Joseph Herrin (08-20-08)

The following news story arrested my attention today.

153 Die in Fiery Plane Crash

MADRID, Spain (CNN) — Passengers said they saw flames and then heard an explosion moments before a Spanair jet crashed on takeoff Wednesday at Madrid’s Barajas Airport, killing 153 people, according to local media.

The Spanair Flight JK5022 was carrying 172 people. There were 19 survivors, including two infants, Development Minister Magdalena Alvarez said…

The flight was bound for Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, two hours away.

Local officials said one of the engines caught fire. The aircraft, an MD-82, has two jet engines, both at the rear.

The burning plane came to rest in a gully about 2:45 p.m. (8:45 a.m. ET)…

A survivor told Spain’s ABC newspaper that she and other passengers heard an explosion as the plane was taking off.

“She said they could see the fire, … and then it was not even a minute or so they heard [something] blow up,” reporter Carlota Fomina told CNN. “They were about 200 meters [660 feet] in the air, and then they were landing but not crashing. They were landing, like, little by little; it was not like they [fell] down suddenly…”

Some of the survivors have serious injuries, while others have non-life-threatening injuries. Many of the injured were treated for burns, she said..

The airport, eight miles (13 km) northeast of central Madrid, is Spain’s busiest, handling more than 40 million passengers a year.

In April of this year the Lord sent me out camping for a month. It was a time of seeking His face to discern the character of the coming ministry. While I was on Jekyll Island the Spirit of Christ spoke to me about the number 153 and its significance to this hour. You can read the entire blog here: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/third-appearance-of-christ.html

Following is an excerpt:

That night I returned to my camper/van and I checked my e-mail. A brother in Christ had e-mailed me and had asked me for any insight I could give him regarding the number 153 in Scripture. He said that the Lord had impressed this number upon him in a very definite way some years before, but he did not fully understand its meaning. He said that he knew that it occurred in only one place in Scripture, and this was when the Lord appeared to the disciples after His resurrection and He told them to cast their net into the sea, and when they did they brought up 153 great fish. Following is the account from the Gospel of John.

John 21:1-14 After these things Yahshua manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will also come with you.” They went out, and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing. But when the day was now breaking, Yahshua stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Yahshua. Yahshua therefore said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will find a catch.” They cast therefore, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. That disciple therefore whom Yahshua loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” And so when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about two hundred cubits away, dragging the net full of fish. And so when they got out upon the land, they saw a fire of coals already laid, and fish placed on it, and bread. Yahshua said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.” Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. Yahshua said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to question Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord. Yahshua came and took the bread, and gave them, and the fish likewise. This is now the third time that Yahshua was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.

The Holy Spirit arrested my attention as I read this, for I considered how unusual it was that I had just cooked fish over coals, even as Yahshua was recorded as doing in this passage. I felt that the Spirit of Christ had a message in this for me, and I began to ponder what it was…

Consider for a moment that the question of the identity of Christ is mentioned prominently in all of His appearances after the resurrection. It seems that there was some question as to who was appearing before them, for it is mentioned that none dare asked Him who He was, for they knew it was Christ. Is this not strange? If the disciples knew it was Christ, then why even mention that none dared ask who He was? I believe these words serve as a prophecy of that which is to come, for each of Christ’s appearances to His disciples after the resurrection stands for a specific way in which He would appear to His disciples in the next 2,000 years, and there would be some question as to whether it was truly Christ appearing in this way.

Let me remind you that before I went camping, the last writing I sent out was on the sign given in the constellation Bootes (http://www.heart4god.ws/id655.htm). This sign speaks of Yahshua coming to perform a very specific work of removing flesh from His children. It will be a work of fiery purification to prepare a Bride for His coming as Bridegroom. I believe it is also this same work that is depicted in the form of a parable in the Scripture passage on the 153 fish. John relates that this is the third, and final appearing of Christ before His ascension. The number three is a number denoting completeness. E.W. Bullinger, in his book Number in Scripture shares the following:

Three, therefore, stands for that which is solid, real, substantial, complete, and entire. All things that are specially complete are stamped with this number three.

At the end of the age, the Lord will bring His body to maturity. He must have a Bride without spot or blemish prepared for the return of the Bridegroom. What is therefore depicted is a final appearing of the Lord to make complete all that has been lacking in this preparation of the Bride. We will see this further as we consider some of the symbols in this parable.

The first disciples that the Lord called were Peter and his brother Andrew, and James and his brother John. All four of these men worked together as partners in the business of fishing (Luke 5:10). Yahshua appeared to them while they were working on their nets and called them to follow Him, for He would make them “fishers of men.” Previously these men had sought to catch fish, but now they would devote their lives to catching men. The fish therefore became a symbol for man. If a person is a fisher of men, then is it not obvious that one serves as a symbol for the other?

This symbol of the fish has even come to serve as a common symbol for Christianity. It was reportedly used as a secret sign among the early church in days of persecution to identify those who were followers of Christ. The individual letters of the Greek word for fish, Ichthus, became an acrostic for the words Iesous Christos THeou Uiou Soter, which rendered into English is Jesus Christ God’s Son Savior. This, however, is a man-made acrostic, and the symbol has proven association with pagan worship, so I will stick with that which is Biblical.

In John’s account the disciples, at the Lord’s instruction, cast their nets on the right side of the boat and bring up 153 fish. The right side is indicative of the righteous. In the parable of the sheep and the goats, the sheep are separated onto the right, and the goats go to the left. This haul of fish therefore signifies those who are righteous, the elect and chosen of God…

Consider now the parable of the 153 great fish that were caught. Earlier in the ministry of Christ the disciples pulled a great number of fish up in their nets, but their nets began to break and their boats began to sink. Undoubtedly many of the fish escaped or were lost. At the end of Christ’s ministry the disciples pulled up a great catch of fish once more at the Lord’s command, but this time the nets did not break and no fish were lost. I believe this to be a symbol representing the fact that even as Christ did not lose any of those that the Father gave to Him, that His disciples would not lose that which was given to them…

When pondering this parable I considered how it might relate to the ministry of coming days. I was immediately mindful of the fact that the Lord in this appearance has laid fish upon the coals. Fire is the ultimate purifier. I recently wrote of the following Scripture, and its application to this coming work of Christ among His people.

Luke 12:49 “I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled!”

This is also related to the following words of John the Baptist.

Matthew 3:11 As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

The Lord did not show me these things until after I had cleaned the fish and placed them over the hot coals to cook. In a recent writing, Joseph – Preparing the Body for Burial, (http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/) I noted that it was the work of the Joseph Company to minister in coming days as they guide the elect through days of fiery trial. I believe the Spirit has used this event as one more testimony during my days of camping to speak of the work to come.

I noted that it was on my eleventh day camping on Jekyll Island that we caught the fish, cleaned and cooked them over the coals. Eleven is a number pertaining specifically to Joseph, as he was the eleventh son of Jacob, and he lived to be 110 years old. The Lord prevented me from catching fish until this day, for I believe He wanted this to be a further witness and testimony of the quickly approaching ministry appointed to a Joseph Company who have themselves surrendered themselves to fiery trials intended to bring forth purity in their lives.

Some further details that are significant are found in the fish I caught and prepared. Randy and I caught and cooked three fish. As mentioned earlier, three speaks of that which is complete, and it is a work that will bring the Bride to complete readiness for the Bridegroom that will be accomplished through the fiery work ahead. As mentioned the fish were whiting, and the color white is indicative of the Bride who has made herself ready. The first thing I did in preparing the fish was to cut off their heads. I have written much of what this symbolizes in various writings, including The Remnant Bride. Cutting off the head symbolizes having no head of one’s own, but taking Christ as Head in all things…

I will mention once again that there was some question about the identity of Yahshua in John’s account. Peter did not recognize it was the Lord until John told him. I believe this also speaks prophetically to the truth that many will question that which will come to the church in days ahead. Some will observe the Lord with fish laid in the coals and will not immediately recognize that it is Him. Many will question whether the Lord could actually be the One who is subjecting His people to the fiery trials that are quickly coming upon the earth.
[End Excerpt]

In this news article we have 153 people perishing in a fiery crash as they are seeking to ascend into the heavens. Many Christians would deny that God had anything to do with this calamity, and in coming days when Christ lays His body upon a bed of fiery coals they will also wonder if it could truly be God doing this.

Amos 3:6 If a calamity occurs in a city has not Yahweh done it?

The plane was flight JK5022. Fifty is a number relating to Jubilee, and it is also a number that God brought to my thoughts while camping, and I wrote about it. Twenty-two, as all readers of this blog should know by now, is a number pertaining to the removal of the flesh, and cutting off evil. We stand now at the end of forty Jubilee cycles since the day of Christ. A Jubilee was held every fifty years. Jubilee speaks of release from bondage, as all slaves were set free in the year of Jubilee and all debts were canceled.

In the recent blog titled “An Incredible Journey” I described how the Lord directed my attention to the Department of Corrections in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. It was located on Liberty Street. It will be the corrections of God that will lead to the liberty of the sons of God as all the sin that binds them will be burned away as the children of God go through fiery trials. The behavior of the sons of God will be greatly altered as they devote themselves to righteousness.

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

As I considered what was being revealed in this sign upon the earth, I was led to consider Dagon, the fish god of the Philistines. The plane that crashed was heading to Los Palmas (The Palms), and 153 perished which is an allusion to the 153 fish of John 21. When I thought of fish and palms together I remembered the story found in I Samuel chapter 5.

I Samuel 5:1-4 Now the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. When the Ashdodites arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of Yahweh. So they took Dagon and set him in his place again. But when they arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of Yahweh. And the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.

Dagon

It is the hands and the head that are mentioned when John speaks of the mark of the beast in Revelations. The hands speak of the works of man, and the head speaks of the thoughts of man. In the last days men’s thoughts and actions will be turned to evil continually. Yet God will have a remnant who have been beheaded for His sake. Beheading is a symbol of having one’s own rule surrendered that they might take Christ as head. Remember, Revelations is a book of symbols, not of literal truth.

Revelation 20:4
And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Yahshua and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Do you see the connection? Those who have been beheaded because of the testimony of Yahshua have not taken the mark upon their forehead or upon their hands. Even as their head has been removed, so too have their hands. They live only to do the will of their Master, who is Christ Yahshua.

This is merely one more way in which the Spirit is portraying by means of a parable what must occur in this last hour in which we live. Even as those caught in the net of Christ must be laid upon the coals, we see in Revelations that the overcomers have been beheaded and be-handed. Like Dagon, they fall prostrate before the presence of God and offer Him the worship of obedience.

Interestingly, the plane crash occurred at the Barajas airport, and Barajas is Spanish for “deck.” The word “deck” is associated with fishing, as the floor of a ship is called a deck. When the disciples pulled the nets out of the water the 153 fish were placed on the deck of the boat. A fish cannot live out of water, and God will lead all of His children to a cross in coming days where they will lose their lives that they might find them.

Matthew 16:24-25
“If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it.”

Let me state the conclusion of this matter. The children of God in this day have been seeking to save their lives. They have avoided the cross, and have been led by their own head to all of their actions, and have set their hands to perform works of their own choosing. Many are serving the beast nature, living to satisfy the appetites and passions of the flesh. Others are choosing for themselves the works and sacrifices they will offer unto God. Both actions are equally displeasing to Yahweh.

In this last hour, through a fiery work, the Lord will bring all of His children to embrace the cross which will bring all their own works to cessation. The result will be freedom to walk as Christ walked, and live as Christ lived. He said, “I never do anything of My own initiative. I live to do the will of the Father.” So too must all His disciples speak forth the same confession in truth.

This is what is foreshadowed in these events. It was reported that the plane was about 660 feet high when the explosion took place which caused it to descend. 666 is the number of the beast. What is signified is that the people of God have come close to the full image of the beast, and God must bring a sudden correction to them. The words of Isaiah will be fulfilled.

Isaiah 66:16
For Yahweh will execute judgment by fire and by His sword on all flesh, and those slain by Yahweh will be many.

We must all pass through death to enter into resurrection life. This fiery work is now approaching the children of God. Benjamin, the last son of Jacob, must come forth as Rachel (the church) is dying in her birth pangs. The son of sorrow will become the son of the right hand. Let us heed the testimony of God. He declares these things that His children might be ready and might recognize that it is the Lord who does these things.

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