And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek.
2 And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.
3 And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.
4 So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
5 And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.
6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the Lord was come into the camp.
7 And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.
8 Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.
9 Be strong and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.
10 And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.
11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.
12 And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head.
13 And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out.
14 And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli.
15 Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see.
16 And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son?
17 And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.
18 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.
19 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 her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her.
20 And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it.
21 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.
22 And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken. 1 Samuel 4
"I don't believe in God, what good has He done for me lately? What benefit is there in being known as God's people?" They lost against those that don't believe in God, those that serve other gods, so bring out that magical ark thing, that shiny token of God's power. The Philistines were scared at first, because they are a superstitious people to begin with. Israel is under the curse of false teachers and an unrighteous judge, who has allowed his sons to deface the tabernacle. Now they want to enter the same tabernacle that shows from beginning to end, man's depravity, God's unreachable Holiness, their need of a substitute to satisfy His just wrath, but just to take the ark. They are worse than the Philistines, hold up your Bible in the day of judgment to tell all of heaven, "let me in, I have one of these." Many will say, "my name is Christian", and so sadly, they won't know what that means, they will have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof, and He will say depart from me I never knew you. "But Lord, I worshiped and called it Christianity, and though I rarely opened it, I owned a Bible, I told people that it was your word, I displayed it proudly, we went to church, but where were you God? When I turned on the television they said that this was the modern age, that things in the Bible were of the past. Pastor Phinehas said that I should do what I felt was right, that you just wanted us to be happy, to come to church to be blessed, that love is love is love and no one should judge. God, I am a good person, I give and I am all American through and through, you know, God, Guns and Guts, right? I taught Sunday school, sent my kids to Christian school, my husband is well respected by the leaders in the church. We have a fish bumper sticker."
At that time the Lord said to me, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones and come up to me on the mountain. Also make a wooden ark.[a] 2 I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Then you are to put them in the ark.”
"I don't believe in God, what good has He done for me lately? What benefit is there in being known as God's people?" They lost against those that don't believe in God, those that serve other gods, so bring out that magical ark thing, that shiny token of God's power. The Philistines were scared at first, because they are a superstitious people to begin with. Israel is under the curse of false teachers and an unrighteous judge, who has allowed his sons to deface the tabernacle. Now they want to enter the same tabernacle that shows from beginning to end, man's depravity, God's unreachable Holiness, their need of a substitute to satisfy His just wrath, but just to take the ark. They are worse than the Philistines, hold up your Bible in the day of judgment to tell all of heaven, "let me in, I have one of these." Many will say, "my name is Christian", and so sadly, they won't know what that means, they will have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof, and He will say depart from me I never knew you. "But Lord, I worshiped and called it Christianity, and though I rarely opened it, I owned a Bible, I told people that it was your word, I displayed it proudly, we went to church, but where were you God? When I turned on the television they said that this was the modern age, that things in the Bible were of the past. Pastor Phinehas said that I should do what I felt was right, that you just wanted us to be happy, to come to church to be blessed, that love is love is love and no one should judge. God, I am a good person, I give and I am all American through and through, you know, God, Guns and Guts, right? I taught Sunday school, sent my kids to Christian school, my husband is well respected by the leaders in the church. We have a fish bumper sticker."
At that time the Lord said to me, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones and come up to me on the mountain. Also make a wooden ark.[a] 2 I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Then you are to put them in the ark.”
3 So I made the ark out of acacia wood and chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. 4 The Lord wrote on these tablets what he had written before, the Ten Commandments he had proclaimed to you on the mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly. And the Lord gave them to me. 5 Then I came back down the mountain and put the tablets in the ark I had made, as the Lord commanded me, and they are there now. Deuteronomy 10: 1-5
They were slaughtered the second time worse than the first, and God fulfilled His judgment on Eli's sons and then on Eli. How scary to follow those who claim to be ministers, those whose job it is to proclaim and teach what is in the ark, to protect it's contents, to uphold the law of God, when they think it is just a job, a religious station open to interpretation. I know my opinion doesn't matter, does yours?
Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for [a]all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, [b]pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24: 1-14
The ark no longer resides in Shiloh, and the hearts of the pious are broken. But Christ has come and torn the veil, the commandments of God are now available to all, the whole of His counsel may be hidden upon the pages of your heart. Don't trust my opinion, your feelings or emotions, instead, desire to know God and though He slay you, still praise Him. There is none like Him, no ark, no building made with hands, nothing so Holy. Lord, teach me to be humble, teach me how to read, to pray, to know You and walk in Your way. I love You Lord, amen.
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