Lamentations Introduction

 

 

 

 

Lamentations  Introduction

 

July 29, 2025

 

This book's theme is about the sorrow and grief of the great city of Jerusalem, but also about hope.  The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BC.  The author is unknown, but all Scripture is God breath, you will find that in 2 Timothy 3:16,17, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable  for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."

 

Lamentations was most likely written to be prayed or sung in worship services devoted to asking God’s forgiveness. Such services began as early as the months after the temple’s destruction in 586 B.C. (Jer. 41:4-5). They continued after the temple was rebuilt during Zechariah’s time (c. 520 B.C.; see Zech. 7:3-5; 8:19). In later years, Lamentations was read and sung as part of annual observances marking the temple’s destruction.  (Taken from the English Standard Version Bible)

Zechariah 7:3-5, “saying to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and the prophets, 'Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”

Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me:  “Say to all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted?”

Zechariah 8:19,  “Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore, love truth and peace.”

 

From our Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

‘ The Time of the End

 

 

Daniel 12:1-13

 

April 11, 2024

 ‘

The Time of the End

 

“At that time shall arise, Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time, your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.  And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.  And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.  But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream.  And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end, all these things would be finished.  I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?”  He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.  Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.  And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days.  Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days.  But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”

 

Do you understand that the Jewish people are the chosen of God and that Michael the Archangel is their Prince?  No people on this earth have been blessed as they have, and because of God’s love for them, He has allowed them to bless the rest of the world.  Then why are they hated so much by people who have no understanding of who they are or what they have done to help the rest of the world?  The answer is the evil one who is controlling many of the governments of this world and wants to destroy all that God loves.  He knows his time is short, and I’m praying that Michael will be allowed to fight for God's chosen, as he did in the six-day war.

 

Did you get that it's going to get bad, I mean, a lot of death and destruction on the last day? What is now happening is a cakewalk to what is coming?  Ponder on this verse: But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.  And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.  Your Messiah, so many have waited for, has come. He walked with His people and most rejected Him, but Daniel sees a time when He shall return.  Those who put their faith in Jesus as the Messiah will awake to everlasting life.  Today is the day of Salvation, for all people, and Jesus is the truth and the only way to the Father.

 

Jesus told a group of religious Jewish people that their father was the devil, and one of the men I admire from the 1600s, Blaise Pascal, said, “Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.”  Neither you nor I has ever met a person who was not religious about something, it may be golf, fishing, or being a Baptist, but I have seen too many who go by Baptist, and you can put any denomination name in there that father is the devil.  It all comes down to whether you have a personal relationship with God’s Son.

For more understanding of Chapter 12, look at what Ray Stedman has posted.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A Time and a Time to Come

 

Daniel 11:36-45

 

April 10, 2024

 

“And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done.  He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all.  He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts.  He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him, he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and shall divide the land for a price.

“At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack him, but the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. And he shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass through.  He shall come into the glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites.  He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.  He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train.  But news from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction.  And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him.

Once again, this is above and beyond my knowledge, so I will give you what Got Question has to say on the subject: “Fulfillment: Antiochus did whatever he wanted. He even proclaimed himself to be a god by taking the title Epiphanes. He chose the Sabbath as a day to worship him. He went far beyond his predecessors in arrogance. He did not rely on the pagan gods but on his own financial and military might.”

Daniel 11:40–45: “At the time of the end, the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab, and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Nubians in submission. But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.”

Fulfillment: There is no doubt that the focus of chapter 11 is Antiochus Epiphanes, but he is only one king of the North among many. After his time, there was still a king of the South and a king of the North, and it is common with prophecy to telescope events, hitting only the high points. Many believe this final paragraph refers to a final king of the North who will outdo even Antiochus in his pride and blasphemy. He will be the final Antichrist at the end of history (“at the time of the end”). In this scenario, the specific identity of the two kings is yet to be revealed.

Others see the events recorded in Daniel 11:40–45 as referring to Antiochus’s successor (Antiochus V) and the end of the Greek Empire. The Romans, who conquered Syria, became the new “king of the North” and then went on to defeat the Greek king in Egypt (the king of the South) and the rest of the Mediterranean world, ultimately destroying the temple in Jerusalem in AD 70. Yet even the mighty Roman Empire fell and could not be helped. Still others see a dual fulfillment: the prophecy refers to both the events in the years before Christ and to events at the end of time before His second coming.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Standing Firm

  

Daniel 11:29-35

 

April 9, 2024

 

“At the time appointed, he shall return and come into the south, but it shall not be this time as it was before.  For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant.  Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate.  He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.  And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time.

 

Many can give you great insight into Daniel 11:29-35, but let me share how encouraging this one verse is.  He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.  It brings me back to being a child in VBS, and learning a song about one door and only one, and yet the doors are two, I’m on the inside, and with which side are you?  One door and only one, and yet the doors are two, I’m on the Lord’s side, and with side are you.  I sang that song with gusto and belief, but though I believe that Jesus was the Only Son of God, that He was born of a Virgin, and died for the sins of all people, for 26+ years I was not on the Lord’s side; I was trying to get my needs met outside of Christ.  In a motel in Victoria, Texas, about 10 p.m., as I put the key in the door, I heard a voice, it said, Bob, tonight is the last time I'm dealing with you.  For six months, I had tried to get God to receive me on my terms.  That night, I opened the hotel Bible to Romans 10:9-10, ^“because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart, one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”   That was 55 years ago, I went through the door that led me to Grace and forgiveness, and Jesus and I now understand my Identity in Christ.  Tomorrow, I turn 82, and it took years of training by men God sent to mentor me in how to stand firm.  He has promised to never leave me or forsake me. I’m a child of the King.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice 

The Highways of My Life

       The Highways of My Life

 

I enjoy the highways of life, especially the eight-lane ones. When I was
a small child, the highways led to new adventures with little risk. Mom
and Dad were always there to ensure that I was not in danger. 

When I became a teenager, the highways seemed so bright. 

I knew that my happiness had to be in flight.

As a young man, I acquired a wife, and the highways seemed so

right together. Risk? What risk? The highways seemed to call. The faster you
go, the less your conscience sees, the small pitfalls.

The world called me to the fast lane and promised many things. Things of
pleasure, hope, and fun, but it did require one little thing. I had to
get into a faster lane. One that required so much time, but it promised
power and wealth, and maybe even fame.

The highways of this world seemed to offer me real life, but the risks
were greater, and almost cost me my life. One day on my eight-lane highway to hell, I met a nonreligious man. He told me about his Father...another nonreligious Spirit. He talked about the highways of my life as if He had been with me all along. He knew all the curves, potholes, dead ends, and construction.

His love and understanding of my life drew me from the highway to His
rest stop. It was at that rest stop that I learned that He was the Master
Designer of all. At his rest stop, I was given a book; He called the
manufacturer's handbook. It was all about Him and His Father and His
promises.

I needed to stop at that rest stop. Afterward, I was not the same, and
when I re-entered the highway, it was only one lane. The Master Designer
had told me it would be a narrow road, but he did not tell me everything.
I have discovered that His narrow lane runs down the middle of my old
eight-lane highway. Yes, it goes against the traffic, and all the high-risk travelers

 kept going faster and faster to nowhere.

Have I ever gotten off the narrow lane and back onto the eight-lane highway? 

The answer is yes, and I have had a few wrecks. But the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Master Designer, has promised to pick me up, and He is faithful, to return me to the contraflow, narrow lane.

This is what happened to me one day on the way to hell.

Bob Rice

The Kings of the South and the North

 

Daniel 11:20-28

 

April 8, 2024

 

The Kings of the South and the North

“Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an exactor of tribute for the glory of the kingdom. But within a few days, he shall be broken, neither in anger nor in battle. In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given. He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.  Armies shall be utterly swept away before him and broken, even the prince of the covenant.  And from the time that an alliance is made with him, he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people.  Without warning, he shall come into the richest parts^[e] of the province, and he shall do what neither his fathers nor his fathers' fathers have done, scattering among them plunder, spoil, and goods. He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time.  And he shall stir up his power and his heart against the king of the south with a great army. And the king of the south shall wage war with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for plots shall be devised against him.  Even those who eat his food shall break him. His army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain.  And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for the end is yet to be at the time appointed.  And he shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. And he shall work his will and return to his own land.

As I’ve told you, when I have no insight or understanding, I go to a source that has stayed true to the Scripture.  That is Got Question.

Daniel 11:21–24: “He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few people, he will rise to power. When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses—but only for a time.”

Fulfillment: Antiochus Epiphanes was not a legitimate heir to the throne but was able to acquire an army and take the throne by force in 187 BC. He seemed to have a special vendetta against Jerusalem. He was behind the murder of the high priest. He was a thug and a madman. Although he took the name Epiphanes (“God manifest”), some, no doubt behind his back, called him “Epimanes” (“madman”).

Daniel 11:25–28: “With a large army, he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him. Those who eat from the king’s provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle. The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time. The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country.”

Fulfillment: Antiochus invaded Egypt in 169 BC. The king of Egypt was young and inexperienced, relying on advisors who did not serve him well, and he was defeated. In negotiations, neither king was honorable. Antiochus left Egypt the victor. On his way home, he looted the temple in Jerusalem and stationed a garrison there. He also defiled the temple by sacrificing unclean animals there.

 

From our Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Kings of the North and the South part 2

                                                            Daniel 11:10-20

 

April 7, 2024

 

The Kings of the North and the South

 

“His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall keep coming and overflow and pass through, and again shall carry the war as far as his fortress.  Then the king of the south moved with rage, shall come out and fight against the king of the north. And he shall raise a great multitude, but it shall be given into his hand.  And when the multitude is taken away, his heart shall be exalted, and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail.  For the king of the north shall again raise a multitude, greater than the first. And after some years, he shall come on with a great army and abundant supplies.

“In those times, many shall rise against the king of the south, and the violent among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they shall fail. Then the king of the north shall come and throw up siegeworks and take a well-fortified city. And the forces of the south shall not stand, or even his best troops, for there shall be no strength to stand.  But he who comes against him shall do as he wills, and none shall stand before him. And he shall stand in the glorious land, with destruction in his hand.  He shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and he shall bring terms of an agreement and perform them. He shall give him the daughter of women to destroy the kingdom, but it shall not stand or be to his advantage.  Afterward, he shall turn his face to the coastlands and shall capture many of them, but a commander shall put an end to his insolence. Indeed, he shall turn his insolence back upon him.  Then he shall turn his face back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found.

I will tell you what others have to say about the kings of the north and south, later, but this one part jumped off the page at me.  I’ve worked on a book about the Christian Army and its fitness for many years.  I want you to give thought to how important the soldier is to be equipped for that Army.

I also want you to imagine how important it was to have ample supplies to feed from 250,000 to 400,000 warriors over many miles and months on foot, and the animals they used for battle.   These are the two verses that got my thinker going: For the king of the north shall again raise a multitude, greater than the first. And after some years, he shall come on with a great army and abundant supplies.

 

This question came into my mind: How equipped is the Christian Army for battle?  Has it had good training? Does it know how to follow orders? Will it stand firm, at God’s command? Will it understand that, unlike the Army that comes against it with weapons of this world, like hate and evil desires, the Christian Army must stand on faith, prayer, and love, and watch the Lord fight in ways they may not understand.  If they are not trained, they will not stand firm and will attempt to use the world’s weapons.

 

Now, what others say about the kings of the North and South is the time these battles took place.  It is important to remember that these kingdoms are north and south of Jerusalem.   The timeline is 200 B.C.   Jerusalem had Egyptian troops stationed there, and the Syrian victory replaced them.  So, the king of Egypt came up with a plan to marry his daughter to the king of the south, to form what would seem an alliance, but his goal was for her to be his spy.  That we are told took place in 193 B.C.

 

As often the best plans of men do not work, the queen's loyalty was not to dear old Dad but to her husband.  Rome was now a power and told the king of the North to stay out of Greece.  When he did not in 191 B.C. Rome attacked and defeated him at Thermopylae in 191 BC. The king of the North was humiliated and was forced to pay tribute to Rome.  Daniel 11:20: “His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle.”

Fulfillment: The Seleucid successor was preoccupied with getting money to satisfy Rome. His attempt to loot the temple in Jerusalem to get tribute money was unsuccessful. This king had a short, inconsequential reign.

This brings us to Antiochus IV Ephiphanes, one of the most notorious and brutal kings of the North.  (Taken from Got Question)

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice