Conform or Not

 

 Conform or Not

 

March 19, 2026

 

The world will conform you to think like it, but as a follower of Christ, God has given you the mind of Christ; it is a choice each day and many times each day to conform to the world or to renew your mind.  Jan and I are putting Romans 12:2 to memory as a reminder.  “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

 

The Ability as a Follower of Christ to test what the World is offering against the Scriptures.  Now, a problem with many is that they are not searching the Scriptures for God’s counsel.  Many Churches try a program that worked somewhere else, without seeking the Lord’s counsel, and they wonder why they are not experiencing the same results.  Testing is the key; you have the mind of Christ, as His follower.  You will find that in 1 Corinthians 2:15-16, “The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

 

As one who is a mess, I like Rascal better. You will also need to put into memory 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

The Altar

 

Ezekiel 43:13-27

 

February 16, 2023

 

The Altar

“These are the measurements of the altar by cubits (the cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth): its base shall be one cubit high and one cubit broad, with a rim of one span around its edge. And this shall be the height of the altar: from the base on the ground to the lower ledge, two cubits, with a breadth of one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, four cubits, with a breadth of one cubit; and the altar hearth, four cubits; and from the altar hearth projecting upward, four horns.  The altar hearth shall be square, twelve cubits long by twelve broad.  The ledge also shall be square, fourteen cubits long by fourteen broad, with a rim around it half a cubit broad, and its base one cubit all around. The steps of the altar shall face east.”

And he said to me, “Son of man, thus says the Lord God: These are the ordinances for the altar: On the day when it is erected for offering burnt offerings upon it and for throwing blood against it, you shall give to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok, who draw near to me to minister to me, declares the Lord God, a bull from the herd for a sin offering.  And you shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the ledge and upon the rim all around. Thus, you shall purify the altar and make atonement for it.  You shall also take the bull of the sin offering, and it shall be burned in the appointed place belonging to the temple, outside the sacred area.  And on the second day, you shall offer a male goat without blemish for a sin offering; and the altar shall be purified, as it was purified with the bull.  When you have finished purifying it, you shall offer a bull from the herd without blemish and a ram from the flock without blemish.  You shall present them before the Lord, and the priests shall sprinkle salt on them and offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord.  For seven days, you shall provide daily a male goat for a sin offering; also, a bull from the herd and a ram from the flock, without blemish, shall be provided.  Seven days shall they make atonement for the altar and cleanse it, and so consecrate it.   And when they have completed these days, then from the eighth day onward the priests shall offer on the altar your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, and I will accept you, declares the Lord God.”

Many years ago, as a young believer in Jesus Christ's atonement for sin, I came across this and other passages that trouble me about animal sacrifice during the millennial kingdom.  Why was that going to be the case, in that Jesus was to return and be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords?  “Got Questions” gave me this insight; it answers my questions, and I hope it answers yours also.  

“The primary objection made to the idea of animal sacrifices returning during the millennial kingdom is that Christ has come and offered a perfect sacrifice for sin, and there is therefore no need to sacrifice animals for sin. However, it must be remembered that animal sacrifice never removed the sin that spiritually separated a person from the Lord.

Hebrews 10:1-4 says, “For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never by the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices, there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins."

From ​our Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Glory of the Lord Fills the Temple

 

Ezekiel 43:1-12

 

February 13, 2024

 

The Glory of the Lord Fills the Temple

Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing east.  And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory.  And the vision I saw was just like the vision that I had seen when he came to destroy the city, and just like the vision that I had seen by the Chebar canal. And I fell on my face.  As the glory of the Lord entered the temple by the gate facing east, the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

While the man was standing beside me, I heard one speaking to me out of the temple, and he said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the people of Israel forever. And the house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their whoring and by the dead bodies of their kings at their high places, by setting their threshold by my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between them and me. They have defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed, so I have consumed them in my anger.  Now let them put away their whoring and the dead bodies of their kings far from me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.

“As for you, son of man, describe to the house of Israel the temple, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the plan.  And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple, its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, that is, its whole design; and make known to them as well all its statutes and its whole design and all its laws, and write it down in their sight, so that they may observe all its laws and all its statutes and carry them out.  This is the law of the temple: the whole territory on the top of the mountain, all around, shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.

As followers of Christ, we were grafted into the vine, Romans 11:11,12, “So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.  Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!”

 

 ^“But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who supports the root, but the root that supports you.  Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.”  That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.  For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.  Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness.” (Romans 11:17-22)

 

You and I were bought at a great price by God. Your payment for your sins was the cruel death of His only Son, to buy you out of eternal hell.  We, the Church, must never take the kindness and love of our Father or His Son, Jesus Christ, lightly.

 

Will we, the Church, be part of this Temple, yes, if it happens with the return of Christ, but as stated yesterday, you are the temple that God’s Spirit lives in, do not get arrogant, but share all that God has done for you.  We must learn to be still and find a place of quietness to listen to the Spirit of God, to engage in fellowship with Him.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Temple's Chambers

Ezekiel 42,1-20

 

February 12, 2023

 

The Temple's Chambers 

Then he led me out into the outer court, toward the north, and he brought me to the chambers that were opposite the separate yard and opposite the building on the north.  The length of the building whose door faced north was a hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty cubits.  Facing the twenty cubits that belonged to the inner court, and facing the pavement that belonged to the outer court, was gallery against gallery in three stories.  And before the chambers was a passage inward, ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits long, and their doors were on the north.  Now the upper chambers were narrower, for the galleries took more away from them than from the lower and middle chambers of the building.  For they were in three stories, and they had no pillars like the pillars of the courts. Thus, the upper chambers were set back from the ground more than the lower and the middle ones.  And there was a wall outside parallel to the chambers, toward the outer court, opposite the chambers, fifty cubits long.  For the chambers on the outer court were fifty cubits long, while those opposite the nave were a hundred cubits long.  Below these chambers was an entrance on the east side, as one enters them from the outer court.

 In the thickness of the wall of the court, on the south also, opposite the yard and opposite the building, there were chambers with a passage in front of them. They were similar to the chambers on the north, of the same length and breadth, with the same exits and arrangements and doors,  as were the entrances of the chambers on the south. There was an entrance at the beginning of the passage, the passage before the corresponding wall on the east as one enters them. 

Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers opposite the yard are the holy chambers, where the priests who approach the Lord shall eat the most holy offerings. There they shall put the most holy offerings—the grain offering, the sin offering, 

and the guilt offering—for the place is holy.  When the priests enter the Holy Place, they shall not go out of it into the outer court without laying there the garments in which they minister, for these are holy. They shall put on other garments before they go near to that which is for the people.”

Now, when he had finished measuring the interior of the temple area, he led me out by the gate that faced east and measured the temple area all around.  He measured the east side with the measuring reed, 500 cubits by the measuring reed, all around.  He measured the north side, 500 ​,cubits by the measuring reed, all around.  He measured the south side, 500 cubits by the measuring reed.  Then he turned to the west side and measured, 500 cubits by the measuring reed.  He measured it on the four sides. It had a wall around it, 500 cubits long and 500 cubits broad, to make a separation between the holy and the common.

 

How has Grace freed us from the bondage of the law?  The Jewish people were and are the chosen of God, and they were given laws to live by, but they were also promised the Messiah.  They were looking for a king to fight their battles and allow them to live a carefree life, but the Messiah came in the form of a baby, not born in a king's palace but in a stall for animals.  It was well witnessed by both angels and shepherds, and sometime later by wise men from the east.  You can read the full account in the gospel of Luke 2:1-21.  

 

It is sad when we are not willing to accept God's perfect plan when it conflicts with our expectations.   The religious group had their minds set on a Messiah, who came as a king​,and they would not receive a baby born in a manger.   They had no room for anyone else, but God is showing us a temple that is like no other, its future, and in that temple, the Jewish people will worship the Messiah they rejected.  

 

Can you imagine taking care of that temple, and while we are on that, my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, how are you taking care of your temple?  Are you keeping it clean?  That is a question I ask myself often: how much of this world has got into my temple.  The Scriptures are clear our bodies, our temples, that is all who have received Christ by faith and grace, 

 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body.”

 

As I reflected on this, I wanted to see what “Got Questions” had to say on the subject of our bodies being the temple of the Holy Spirit, this is the part that got my full attention: “If God meant simply to convey the idea that the Spirit lives within the believer, He could well have used words such as “home,” “house,” or “residence.” But by choosing the word “temple” to describe the Spirit’s dwelling, He conveys the idea that our bodies are the shrine, or the sacred place, in which the Spirit not only lives, but is worshiped, revered, and honored. Therefore, how we behave, think, and speak, and what we let into the temple through our eyes and ears becomes critically important as well, for every thought, word, and deed is in His view. Even though He will never leave us, it is entirely possible to grieve the Holy Spirit “

 

Dear Holy Spirit, please forgive me for allowing the foolishness of this world to clutter your temple, fear, and anger over the temporal and not the eternal.  

 

When we live as if this life is going to last and it is all about who we are and what we have acquired, we have our ladder on the wrong wall.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

God's Plan is Perfect

 

Ezekiel 41:13-26

 

February 11, 2024

 

Then he measured the temple, a hundred cubits long; and the yard and the building with its walls, a hundred cubits long; also, the breadth of the east front of the temple and the yard, a hundred cubits.

Then he measured the length of the building facing the yard that was at the back and its galleries on either side, a hundred cubits.

The inside of the nave and the vestibules of the court, the thresholds and the narrow windows and the galleries all around the three of them, opposite the threshold, were paneled with wood all around, from the floor up to the windows (now the windows were covered), to the space above the door, even to the inner room, and on the outside. And on all the walls all around, inside and outside, was a measured pattern.  It was carved of cherubim and palm trees, a palm tree between cherub and cherub. Every cherub had two faces:  a human face toward the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a young lion toward the palm tree on the other side. They were carved on the whole temple all around.  From the floor to above the door, cherubim and palm trees were carved; similarly, the wall of the nave.

The doorposts of the nave were squared, and in front of the Holy Place was something resembling an altar of wood, three cubits high, two cubits long, and two cubits broad. Its corners, its base, and its walls were of wood. He said to me, “This is the table that is before the Lord.”  The nave and the Holy Place had each a double door.  The double doors had two leaves apiece, two swinging leaves for each door.  And on the doors of the nave were carved cherubim and palm trees, such as were carved on the walls. And there was a canopy^[j] of wood in front of the vestibule outside.  And there were narrow windows and palm trees on either side, on the sidewalls of the vestibule, the side chambers of the temple, and the canopies.

In this vision, where God has sent His Messenger to detail the temple that will be built, and is yet to be built, it will be an amazing structure that will hold many people.  As the Church, we must not forget that God is faithful to fulfill every promise in the Scripture.  Numbers 23:19, “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind.

Has he said, and will he not do it?  Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?”

 

There is no greater blessing than the promise in Romans 1:16-17, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” It is a great need at this time of ignorance for people to know that the Messiah has come and was rejected, His name is Jesus Christ, and the apostle Paul gave us the way we must put our faith to receive this free gift.  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.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Inner Temple

 

Ezekiel 41:1-12

 

February 10, 2024

 

The Inner Temple

Then he brought me to the nave and measured the jambs. On each side, six cubits was the breadth of the jambs.  And the breadth of the entrance was ten cubits, and the sidewalls of the entrance were five cubits on either side. And he measured the length of the nave, forty cubits, and its breadth, twenty cubits.  Then he went into the inner room and measured the jambs of the entrance, two cubits; and the entrance, six cubits; and the sidewalls on either side of the entrance, seven cubits.   And he measured the length of the room, twenty cubits, and its breadth, twenty cubits, across the nave. And he said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.”

Then he measured the wall of the temple, six cubits thick, and the breadth of the side chambers, four cubits, all around the temple.  And the side chambers were in three stories, one over another, thirty in each story. There were offsets all around the wall of the temple to serve as supports for the side chambers, so that they should not be supported by the wall of the temple.  And it became broader as it wound upward to the side chambers because the temple was enclosed upward all around​ the Temple. Thus, the temple had a broad area upward, and so one went up from the lowest story to the top story through the middle story.  I saw also that the temple had a raised platform all around; the foundations of the side chambers measured a full reed of six long cubits. The thickness of the outer wall of the side chambers was five cubits. The free space between the side chambers of the temple and the other chambers was a breadth of twenty cubits all around the temple on every side.  And the doors of the side chambers opened on the free space, one door toward the north, and another door toward the south. And the breadth of the free space was five cubits all around.

The building that was facing the separate yard on the west side was seventy cubits broad, and the wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, and its length ninety cubits.

 

When you read this, your first thought is what detail, what precision God is giving meticulous instruction on how His Temple was to be built.  As one who is a follower of Christ, you are a temple that God has sent His Spirit to live in; has He not done the same with you?  As we have explored the Scripture, have you not seen your true identity in Christ?  In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body.” You find that God has done a precision job in your temple, and it is a place where you learn how to be still and listen to that quiet voice of the Holy Spirit.  He will never tell you that you deserve anything, and He will never tell you that you have little value. When you hear those voices that sound like your voice, it is not from God's Spirit, but from the one that John 10:10 tells us has come to kill, steal, and destroy. 

 

God used the apostle Peter to give us insight into our true identity, in 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

 

That is grace, not earned, but freely given from God to all who have received Jesus by faith.  Now do not stop reading, for that old flesh did not die with the old you, the new you in Christ has, for all those years learned how to get its needs met outside of Christ, Scripture calls that flesh.  And that is why we are told not to allow it to rule over us.  1 Peter 2:11, ^“Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.”  He refers to your flesh and the world system that is under the control of the devil.  In Ephesians 6:10-13, the apostle Paul gives us this warning: ^“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

 

Chambers for the Priests / The Vestibule of the Temple

 

Ezekiel 40:43-49

 

February 9, 2024

 

Chambers for the Priests

On the outside of the inner gateway, there were two chambers in the inner court, one at the side of the north gate facing south, the other at the side of the south gate facing north.  And he said to me, “This chamber that faces south is for the priests who have charge of the temple, and the chamber that faces north is for the priests who have charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who alone among the sons of Levi may come near to the Lord to minister to him.”  And he measured the court, a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits broad, a square. And the altar was in front of the temple.

The Vestibule of the Temple

Then he brought me to the vestibule of the temple and measured the jambs of the vestibule, five cubits on either side. And the breadth of the gate was fourteen cubits, and the sidewalls of the gate were three cubits on either side.  The length of the vestibule was twenty cubits, and the breadth twelve cubits, and people would go up to it by ten steps.  And there were pillars beside the jambs, one on either side.

This I know, it's going to happen, the vision was for a time to come, and it has not been built at this time, but it will.  Once more, I went to “Got Questions” for their insights.  

Most who expect a literal fulfillment of Ezekiel’s temple expect it to be erected in the millennial kingdom, a 1,000-year reign of Christ upon the earth. During the millennium, glorified saints from the present age will live in contact with natural human beings who will still need to make a decision for Christ in order to be saved, and many will choose not to trust Him. The sacrificial system described in Ezekiel cannot be for the forgiveness of sins, for Christ has accomplished that once and for all (Hebrews 10:1–4, 11–14). In this interpretive approach, the sacrifices are seen as memorials of Christ’s death or as rites for the ceremonial cleansing of the temple, but not as a means to forgive sins.

In the figurative view of Ezekiel’s temple, the prophet’s vision simply reiterates that God will once again dwell with His people in a perfect relationship. This relationship is described in the language that the people of the day (and especially for Ezekiel as a priest) would have understood—a Jewish temple of magnificent proportions, with regular, perfect sacrifices, with the Messiah presiding, and with the glory of God visibly evident. In later visions to other prophets, God revealed more about how He would accomplish this with the Messiah Himself replacing the temple, the sacrifices, and the land. The presence of God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit would be more immediately evident than ever before. The fulfillment of Ezekiel’s temple could thus be realized in the church age to some degree and, in the age to come, to perfection.

Regardless of which approach is taken, the vision of Ezekiel’s temple says that God has not forsaken His people and that His relationship with them will be restored and elevated to a new, never-before-conceived glory and intimacy. Present circumstances should never cause one to doubt the promises of God.” (Taken from Got Questions)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice