Prophecy Against Tyre

 

 

Ezekiel 26:1-14

December 27, 2023

Prophecy Against Tyre

In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, because Tyre said concerning Jerusalem, ‘Aha, the gate of the peoples is broken; it has swung open to me. I shall be replenished, now that she is laid waste,’ therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves.  They shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers, and I will scrape her soil from her and make her a bare rock.  She shall be in the midst of the sea, a place for the spreading of nets, for I have spoken, declares the Lord God. And she shall become plunder for the nations, and her daughters on the mainland shall be killed by the sword. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, and with horsemen and a host of many soldiers.  He will kill with the sword your daughters on the mainland. He will set up a siege wall against you and throw up a mound against you, and raise a roof of shields against you.  He will direct the shock of his battering rams against your walls, and with his axes, he will break down your towers.  His horses will be so many that their dust will cover you. Your walls will shake at the noise of the horsemen and wagons, and chariots when he enters your gates as men enter a city that has been breached.  With the hoofs of his horses, he will trample all your streets. He will kill your people with the sword, and your mighty pillars will fall to the ground. They will plunder your riches and loot your merchandise. They will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses. Your stones and timber and soil they will cast into the midst of the waters.  And I will stop the music of your songs, and the sound of your lyres shall be heard no more.  I will make you a bare rock. You shall be a place for the spreading of nets. You shall never be rebuilt, for I am the Lord; I have spoken, declares the Lord God.

 If one looks at Scripture to find something that they believe never happened, it might be a false belief that God said Nebuchadnezzar would destroy Tyre.  Verse three states that many nations.  King Nebuchadnezzar was just the first, of several, and he attacked the mainland, it was Alexander the Great that did a lot of harm, and the Romans.

Tyre was destroyed, and this Phoenician city was never rebuilt. and it was known for its famous purple dye.  Most of it population lived on a small Island about a half-mile off the coast. When Alexander the Great built a ramp from the mainland to the Island.

Often, on things like this, I look at what others have said, and Got Questions is very good. They state that in 1291, Tyre was destroyed by the Saracens, fulfilling Ezekiel 26’s prophecy.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Prophecy Against Philistia

 

Ezekiel 25:15-17

 

December 25, 2023

 

Prophecy Against Philistia

“Thus says the Lord God: Because the Philistines acted revengefully and took vengeance with malice of soul to destroy in never-ending enmity, therefore thus says the Lord God, Behold, I will stretch out my hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the rest of the seacoast.  I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon them.”

 

Will you join me in praying for the foolish people not only of the USA but the whole world that have wished for the destruction of Israel, they have no understanding of the wrath of God?  But Scripture is clear that they are bringing His vengeance upon themselves.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Prophecy Against Moab and Seir

 

Ezekiel 25:8-14

 

December 25, 2023

 

Prophecy Against Moab and Seir

“Thus says the Lord God: Because Moab and Seir said, ‘Behold, the house of Judah is like all the other nations,’  therefore I will lay open the flank of Moab from the cities, from its cities on its frontier, the glory of the country, Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim.  I will give it along with the Ammonites to the people of the East as a possession, that the Ammonites may be remembered no more among the nations,  and I will execute judgments upon Moab. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

 

When God speaks, you'd better listen, for his judgment against the Ammonites was very final. 

Prophecy Against Edom

“Thus says the Lord God: Because Edom acted revengefully against the house of Judah and has grievously offended in taking vengeance on them, therefore thus says the Lord God, I will stretch out my hand against Edom and cut off from it man and beast. And I will make it desolate; from Teman even to Dedan they shall fall by the sword.  And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they shall do in Edom according to my anger and according to my wrath, and they shall know my vengeance, declares the Lord God.

 

How wise we who follow after Christ would be to seek His will, His face, and not just His hand.  As I write this paper, we have many very foolish young college students chanting that they desire the death of Israel.  They are untaught and very foolish in bringing curses on themselves.

 

And we, the people of God, need to pray for an awakening before God brings judgment against this nation.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

s your life like a Puzzle?

 

The Puzzle and Life

 

Is your life like a Puzzle?

 

My brother and his wife, Chris, gave Jan and me a puzzle of the manger setting for Christmas, and Fred's last word as they left was you need to finish this by Christmas.  That gave us two days, and guess what, it's still not finished.

 

But it been a big learning experience, in that Jan likes to work the puzzle before we get the outer border finished.  Shortcuts in our lives, like trying to work outside of God’s framework, will always end up in a redo.  

 

What puzzle have open my eyes to is the gaps in one life, the pieces must fit perfectly, the slight gap and your life, like the puzzle, will not fit. Since Jan and I have been married for over 60 years, we had many gaps, and most were mine.  I was 27 years old when I was confronted by men who had a personal relationship with Christ; I had a Baptist or religious understanding of Christ.  So, in a hotel room in Victoria, Texas, I ask Jesus to forgive my many sins and take over the management of my life.  And now the piece began to come together.  No, I had learn how to get my needs met outside of  Christ for 27 years, and it has been a battle allowing Him to make the pieces fit without the gaps.

 

As I grew in my faith, I began to study the Scripture, and I read in Galatians 5:22-23, these words, “ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

 

I can testify before God and man that my wife is the love of my life, but for years, I had men who loved me enough to tell me the truth. Bob, you are too harsh with Jan; you need to show more kindness.  Have the pieces of my life at age 84, all fit in the puzzle. No, it seems God is showing me that I must allow him to teach me patience and self-control.

 

This thought came into my mind: no one wants to use an architect who did not give them a sound foundation to build on.  I can testify that God, your Creator and Redeemer, is the perfect architect.

 

 

I woke up about 1:30 this morning, realizing I had not given Jan her new medication.  As I lay there, after doing so, I began thinking on the subject of how, if you wanted your life to fit together, like the puzzle we are about to complete, it would require you to allow the Lord who loves you more than you will ever grasp to guide you.  I lay there until 3:05, and had asked the Lord to let me write on this tomorrow, but as my friend Forrest told me many years ago, obedience brings blessing, and so I went ahead and wrote this paper.

 

It has not been the best time for our family. We lost our sister. My brother-in-law and Doris's two girls exhibit love in an amazing way for Doris.  One of Joe's amazing gifts from God was the ability to fix things and solve problems; it was very hard for him not to fix Doris.  Jan and I both have come down with a bad cough, and mine has settled into my chest, and I was hoping to sleep.  As I lay in bed, all kinds of thoughts filled my mind, none of which were areas that the pieces were not in the rearview mirror of my life, like language, drinking, sex desire, and just wanting to be the center of my small world.  As always, when I began to write, the Spirit of God took my mind not to others but to myself.  I have a long way to go to be Christ-like in the area of patience and self-control; it only takes getting in my car to make that become a reality.

 

From our Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Prophecy Against Ammon

 

 

Ezekiel 25:1-7

 

December 24, 2023

 

Prophecy Against Ammon

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face toward the Ammonites and prophesy against them.  Say to the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord God: Thus says the Lord God, Because you said, ‘Aha!’ over my sanctuary when it was profaned, and over the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and over the house of Judah when they went into exile, therefore behold, I am handing you over to the people of the East for a possession, and they shall set their encampments among you and make their dwellings in your midst. They shall eat your fruit, and they shall drink your milk.  I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels and Ammon a fold for flocks. Then you will know that I am the Lord.  For thus says the Lord God: Because you have clapped your hands and stamped your feet and rejoiced with all the malice within your soul against the land of Israel, therefore, behold, I have stretched out my hand against you and will hand you over as plunder to the nations. And I will cut you off from the peoples and will make you perish out of the countries; I will destroy you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

 

Should we, the Church of the living God, rejoice over the destruction of our enemies?  That would be inconsistent with Jesus teaching us to love our enemies and pray for them.  I do know it is a very foolish person who brings God's wrath on Israel and desires Israel's destruction.  It goes back to God's promise to Abram before God changed his name to Abraham.  In the book of Genesis, chapter 12:3, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

 

The Ammonites found great disfavor from God for rejoicing over Israel's destruction.

 

From The Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Ezekiel's Wife Dies

 

 

Ezekiel 24:15-27

 

December 23, 2023

 

Ezekiel's Wife Dies

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke, yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down.  Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban, and put your shoes on your feet; do not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.” 

 And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things mean for us, that you are acting thus?”  Then I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the yearning of your soul, and your sons and your daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword.  And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.  Your turbans shall be on your heads and your shoes on your feet; you shall not mourn or weep, but you shall rot away in your iniquities and groan to one another.  Thus, shall Ezekiel be to you a sign; according to all that he has done, you shall do. When this comes, then you will know that I am the Lord God.’

“As for you, son of man, surely on the day when I take from them their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes and their soul's desire, and also their sons and daughters, on that day a fugitive will come to you to report to you the news.  On that day, your mouth will be opened to the fugitive, and you shall speak and be no longer mute. So, you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.”

 

Jan, my wife, is the delight of my life, and we have witnessed many of our friends and acquaintances who have lost the delight of their hearts.  It is not an easy task; some had knowledge it was coming, and others did not, but to my knowledge, none were told by God not to weep or mourn.

 

That is not where Ezekiel finds himself, and I want each of us to understand how blessed we are to tell others about Jesus, to share the Scriptures and our story of His faithfulness.  We live in a time where people need to know that Jesus is the Lord.  That His ways are higher than ours and His thoughts than our thoughts.  Hell is a real place that was designed for the devil and his angels, not for people, but by refusing to ask Jesus into their hearts, they make the choice to go there.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Siege of Jerusalem

 

 

 

Ezekiel 24:1-14

 

December 22, 2023

 

The Siege of Jerusalem

In the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, write down the name of this day, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day.  And utter a parable to the rebellious house and say to them, Thus says the Lord God:

“Set on the pot, set it on; pour in water also; put in it the pieces of meat, all the good pieces, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with choice bones.  Take the choicest one of the flock; pile the logs under it; boil it well; seethe also its bones in it.

“Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose corrosion is in it, and whose corrosion has not gone out of it! Take out of it piece after piece, without making any choice.  For the blood she has shed is in her midst; she put it on the bare rock; she did not pour it out on the ground to cover it with dust.  To rouse my wrath, to take vengeance, I have set on the bare rock the blood she has shed, that it may not be covered.  Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Woe to the bloody city! I also will make the pile great.  Heap on the logs, kindle the fire, boil the meat well, mix in the spices, and let the bones be burned up.  Then set it empty upon the coals, that it may become hot, and its copper may burn, that its uncleanness may be melted in it, its corrosion consumed.  She has wearied herself with toil; its abundant corrosion does not go out of it. Into the fire with its corrosion!  On account of your unclean lewdness, because I would have cleansed you and you were not cleansed from your uncleanness, you shall not be cleansed anymore till I have satisfied my fury upon you.  I am the Lord. I have spoken; it shall come to pass; I will do it. I will not go back; I will not spare; I will not relent; according to your ways and your deeds you will be judged, declares the Lord God.”

As I read this, a thought came to mind: Recall that Reuben and Gad settled in Gilead, and, not wanting to cross over the Jordan to live, because this area was perfect for livestock.  But they promised to go and fight with Israel till they had conquered the land.  Do you recall these words that Moses spoke to them?  Numbers 22:20-23, ^“So Moses said to them, “If you will do this, if you will take up arms to go before the Lord for the war, and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven out his enemies from before him and the land is subdued before the Lord; then after that you shall return and be free of obligation to the Lord and to Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the Lord.  But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out.”

Israel had become much like my nation, all about self, forgetting what God had done for them.  As a follower of Christ, be careful to keep your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.  In a world of lies and fear, look to Truth. Jesus is the Truth and the Way.  He has proclaimed I am the light of the world.  

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice