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 to these poisons 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 Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. Revelation 21:7
I have said - because of the nature of Revelation - "This is the summary of the entire Bible, woven together, Old and New Testaments."
If we open our eyes throughout 65 books of the Bible, particles of Revelation show up.
Isaiah 65:17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
Alas, we no longer have the strength and fortitude to match the Old and New Testaments.
Revelation 14:1 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.
2 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:
3 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.
22.1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
The last half of Revelation is especially grand in its positive descriptions of the Gospel. Starting from the very last is a good way to work back to the middle area.
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. [Note the 144,000 with the Lamb, chapter 7.]
The Gloria Patri The Kyrie p. 17 The Gloria in Excelsis The Salutation and Collect p. 19
Collect
We beseech Thee, Almighty God, look upon the hearty desires
of Thy humble servants and stretch forth the right hand of Thy majesty
to be our defense against all our enemies; through Jesus Christ,
Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and Gradual Ephesians 5:1-9 The Gospel Luke 11:14-28 Glory be to Thee, O Lord! Praise be to Thee, O Christ! The Nicene Creed p. 22 The Sermon Hymn #376Rock of Ages
The Preface p. 24 The Sanctus p. 26 The Lord's Prayer p. 27 The Words of Institution The Agnus Dei p. 28 The Nunc Dimittis p. 29 The Benediction p. 31 The Hymn #568 We Praise Thee O God
KJV Ephesians 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. 3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them. 8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
KJV Luke 11:14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. 15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. 16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house against a house falleth. 18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. 19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. 20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: 22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.
23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. 24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. 25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. 28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
A Kingdom Divided
KJV Luke 11:14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. 15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.
There is an assumption today that the world is fairly neutral, with only a few who believe in Christ, a few who know about Satan, and the rest neutral or indifferent. However, the situation is like this - the few know and believe Christ while the vast majority are in a slumber ready to oppose faith when it matters to them. Jesus - as the Teacher - saw that they wanted to make fun of Him and force His power and perhaps experience their own fear.
16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house against a house falleth.
There can only be two Kingdoms. One Kingdom belongs to Christ alone. The other belongs to Satan. As Luther teaches in his sermon on this topic, there are no subtle variations, nuances, or divisions except for the two - Christ or Satan.
The quiet ones can imagine they are fine fellows because they do not belong to any side. But they are easily persuaded by their own wit to become hostile to the Savior - or those who talk about the Savior. Then the pitchforks get drawn out with great righteousness. One of the marks today are those who rail and scream about all the "injustice" when someone speaks about faith in Christ.
The last 50 years have seen the development of every Satanic device being used to make sure our society is "perfect." The treatment of the unborn, the babies, the children - all are Satanic in nature and well known to the elites (as they fool themselves). The stories of ancient paganism are no worse than what they promote today. We are worse because we have the instruments to be even more efficiently evil than the ancients.
18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. 19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. 20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
This is simple and clear. An individual is either with Christ or Satan. Those two verses above perfectly describe the denominations of today - mostly on Satan's side and crumbling fast. LCMS leader Matt Harrison is outraged that his sect would lose money from US.AID, as boasted through Thrivent and his "International" Center. Matt is gathering "his lawyers" now, to fight even harder for more causes of the Left. He is only echoing the threats and fury of Archbishop Liz Eaton (ELCA) who works with LCMS, Thrivent, and US.AID.
21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: 22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.
Most people will agree that ancient times were bloodthirsty and horrible, just for starters. I had one book about the Roman Empire that was so vile I threw it away because of its content. Early Christians used the fish sign, scratched on the soil, to indicate the other pilgrim was a believer. One half alone meant nothing. Completing the fish sign meant in Greek - Jesus Christ Son of God Savior.
23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. 24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. 25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
This is a warning from Jesus, that a person can be a believer and fall into even worse situations.
27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. 28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
The Gospel of John warns readers about over-reaching Mary (at the Cana wedding and at the cross), and this passage is good example of that issue and Jesus' warning - "Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and guard it." Not all downfalls are dramatic. Many drift into errors, especially under dynamic efforts, and find it difficult to leave that special experience.
21.1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Tom implored Gregory to address the LCMS's perceived apostasy regarding the King James Bible and justification by faith.
Tom expressed heartbreak over LCMS professors and pastors rejecting the KJV in favor of corrupt texts and embracing objective subjective justification.
Tom urged earnest prayer of the Lord's Prayer, emphasizing that God grants faith and brings His Kingdom through His Word.
Tom Fisher
2:46 PM (4 hours ago)
to me
Dear Pastor Jackson,
I can honestly state that I have energetically implored LCMS professors, Presidents, pastors, and laymen to turn back to God's pure INCORRUPTIBLE Word in the King James Bible and cling to justification by faith in Christ instead of objective subjective justification false doctrine. They responded with nothing but mockery, hate, and threats for the past 45 years. Everyone should be shocked at their persistent hatred of God's INCORRUPTIBLE Word in the King James Bible and their hatred of the doctrine of justification by faith in Christ without our works. The blindness and hardness of heart among LCMS professors, pastors, and laymen is heartbreaking. How can God's Kingdom come in the face of such ingrained and hardened apostasy? Are Lutheran's without hope? What shall we do? Perhaps we need to earnestly pray the first and second petitions of the Lord's Prayer remembering that no one can come to Christ in true faith without being drawn by God the Father.
43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:43-44
How could LCMS fall so far from grace and stubbornly embrace such horrible apostasy? LCMS was so much stronger and vibrant with the preaching of Walter A Maier on the Lutheran Hour! Was it his winning personality that drew multitudes to listen to his preaching with rapt attention? Perhaps it was Walter A Maier preaching the pure INCORRUPTIBLE efficacious Word of God in the King James Bible! Perhaps it was Walter A Maier faithfully preaching justification by faith in Jesus Christ without our own works!
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson, PhD, quoted Walter A. Maier on page 47 of his book titled: The King James Version: Apostolic Texts, Precise Translation versus Fraudulent Texts and Heretical Translations:
"Justification by faith in Christ together with its twin truth, the inerrancy of Holy Scripture, are the keystone and cornerstone of Protestantism. Neglect one or both and the whole structure will fall into ruin."
LCMS has sealed her ruin by clinging to the fraudulent and heretical Greek Vaticanus and Sinaticus, the corrupt Greek Nestle-Aland text, ESV, NIV, RSV, NASB, and NKJ. They have completely rejected the inerrancy of Holy Scripture. I can hear them chanting: "No text contains the same Words God inspired the prophets and apostles to write. All Greek texts and all translations contain some errors and omissions. The original autographs are gone forever, therefore God's PURE INCORRUPTIBLE WORD is gone forever." They completely ignore Psalm 12:6-7.
The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
7 Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. Psalm 12:6-7
LCMS completely fell from grace by officially accepting the false teaching of objective subjective justification in the 1932 Brief Statement. Here LCMS officially rejected justification by faith in Christ without our works. This is heartbreaking because it undermines, CONFUSES, and destroys the true faith of millions of Lutheran's. What shall we do? Perhaps we need to pray the Lord's prayer in true faith earnestly begging God to grant that His name may be Holy among us and that His Kingdom would come to us and also to the whole world.
Luther explains the meaning of the second petition in his Small Catechism:
"Thy Kingdom come.
What does this mean? Answer:
The kingdom of God comes indeed without our prayer, of itself; but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also.
How is this done? Answer:
When our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His Holy Word and lead a godly life, here in time and hereafter in eternity." (Luther's Small Catechism pamphlet, CPH, pgs. 8,9)
God has given us His Holy Word in our King James Bible. In our Baptism God has clothed us in the righteousness of Christ, giving us the gift of the Holy Ghost ' so that by His grace we believe His Holy Word and lead a godly life, here in time and hereafter in eternity.'
Fathers and mother's, kneel down with your little children every night, praying the Lord's Prayer with them. Teach them that God their heavenly Father hears their prayers and gives them special angels to watch over them. I can still remember my mother praying the Lord's Prayer with my brother and I. Then she would rumple our hair and tell us to go to sleep, but we would ask her questions about God to keep her with us.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 1 Peter 3:12
Hold to the firm and simple faith God gave you as a little child!
18 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
God urges us to pray to Him in true faith, believing He will give us more than we can ask or think.
9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? Luke 11:9-13
