their doors. Shake their foundations. If they cannot stand, they are not of Me. If it can be shut down and closed up, it is not of Me. If it can be tossed by the wind, it is not of Me. If it produces anger and violence and malicious gossip and slanderings and lies from those who hear it, they are not of Me, for such things do not come out of Me.

"Behold, I have laid My foundation. I have built My walls. And now I am dropping My plumb line. My word of truth goes forth. That which does not align with My word will be torn down and cast into the sea. I am sending My prophets again. They go out in the spirit of Elijah, preaching the kingdom of God and calling men everywhere to repent and be immersed into Jesus. They are My "John the Baptists." They go forth to prepare the way of the Lord.

"Shall I return to wed a harlot? Oh, how repulsive that is to Me. Nor shall I take unto Myself those who are joined to her. Search your hearts, My people. Babylon is in the heart. Come out of her and she will come out of you. Zion, likewise, is in the heart. Come unto Me and I will become your only love.

"Arise. Shine. Come unto Me."

"Lord," I prayed, "forgive me for the fear and the intimidation I feel when I think about speaking these things out."

"You shall know the harlot by this as well, that she has such a powerful control over the hearts and minds of men that they are laden with fear to dare come out of her, let alone speak against her. She is the epitome of idolatry and full of idolatry, and all those joined to her are idolaters. Now you must realize, My son, that a thing is an idol when men have put their trust and love in it. And idolaters do not want their idols touched. It is a dangerous thing to touch another man's idol. As you speak these things, you will be pulling down strongholds and shattering idols--and you will be hated by many for My name's sake.

"Now the harlot, the mother of harlots, is the spirit of Satan himself. He has hidden behind her skirt and deceived the nations. He is last of all willing for her to be exposed. He is, indeed, the great dragon and will try to consume My bond-servants, those I am sending forth in My name to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom and to expose the harlot and her counterfeits.

"A fierce war has begun in the heavenlies. All hell is loosed to destroy My bond-servants if they could, but they cannot even so much as touch them because they are dead and hidden in Me. This is why the fear is so compelling. It is real. Nevertheless, My bond-servants will, indeed, follow Me wherever I go at all cost to their own lives."

"Why is it so hard to leave Babylon? Why can't Christian people just walk away from it?"

"The spirits of Babylon are numerous and very compelling. At the head of the system is the mother of harlots, Jezebel. She is disguised as the bride and, thereby, has deceived the best of hearts. Yet, she is an enticing spirit. Her seductive ways appeal to the flesh of men and their desire for power, position, and riches. Working under her are all the Ahabs: the kings and rulers in the churches, spirits operating through prideful men. The Ahabs are the Nicolaitans--the conquerors of the people. They are the clergy system that elevates itself above the people. Working for them are such other demons as pride, haughtiness, control, position, authority, power, possessiveness, domination, ownership, jealousy.

"These spirits rule the churches, the systems, and the people under them. They rule through spirits of fear and intimidation. Cooperating with these are spirits of tradition, dogmatism, sectarianism, doctrine, sentimentalism, denominationalism; the warring spirits are confusion, hatred, division, divisiveness, bitterness, and the like. These have holds on men and are strongholds in the minds of men. But at the root of them all are the despicable spirits of religion.

"For men to come out, they must first understand these things. Then they must repent of them and come unto Me with a pure heart. I will deliver them. I will separate them and cleanse their defiled hearts. I will dress them in readiness and prepare them for My banqueting table. I will feed them the good fodder of My word instead of the indigestible twigs of men's mind. Who can digest the human intellect? Who can swallow its lies and deceits? The answer is everyone. For man is stupid and devoid of knowledge. But he who has My Spirit will hunger and thirst after Me, and I will reveal My nature to him. He will come unto Me, and I will sup with him and he with Me. He is the one who can come out of the harlot.

"He is the one who will come out of the harlot, for I shall lose not one whom the Father has given to Me--none, except the son of perdition.

"The harlot is everywhere. She is in the ministry, seeking to promote herself in power, position, and riches. She is in the ministers--the Ahabs, the Nicolaitans. She plays politics to promote herself. She lies, cheats, defrauds; she will do anything to get ahead. She is full of ambition and selfish desires. She is an abomination to Me, the very opposite of My nature and of the nature of My bride.

"This, My son, is why I say a woman is to be quiet and gentle and submissive, for she bears the joy of the bride in her heart. She loves her lover. The harlot loves herself. The bride gives of herself. The harlot takes unto herself. The bride hides herself in hiddenness. The harlot exposes herself--even in her doorway. She advertises herself and entices men to come into her, be joined to her for the pleasures of the flesh. Self is flesh. Anything for Self is flesh. This is why it is the abomination that makes desolate My holy place. My holy place is the spirit of men. When that spirit is defiled by the flesh, that is an abomination to Me.

"The harlot is the flesh nature of man that has taken its rule in the churches--self-aggrandizement, men seeking to increase themselves in flocks. They count numbers and glory in them. They own their own sheep and call them Mine. They lie, for they are not My sheep. They make disciples unto themselves, of themselves, and for themselves. They fleece their flocks for their own sordid gain. These are not My ministers. They are hirelings and Nicolaitans.

"The harlot is ugly and hides her ugliness in gaudy garments and decorates her face in lavishing colors. She hides behind these things. She is ashamed of her sin. Yet, she will not repent. She cannot repent. She is evil from within."

"What about the harlot, Lord? Who or what is the harlot spirit? How can we know when she is operating?"

"The harlot spirit, My son, is anything for Self. She is the abomination that makes desolate My holy place. My bride, My holy bride is robed in righteousness. She has eyes only for Me. She is given wholly to Me. She is pure and undefiled and seeks nothing for herself. She is the laid-down life. She denies herself of Self, takes up her cross, and follows Me daily. My bride is beautiful and shines in the innocence of her holiness. She is separated unto Me. She is joined to Me. I am her husband and she is My only true love. I have birthed her. I have given her sup. I have adorned her in righteousness, beauty, and holiness. My bride is hard to see in the world because she is quiet, unassuming, gentle, meek--she is hidden in Me.

"But the harlot--she is loud and boisterous. She seeks herself. She wishes to expand her own bosom with the wealth of the nations. She seeks Self in everything, and everything she does is for Self. She has painted her face with all manner of atrocities. She loathes the bride. For she has no husband. She is a harlot. She takes anyone or anything into her bosom if it brings about an increase to her. She is an abomination to Me because she is full of boasting. She is deceitful. She is carnal. She is a harlot. A harlot is untrue. She is the counterfeit.

"Men come to her seeking Self--self-aggrandizement, self-reliance, self-pity, self-strength, self-anything. Self, Self, Self. This, My son, is how you can know if the harlot is at work: Ask yourself, 'Is what I am about to do, or is what I am discerning have to do with Self? Am I seeking Self? Or am I seeking the good of others?' If it is Self, it is the harlot every time. If it is from Me," says the Lord, "it will be for others; it will be the laid-down life of agape.

"She is a deceiver. She holds out all sorts of promises. She promises life and joy and prosperity and peace; and, in return, she charges a price. She cannot offer these things; for, in fact, those who go into her go down into Sheol--they go down into death, into poverty, into despair, into bondage and anguish.

"Ah, she cannot offer these things. Only I can offer life and joy and peace and blessing and happiness. These are found in Me. She says, take unto yourself what is yours. I say, lay it down. She says to live, drink, and be merry. I say, weep and mourn. She says, I will give you pleasure and great delight. But I say, I will give you life everlasting. Ah, she cannot offer you peace. She cannot offer you these things. They are not hers. She entices her lovers into thinking she holds these things, but she does not.

"The harlot is Self--anything for Self. You play the harlot when your heart goes after any substitute for Jesus.

"Remember this, My son, and guard your heart. Empty yourself of Self. Stay humble, broken, empty before Me. I will fill you up. I will be your joy, your satisfaction, your everything.

"Beware of the harlot. She is everywhere--in every window, every door, every street corner. She is in the voice of everyone who speaks. She is boasting, bragging, enticing, flattering, and seductive. Beware! Beware!

"The harlot is in the bosom of every man. She rises up and says I want this or that, or I want to do this or that, or I want to be this or that. At all times and in every way she seeks herself. Can you see her in the church? Can you see her in the ministry? Can you see her on the boards and committees, in places of high leadership? Can you see her in the pew? Can you see her in the choir? Everywhere she lifts her skirt to dance her own dance to the tune she has written in her own invention. And when she has finished, she takes her bows and receives her accolades, her applause, her plaques and trophies; she decks her walls with them. She is the harlot, the counterfeit to My bride who is simply hidden in Me."

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it." Mark 8:35.

The trumpet call is sounding: "Come out of her, My people!" "Let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach." Heb. 13:13.

Dare we face our idols, cleanse the temple, and return to the God of our salvation?

A WORLD GONE MAD

By Paul Proctor
March 18, 2009
NewsWithViews.com

Anyone with an ounce of discernment can tell that our world is losing it. Sin has its consequences; and it’s clear to many now that we are beginning to reap what we have sown.

Oh sure, there have always been liars, thieves, con men, murderers, drunkenness, debauchery, lasciviousness, perversion, profanity, blasphemy, violence and cruelty; but have you ever seen depravity so widely accepted in America? And, what a passion and pride we have for it now!

Brazen sin, as the Bible defines it, has become our cultural standard – the rule rather than the exception. That’s what brought fire and brimstone raining down on Sodom and Gomorrah! And we act as if that tragic story from Genesis 19 was just a fable – that the Lord would never actually bring judgment to the fruited plain.

But, God does not need America – America needs God.

We’re so proud of our depravity that we mass market now. It’s what America is known for around the world. It’s our trademark! And, selling our depravity as entertainment is no longer limited to the seedy side of society, but is now readily available in primetime and on main street in almost every format and venue imaginable, as news, commentary, business, music, sports, politics, religion, retail, drama, documentary, gossip, cartoon, commercial, sitcom, standup, talk show, game show and reality TV.

It’s on your big screen – it’s on your laptop – it’s on your radio – it’s on your CDs, DVDs, MP3s and in 3D. It’s on your cell phone and on your home phone – it’s in your mailbox and in your inbox.

It’s on billboards, banners and in bathrooms – it’s in courtrooms, classrooms and chat rooms. It’s in print ads and in want ads – in pop ups and in previews – on t-shirts and tattoos and clothes you can see through.

It’s in analog, digital, high def and blue ray – it’s in musicals and plays both on and off Broadway. It’s in videos, in bloopers, in trailers and in teasers to tempt everyone from grade-schoolers to geezers.

It’s at the ballgame – it’s at the theater – it’s at the mall – it’s at the park – it’s on parade – it’s in concert in broad daylight and at dark. It’s in hotels and motels, in lodges and in bars – it’s right out your window and staring from cars.

It’s in clubhouses, bathhouses, crack houses and church houses – where cursing and lewdness are met with roundhouses. It’s in studios, spas, salons and in parlors – at clinics and centers that take credit or dollars.

It’s right on the shelves of your local library – It’s in magazines and tabloids where customers tarry at the grocery, the bookstore, the drug store and quick mart – with shocking new photos and headlines of gossip.

It’s at your kid’s school and in back of the bus – and hidden in lockers behind all their stuff. It’s studied at college in classes with teachers proclaiming their theories like humanist preachers.

It’s just business – a living – a career move – an occupational hazard – a hobby – a pastime – a charity event – a good cause – a talent – a gift – a vice – an accident – an excuse – a diversion – a disease – a disorder – a journey – a ministry – a memoir – a book deal – a good deal – a way out of poverty and a means to an end – not to mention a basic human right.

Sin has come a long way since the Garden of Eden, but its wages are still the same even though many would have us believe it’s all relevant in our evolutionary world – a sure sign of madness.

And where is the church in all this?

They’re right in the middle of it looking for market share with a designer Jesus.

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” –1st John 2:16-17

No More Peace

Posted: 10 Mar 2009 11:10 AM PDT
Joseph Herrin (03-10-09)

Two days ago the news reported on a story of a pastor being shot and killed in front of a horrified congregation at the Maryville First Baptist Church in Illinois. As I have meditated upon this event I have perceived a very hard message from the Lord. Despite the multitude of objections that always arise from people who have lost their fear of God, having been lulled into a stupor by the constant barrage of words flowing from the mouths of prophets and preachers who present an image of a “mush God” who is all love and mercy and tolerance, I am compelled to share the following word.

The coming days will prove the accuracy of this word. Judgment lies at the very doorstep of the church. Yahweh is full of wrath as He observes the fleshly condition of His people, soiled with all of the filth of the world, living dissipated lives as they spend themselves in pursuit of that which is passing away. Judgment is at hand. It will be swift, and it will be horrible. The people of God will see it with their own eyes, and they will cry out in fear, even as the congregation of FBC Maryville responded when their pastor’s happy message was suddenly interrupted by tragedy.

James said, “Let not many of you be teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment” (James 3:1). The legions of ministers have not taken this admonition seriously, for there is no fear of God before their eyes. Sunday, the church in Maryville witnessed the “stricter judgment” of God before their eyes, yet where are the true prophets of God that will tell them it is so? Instead, a legion of smooth talkers, and peace and prosperity prophets, will assure the people that this was an assault against God, rather than a judgment from God.

What was witnesses Sunday at FBC Maryville will shortly be observed throughout the churches as Yahweh sends forth slayers and they are instructed to begin their judgment with the elders in the house of God.

Ezekiel 9:4-7
And Yahweh said to him, "Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst." But to the others He said in my hearing, "Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity, and do not spare. "Utterly slay old men, young men, maidens, little children, and women, but do not touch any man on whom is the mark; and you shall start from My sanctuary." So they started with the elders who were before the temple.

The Spirit has been testifying with much emphasis that the horsemen of the apocalypse have been loosed. They are being sent forth to the nations, and judgment must begin with the house of God. Those to whom much has been given, much shall be required.

The church has totally rejected the concept of God as righteous judge, and indignant in His wrath. They are told that such an image is a relic of the Old Testament. The God of the New Testament is all love and kindness, mercy and tolerance. God is kind and there is no severity left in Him, the multitudes are assured by false prophets and self-appointed preachers. Such ones overlook the fact that the story of Ananias and Sapphira is found in the New Testament.

Yahweh struck down this man and his wife in the presence of the believers for they were not walking in truth. They were careless, having no fear of God, but seeing them both fall dead at the feet of Peter, the church learned the peril of treating lightly the holiness and justice of the God they served.

Acts 5:11
And great fear came upon the whole church, and upon all who heard of these things.

I am fully persuaded that what occurred at FBC Maryville Sunday was a judgment and a sign. The church has forgotten the fear of God. They play their games, and pretend to be fully devoted to Yahweh even as the pretenders Ananias and Sapphira. They little consider that they are not just lying to one another, but they are lying to the Spirit who is called Holy.

In an hour when the Spirit is testifying that the sins of the church have reached full measure and judgment will no longer be delayed; in a day when Christ is ready to vomit a lukewarm, materialistic people of ease at of His mouth, the ministers are deceiving the people. They are declaring peace when there is no peace. They are turning the people aside from repentance, and God will hold the shepherds and prophets responsible for not warning the people of the wrath that is at hand. The blood of the people will be upon the watchmen who refused to sound the alarm.

The pastor of FBC Maryville was named Fred Winters. Fred is of Germanic origin, coming from “frid” which means “peace.” Fred Winters was in the process of delivering a message titled “Come On, Get Happy!” when he was confronted by a gunman and shot.

I can tell you with a surety that the message coming from the throne of God in this hour is not “Come On, Get Happy!” The Spirit is testifying "Yet even now," declares Yahweh, "Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping, and mourning; And rend your heart and not your garments” (Joel 2:12).

Those who would be teachers will suffer a stricter judgment, and Yahweh is testifying that the prophets who are proclaiming peace when there is no peace will be judged severely in this hour.

Ezekiel 13:8-10
Therefore, thus says Yahweh God, "Because you have spoken falsehood and seen a lie, therefore behold, I am against you," declares Yahweh God. "So My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will have no place in the council of My people, nor will they be written down in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel, that you may know that I am Yahweh God. It is definitely because they have misled My people by saying, 'Peace !' when there is no peace.”

When the disciples of Christ heard of a great calamity that occurred in Israel, they inquired of Yahshua about it. He responded in the following manner:

Luke 13:2-5
"Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."

The Spirit is testifying in this hour that the First Baptist Church in Maryville, Illinois was no worse than tens of thousands of other churches across the land in this hour. The vast majority of the people of God have all gone astray. They are all alike trying to serve God and mammon. There are multitudes who are at ease in Zion. The pulpits are filled with smooth proclaimers of a happy message in an hour when God is full of wrath. The judgment will fall to all His people and they will likewise perish unless they repent quickly.

You may ask, “In what way have the people of God and their ministers transgressed the will of God that they have incurred this great judgment?” They have done so by proclaiming a false gospel that leaves men, women and children in bondage to the flesh. They have done so by superficially healing the sickness of fallen man. They say all is covered by the blood of Christ, but they do not lead men to live a victorious life over sin, Satan and the world. They leave men bound up in selfishness, addicted to pleasure and entertainment and tell them that God is well-pleased with them.

Jeremiah 6:11-14
“I am full of the wrath of Yahweh: I am weary with holding it in. "Pour it out on the children in the street, and on the gathering of young men together; For both husband and wife shall be taken, the aged and the very old. And their houses shall be turned over to others, their fields and their wives together; For I will stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land," declares Yahweh. For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for gain, and from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely. And they have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, saying, 'Peace , peace ,' but there is no peace.”

Consider the character of the churches today, which are mirrored in this one church in Illinois. The pastor was proclaiming a message titled “Come On, Get Happy” in an hour when God is judging the nations, and great calamity is about to be unleashed. The same weekend that Fred Winters was urging his congregation to “Get Happy,” David Wilkerson shared the following:

AN EARTH-SHATTERING CALAMITY IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. IT IS GOING TO BE SO FRIGHTENING, WE ARE ALL GOING TO TREMBLE - EVEN THE GODLIEST AMONG US.

For ten years I have been warning about a thousand fires coming to New York City. It will engulf the whole megaplex, including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut. Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires—such as we saw in Watts, Los Angeles, years ago.

There will be riots and fires in cities worldwide. There will be looting—including Times Square, New York City. What we are experiencing now is not a recession, not even a depression. We are under God’s wrath. In Psalm 11 it is written,

“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (v. 3).

God is judging the raging sins of America and the nations. He is destroying the secular foundations.

The prophet Jeremiah pleaded with wicked Israel, “God is fashioning a calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh, turn back each of you from your evil way, and reform your ways and deeds. But they will say, It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart” (Jeremiah 18:11-12).
[End Excerpt]

Can you think of a greater disparity among preachers and the message being proclaimed? Can you not understand the anger of God as He observes men who are standing in pulpits pretending to be His mouthpiece, and they are lulling the people to sleep in a time when the Spirit is crying forth to the churches to WAKE UP!

Fred Winters had been at this church for 22 years, and he had shepherded them down a path of ease, comfort and complacency. A look at the calendar of events for the church, available at their website reveals the focus of this body of Christians and the leaders that oversee them. The months of March and April reveal the following planned activities to occupy the attention of the saints of God:

High School Lazer Tag Lock-Out

Hey High Schoolers- are you ready to stay up ALL night long?!?! We are going to spend a night full of fun - running, rolling, jumping, climbing, and eating at The Edge in Belleville. Are you up for it?

WIBI Open Act Semi-Final FRIDAY MARCH 13 Featuring FBCM's Very Own Gessica Handegan

We will be hosting the WIBI (91.1 FM) "Opening Act" Semi-Final event on Friday, March 13 at 7 p.m. The event will consist of performances by the 8 remaining contestants in this praise and worship competition similar to "American Idol." The audience will be voting on the four finalists that will be moving on in the competition. Our very own Gessica Handegan is a finalist! The evening will also feature a concert by Christian rock band "Fee." Don't miss this opportunity for good, clean, family fun! Tickets are only $5/person and can be purchased by calling 1-800-707-9191 They're going fast so get yours today!

Timeless Treasures "Spring in Africa" March 20

Please join us Friday, March 20 at 6 p.m. for our "Spring in Africa" event. We'll enjoy a meal catered by Ponderosa, plus you'll have the chance to taste some genuine African cuisine. The Zambian Men's Acappella Choir will be blessing us through their singing. March 15 is the last day to sign up! Sign up at the long counter in the foyer Sunday! Cost for this event is $10/person.

Dad-Daughter Bowling Date Night March 21!

Dads and Daughters- Join us March 21 for our Third Annual Dad & Daughter Date Night! We will begin with dinner at Pizza Man in Troy at 4:15 p.m. and then go bowling at Camelot Bowl (Finishing by 9 p.m.). Cost is $37.50/couple and $18.75 for each additional daughter.

Karate Classes at FBCM

Kenpo Karate Classes for ages 7-17 will begin March 30. This class will meet once a week on Monday evenings (6 - 7:30 p.m.) for 8 weeks, thru May 18. Cost is $80/person. Trainers from Tracy's Kenpo Karate in Troy, IL will be teaching the class. Sign-up now!

Church Golf League

If you would like to play golf at Arlington Golf course on Thursdays (3:30 - 5 p.m. start time) each week April 2 - August 27, including a September tournament...

KIDZCamp 2009 Registration Begins Sunday!

Registration begins Sunday for KIDZCamp! Children in Grades 1-5 are invited to join us June 8-12 at Lake Williamson in Carlinville, IL! The energy, excitement and fun is unlimited, but space is limited so check your calendars now! If you are interested in volunteering for Kidz Camp, please fill out a Camp Volunteer Application (available in the Children's area).

MCS "Paradise Island" Dinner Auction March 14

Maryville Christian School is pleased to present our annual auction fund-raiser, "Paradise Island." Cruise with us on March 14 at 6 p.m. and enjoy delicious food, live entertainment by the Bethel Beach Boys, and fabulous finds at both silent and live auctions! Tickets are $20/person and may be purchased at the "L" counter in the foyer Sundays, until March 8. To make a donation, please contact...

Women's Aerobics FREE Guest Preview Week March 17 & 19!

Any interested women who have not previously attended one of our aerobics classes may participate for FREE both Tuesday, March 17 & Thursday, March 19 (6 - 7:15 p.m., Student Worship Area - Rm. 277). This is your no-obligation chance to check out this fun, affordable step class! We sweat to uplifting Christian music and do toning exercises as well. Equipment is provided- just bring a bottle of water and a hand towel! If you like the class, you can sign up for the Spring Session (April 7 - June 11) for only $1/class!

College Night - Baseball Style!

All college-age people are invited to enjoy baseball-style food and a baseball-themed movie at Pastor Tim & Gwen's house Friday, March 27 from 6-9 p.m.

Pastry Cooking Class - Zambia Missions Fundraiser

Help support our Zambia Mission Team and learn how to make four mouth-watering desserts! This class will take place Saturday, March 28 from 4-6:30 p.m. in Room 175. Sign up at the counter in the Foyer March 8-22 ($30 minimum donation).

It is not hard to discern a theme to the life of this church as it is directed by the shepherds who oversee it. It is food, fun, excitement, music, entertainment, ease, and pleasure for every age group of the church. A floor plan of the church reveals that such things are central to the very life of the members who attend there.




On the first floor there is a Game Room, a Weight Room, a Large Activities Room, a Kitchen and a Café and men’s and women’s locker rooms. The second floor also shows a walking/running track inside the building.

Likewise the grounds layout shows a similar theme:




There are four youth soccer fields and a much larger soccer field. There are eight tennis courts. There is a little league softball baseball field and two softball fields. There is a playground and basketball courts.

Soon a people who are at ease will make the confession of Job:

Job 16:12
"I was at ease, but He shattered me, and He has grasped me by the neck and has shaken me to pieces...”

Yahweh knows that a people who are at ease are not transformed from carnal men and women into spiritual. Transformation comes through struggle, by many trials and suffering. Because the people of God have chosen ease they have retained all the flavor of a sinful world. The church is thoroughly a reflection of the evil generation in which it exists. Because the people have not obeyed the Lord, they have neglected to take up their cross and follow Christ, Yahweh will overturn their vessels and He will cast them into troublesome days.

Jeremiah 48:11-12
“Moab has been at ease since his youth; He has also been undisturbed on his lees, neither has he been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile. Therefore he retains his flavor, and his aroma has not changed. Therefore behold, the days are coming," declares Yahweh, "when I shall send to him those who tip vessels, and they will tip him over, and they will empty his vessels and shatter his jars.”

For 22 years Fred Winters has led this people until they have become a mature expression of careless ease, bewitched by a message that has proclaimed that God is well pleased with them. They have not been warned of the great anger of Yahweh. They have not been called to repent, to weep and mourn and put on sackcloth. Instead they have been led to pursue endless entertainment and to go from one food festival to another. 22 years is a time found throughout the Scriptures that is associated with God cutting off wicked rulers over his people who have failed to shepherd them in the way they should go.

Jeroboam led the northern tribes of Israel into idolatry. Therefore God judged him. After 22 years God cut him off.

I Kings 14:19-20
Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he made war and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. And the time that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years; and he slept with his fathers.

Later we read of Ahab, the most wicked of all kings, who caused Israel to sin grievously. He too was cut-off after 22 years.

I Kings 16:29-30
Now Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of Yahweh more than all who were before him.

The number 22 is associated over and over with wicked rulers of the people of God, and the judgment that fell upon them. Is not Yahweh incensed that the leaders of His people are once more leading them into idolatry? Is He not justified in judging severely those who turn His people away from repentance and harden them in their spiritual blindness?

Yahweh has sent a multitude of warnings to His people over a period of many years, but their shepherds have lulled them to sleep. The people of God have been distracted with a multitude of activities that are no more than entertainments, feeding the flesh, and keeping the children of God perpetually spiritually immature. They have spent their money on the amusements offered by the church when they should have been caring for the widow and the orphan, the homeless and the stranger.

When the people of God should have been directed to subdue their fleshly passions and desires, and to drive out every enemy in the land of their flesh, they have instead been told that God is satisfied with them to remain encumbered in their slavery to the selfish Adamic nature. When they could have been warned and avoided the judgment to come, the ministers have hidden from their sight the path to peace with God.

Luke 19:41-43
And when He approached, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.”

Romans 14:17-18
For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Judgment must begin with the house of God. Sunday a sign was given that this judgment will be severe. If you have been sitting under the preaching of a false messenger of peace; if you have been joined to one of the thousands of houses of ease and prosperity that strive to keep the people entertained, then flee from that place. The Spirit of God has been calling out for many years to Yahweh’s people:

Revelation 18:4-5
“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.”

The horsemen have been loosed. The judgment will not delay much longer. Now is the time to heed. These are very serious days, and it is a holy God with whom we must deal.

II Corinthians 5:10-11
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men...

Let us put off ease and begin to walk in the fear of the Lord.

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

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 5546
Macon, GA 31208

An Urgent Message

Saturday, March 7, 2009
David Wilkerson's Post for Today

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

A brother sent me the text of and Urgent Message from David Wilkerson. My immediate response was to check it out to see if it was authentic, or if someone else had written it in his name. I found David Wilkerson's blog site and this writing was posted there as the March 7th entry. It is a word from David Wilkerson, and as a man whom I believe walks in great integrity and has been used profoundly of the Lord to minister the life of Christ to the world, I believe his words should be heard and examined carefully by all those who are partakers of the Spirit of Christ.

The post can be found at the following link as the March 7th post:

http://davidwilkersontoday.blogspot.com/

Saturday, March 7, 2009
AN URGENT MESSAGE

I am compelled by the Holy Spirit to send out an urgent message to all on our mailing list, and to friends and to bishops we have met all over the world.

AN EARTH-SHATTERING CALAMITY IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. IT IS GOING TO BE SO FRIGHTENING, WE ARE ALL GOING TO TREMBLE - EVEN THE GODLIEST AMONG US.

For ten years I have been warning about a thousand fires coming to New York City. It will engulf the whole megaplex, including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut. Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires—such as we saw in Watts, Los Angeles, years ago.

There will be riots and fires in cities worldwide. There will be looting—including Times Square, New York City. What we are experiencing now is not a recession, not even a depression. We are under God’s wrath. In Psalm 11 it is written,

“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (v. 3).

God is judging the raging sins of America and the nations. He is destroying the secular foundations.

The prophet Jeremiah pleaded with wicked Israel, “God is fashioning a calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh, turn back each of you from your evil way, and reform your ways and deeds. But they will say, It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart” (Jeremiah 18:11-12).

In Psalm 11:6, David warns, “Upon the wicked he will rain snares (coals of fire)…fire…burning wind…will be the portion of their cup.” Why? David answered, “Because the Lord is righteous” (v. 7). This is a righteous judgment—just as in the judgments of Sodom and in Noah’s generation.

WHAT SHALL THE RIGHTEOUS DO? WHAT ABOUT GOD’S PEOPLE?

First, I give you a practical word I received for my own direction. If possible lay in store a thirty-day supply of non-perishable food, toiletries and other essentials. In major cities, grocery stores are emptied in an hour at the sign of an impending disaster.

As for our spiritual reaction, we have but two options. This is outlined in Psalm 11. We “flee like a bird to a mountain.” Or, as David says, “He fixed his eyes on the Lord on his throne in heaven—his eyes beholding, his eyelids testing the sons of men” (v. 4). “In the Lord I take refuge” (v. 1).

I will say to my soul: No need to run...no need to hide. This is God’s righteous work. I will behold our Lord on his throne, with his eye of tender, loving kindness watching over every step I take—trusting that he will deliver his people even through floods, fires, calamities, tests, trials of all kinds.

Note: I do not know when these things will come to pass, but I know it is not far off. I have unburdened my soul to you. Do with the message as you choose.

God bless and keep you,

In Christ,

DAVID WILKERSON


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

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 5546
Macon, GA 31208

Awake, O Sleeper!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Introduction

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

After receiving the revelations of this past week, a great soberness, and a sadness came over me. When the Lord revealed that the 111th Congress would be the last one in which America as a nation would be divided and her liberty and prosperity lost, the imminence of those things the Father has been declaring for many years really struck home.

My response was an innate desire to be close to ones whom I loved. I think the reaction is akin to people who are facing some great trial or threat. They seek to gather together with other loved ones. I ended up calling my daughter and speaking to her. Then I called a dear sister in Christ and spoke to her for some time on the phone. She too had experienced the same sense of sadness and soberness upon reading the post titled America’s Swan Song.

I shared with this sister in Christ that I had a desire to write something to share with family members, friends and Christians who do not normally read my writings, or have much interest or understanding of the many things God has been declaring which are of a prophetic nature. I wanted something to send to them as a warning of how very soon these things must take place, and how life will be altered here in America forevermore.

The following writing is what I have produced to be shared with others. I am making it available to all who would also like to have something to share with those they love and care about. It is my hope and prayer that many might begin to awaken from their slumber as they consider the things written.

I also want to recommend to you (VERY HIGHLY) an audio message of an interview between Vincent Xavier and Benjamin Baruch. The audio message is available on the New Wine Radio Ministry website. You can access the New Wine Radio Archives here:

http://newwineministry.net/radio/video_archives.html

Click on the Archives tab and then look for the radio program dated 02/07/09 with the names Benjamin Baruch and Sam C. King. The entire audio program runs for 4 hours, but I have only listened to the first portion where Vincent Xavier is speaking to Benjamin Baruch.

A sister in Christ, Therese Kimber, told me about the program. She had listened to it and had been greatly affected by the content of what was discussed. It too will leave one with a great soberness in considering those things to come to this nation.

I would recommend the saints making time to sit down alone, or with other believers, and listening to this message. The only thing I would add to what is said, is that I am fully persuaded that all believers should be directed by the Spirit of Christ in all that they do to prepare for the coming days. Any actions that arise from the soul of man will surely prove vain. As sons of God we must be led of the Spirit in all that we do (Romans 8:14).

It is stated in the interview that the days upon us are akin to the days of Noah, and Noah made preparation for the judgment to come. I would amend this comment by declaring that Noah did PRECISELY what God instructed him to do. No more, and no less. So too must we be led of the Spirit and avoid any actions that are presumptuous.

The time is late. America is in its last hours, and great difficulties will be faced by all in the approaching days. Yet God will have a provision for His people. He will bear them up on eagles’ wings. He will care for them as a Father spares his own son.

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

Joseph Herrin

Romans 13:11-12
And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand.

I Thessalonians 5:3-6
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.

Awake O Sleeper!

Please read and consider carefully the words written here. They are of the gravest importance. If you are not hearing what the Lord is speaking in this hour, the destruction which is coming swiftly will overtake you like a thief.

Let me be very plain in declaring what the Spirit of Jesus Christ is speaking. America as a nation is about to come to a terrible end. It will happen NOW, during the time that the 111th Congress is in power. The 111th Congress is now in session. America will be divided. The economy will completely fail. Great famine will sweep across the land. Civil unrest of unprecedented proportions will occur, and MILLIONS of men, women and children in this nation will perish.

In this writing I will share with you some recent signs that have been given to warn God’s people of these things. I will then share why these things are occurring, what you should do in response, and how to prepare for what is at hand.

For many years now God has been providing a multitude of witnesses of the coming destruction of America as a nation and of the chaos that will impact all the nations of the earth. The church has been sleeping. They have been focused upon a prosperity gospel, and have sought a life of ease, comfort and many pleasures and entertainments. Because their focus has been self-centered, they have not discerned the voice of the Father who has been proclaiming that the hour is very late.


Miss USA 2007 and 2008

In 2007, during the evening gown portion of the Miss Universe pageant, Rachel Smith fell down while walking onto the stage. She was in front of an international audience and among dozens of women who each represented a different nation of the world. The next year, 2008, Crystle Stewart also walked out onto the stage during the evening gown portion of the competition, and she too fell to the ground.

Two years in a row Miss USA fell to the ground. Her fall serves as a parable from God of that which is coming swiftly to the nation. When God repeats a sign, He does so to indicate that His judgment in the matter is certain. He will not repent of His decision, and it will happen swiftly. In the Old Testament we read of God determining to bring a great famine upon Egypt and all the surrounding nations that would last for seven years. At that time also, God gave warnings of what would befall the people. Pharaoh dreamed two dreams in the same night, and Joseph, the son of Jacob, told Pharaoh the meaning of the repetition.

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.

God has been giving warnings for a long time. He has been calling His people to put aside their lust for the things of the world and to serve Him with an undivided heart. He has also been bringing many judgments upon the nation to warn her that the abominations practiced in the land cannot continue any longer. Yet neither the people of God, or the nation have wanted to repent. Therefore, judgment will now befall the nation. It will be complete, leaving America unrecognizable as the once proud land that has been her portion.

Revelation 2:21-22
“And 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...”

As the hour for the final destruction of America has drawn closer, the testimonies of what God will do have increased. Last year (September 2008), a terrible train wreck occurred in California.


Metrolink 111 Train Crash

A commuter train carrying many passengers ran at full speed into a UNION Pacific freight train that was on the same tracks. The train had departed from UNION station in Los Angeles. The passenger train’s engineer was distracted as he texted some young people when he should have been focused upon his job. He did not even apply the brakes, and as a result there was a devastating collision and many people died.

The Preamble to the Constitution begins with the following words:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

The Union that the forefathers of America had envisioned, this great experiment of Thomas Jefferson and others, has ended in gross sin and widespread corruption, both in government and society. Those driving the train of this nation have ignored all the stop lights, all the signs of warning, and have continued on a course of destruction without even slowing their forward speed.

All the while, those aboard have gone on without suspecting that life is about to end as they have known it. Many will perish, their lives snuffed out suddenly in calamitous events. Many more will suffer great injury. It will be a mere remnant who walk away having suffered no harm.

People of God, the Spirit is testifying that great and terrible days are just ahead. It will be a difficult period for any person to experience. Tales of grief and sorrow will become the portion of those whose conversations had focused upon their next purchase, their next entertainment, their next meal. Very suddenly the lives of all those aboard Metrolink 111 changed, and so too will things change in the days ahead. The signs of collapse, or disintegration, are all around, yet most are unseeing, most are oblivious to the destruction just around the bend.

Yes, the train was Metrolink 111, and the Spirit of Christ is now testifying that these things which He has warned about for so long will occur during the time that the 111th Congress is in session. The judgment will not delay any longer.

Just this month (February 2009), another witness has been given of that which is to come. A Continental Connections flight crashed as it approached Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The flight had originated out of Newark LIBERTY International Airport. The founding fathers of America wrote in the Preamble to the constitution that there purpose was to “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.”

This liberty that America has known is to end very soon. A nation of free people will see all their constitutional protections removed. Martial law will be enacted as the land collapses into chaos due to the total collapse of her economy. At the same time there will be other calamities that strike the nation. The land will be divided, and it will never be the same again.

The plane that crashed in Buffalo, New York was a Continental Connections flight. The name of the airline is prophetic. That which connects the states of this nation is about to be severed. The continental connection is about to lie in flaming ruins.

America as a nation formed its first government in what is referred to as the Continental Congress. The word Congress is derived from the Latin congressus, from congredi, “to come together.” Therefore, Continental Congress and Continental Connection share the same meaning.

America will, during the term of the 111th Congress, experience a constitutional crisis that is precipitated by the total collapse of the economy. The UNION will be destroyed. The Continental Connection will be destroyed. We are seeing the seeds of the coming destruction in the news every day. Millions of Americans are losing their jobs. Millions more have lost their homes. Trillions of dollars have been lost from the Stock Markets. Trillions of more losses have been incurred by the banking system.

There is a systemic collapse occurring as we speak. The media and politicians continue to suggest that the ship will be righted. The economy will rebound. A new time of prosperity is ahead. Yet God has declared that the time of warnings is over. The judgment has been determined and it will not turn back. America as a nation will end during these days. A nation that began in liberty, and promised the blessings of continued liberty to its posterity, will meet its end.

God has been signifying these things for many years. The whole world watched the events of 9-11-2001. This was one of the final warnings of God, seeking to get His people and the nation to repent of the evil course they were on. The World Trade Towers were located at the corner of Church Street and Liberty Street in New York City.


Liberty Street on 9-11

On the date of 9-11 the two towers which stood as a symbol of America’s economic might were totally destroyed. They had stood strong and tall, rising 110 stories above the ground. Even so, America’s economy has been the envy of much of the world for many years. Yet, after 110 comes 111. During this time of the 111th Congress we will see fulfilled what was signified in type that awful day. The people of this nation will stand with mouths agape, struck dumb with fear and agony as they observe what is coming.



What I am declaring is not sensationalism, or hyperbole. Few imagined the horror to strike New York City on that day. It was a beautiful September morning. Life was pleasant and an unsuspecting people went about their normal routines. Yet the lives of multitudes were to be changed in a moment. The two Miss USAs fell. The two towers fell. So too will America fall during the time of the 111th Cogress.

What will happen to the people of God in America as these cataclysmic events unfold? The righteous will be saved. God has also testified to this both by Scripture and by signs. Yet not all who name the name of Christ are considered righteous.

Malachi 3:16-18
Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who esteem His name. "And they will be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him." So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.

Are you among those who FEAR God? Does your life reveal a reverential regard for God’s holiness? Have you separated yourself from the evil pursuits of a fallen and depraved world? Are you living for His pleasure and His purposes, or are you pursuing the same material possessions, and life of comfort as your lost neighbors? Do you sign and groan over all the abominations committed in the land, or are you indifferent to these things, or worse yet, a participant in them?

Ezekiel 9:4-6
And the LORD said to him, "Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst." But to the others He said in my hearing, "Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity, and do not spare. Utterly slay old men, young men, maidens, little children, and women, but do not touch any man on whom is the mark; and you shall start from My sanctuary."

When God orders the slayer to begin at His sanctuary, He is testifying that judgment must begin with the house of God. What is indicated is that not all those in the house of God will be spared. Judgment will begin there, and many will perish who are among God’s own household. Do not be deceived! We will reap what we sow. It is the righteous who will be spared on that day.

The Continental Connections flight where fifty people perished stands as a parable of the disintegration of the United States. Many people will perish during the fall of the nation. Yet just a short time before this there was another plane crash where all aboard were saved as a US Airways flight crash landed in the Hudson River. This too was sent as a message from God. The nation will perish, but a people will be saved through days of great distress.


US Airways Flight 3407 at Battery Park

The US Airways flight speaks of the impending collapse of the United States. Yet some will emerge alive from this time. Who will be the ones who survive? It will be the righteous. This was clearly signified in the events of that day.

The captain of the US Airways flight, Chesley Sullenberger, and his co-pilot, had 153 people to safeguard. This number included 150 passengers and 3 flight attendants. 153 is the number of the righteous.

The number 153 is mentioned in John’s gospel in an event that occurred after the resurrection of Christ. Jesus appeared on the shore after the disciples had been fishing all night having caught nothing. He instructed them to cast their net on the right side of the boat and, when they did, they encompassed a great number of fish.

John 21:11
Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.

The fish represent men who are pulled from the sea of humanity. Even so, in the airplane crash, the 153 people in the back of the plane were all brought safely to shore, pulled from the waters of the Hudson River. (The name Hudson means “soul,” and those pulled from the Hudson signify those souls who will be saved.)

There is much that is symbolized in the details of this event. The plane was a US Airways, and it represents the nation whose name it bears. The plane was headed to Charlotte, NC which is a large banking center and it had a number of employees of Bank of AMERICA and Wells Fargo among its passengers. What is symbolized here is the imminent crash of the American economy. The banking system will collapse, and many people will be cast into peril as a result.

The airplane was towed to Battery Park where it ended up resting on the shore. This is symbolic of the state of America in coming days. America will be battered. The battering will continue for some time, yet God will bring the righteous safely through what is to come.

The Lord instructed His disciples to cast their net on the RIGHT side of the boat. The right side represents the side of RIGHTeousness. In the passage of Scripture speaking of the judgment of mankind, the sheep are directed to the right, while the goats are directed to the left and judgment.

What is also signified in these two plane crashes is that judgment must begin with the household of God. The church has much guilt in this hour. The church has followed the world into every excess of pleasure and sin. God holds the church more responsible for her transgression than the world, for the church has received greater light. There will be much weeping and sorrow among the household of God, and a great many will perish.

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

The first plane crash is a picture of the judgment which must begin with the household of God. It was with difficulty that they were saved, but God manifested great grace. Peter then continues with the thought, “What will be the outcome of those who do not obey the gospel of God? What will become of the godless man and the sinner?”

There are people IN the church as well as out of the church who do not obey the gospel. There are both righteous and wicked servants in the household of God. Do not be deceived! God will not be mocked. A mere confession of Christ with the mouth is not enough. If you are sowing to the flesh, living a life of carnal pleasure and sin, you must reap what you sow.

If you are pursuing a life of righteousness, then you can depend upon God to see you through the coming days. Consider the following words of Scripture and the image that follows.

Revelation 12:14
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.

Satan will be the instrument God uses to judge America. Yet God will provide a place of safety for His people in that hour that they might flee from Satan who comes to kill, steal and destroy. This protection and provision of God is depicted as the two wings of a great eagle.

Consider now the following image from the plane crash on the Hudson River.


Standing on the wings of US Airways Flight 3407

Those who escaped alive from the crash of the US Airways plane were held aloft on the two wings. America’s national symbol is the Eagle and as this was a US Airways plane, what is depicted is being carried on the two wings of a great eagle.

There have been a myriad of signs, prophecies and warnings given in recent days. Barack Obama took his inaugural oath with his hand upon the same Bible that Abraham Lincoln used.


Barack Obama’s Oath w/Lincoln Bible

There are many parallels between Barack Obama and Abraham Lincoln.

Both men were legislators from the state of Illinois.

Both men were elected to the presidency the first time they ran for the highest office in the land.

Both men are closely related to civil rights issues as Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and Obama is looked upon as the fulfillment of all that which began with this proclamation and was enunciated in the words of Martin Luther King.

Lincoln was the 16th President which is 4 times 4. Obama is the 44th President.

Lincoln took office in an hour when the nation was facing a great crisis, and so too has Barack Obama.

Yet the greatest parallels are yet to appear. Lincoln served as President during a time when the Continental Connection was severed. The Union experienced a great crisis, leading to the greatest loss of life of any period of American history. What will be observed during Obama’s presidency will be the same, but much worse. The Union will disintegrate. The Continental Connection will be severed. Martial law will be declared. Brother will be separated against brother, and there will be a staggering loss of life and a disruption of all that has been known during years of prosperity and peace.

These are but a small portion of the signs God has been providing to give His people understanding of those things to come. It has ever been God’s practice to speak through means of parables. In this way only those who have been granted the ability to perceive spiritual truth will understand.

Mark 4:11-12
"To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God; but those who are outside get everything in parables, in order that while seeing, they may see and not perceive; and while hearing, they may hear and not understand lest they return and be forgiven."

Many in America and in the church are now past the point of repentance. Their hearts have been hardened, and they would surely scoff at those things being declared here, even as they have continually ignored the warnings of God. God has afflicted this nation with many stripes in recent years. There have been record numbers of hurricanes, and tremendous devastation wrought by storms of historic proportions. The wicked city of New Orleans was dealt with very severely, and yet she has refused to repent.

There have been record numbers of tornadoes, and floods and droughts all occurring together in separate areas of the country. California, which leads the nation in much evil has been consumed with fires.


Los Angeles Fire - October 2008

What then should you do, seeing that great judgment is at hand? God tells us in His word.

Zephaniah 2:3
Seek the LORD, 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.

Are you one who carries out God’s ordinances, seeking to obey Him in all things which He reveals to you to be His will? If this is not a description of your life, then repent quickly and put away all sin from your life.

Have you entered into debt to gain the material things your soul lusted after? Repent, and ask God what He would have you do to be delivered. Jesus said that no man can serve God and mammon, but the majority of Christians in America have sought to do so.

Is your life characterized by selfish pursuits, with little thought given to what God would have you do with your life? Repent, and take up your cross and follow Christ wherever He would lead you.

Have you cared for the poor, fed the hungry, and given lodging to the stranger and homeless? There is no better way to insure God’s provision for you and your family in a day of great need than to have given generously to others when you saw their distress.

Isaiah 58:6-9
Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth; and your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, “Here I am.”

James 2:13
For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

Humble yourself before God and set your sight to pursue righteousness. Flee from all temptation. If this means casting out the television and disconnecting cable service, then do so quickly. Perhaps God will yet have mercy when He observes the fear you have of His righteous judgment.

If you are tempted through the Internet as many men and women are who struggle with lustful thoughts, then put it away from you. This is no time to play with sin. If you are listening to ungodly music, throw it away. Do not be found on the day of judgment with that which mocks the holiness of God in your possession. If you have been reading impure books and magazines, cast them out and do not return to them.

Perhaps you believe you have been living a moral life, but the things I am sharing with you in this writing concerning the judgment to befall the nation are new to you. You need to ask why. Why have you not been hearing the voice of God speaking words of warning concerning that which is coming?

Has your life been self-focused? Have you failed to daily enter into God’s presence and to seek to hear His voice? Those who come through the coming days victoriously will only do so as they are sensitive to hear the voice of God and are quick to obey all that He declares. Perhaps you have not been hearing Him because you have not been walking as close to Him as you ought.

The day of calamity will not be the optimum time to learn to walk by the Spirit. Now is the time to be practicing such a life.

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

John 10:27
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me...”

God has been giving abundant testimony of the things to come for all to see. If you have not been discerning these things then there is surely a reason for it. It is time to awake, o sleeper! Do not let the day of the Lord come upon you as a thief.

If you have discerned the voice of the Spirit of Christ speaking to you through these words, and you desire to read more pertaining to what God has been speaking of the days we are now entering, I would recommend to you the writing posted on the Internet titled A Chronology of Events. In it you will find a multitude of links to words, by this same author, declaring the things God has been showing forth by signs for the past ten years.

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

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

Joseph Herrin

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

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 5546
Macon, GA 31208