ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the National Council of Churches.
I am going for a computer to replace the one in the chapel. That one has multiple problems.
If all goes well, we will have the Tuesday and Thursday lectures, 11 AM, and the Wednesday Midweek Vespers.
I will post in advance what is happening. Stay tuned.
Dear Pastor Jackson,
5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
2 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. Luke 2:1-20
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85009698246?pwd=sHnxdc5x9PPIjqfTtaaaFq2mOADlsB.1
Introit
Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Thine only-begotten Son, so that by His coming we may be enabled to serve Thee with pure minds; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
[a]Marshal your troops now, city of troops,
for a siege is laid against us.
They will strike Israel’s ruler
on the cheek with a rod.
2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans[b] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”
18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
19. It is indeed true that the masses do not become so afflicted, but only the few and generally the most sensible, scrupulous, and good-hearted individuals who have no desire to harm any one and would live honorable lives. It may be they foster some secret sin, as for example unchastity. This burdens them day and night so that they never are truly happy. But this is game for the monks and priests, for here they can practice extortion, especially with women; here people confess, are taught, absolved, and go whithersoever the confessor directs. Meanwhile the people are the Lord’s token of the last day. To such the Gospel is light and comfort while it condemns the others.
20. Neither can anyone deny this sign, for it has been so common these hundreds of years that many have become insane over it, as Gerson informs us. Although at all times there have been people so distressed and perplexed, it was formerly not so common as now. From the beginning of the world no human doctrine exercised, the tenth part or even the hundreth part of the influence, or tortured and seared so many consciences as the doctrines of the pope and his disciples, the monks and priests. Such perplexed hearts will necessarily grow out of the papal doctrine of confession which has never been so earnestly promulgated as now.
Therefore this has never been a token of the judgment until now. There must be many and great signs, therefore, and they be despised by most men. “For the roaring of the sea and the billows.”
21. This will take place through the winds, for all roaring of the waters comes by means of the storm. Therefore the Lord would say by these words that many and great storms will arise. By sea, however, is not to be understood simply the ocean, but all gathered waters, according to the language of Scripture, Genesis 1:10: “And the gathering together of the waters called he seas,” be they oceans, seas or lakes. Rivers on the other hand are changeable flowing waters.
22. It is not to be supposed that all waters, streams, lakes, seas, oceans, will, at the same time and in the same way, be come stormy and boisterous.
Some seas are thus to be moved and this is to be the sign unto us. For as not all stars fall and not all nations are distressed in perplexity, so shall not all waters roar nor all places be visited by the storm.
23. Here heathen art will sit in the schools and with wide open mouth will say, “Did you see the storm or hear the sea and the waves roaring?
Aristotle clearly teaches that these are but natural phenomena.” Let us pass these by and know that God’s Word and tokens are despised by the wisdom of the gods. Do you hold fast to the Gospel — this teaches you to believe that storms and detonations in the sea are signs and tokens. And however many times such signals have been given in other days, they shall nevertheless become more numerous and terrible as the day of doom approaches.
24. It seems to me that within the space of ten or twelve years, there have been such storms and tempests and waters roaring as have never before been seen or heard. We are to consider, therefore, that although in former times these signs came singly and at less frequent intervals, now they appear many and frequent. In our time both sun and moon are darkened, stars fall, distress of nations is present, winds and waves are roaring, and many other signs are being fulfilled. They are all coming in a heap.
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| CFW Walther was always a Pietist and he learned Universal Objective Justification from his syphilitic mentor, Martin Stephan, whom he deposed by creating a riot that made Walther into the leader. |
25. We have lately also seen so many comets and so many calamities have fallen from the skies and there has arisen the hitherto unknown disease, syphilis. Also how many signs and wonders have been seen in the heavens, as suns, moons, stars, rainbows, and many other strange sights. Dear hearer, let them be signs, great signs, tokens that mean much; so that neither the astronomers nor heathen astrologers can say they simply follow the ordinary course of nature, for they knew nothing of them before nor did they prophesy of them.
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| The self-appointed bishops - Stephan, DeJaynes, Heiser. |
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DeJaynes was an LCA pastor. Do they wear home-plate hats in the Lutheran Confessional Synod? Jay Webber and Kincaid Smith brought DeJaynes into the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, with the blessings of ELS Bishop John Molstad. They even prayed together. |
These Are the Bad Categories - Easy To Remember To Avoid
Dairy
Milk products - milk, cream, ice cream, cheeses, cottage cheese, yogurt. The fat content is high and the protein is over-done, except for baby cows.
Eggs
Eggs are very satisfying but loaded with fat. They attract salt the way milk attracts sugar, which is not good.
Prepared And Fast-Food Meals, Often Frozen
Swanson TV Dinners bequeathed the Swanson House in Fayetteville to M/M Bill Clinton (not my fault). The Jacksons ate those salted up frozen dinners while watching TV in the 1950s. Lots of salt and a tiny dessert.
Frozen pizza - easy to microwave, loaded with cheese, salt, and fat.
Fast-food joints - the product is delivered to the little restaurants, thawed and often soaked in grease to make them delicious (ha!). Lots of salt is used in them and on them, with the addition of mustard (salt) and ketchup (salt) etc. Anything made in a real restaurant is far worse in fast-foods. Sugar and sweeteners add to the disaster.
Candy and Treats - Heavy with Sugar, Salt, and Fat
Candy and treats are mostly sugar and oil, often stale but who cares when the cravings crave and no one is watching? The main advantage in retail is their high volume, high cost, and long shelf life, or rather, stale life. The instant jolt of sugar is enhanced with fat and some salt. Added nuts make sweets look more like food.
The candy aisle at Walmart is simply gigantic, competing with only small areas of various frozen vegetables and fruits, tip-toing into ready made versions (seasoned? you mean salted!). A dash of salt vastly increases frozen food prices and profits.
Stop! Lots of Nutrition Below in Simple Categories
Fresh Produce - Paradise Forgotten
The best part of a grocery store is filled with apples, oranges, peaches, berries of all types, pineapples, bananas, vegetables, and more. The juices are merely colorful delicious sugar water but not nutrition.
Note that cashiers are appalled that a septuagenarian is filling his cart first with fruit, especially apples, bananas, blueberries, and oranges. Fresh fruit makes up two out of three meals each day, which means an enormous amount of God's Medicine is being consumed.
The pharmacy knows - most of their products are very expensive but seldom heal, and only treat symptoms. Cough syrup is a sweet potion that can make matters worse not better. Apples help - a lot.
Enormous jars of powdered protein (milk) are sold in pharmacy, without doubting the long-term effects. Numerous over-the-counter meds and magic formulae make much more money to the store than fresh produce.
Greens and the Incredible Creation Factory
As far as I know, lettuce is worthless, except for decoration on a plate.
In contrast, leafy greens are ignored, shunned, and ridiculed. Whether fresh or frozen, leafy greens are the Mayo Clinic of genuine healing and strength.
Let's be frank, even when Frank is not frank anymore, but calls himself Franklin. God has given us the miraculous system of turning delicious foods into effective medicines of all types.
Without asking, the body starts the use of foods by chewing, swallowing, and mixing in the stomach. Shamelessly, the body shifts the food into the small and large intestines. This slow process allows the bacteria and other helpers take apart food, to combine what is needed at the right point. Fiber and resistant starch slow down the action that turns food into healing and support for the body.
My blood results were horrible in 2022. Worst was blood sugar in the diabetic range, with cholesterol and blood pressure high. I was eating walnuts to reduce cholesterol, but I always enjoyed them on vanilla ice cream, sometimes taking second helpings. The doctor saw great results later, and his successor was equally astonished - 40 pounds of fat storage gone from a menu of greens, beans, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and some meat.
Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book convinced me about leafy greens and the enormous internal factory provided by all the foods I used to ignore in favor of fast-food joints, ice cream, candy, donuts, pizza, colas, and similar low nutrition foods. The medicinal value of greens, beans, vegetables, and nuts is difficult to comprehend in variety and power. Best of all, eating valuable foods changes the craving to modest amounts of all those things generously given by the Creator for our benefit.
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