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"And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband." - 1 Samuel 4:21
The glory has departed; what an awful thing to behold! May we not ever have to experience such a thing. But as a nation we may well be in the midst of this very thing - the departing of the glory of God. According to A.W. Pink the glory had departed already from many American churches
"God has appointed how long the Gospel lamp shall remain in each place, before it be sent to another part of the earth. He ordered how long it should shine among the Jews, namely, until Christ came. He ordained how long it should shine in each of the seven churches in Asia before He came and removed His candlestick. So He has decreed where and when the Gospel shall continue in this country. There is probably more real Gospel preaching in China today, than there is in the U.S.A. Many a church which was once a bright testimony for Christ is so no longer, nor does it know that "Ichabod" ("the glory is departed") has been written over it. Many a town which formerly was blest with the ministry of a true servant of God is now left desolate." (AW Pink, The Ordained Lamp,)
I don't know what year that was published but he went to be with the Lord in 1952, so probably 75 years or more. And what is the condition of the American churches today? Has there been a progression downward? If we look at this message by David Wilkerson (I think from the late 1980s or early 90s as I remember this from his newsletter I once received), we see a more deplorable state:
"Where are the Samuels who have heard the voice of God, who have been awakened by the Holy Spirit and have received a revelation of soon-coming judgments upon a backslidden Church? Why aren't all preachers of the Gospel grieving over the sinful condition of God's house? Why aren't all pastors and evangelists crying out as watchmen on the wall? Scripture says that Samuel was given a vision in which God pronounced the end of a backslidden religious structure, and "Samuel told [Eli] everything, and hid nothing from him" (1 Samuel 3:18). I ask you, pastor: Are you telling it all? Are you holding back hiding the truth, afraid of offending your people?
Yet in spite of those who are afraid to come forth with the full message for the Church, I believe that the Lord God always brings in a "Samuel company" who will hear His voice in a time of spiritual decline. This company is made up of men and women who care nothing for tradition, promotion or denominational boundaries. They represent pastors and lay people who have an ear to hear God's voice and know what grieves Him.
Without question the message of the Samuel company is not a pleasant one. "Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision" (verse 15). This vision was overwhelming; but Samuel could not help but share it with the one on whom judgment would fall. God would no longer put up with a form of godliness that did not have the power of holiness.
Yes, God was about to remove His presence from Shiloh, but He would do a glorious new thing in Israel. He said, "I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before My anointed forever" (1 Samuel 2:35). This verse describes the Samuel company of believers and ministers who share the very heart of God. They know the Lord's mind and His will, and they walk in fear and holiness before Him. The Samuel company is a praying people; it was while Samuel was in prayer that God revealed to him the fearful things to come. And because they are in touch with God they know and share His grief.
God is speaking in these last days to those who are shut in with Him. He reveals His heart to those who hunger and thirst for more of Him, who pant after Him as the deer pants after the water, who have died to every selfish ambition and who have no goal in life but to bring pleasure, glory and joy to His heart. I say this unflinchingly: God will not choose a denomination to deliver His Word to this last generation. He will not call on a committee to hear His voice and ignite the last-day gathering of the remnant. Instead, when the angels of the apocalypse go forth to smite the earth, denominations and religious leaders will be found hard at work protecting their interests and strengthening their authority, drawing up bylaws and making resolutions. But the Samuel company will be found in the secret closet of prayer, seeking their Master's will and sharing His grief over sin." (D. Wilkerson, The Samuel Company)
Wilkerson went home to the Lord in 2011. Neither of these two men of God saw the extreme condition of the churches today. Rainbow flags and everything those represent. That stuff was only just starting in the 1990s, but today there are so many churches departed from the Word of God, it's astounding. And it's accepted as "normal" as if Jesus was all for these abominations. These kind of churches will find out that Jesus Himself is saying, "Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth." (Revelation 2:16)
Jesus is even now fighting against them, and they reject His counsel. It is for such iniquities in the houses of God that judgment comes upon the nation. The world is expected to live in sin, but when the church begins to live just like the world, and sometimes worse, that really sends up a stench unto God, and He must act upon it in judgment. His holiness demands it, His justice demands it.
Today is not the day for partying and celebration, and seeking riches, and prosperity. We can praise and celebrate in the LORD, but I question how much of this He receives as legitimate worship when so many are astray in the dark wilderness of sin and wickedness? And as for the prosperity, name it and claim it, and little gods, dominion now churches, these shall bow down and submit to the true authority of the One who alone has dominion, and whose kingdom is everlasting; Oh, the days are coming God will sift and sort, for judgment shall begin at the house of God.
On a personal level, make sure "Ichabod" is not written over your life, or your home, or your church. If it is, pray and get back in right relationship with Him, in Jesus name, do this. Amen
The glory has departed; what an awful thing to behold! May we not ever have to experience such a thing. But as a nation we may well be in the midst of this very thing - the departing of the glory of God. According to A.W. Pink the glory had departed already from many American churches
"God has appointed how long the Gospel lamp shall remain in each place, before it be sent to another part of the earth. He ordered how long it should shine among the Jews, namely, until Christ came. He ordained how long it should shine in each of the seven churches in Asia before He came and removed His candlestick. So He has decreed where and when the Gospel shall continue in this country. There is probably more real Gospel preaching in China today, than there is in the U.S.A. Many a church which was once a bright testimony for Christ is so no longer, nor does it know that "Ichabod" ("the glory is departed") has been written over it. Many a town which formerly was blest with the ministry of a true servant of God is now left desolate." (AW Pink, The Ordained Lamp,)
I don't know what year that was published but he went to be with the Lord in 1952, so probably 75 years or more. And what is the condition of the American churches today? Has there been a progression downward? If we look at this message by David Wilkerson (I think from the late 1980s or early 90s as I remember this from his newsletter I once received), we see a more deplorable state:
"Where are the Samuels who have heard the voice of God, who have been awakened by the Holy Spirit and have received a revelation of soon-coming judgments upon a backslidden Church? Why aren't all preachers of the Gospel grieving over the sinful condition of God's house? Why aren't all pastors and evangelists crying out as watchmen on the wall? Scripture says that Samuel was given a vision in which God pronounced the end of a backslidden religious structure, and "Samuel told [Eli] everything, and hid nothing from him" (1 Samuel 3:18). I ask you, pastor: Are you telling it all? Are you holding back hiding the truth, afraid of offending your people?
Yet in spite of those who are afraid to come forth with the full message for the Church, I believe that the Lord God always brings in a "Samuel company" who will hear His voice in a time of spiritual decline. This company is made up of men and women who care nothing for tradition, promotion or denominational boundaries. They represent pastors and lay people who have an ear to hear God's voice and know what grieves Him.
Without question the message of the Samuel company is not a pleasant one. "Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision" (verse 15). This vision was overwhelming; but Samuel could not help but share it with the one on whom judgment would fall. God would no longer put up with a form of godliness that did not have the power of holiness.
Yes, God was about to remove His presence from Shiloh, but He would do a glorious new thing in Israel. He said, "I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before My anointed forever" (1 Samuel 2:35). This verse describes the Samuel company of believers and ministers who share the very heart of God. They know the Lord's mind and His will, and they walk in fear and holiness before Him. The Samuel company is a praying people; it was while Samuel was in prayer that God revealed to him the fearful things to come. And because they are in touch with God they know and share His grief.
God is speaking in these last days to those who are shut in with Him. He reveals His heart to those who hunger and thirst for more of Him, who pant after Him as the deer pants after the water, who have died to every selfish ambition and who have no goal in life but to bring pleasure, glory and joy to His heart. I say this unflinchingly: God will not choose a denomination to deliver His Word to this last generation. He will not call on a committee to hear His voice and ignite the last-day gathering of the remnant. Instead, when the angels of the apocalypse go forth to smite the earth, denominations and religious leaders will be found hard at work protecting their interests and strengthening their authority, drawing up bylaws and making resolutions. But the Samuel company will be found in the secret closet of prayer, seeking their Master's will and sharing His grief over sin." (D. Wilkerson, The Samuel Company)
Wilkerson went home to the Lord in 2011. Neither of these two men of God saw the extreme condition of the churches today. Rainbow flags and everything those represent. That stuff was only just starting in the 1990s, but today there are so many churches departed from the Word of God, it's astounding. And it's accepted as "normal" as if Jesus was all for these abominations. These kind of churches will find out that Jesus Himself is saying, "Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth." (Revelation 2:16)
Jesus is even now fighting against them, and they reject His counsel. It is for such iniquities in the houses of God that judgment comes upon the nation. The world is expected to live in sin, but when the church begins to live just like the world, and sometimes worse, that really sends up a stench unto God, and He must act upon it in judgment. His holiness demands it, His justice demands it.
Today is not the day for partying and celebration, and seeking riches, and prosperity. We can praise and celebrate in the LORD, but I question how much of this He receives as legitimate worship when so many are astray in the dark wilderness of sin and wickedness? And as for the prosperity, name it and claim it, and little gods, dominion now churches, these shall bow down and submit to the true authority of the One who alone has dominion, and whose kingdom is everlasting; Oh, the days are coming God will sift and sort, for judgment shall begin at the house of God.
On a personal level, make sure "Ichabod" is not written over your life, or your home, or your church. If it is, pray and get back in right relationship with Him, in Jesus name, do this. Amen