We all have Two Channels We listen too

 

I was taught this Truth

We all have Two Channels

We listen too

 

Channel One is the Deceptive channel. Why is it so dangerous? The voice sounds like your voice?  It often tells you how much you deserve.  Or it tells you that you are a total failure,  and the world would be better off without you.  Both messages are lies from hell.  Channel One loves religion, as long as it's what you can do, and not what Jesus Christ has done for you.

 

Channel Two is Truth; it will confront you about your unbelief and seeking the things of this world.  It does not sound like you; it is not loud; it requires you to be still and know that the Spirit of God is speaking.

 

Have you given any thought to which Channel Judas Iscariot listened to?

“But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected,  “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.”  He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.”  (John  12:4-6)

 

It sure sounds as if a disciple, one of the twelve, never listened to Jesus, but was tuned in to channel One.  And, once he had betrayed our Lord, the voice of channel one told him what a fool he had been, as he went back to try to give back the money, talking to the priest was like talking to a politician today.  Most of them only listen to Channel One.

 

What Channel are you tuning into?

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

I heard a quote on the radio today that went something like this: It was about success.  It is impossible to have success when you are trying to undo the past.​ I can only say Amen.

Daniel's Faithfulness

 

 

Daniel 1:8-21

 

March 4, 2024

 

Daniel's Faithfulness

But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore, he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.  And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So, you would endanger my head with the king.”  Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.  Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.”  So, he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days.  At the end of ten days, it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food.  So, the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.

As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.  At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore, they stood before the king.  And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.  And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.

 

Have you been told you do not live unto yourself; you are in a vacuum, others are affected by your actions and convictions.  In David's case, it was Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.  In my case, it was not food, but a statement by my boss and others who had had too much to drink, after a dinner and drinking at a meeting in Brownsville, Texas, where we had dinner in Mexico.  They said we are now going to Boy’s town, and I spoke up that I would get a cab back to the hotel, that I would not be going with them.  To my amazement, a large number said we are going back with Rice.  People are always needing a voice of conviction.  With that said, Daniel was in a bad place under the rule of his pagan Ruler.  I was not in fear for my life, but I was taking a risk of one of the bosses going after my job.  But in both cases, our conviction was centered on God’s promises and commandments. 

In Daniel’s case, God blessed him and his friends with him, “in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.”

It was not the eating of the vegetables that gave them the wisdom and understanding; it was the Lord whom they feared and honored.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Introduction of the Book of Daniel- Verses 1:1-7

  

Introduction of the Book of Daniel

From the English Standard Bible

 

Author and Date

Daniel wrote this book in the sixth century B.C. It records the events of Daniel’s life and the visions that he saw from the time of his exile in 605 B.C. (1:1) until 536 B.C., the third year of King Cyrus (10:1).

Theme

The book’s central theme is God’s sovereignty over history, empires, and kings (2:21; 4:34–37). All the kingdoms of this world will come to an end and will be replaced by the Lord’s kingdom, which will never pass away (2:44; 7:27). Though trials and difficulties will continue for God’s people up until the end, those who are faithful will be raised to glory, honor, and everlasting life in this final kingdom (12:1–3).

 

 

 

Daniel 1:1-7

 

March 2, 2024

 

Daniel Taken to Babylon

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.  And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god.  Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.  The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time, they were to stand before the king.   Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah.  And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.

 

As I read this, I thought I would have passed over and left in Israel; I was a long way from nobility.  I was not good in appearance, nor skillful in wisdom, and certainly not endowed with knowledge.  Daniel has always been one of my heroes of God, in that he was just a young boy when he was taken, and we see nowhere in Scripture where he was anything but faithful to all he knew about God.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Door for the Prince

  

 

Ezekiel 48:15-29

 

March 1, 2024

 

“The remainder, 5,000 cubits in breadth and 25,000 in length, shall be for common use for the city, for dwellings and for open country. In the midst of it shall be the city, and these shall be its measurements: the north side 4,500 cubits, the south side 4,500, the east side 4,500, and the west side 4,500.  And the city shall have open land: on the north 250 cubits, on the south 250, on the east 250, and on the west 250. The remainder of the length alongside the holy portion shall be 10,000 cubits to the east, and 10,000 to the west, and it shall be alongside the holy portion. Its produce shall be food for the workers of the city.  And the workers of the city, from all the tribes of Israel, shall till it.  The whole portion that you shall set apart shall be 25,000 cubits square, that is, the holy portion together with the property of the city.

“What remains on both sides of the holy portion and of the property of the city shall belong to the prince. Extending from the 25,000 cubits of the holy portion to the east border, and westward from the 25,000 cubits to the west border, parallel to the tribal portions, it shall belong to the prince. The holy portion with the sanctuary of the temple shall be in its midst.  It shall be separate from the property of the Levites and the property of the city, which are in the midst of that which belongs to the prince. The portion of the prince shall lie between the territory of Judah and the territory of Benjamin.

“As for the rest of the tribes: from the east side to the west, Benjamin, one portion.  Adjoining the territory of Benjamin, from the east side to the west, Simeon, one portion.  Adjoining the territory of Simeon, from the east side to the west, Issachar, one portion.  Adjoining the territory of Issachar, from the east side to the west, Zebulun, one portion.  Adjoining the territory of Zebulun, from the east side to the west, Gad, one portion.  And adjoining the territory of Gad to the south, the boundary shall run from Tamar to the waters of Meribah-kadesh, from there along the Brook of Egypt to the Great Sea.^[ This is the land that you shall allot as an inheritance among the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions, declares the Lord God.

One must look at this prince, who is he and the door is only left open for one who fit that role the Messiah.  His name is Jesus.

From the Back Porch, 

Bob Rice

These are the Names of the Tribes

                                                             

                                                 

                                                             

                                                    Ezekiel 48:1-14

 

February 29, 2024

 

These are the Names of the Tribes

“These are the names of the tribes: Beginning at the northern extreme, beside the way of Hethlon to Lebo-hamath, as far as Hazar-enan (which is on the northern border of Damascus over against Hamath), and extending from the east side to the west, Dan, one portion.  Adjoining the territory of Dan, from the east side to the west, Asher, one portion.  Adjoining the territory of Asher, from the east side to the west, Naphtali, one portion.  Adjoining the territory of Naphtali, from the east side to the west, Manasseh, one portion.  Adjoining the territory of Manasseh, from the east side to the west, Ephraim, one portion.  Adjoining the territory of Ephraim, from the east side to the west, Reuben, one portion.  Adjoining the territory of Reuben, from the east side to the west, Judah, one portion.

“Adjoining the territory of Judah, from the east side to the west, shall be the portion which you shall set apart, 25,000 cubits in breadth, and in length equal to one of the tribal portions, from the east side to the west, with the sanctuary in the midst of it.  The portion that you shall set apart for the Lord shall be 25,000 cubits in length and 20,000 in breadth.  These shall be the allotments of the holy portion: the priests shall have an allotment measuring 25,000 cubits on the northern side, 10,000 cubits in breadth on the western side, 10,000 in breadth on the eastern side, and 25,000 in length on the southern side, with the sanctuary of the Lord in the midst of it.  This shall be for the consecrated priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept my charge, who did not go astray when the people of Israel went astray, as the Levites did.  And it shall belong to them as a special portion from the holy portion of the land, a most holy place, adjoining the territory of the Levites.  And alongside the territory of the priests, the Levites shall have an allotment 25,000 cubits in length and 10,000 in breadth. The whole length shall be 25,000 cubits and the breadth 20,000.  They shall not sell or exchange any of it. They shall not alienate this choice portion of the land, for it is holy to the Lord.

One might read this and say, well, that's all about the 12 tribes getting an allotment or their portion of land.  But if you read past verse 11, you missed a significant verse; This shall be for the consecrated priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept my charge, who did not go astray when the people of Israel went astray, as the Levites did.  What is the message to the Church?  As you give thought to verse eleven, you must understand that Zadok's faithfulness had far reaching effect on future generations that came from his lineage.  

Once more, I am reminded of these words from King David, found in Psalm 143:8, “Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust.  Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”   Trust is essential, yes, necessary for a follower of Christ.  I am guilty of acting as if God is in total agreement with all the things I‘ve planned.  But that is not what a man after God’s own heart did; no, David, before entering into battle, always asked the Lord to guide his steps.

It should remind you and me of this great verse found in Psalm 119:105, Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.  Jan and I were teaching a class of young married couples in Spring, Texas, on Psalm 119, and when we got to verse 105, the teacher asked a question on that verse.  It was that day a young man, “Bob, this is what the Lord has revealed to me, it is not a spotlight, it does not look around the corners on my main street, it is the right amount of light to keep me from stumbling as I take the next step.”  That day, the student became a teacher to me, I was living as if it was a spotlight, not a lamp, and I’m sure from observation that many of us are doing so.

 

We are told in Scripture and often quoted, from Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  Yes, we hear that verse often, but not verse 12-13, “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”  Yes, God has a special plan for your life, but it comes back to trust and obedience.  Do you recall Jesus asking Peter do you love me three times, and Peter saying Lord, you know that I love you, but do you recall what Jesus told Peter?  Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

That was not addressed to pastors, teachers, and missionaries only, but to His Church.  First, we must trust Him, let His Word be the light we need to bring love and integrity to those we encounter, and let each of us listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit to give us marching orders, for that moment.

From the Back Porch, 

Bob Rice

Division of the Land

 

 

 

 Ezekiel 47:13-23

 

February 28, 2024

 

Division of the Land

Thus says the Lord God: “This is the boundary by which you shall divide the land for inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph shall have two portions.  And you shall divide equally what I swore to give to your fathers. This land shall fall to you as your inheritance.

“This shall be the boundary of the land: On the north side, from the Great Sea by way of Hethlon to Lebo-hamath, and on to Zedad,  Berothah, Sibraim (which lies on the border between Damascus and Hamath), as far as Hazer-hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran.  So, the boundary shall run from the sea to Hazar-enan, which is on the northern border of Damascus, with the border of Hamath to the north. This shall be the north side.

“On the east side, the boundary shall run between Hauran and Damascus; along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel; to the eastern sea and as far as Tamar. This shall be the east side.

 “On the south side, it shall run from Tamar as far as the waters of Meribah-kadesh, from there along the Brook of Egypt to the Great Sea. This shall be the south side.

“On the west side, the Great Sea shall be the boundary to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This shall be the west side.

“So, you shall divide this land among you according to the tribes of Israel. You shall allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the sojourners who reside among you and have had children among you. They shall be to you as native-born children of Israel. With you, they shall be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.  In whatever tribe the sojourner resides, there you shall assign him his inheritance, declares the Lord God.

From Facts about Israel

 

Biblical Borders: The Future Borders of Israel According to the Bible

See also Israel’s Borders in International Law

The current borders of Israel are disputed by the international community, from the UN to the Arab leadership. But these parties insist on ignoring the true legal position, link. Even the US, Israel’s greatest ally, makes misleading statements:

We believe the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines [Barack Obama, 2011]

Obama gave US support for a future Palestinian state based on borders that existed before the 1967 Middle East war. Thankfully, Israel’s border disputes will be short-lived. When this age ends, and the 1,000-year ‘Millennial Age’ of Earth begins, Israel’s borders will be firmly established by the God of Israel. In fact, Israel’s future borders are already clearly written in Bible prophecy (if only the world would read it).  Note: Obama’s pastor also had a hate for the USA and often used the Lord’s name in vain when referring to the USA.  I never read anything he said about Israel, but it was a true statement that Obama and his wife had disdain for the USA.

 

Borders of Israel: Summary

“The current land disputes with Israel over the so-called “occupied territories” will be relatively short-lived. Bible prophecy points to a soon-coming age (the Millennium) when the people of Israel (Abraham’s descendants, the Jews) live at peace within the boundaries promised unconditionally to Abraham. Those boundaries span from the River Jordan in the east to the Mediterranean in the west and embrace the disputed territories of the West Bank and Gaza. It is interesting to observe that the boundaries given to Moses as he was about to divide up Canaan for the twelve tribes (Numbers 34) correlate well with the Millennial boundaries given in Ezekiel 47.”

 

In that the people who wrote this were true to my beliefs, I have little to say about what is coming.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Water Flowing from the Temple

 

Ezekiel 47:1-12

 

February 27, 2024

 

Water Flowing from the Temple

Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.  Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side.

Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep.  Again, he measured a thousand and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again, he measured a thousand and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep.  Again, he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through.   And he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?”

Then he led me back to the bank of the river.  As I went back, I saw on the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other.  And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and enters the sea;​ when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh.  And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so, everything will live where the river goes.  Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim, it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea.  But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt.  And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”

It should not amaze me at the detail God is showing Ezekiel, but it does, and as I read this to my wife, it became apparent to me that this water coming from the Temple was not your normal water, no it was like the Spirit of God moving, where it went it and those it touched it gave them food, and it brought about new life, and it change those it touched.  People were drawn to that water, for it was a water that touched those who encountered it.

 

When I entered into Christ, I knew that it was like the water from the temple; it was just a trickle. I was a new creation in Christ, but without the boldness to share what had happened.  I recall putting my Bible on the dashboard of my car, and my boss, riding with me, asked if I had gone to church.  I said yes, and did not tell him about how, in a hotel room, I had met the living God and that He had come into my life.  But that living water became more than a trickle in my life as I read the Scriptures and had men like Jack Archer, Ken Ryan, and Greg Hood invest in my spiritual growth, the living water of God's Holy Spirit began to get deeper and deeper.  And God is faithful, in that His Word instructs us to invest in faithful men who will also invest in others.  2 Timothy 2:2, “and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men,^[a] who will be able to teach others also.”

 

Much like the water flowing from the temple, a follower of Christ's life should draw others to the Spirit living in them, and if not, we need to examine ourselves.  2 Corinthians 13:5, ^“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”  

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice