Do not move the ancient boundary

August 13, 2022 TFJ Annointed One (Jesus the Messiah) 0

“Do not move the ancient boundary which your fathers have set” (Proverbs 22:28).

The new Living Translation puts it this way…” Do not cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers set up by previous generations“

This short proverb refers to instructions given in the law of Moses

Deuteronomy 19:14: “You shall not displace your neighbor’s boundary marker, which the ancestors have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.

Deuteronomy 27:17: ‘Cursed is one who displaces his neighbor’s boundary marker.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

The landmarks that were established by the ancients marked the boundary of someone’s land. The people were to be content with the land that they were given and not attempt to unlawfully gain their neighbor’s land.

The original landmarks or boundaries were set by God as He allotted to each of the twelve tribes of Israel their inheritance in the Promised Land. A curse was pronounced upon anyone who tampered with any of the original landmarks. The rightful inheritance of each one of the children of Israel could only be identified by reference to those ancient boundaries.

Numbers 34:1: Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance—the land of Canaan to its boundaries.

In Job 24:2 we discover a reason why a neighbor might want to move these ancient landmarks (boundaries)…..

Job 24:2: “Some remove landmarks; They seize flocks violently and feed on them;

Proverbs 23:10: Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:

In the New Testament we understand the SPIRITUAL PROMISED LAND is the Kingdom of God (Heaven)💕. God’s people have an inheritance in His Kingdom. If you believe in Jesus Christ, then you are already a citizen of God’s Kingdom even though you still reside on earth. God’s people will receive the full measure of their inheritance when the Trumpet sounds.

Hebrews 9:15: And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

Colossians 3:24:  knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

If the Promised Land of Canaan is a shadow or “type” of the Promised Land of Heaven, and the Israelite’s inheritance another shadow or “type” of the believer’s inheritance, then what do you think it might mean (spiritually speaking) to “move the ancient boundary”?

If we carry through with this same metaphor (Biblical typology), one who moved the ancient boundary would be doing so for similar reasons, ie, stealing “land” that does not belong to him and feeding on a flock that is not his. A true shepherd feeds his flock, but a false shepherd feeds himself with a flock that does not belong to him.

Isaiah 40:10: Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand,
And His arm shall rule for Him;
Behold, His reward is with Him,
And His work before Him.

11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.

The false shepherd is all too happy to move the ancient boundaries, climbing into the sheepfold “some other way” so that he can SET HIMSELF up as the shepherd, but he is not. He is a FALSE shepherd. His intention is NOT to feed the sheep but to USE the SHEEP to FEED HIMSELF!! The immature sheep who lack understanding have no idea just how dangerous it is to move or REMOVE these boundaries from their lives. They trust the false shepherd who is teaching them that the Church must adapt its values to match today’s modern culture.

In the Gospels Jesus tells us that the false shepherd will not enter through the “door” (the right way) but will enter through some other way. There is only ONE DOOR into the sheepfold, and THAT DOOR IS JESUS CHRIST.

Jesus Christ IS the True Shepherd who ESTABLISHED the ancient boundaries. Jesus gave His Life to save His Sheep because WE ALL FOOLISHLY TRAVELED OUTSIDE OF THE BOUNDARIES HE SET. ✝️ We all like sheep have gone astray (Isaiah 53:6, each one has turned to our own way.

In the beginning, the earth was perfect and the people here without sin. The only boundary that was necessary in the garden of Eden was God’s warning against eating “fruit” from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God did not place a fence around that tree, but instead only warned mankind (Adam and Eve) that if they ate THAT FRUIT, death would enter the world. Of course, we now know that we (mankind) have all gorged ourselves on that rotten fruit and suffering/death has become a very tragic part of our existence on planet earth.

Important Note: The fruit of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil is the IDEA that human beings can be as God, determining FOR OURSELVES without God’s help the DIFFERENCE between GOOD and EVIL. Every time WE DECIDE the difference between good and evil without CONSULTING GOD’S WORD, we are eating from that nasty tree. And we have ALL eaten its fruit. 🤢

Because of God’s GOODNESS (GRACE), YHWH (God) has given us A WAY back to something even GREATER than the garden of Eden — the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ IS THE WAY. Heaven (Kingdom of God) IS our Promised Land. 💕 As the Creator of ALL THINGS, YHWH (God) has the right to establish boundaries for His Kingdom. He did so in the Garden of Eden, and He has done so throughout History. His eternal boundaries STILL STAND.

Jesus’ people are taught to live within these ancient boundaries, each enjoying the portion of our beautiful inheritance that we are given now (abundant life in Christ✝️) and looking forward to receiving the full measure of our inheritance when the Trumpet Sounds (eternal life).

Boundaries are established for our safety. Although many people fantasize about a “world without boundaries”, they do not realize that this would be a VERY DANGEROUS WORLD, one that will lead to death and destruction.

the word of God outlines the boundaries to which we must confine ourselves. If we wander outside of these boundaries, we risk losing fellowship with God.

Today we have surveyors who determine the boundary of our land

Today we have surveyors who determine the borders of our land. However, ancient boundaries were marked simply by placing stones on the border. God REQUIRED His people to adhere to the HONOR SYSTEM. Sadly, most people are NOT honorable so it was pretty easy for unscrupulous people to move the boundary stones without being detected because they would move them very gradually, just a little bit at a time. After repeatedly moving the boundary stones a very small distance over a period of time, they were eventually able to encroach on their neighbor’s land without being noticed. 😲

The Promised Land is Spiritual and the ancient boundaries Biblical. Judeo Christian values have been the norms of Western civilization for thousands of years. The false shepherds have been SLOWLY moving these ancient boundaries so that the majority of people do not even notice the change. We human beings have very short memories and even smaller attention spans. Yet if we honestly looked back over the past 50 years, we would be shocked at the changes that have been made.

“Overton’s window is a political theory that describes how the perception of public opinion can be modified so that ideas that were previously considered crazy can be accepted in the long run.”

“According to this theory, even taboo subjects would not be free from their effects so that society’s general assessment of issues such as incest, pedophilia or cannibalism could be radically changed. 😲This does not require brainwashing or the establishment of a dictatorial regime, but the development of a series of advanced techniques whose slow implementation would go unnoticed by society.”

Over the past generation, our modern antichrist culture has attempted to MOVE these ancient boundaries…

  • The moment life begins has been redefined.
  • Marriage has been redefined.
  • Even the secular definition of gender has been changed.
  • Sexual behaviors that were violations of CIVIL LAW a few generations ago are now non-issues, or even celebrated.

The first institution that God created was the family (through marriage). The first institution that the devil went after was the family.🐍 Marriage is the most ancient of the ancient boundaries that God created, and it is the one most under attack today by the devil.

John 10:1:  “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

Many Churches have surrendered to society’s “new norms” and are actively trying to KEEP UP WITH TODAY’S ANTICHRIST CULTURE. This IS the prophesied APOSTASY (falling away from the truth) in the Church. The apostasy is happening NOW!

2 Thessalonians 2:1:  Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him (tfj: Rapture), 2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit, or a message, or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. (tfj: tribulation)

3 No one is to deceive you in any way! For it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, (tfj: Apostasy – falling away from the truth is here now) and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, (tfj: antichrist has not yet been revealed)

tfj: Notes in parenthesis are my interpretation of these scriptures

The FALSE SHEPHERDS who attempt to MOVE the ancient boundaries say things like ….”Did God REALLY say”…fill in the blank. They then hold “votes” in their churches so that the parishioners and council members can decide (based on popular vote) what doctrine will be taught in their particular church. 😲

The serpent (Satan) 🐍was the first one to question God’s boundaries, and he has been trying to move them ever since.

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent🐍was more cunning than any animal of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

Daniel 7:25: He (antichrist)🐍shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. (tfj: ancient boundaries) Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time.

  • Did God REALLY say that His Entire Word (Bible) is “God Breathed”, every word inspired by the Holy Spirit? 🐍 (2 Timothy 3:16)

The Bible is God’s (YHWH) instruction manual for mankind on HOW to be residents of HIS KINGDOM. Contained within its pages are the Heavenly Boundaries that God established long ago. Although God determined the earthly nation(s) that we would live in as well as the epoch (period of time in History) in which we would be born, all believers are ALREADY residents of His Heavenly Kingdom and are EXPECTED to live within its BOUNDARIES.

Acts 17:26:  and He (God/YHWH) made from one man (Adam) every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,

Philippians 3:17 Brothers and sisters, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. 

18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even as I weep, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who have their minds on earthly things. 

20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our lowly condition into conformity with His glorious body, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

God detailed THE ANCIENT BOUNDARIES in HIS book (The Bible) so that mankind would have access to them forever. Some boundaries such as the time and place of our birth cannot be changed. The spiritual boundaries of how we are supposed to live our lives in the LIGHT OF ETERNITY were never meant to be changed. God changes not and neither do His boundaries. God desires that ALL people everywhere be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. God gave us His boundaries to KEEP US FROM DANGER AND guide us back to Him! If you were lost in the wilderness, wouldn’t you be thankful for a MAP and a COMPASS or even a few “breadcrumbs” that might lead you back to civilization?

The boundaries that were established in the Word do not move. They do not change from generation to generation. They remain the same as when God established them, and they will remain in place until Jesus comes again.

This is not about a “works-based” salvation. Salvation is God’s FREE GIFT OF GRACE that comes only through Faith in what Jesus Christ did for us on that Cross ✝️ 2000 years ago. However, once we BELIEVE and place our TRUST in Jesus Christ as our Savior, then Love 💕dictates that we must make HIM Lord of our lives by learning His Word and applying it to our lives as best we can. This will mean that we will need to make some changes. As Holy Spirit illuminates the instructions in God’s Word, we should respond by giving up activities that the Bible calls sin, by putting others first and not ourselves, and by doing things God’s way and not our own. We may even be called to rethink the people we spend our time with, the music we listen to, the movies we watch, etc.

Matthew 7: 24: “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

26 “But EVERYONE WHO HEARS THESE SAYINGS OF MINE, AND DOES NOT DO THEM, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and IT FELL. AND GREAT WAS ITS FALL.”

God tells us what WILL HAPPEN to those who move the ancient boundaries in their lives, and worse…teach others to do the same. God will pour out His wrath on them.

Hosea 5:10: “The princes of Judah are like those who remove a landmark; I will pour out My wrath on them like water.

Let us not be ignorant of Satan’s devices lest we get caught in his trap! Let us remain on the path that God has chosen for us, remaining within the ancient boundaries, even when it is NOT popular, even when we are ridiculed or persecuted. We should continue to be kind and compassionate towards our neighbor who does not believe as we do; however, as BELIEVERS in CHRIST, we should structure our own lives as though we were indeed citizens of the Kingdom of God whose ancient boundaries are still in effect today.

One step one choice at a time…Each day each point in my Life. As Your Grace enables, I CHOOSE who YOU want me to be.
About TFJ 290 Articles
My name is TFJ, which stands for Thankful for Jesus. I'm a wife, a mom, and a grandma. I have a passion for Jesus because He literally drug me out of the pit, washed me clean, and made me new. I know He will do the same for you, if you let Him.