The Glory Has Departed
By G. Kirkpatrick

Vital Words to the Body of Christ
Proclaiming the Everlasting Gospel of the Kingdom

Vital Words to the Body of Christ 
Freely We Have Received, Freely We Give
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Are you one who has come out of the church system to learn the ways of Christ?

The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to inform us about the church system at the end of the age. Paul warned us what we can expect if do as ancient Israel did.

"Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." I Corinthians 10:11

The word world should have been translated "age." Paul was writing to those would be alive at the end of the age. Paul begins to warn those who live in our day of the judgment that is about to fall on the apostate church system:

"Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

Neither by ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

Neither let us commit fornications, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer." I Corinthians 10:6-10

Paul lists five things Israel did that caused them to be judged by God.

1 - They lusted after evil things
2 - They were idolaters
         Idle time and pleasure, having fun and playing games had become a sin unto them
3 - They were fornicators
         Sex was all they thought about
4 - They tempted God
         By speaking against God's leadership until God sent reptiles among them which killed thousands
5 - They murmured
         They complained about everything God was doing in their lives

Israel did not realize God was preparing them to occupy their promise land. These were all examples to the end time church today. Paul warns:

"Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall." I Corinthians 10:12

To understand God's warning to the church, we need to see the judgment God placed on Israel, our example at Shiloh:

"But go ye now unto My place which was in Shiloh, where I set My name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of My people Israel." Jeremiah 7:12

The word Shiloh means "His peace and His prosperity." Shiloh was the place where Israel was told to permanently set up the Tabernacle when they came into their promise land. The Tabernacle was set up between Jerusalem and Bethel, about nine miles from Bethel, and about three miles north of Jerusalem. When we look at this with Spiritual eyes, we discover the Tabernacle was set between Jerusalem (the true place of worship) and Bethel (the house of God). Truly the church in our day sits between the true place of worship and the house of God. They have not come into true worship, nor have they become the house of God, His temple.

Shiloh was the center of all religious and governmental activity. This is the place where Israel was to perform their religious obligations before the Lord. The priest was the head of all activities. It was in Shiloh where the priests were to offer up their daily, monthly and yearly sacrifices before the Lord.

Shiloh was where Hannah brought Samuel and left him to serve the Lord. Shiloh was where Samuel held court. Shiloh was also where Joshua cast lots and divided the land to each of the tribes of Israel.

Today, as with Israel in Shiloh, the church dutifully fulfills its religious obligations every Sunday. It is their weekly sacrifice for their God. Jeremiah warns the church, if they will only listen: "Go to Shiloh where I set My name at the first, and see what I did because of the wickedness of the people!"

God set His name in Shiloh before he set His name in Jerusalem, but Israel turned from God to wickedness in serving other gods. Other things were more important to the them then their service before God. Through examples, Paul warns the church of five things Israel did that caused God's judgment. Let's see what God inspired Jeremiah to write about Shiloh:

"Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? Is this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord." Jeremiah 7:9-11

What is different between what Jeremiah wrote of the children of Israel and what Paul wrote to the church today? Solomon writes:

"The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun." Ecclesiastes 1:9

When Jesus walked the earth, He cleansed the temple of the money changers who thought prosperity was more important than serving God. Jeremiah called the house of God a den of robbers. The words of Solomon are certainly true - - - true in Jeremiah's time, true in Jesus' time, and it is equally true today. Jeremiah continues:

"And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the Lord, and I spake unto you, rising early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not; Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by My name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim." Jeremiah 7:13-15

God warns if the church continues to do these abominations, He will do the same thing to the church as He did at Shiloh. He will cast them out of His sight as He did the children of Israel. God's Word is faithul. He has warned the church saying, "I spoke to you and you heard not. I called you and you answered not." Then He gave Jeremiah a chilling order:

"Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to Me: for I will not hear thee." Jeremiah 7:16

God told Jeremiah not to pray for this people, nor make intercession for them because He would not hear their prayer. It should be clear to those ;who walk in the Spirit that the day of salvation is rapidly closing. Revivals no longer have any affect. All attempts to revive the church system have failed. We are, indeed, in the time of overlapping between the day of grace and the day of God's Kingdom. God is about to turn His face away in judgment, and this judgment must begin at the house of God.

What did God do at Shiloh? The priesthood had fallen into sin. Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, had fallen into sin, laying with the women at the door of the Tabernacle. They were demanding the best of the sacrificial offerings of the Lord. The Lord describes them as sons of satan.

Eli had become old, fat, and blind. What a picture of the church system today1 Their eyes are dim. They have no vision. Many are only playing church. All they can see is their precepts and doctrines. The Hophnis and Phinehases who stand in the pulpits today have become corrupt. Sex scandals and the fleecing of the flock is common place.

When God sent the Philistines to attack Israel, Israel carried the Ark of God to the battle, thinking that would save them, but God had turned His face away, and allowed the enemy of Israel to be successful.

"And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain." I Samuel 4:11

Judgment, truly, had begun at the house of God. A messenger came and told Eli what had happened.

"And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years." I Samuel 4:18

God's judgment was complete. The old, fat, and blind leadership had come to an end. God was doing a new thing with the young man, Samuel. This represents God's new thing He is about to bring forth in the earth in our day, His manifested sons. When God's judgment upon the church system comes, it will be complete.

"And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and here husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her. 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. And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken." I Samuel 4:19, 21-22

The glory had departed from Israel! What was the glory that had departed? It was the presence of God in Israel. Today, the glory has departed from the church, and it has become the Ichabod system. Israel continued their form religion, just as the church continues their Ichobod system today, teaching the precepts and doctrines of men.

As we continue in II Samuel, we discover the Philistines kept the Ark for seven months. Everywhere they put the Ark, it caused the people to get boils in their private areas. They put the Ark in the house of Dagon their false God, and Dagon fell before the Ark, and both his head and hands were broken off. Every false God in our lives will be destroyed before the Spirit of the Almighty God. Because of these judgments, the Philistines sent the Ark back to Israel where it rested in the house of Abinadab for 20 years.

When David became king, Israel desired to have the Ark back. So David attempted to bring back the Ark back, not to Shiloh, but to Jerusalem, the true place of worship.

"And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart." II Samuel 6:3

David made a brand new cart, made of the finest materials, and pulled it with the very select of oxen. Like David, many today want to serve God with their finest! All God asks is that we serve Him with our whole heart. But this was not the way God showed Israel to carry the ark. And because David attempted to move the Ark contrary to God's command, problems arose.

"And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals." II Samuel 6:5

Israel played on all types of instruments before the Ark. They danced and praised trying to be pleasing before the Lord. How like the church today! They sing and play their instruments, trying to please the Lord, but they are out of order. When things are out of order, no matter how hard we try, we cannot please God, and problems will begin to happen. As Paul wrote to the church at Corinth:

"Let all things be done decently and in order." I Corinthians 14:40

God is a God of order. He cannot bless when things are out of order - - - and the church today is out of order.

"And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Ussah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God." II Samuel 6:6-7

The Ark was not to be touched. It was to be moved by the staves as God had designed it to be carried. God always protects His presence.

"So David brought not the ark home to himself to the city of David, but carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite. And the ark of God remained with the family of Obededom in his house three months. And the Lord blessed the house of Obededom, and all that he had." I Chronicles 13:13-14

David's heart was in the right place, but the way he was trying to serve God was wrong, so the bringing of the Ark to the true place of worship was delayed for ninety days.

"And David made him houses in the city of David, and prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched for it a tent." I Chronicles 15:1

David did not only prepare a place to put the Ark, but he found out how the Ark was to be moved. This time he had the ordained priests bear it upon their shoulders.

"And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of the Lord." I Chronicles 15:15

No fancy cart, no select oxen, nor ordinary men guided the Ark. Only the ordained leaders of God now carried the Ark in God's prescribed manner.

"And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers with instruments of musick, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy. And Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was for song: he instructed about the song, because he was skilful.

So David, and the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the house of Obededom with joy. And it came to pass, when God helped the Levites that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, that they offered seven bullocks and seven rams." I Chronicles 15:16, 22, 25-26

This time, when Israel played and sang before the Ark, everything was in order, and because of their obedience God blessed their praise. God helped the Levites who carried the Ark. As His Word proclaims, "He made their burden light."

"And they brought in the ark of the Lord, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord." II Samuel 6:17

David put the Ark in a tent. There was no door and no veil on the tent, because the presence of God was to be seen by all the people. The Ark now sits in the Holy of Holies in plain sight of all the people.

"And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, and to record, and to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel:" I Chronicles 16:4

David's tent was to be a place of worship and praise. This is what we are to become - - - a people of praise. An unknown Psalmist declared this people:

"This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord." Psalms 102:18

God is raising up this praising army. Paul wrote to the Hebrews:

"By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name." Hebrews 13:15

This is what God designed us to be - - - a tabernacle of praise. But what has happened in the church today? We look to the prophet Amos for the answer:

"In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:" Amos 9:11

This is a promise of God. Today we have seen the tabernacle of David has fallen down. But God has promised He will again raise up the tabernacle of worship and praise that has fallen. When will this be? "In that day!" which is the Day of the Lord! In that day, God will close up the breaches the denominational systems have caused. Paul spoke of this day when he quoted Amos:

"And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:" Acts 15:15-16

God is going to build again from the ruins the denominational systems have caused in the body of Christ. The prophet Isaiah spoke of our day:

"And in mercy shall the throne be established: and He shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness." Isaiah 15:5

Who is this tabernacle our God is going to set up? Who will be ruling and reigning with Him during the millennium? It will be His elect, the manifested sons which he is raising in this hour.

"But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth." John 4:23-24

God is about to raise up His praising army who will worship and praise Him in His presence. What will become of the denominational orders who have divided the body of Christ, and have brought God's people under their domination?

Well, we need only to see what God did at Shiloh. The presence of God was removed from their midst because their leaders had become fat, old, and blind. When people fall backwards, as it did with Eli, they are in rebellion against what God is doing. We need to seek the Lord in our worship and praise, and rejoice in our calling - - - and not become as our example, Israel, who had to be judged for their wickedness.

We pray these books and articles are a blessing to you and to those you minister to.  Please write and tell us what the Lord is speaking to your hearts.  We appreciate your fervent prayers and financial support to spread these vital words to the body of Christ in this hour.  

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