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.
The Internet gave me a mild shock when someone from Moline, Illinois posted that Moliners did not know where I was or maybe I was hiding or withdrawn on purpose.
I am the sole author of the blog Moline Memories - for over 15 years. I did not know I was so easily hidden away near WalMart headquarters and Tyson Foods headquarters. Hint - both are in Northwest Arkansas.
I continue posting almost daily on Ichabod the Glory Has Departed.
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.
4 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.
5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
6) The angel with the everlasting gospel
6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
14) The Son of Man on the cloud, the sickle
14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
I often get someone knocking on the door about insects, windows, and other sales items. The teen was in his late teens and talking about screens. I explained how I was a renter (aren't we all?) and not a good source.
On the way out from the porch he looked at three metallic photos of Christina, Erin Joy, and Bethany Joan Marie. He asked how they were made and who were they. I said, "My wife Christina died of cancer and our two daughters had a mysterious ailment."
He looked over each photo and began crying. He said, "You put their photos in the garden? What a wonderful way to honor them."
Christina Elizabeth Jackson
52 Years of Marriage
"Build a Rose Garden. Grass is boring."
Erin Joy is portrayed as "a gift of heavenly joy," holding her teddy bear.
Bethany Joan Marie - "Nurses always called her Angel.
In her mother's arms again.
Around 2016 Christina and I were invited to the upcoming Noah's Ark project in Kentucky. One member recently challenged me to find the photo. This morning showed me at 160 pounds. My remembered peak was 215 and was probably higher.
O God, forasmuch as without Thee we are not able to please Thee, mercifully grant that Thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
KJV Matthew 22:34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. 35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus took over the debate to make the Sadducees look foolish, effectively. This is one of the long-standing hobbies in Judaism, to see who can debate most favorably. The person who silences the other wins - and it can be fun. A lady in grocery-mobile bumped lightly into my cart at the check-out. She said, "Watch out. I have a doctor." I said, "I have a lawyer," and she laughed with the others behind her. In traditional English, that is called rhetoric. So in this case the crowd wanted to see who would ultimately win. There are a number debates like that in the Gospels. John 9 is a complete story and also humorous.
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
These are the two great loves - love for God the greatest of all, and love for our neighbor as much as we love ourselves. These are great and overwhelming. So many things get in the way of what matters the most. We can easily make the smallest the most significant. My change away from Old Testament teaching is a concentration of Scriptures alone.
So - as we tiptoe into Revelation, the Scriptures throughout the Bible reflect upon that mysterious and final book of the Bible. Revelation - without doubt - the most beautiful and most overwhelming of all the Scriptures. Right in the middle is the Virgin Mary and the Infant. No wonder the Rationalists mock the birth of Jesus and the Crucifixion. The
Revelation can be one of the most perplexing of the New Testament books. The following can help to see how Revelation itself is gathering of the entire Bible - not to be avoided.
1. John was the "Apostle Jesus Loved," so his work, through the Holy Spirit has special value for all of us. He wrote the Fourth Gospel, 1 John and 2 John and 3 John, with Revelation as final work of the New Testament.
2. I have had two very interesting sets of Lenski's New Testament commentaries. The first one had Revelation with partially burned covers torn, held together with tape. The recipient of that set, when I sent it to him, found the Book of Revelation to be quite interesting and appropriate.
3. My current Lenski set is worn but in good shape. However, the Revelation volume is so shiny new in every way that I wonder if that reader ever touched it. Those two must be the extremes.
4. It would be a great shame for anyone to bypass the last volume because of its sweeping passages and phrases from the Bible.
5. I would start Revelation with Chapter 12, which is the center of Human Destiny. That is when Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and the Christian Faith began to grow with astonishing speed, starting from Judaism and spreading to the world through the written New Testament, preaching, and teaching.
6. The first eleven chapters of Revelation include a critique of cities of that era.
7. The end of each chapter has a very good transition into the next chapter, such as Chapter 11's last statement.
11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Beginning of Chapter 12
12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
We should remember the ending of each chapter and the beginning of each.
The former student wondered about two very heavy items I wanted to pass along. Soon the second student came over, and the student's husband was there, with a little boy there to rev up Charlie Sue, terrier extraordinaire.
The freezer was not too heavy for them, so an ultra-heavy coffee table was soon uplifted in two parts. I did my part, a very small part, and the three pieces were loaded.
Charlie Sue was eager to show up The Park! - so we had to chase her around to get everyone back (using only part of the cul-de-sac).
Soon everyone was packed up and off they went to home, a great example of the whole family working together with only a few words and the pick-up.
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| Charlie Sue, famous park hunter. |
13.1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
