Presents
Pamphlet #8065
Hosea chapter 5
Hosea is like a picture book full of descriptive illustrations and graphic examples showing us how our Father feels and looks upon the idolatry of His children. All one has to do is first to be able to understand what it must be like to have a beautiful wife who turns unfaithful and becomes a whore! Then, one must be able to draw the analogy that her "lover", "man", the substitute Jesus, has lured His wife into coming to his own "house of emptiness", his Beth-aven, which is disguised as a Beth-el, (a "house of God"), because it carries the name "Christian" and it looks real good and the words spoken there sound real good and it all feels real good, where she is fed ritualism and the traditions of men and is starved of the truth (God's Word) to the point she has totally forgotten who her true husband is. Have you reached that level of understanding? That is what this Book of Hosea is all about.
We continue now with chapter five which begins with a warning message of impending judgment to the Priests and Princes of the House of Israel. They are the leaders of our people who have been given the charge and responsibility to "watch over" and "protect" our people. But instead of fulfilling their obligations and doing that which is right in the eyes of the Lord, they use their lofty positions to "hunt" and "ensnare" our people for their own self gain. Therefore it is written that the time is coming "that judgment must begin at the house of God" (1 Peter 4:17), so you preachers and ministers, in particular, better pay real "close attention" to the words of Hosea!
We learned in our very first study of Hosea that the names of people, places and things have meanings and it is important that we understand those meanings if we desire to gain a deeper understanding of God's Word. In this verse the locations of Mizpah and Tabor mean "Watchtower" and "Lofty Place" respectively. You see, the priests of God are supposed to be "Watchmen" unto the house of Israel and they are to "eat the whole scroll, i.e. study the Word of God (Ezek. 3:3)", and they are then to warn the people of the consequences of their adultery/idolatry, i.e. that the enemy, the king of Babylon, the false-christ, is coming to take captive (ensnare) and slaughter (spiritually) those who "have not the seal of God [His Word] in their foreheads" (Rev. 9:4). We know this to be true because our Father is so good to us that He gave us His servant Ezekiel, whose name means "God is Strong" or "Whom God Strengthens (through His Word)", as the role model and example of the "watchmen" of this final generation.Hosea 5:1
Hear ye this, O priests; and hearken, ye house of Israel; and give ye ear, O house of the king; for judgment is toward you, because ye have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor.
The Word of God isn't just filled with "sweet baby Jesus talk", is it? We have already learned it contains the sad story (a lamentation) of the "woman" God married wandering off and becoming a whore! Have you ever heard that taught in your Beth-aven (house of emptiness)?Ezekiel 2:9
And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;[10] And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.
Eat the roll, the Word of God, from cover to cover! Then you qualify to be appointed to one of the most important positions of responsibility there is, a Watchman unto the House of Israel![3:1] Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.
Watchmen are to "hear the word" from His mouth, i.e. be firmly "founded" in the Rock, the Word of God, and not in the traditions of men. Then they are to teach and warn the people from HIM, from His Word. If they do not, they are in Big Trouble for disobeying His high command and they will be held accountable for their dereliction of duty, if not treason:Ezekiel 3:17
Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
In this final generation of the Fig Tree, the priests and preachers have become the primary problem. They do not even recognize the enemy, for it is the enemy himself, disguised as the angel of Light, looking like the Lamb slain, whom they serve and who gives them the "spirit of whoredoms". Christ clearly warned us in Mat. 24, Mk. 13, and Luke 21, concerning the MANY preachers and ministers who would come in His name, claiming to be His representatives, and would deceive the majority of people causing them to partake of the great apostasy (falling away) in the last days spoken of by Paul in 2 Thes. 2:3.Ezekiel 33:6
But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.
The word "revolters" is better translated "apostates" (see Companion Bible note). They are those who are "profound", as in "deeply rooted" or "steeped", in idolatry which is apostasy. Even though our Father has rebuked them and warned them time and time again throughout His Word, they STILL continue to teach the traditions of men, like fly-away Rapture Theories, and consequently they cause our people to become whores and they lead our people straight to the spiritual slaughter of the soon coming king of Babylon, Satan, the false-christ!Hosea 5:2
And the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them all.
God knows Ephraim even though Ephraim today doesn't know himself because he is "blind" and has lost sight of his true identity. In other words, God knows exactly where the 10 so-called "Lost Tribes" of the House of Israel are located today! And you should too! They are not hidden from Him, neither are their whoredoms hidden, to which they are also blind. Yes, our Father is well aware of the spiritual whoredom and adultery (idolatry) in America and Great Britain and Canada, etc. The land is filled with Beth-avens, i.e. houses of emptiness, and the true House of Israel is defiled indeed, and her priests and her preachers and her ministers continue to starve her of the Truth from His Word as they continue to bring forth the great apostasy and spiritual slaughter of this final generation![3] I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled.
We covered this "Spirit of Whoredoms" in detail in our previous study. Though they think they know the Lord; But, the reason our people DO NOT really know the LORD is because they do not know His Word! The truth is that you cannot separate the Living Word of God from the Written Word of God for they are ONE! Unless you are a babe, a newly converted Christian, to say that you know the Lord Jesus Christ and yet you do not know His Word is DECEPTION![4] They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the LORD.
The priests and rulers of America are arrogant (prideful) in their rejection of the warnings of God's prophets! Do you have a TV? Shall they "stand" in the great day of battle when the son of perdition, the false-christ, i.e. Satan, is cast to this earth (Rev. 12:7-9)? No, they and those who listen to them shall fall in their apostasy and the house of Judah shall fall with them.[5] And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity; Judah also shall fall with them.
It is written that the "so-called Christian" ministers and preachers shall go with their flocks, their entire congregations, and say to the Lord in that day, the day of His return at the sound of the 7th Trump ...[6] They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them.
Make no mistake about it! These are those who claim to be Christians, even "born again" Christians, and many of them are our loved ones who we care deeply about, who are deceived by their churches and their preachers. Nevertheless, do you remember the parable of the Ten Virgins, how that only five of them endured unto the end and made it to the wedding feast of the Lord, i.e. were part of the First Resurrection at Christ's return? The rest were good Christian church goers who listened to the wisdom of men and preachers instead of studying God's Word and in their blind ignorance they became adulterers/idolaters as Gomer, and they were those first women "taken" in the field and seduced (wed) by the false messiah (Satan)! In fact, their preachers told them that they should desire to be like the first woman taken in Mat. 24;40, because they read a book titled "Left Behind" written by a man instead of carefully reading "God's Word" (their Bible).Matthew 7:22
... Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
The women Jesus refers to in Mat. 24:40 were daughters of Adam's and Eve's son Seth, when angels, loyal to Satan came to earth, out of turn, without entering through the womb and impregnated daughters of Seth's descendants, who were actually taken to wife by Satan's angels who left their first estate (they were the first women taken, and that's how it will be in the end). The ones that are saved are those left behind, to endure until the end at Christ's return! These Angels marrying daughters of man, was still happening in Noah's life time and was the reason for "Noah's Flood", of course in Noah's flood the eight people who were saved (Noah and his family) were also those left behind and not swept away by the waters of the flood!
It all goes back to what we learned earlier from 1 Corinthians 10:11 Now
all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written
for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
Will the true Bridegroom, the real Jesus Christ, embrace them or withdraw from them when He returns?
Let Him tell you:
Adultery (idolatry) is iniquity! Christian, You can go to church faithfully every week for decades, and you can call (Ishtar) Easter and you can do many wonderful works and contribute to many wonderful charities, and you can say "Lord, Lord, Praise the Lord" a million times, but though you call yourself a Christian, if you allow yourself to be deceived by the MANY who claim to be his Ministers instead of DOING your Father's Will, His Word, you will stand naked in that day, without a wedding garment on (Mat. 22:11-14), and you shall not enter in at the first resurrection!Matthew 7:23
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Thus saith the Lord God:
This is why it is so important to read and understand the Book of Hosea, the Book of Salvation. God uses examples and analogies that people can see and feel and relate to in order to get them to SEE and understand the things which are spiritual. The Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, has taken a far journey but He will soon be returning to take His virgin bride to wife! How do you think He will feel when He returns and discovers that His bride is pregnant or already (spiritually) a nursing a baby? Wouldn't you be angry? That is why Jesus gave the following warning to those who would be present IN THOSE DAYS, the days just preceding His return, i.e. THESE DAYS in which we live!Matthew 7:21
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
The following words of Jesus Christ are a spiritual analogy, which is easily understood by those who are familiar with the Book of Hosea.
These are then 5 virgins that fall because of their adultery/idolatry! As it is written, they shall receive His WRATH. What about the other 5 virgins?Luke 21:23
But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
These are the 5 virgins who remain faithful and barren who do not become impregnated with the lies and deception of Satan the spurious messiah. As it is written, they shall receive His BLESSINGS!Luke 23:29
For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.
The choice is yours. How wise are you? If you have read this far then you have been warned that not everyone who claims to be a Christian (i.e. says Lord, Lord, I love you Jesus) will enter into the kingdom of God at our Lord's return, contrary to what some preacher might tell you that all you have to do is believe and be sweet as apple pie. Then who shall be saved at His coming? The answer is, "The Wise Virgins shall be saved"! What is it that makes them "Wise"? The answer is, "Their Foundation"!
That rock is Jesus Christ, the Word of God! So how well "founded" are you in His Word?Matthew 7:24
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Some people are well "founded" in their church and the traditions of men! Does that make them "wise"?Matthew 7:26
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
And when the (spiritual) rain descends, as did the (physical) rain in the days of Noah (Luke 17:26 "And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man."), and when the flood of Satan's lies comes upon them (Rev. 12:15 "And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood"), and when the "four winds" which bring forth the final events of this flesh age are let loose (Rev. 7:1 "And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree."), will your church or your preacher be there to hold you up?Matthew 7:27
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
There is a GREAT apostasy coming! Do you know about it? Has your preacher warned you and prepared you from the Word of God for the great tribulation when Satan is cast to this earth (Rev. 12:7-9) and appears as the false messiah (2 Thes. 2:4), or has he or she told you not to worry about it because you are not going to be here when it happens? Perhaps you have you been told that the good church-going Christians are going to be "Raptured" out of here and everyone else is going to be "Left Behind"? Some time ago there is a movie and a book by that title being promoted by "many" preachers, who come in the name of Jesus, and sold to the masses, the "many", (20,000,000 of those books were sold in a short time) telling people that Christians are going to just disappear and be snatched away. It is a LIE and it is not Biblical! And thus is coming (and has come) to pass the words of Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:5: "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." Yes, they declare that Jesus is the Christ, the anointed one of God, but they never declare that there are two Christs, the fake and the real, for in their Biblical ignorance they cannot tell the one from the other. Can you?!
Did we not learn in our last study, right here in the Book of Hosea, in the Old Testament of all places, that many preachers shall lead their flocks to seek the Lord but shall not find Him?
You should have also learned from Hosea that the reason Christ will turn them away from the wedding is because they are a bunch of whores (Mat. 7:23)! You see, the preachers in this nation are leading their flocks to commit adultery/idolatry with another "man", with another lord, the false lord! They are teaching them to accept the first messiah who returns and to be the first woman taken in the field, which is to attend the first wedding, the wedding of the false-christ, the WRONG wedding! Therefore the preachers have dealt "treacherously", deceitfully, against the Lord Jesus Christ and have produced a generation of strange children (proclaiming Christians) who do not really belong to the Lord! They belong to someone else! Guess who?Hosea 5:6
They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD; but they shall not find Him; He hath withdrawn Himself from them.
Here is Strong's definition of "treacherously":Hosea 5:7
They [the priests] have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.
Again, the "strange children" that have been produced as a result of adultery/idolatry do not belong to God. They belong to another "man" (see Rev. 13:18)!treacherously = bagad, baw-gad', Hebrew 898; a primitive root; to cover (with a garment); figurative to act covertly; by implication to pillage :- deal deceitfully (treacherously, unfaithfully), offend, transgress (-or), (depart), treacherous (dealer, -ly, man), unfaithful (-ly, man), × very.
Therefore, as verse 7 reveals, God will quickly take away their "portions", which means their inheritance, even their land. He did it before (physically) and He shall do it again (spiritually) in these last days.strange = zuwr, zoor, Hebrew 2114; a primitive root; to turn aside (especially for lodging); hence to be a foreigner, strange, profane; specifically (active particaple) to commit adultery :- (come from) another (man, place), fanner, go away, (e-) strange (-r, thing, woman).
Some may think that we are being hard on preachers and ministers. The fact is that our Father is extremely unhappy with those who are supposed to teach His Word to His children, instead of playing church, and He has declared that they are going to pay dearly for misleading and starving His people. So how do you know if your minister falls into that category? The answer does not lie in whether or not he or she is a nice person or a sincere person! The answer lies in what he or she teaches. So ask yourself the question, "How much of God's Word has he or she taught you?" Has your teacher prepared you with the true knowledge from God's Word whereby you are able to withstand the spiritual battle of the last days? Or have you been taught not to worry because you won't be here? If the latter is true then you better wake up because IT IS WRITTEN in 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 that there will be NO gathering back to Christ until AFTER the false messiah, the son of perdition, the supernatural archangel Satan himself, makes a spectacular "return" as Jesus Christ with "all power and signs and lying wonders (2 Thes. 2:9)" and deceives the whole world into believing he is the Messiah (2 Thes. 2:4)! So has your preacher taught you how to STAND (against him) or how to FLY (to him)?
Let's take some time and read what the Lord has to say to the prophets of Israel, the preachers of America, by one who is "strengthened by God, His Word" (that is what EZEK-I-EL means):
Ezekiel, the type of God's "Watchman" in these last days, is commanded to teach against false preachers in the manner of "Thus saith the Lord God"!Ezekiel 13:1
And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,[2] Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD;
Do you remember the difference between "foolish" and "wise"? A foolish teacher (prophet) follows after the traditions of men, like "fly-away" theories which are built upon sand, and a foolish preacher does not teach the people directly from God's Word, chapter by chapter and line by line, whereby their flocks are stablished and well founded in Truth, upon the solid Rock! They do not teach our people how to study His Word and put on the Gospel Armor so that they will be able to STAND (not fly) during the tribulation of the false-christ, which is a spiritual battle for the souls of men. Ephes. 6:11 "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to STAND against the wiles of the devil."[3] Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!
The desert is this Valley of spiritually Dry Bones (Ezk. 37) caused by the famine in these last days, which any student of Amos knows is for the hearing of God's Word, not for food! Amos 8:11 "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD".[4] O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.
Live Link to->>> Ezekiel's Valley of Dry Bones
The preachers have not prepared our people to STAND! These are not empty words of prophecy tucked away in the Old Testament and irrelevant to our day! They apply to THIS (baby boomer) generation, the generation present just before the day of the Lord, and they have come to pass! It is an undisputed FACT that our people are Biblically illiterate, that they simply have not been educated in God's Word nor have they been warned by the clergy in this nation that they must have the "seal of God in their foreheads" (Rev. 9:4) to STAND in that day, that they must have the Gospel Armor on and in place to STAND (Eph. 6), that they must have "oil" in their lamps to ENDURE (Mat. 25), that they must build their foundation upon the Rock, the Word of God, to be able to STAND, and therefore they must seek Him through His Word. No, the preachers in this nation are too busy with church and church activities to take the time to teach God's Word chapter by chapter and line by line. Worse yet, though many preachers do so in ignorance because they themselves do not know God's Word, by default they LIE to God's people and pollute the Word of God with that "Fly Away" stuff![5] Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD.
They teach the traditions of men for self gain and money.Ezekiel 13:19
And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread,...
The any-moment "Rapture Theory" is a LIE and it has deceived MANY, just as Jesus Christ said would happen before He returns. Did you know that church history documents that the any-moment Rapture Theory was the vision of a sick woman named Margaret MacDonald who lived in Glasgow, Scotland, in the year 1830? If not, obtain the book "The Incredible Cover-up", by Dave MacPherson.... to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies?
Although it may offend some to hear this, the fact is that this dangerous doctrine that Christ can return at any moment is actually a treacherous "set-up" designed to deceive God's people in these last days into believing that the first supernatural, miracle working entity who sets foot upon the earth is Jesus Christ, when Paul made so clear in 2nd Thes. 2 that the False Christ comes first! Furthermore, it gives false hope and a false sense of security. It is simply a cover-up of the truth, which is what "pillows" means in the next verse.
Again, the "treachery" of the preachers in this nation have produced children who do not belong to God, but rather belong to another "man", i.e. Satan! They cry peace and safety to God's children and they set them up for the great apostasy when they shall bow before Satan en masse, believing the great lie that he is Jesus Christ! Then too, they are told by the ignorant that the Mark of the Beast is some tattoo or UPC code or computer chip implant, when in fact it is simply "deception" in your forehead, the location of your mind. The Mark of the Beast is just the opposite of the Seal of God in your forehead, it is the Seal of Satan in your forehead. So while they look for the Mark of the Beast as a physical sign on their forehead or in their hand, they already have it spiritually implanted, impregnated, IN their foreheads, their minds, but they do not know it. That is what deception is, right? You are either deceived and marked for Satan, the false Jesus, or you are knowledgeable of God's Word and marked for Christ, the true Bridegroom.[20] Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly.
Note: To have the mark in your right hand is a figure of speech much like the one we use when we say, "you are his right hand man". It means that you do his work, i.e. you work for him by promoting his LIES, as in, shall we say, "spreading the mark around".
What then are the servants of God to do? They are to SOUND THE ALARM and blow the Trumpets of WARNING!
Gibeah, which means "hill", was a town of Benjamin not far from Ramah, which means "height" or "high place", as a seat of idolatry. You will find that Gibeah's inhabitants, by their misbehavior, brought down punishment not only upon themselves but upon the whole tribe of Benjamin (see Judges 19 & 20). And "cry aloud" means to "split the ears" as in blow the alarm so loudly it hurts their ears! And by now you should know what the Hebrew word "Beth-aven" means, even "House of Emptiness", as in an empty church void of God's Word, a place of starvation (see Heb. 5:11-14). "After thee" is a war cry like "Look out behind thee, O Benjamin!"Hosea 5:8
Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud at Beth-aven, after thee, O Benjamin.
The House of Israel is in for a great chastisement "in the day" of rebuke. Woe unto the whores and harlots who are impregnated with LIES promoted by those MANY preachers who have dealt treacherously with God's Word. Or as Jesus said in Matthew 24:19 "And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!" Are you a servant of God? Are you prepared to take a STAND? Then blow ye the cornet and the trumpet and cry aloud in the Houses of Emptiness, for the day of the LORD is fast approaching.[9] Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be.
This same instruction relevant to these last days is given in the Book of Joel:
Again, this is not Old Testament rhetoric. Peter quoted Joel in the New Testament and said it pertained to the Last Days, our time!Joel 2:1
Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
Here are Peter's words in Acts chapter 2:Joel 2:28
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
In the last days, our days, the servants of God will "see", as in understand, the visions of the prophets, i.e. the prophecies, the visions of the future they wrote concerning the return of Christ and the days just prior to His return. And they shall "prophesy", which means they shall teach the prophets.Acts 2:16
But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;[17] And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
Hosea was one of those prophets, so let's get back to work.
The leaders of Judah, like the leaders of Israel, caused the boundaries of the nations to be removed and the children of God were scattered. On a spiritual level, they caused the boundaries of the Law, His Word, to be removed and the result is the next verse:Hosea 5:10
The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water.
Ephraim, representing the 10 tribes of Israel, is defrauded and oppressed because he left the bounds, the commandments of God, and walked after the commandment of Jeroboam (see note in Companion Bible). What was that commandment?[11] Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment.
It is important that we understand so let's go to 1st Kings where Jeroboam, king of the house of Israel, is worried that if he allows the people to go to the House of God at Jerusalem and worship God as per His Word, they will return to Rehoboam, king of Judah. So he comes up with a "substitute" way to worship to hold his people! Does this Sound familiar? What has happened in the churches of our 21st. century?
He set idols of worship in Beth-el, which means "House of God"!1 Kings 12:27
If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.[28] Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
[29] And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.
The priests were NOT the sons of Levi, i.e. priests ordained by God. Are the "Many" preachers who come in the name of Jesus and stand in the pulpits of the Beth-avens in this nation, and deceive "Many", ordained of God or ordained of men? They sure look like true Christian ministers, don't they? And if you are not familiar with God's Word you would say they sure sound like true Christian ministers, don't they? And those buildings sure look like Beth-els, don't they? The question is, "Does the preacher follow and teach God's commands from Genesis through Revelation or does he or she promote fictional fairy tales like "Left Behind" and "Apples in the Garden" or "Quick like a Bunny, Ashtaroth, the Queen of Heaven Easter Celebrations", and teach your children to roll colored fertility eggs on the church lawn while you and they should be celebrating "Our Lord's Passover"?[30] And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.[31] And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.
They think they have on righteous garments but those garments will disintegrate as moth eaten and fall off in that day, leaving them spiritually stark naked!Hosea 5:12
Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness.
The only one who can save and heal our people is Almighty God! No other nation(s) and no other god can either protect us or heal our spiritual sickness. The in-depth message contained in this verse is that "the Assyrian" is one of the names of Satan as is noted in Isa. 14. And the name "Jareb", which is "Yareb" in Hebrew, comes from the root word "Riyb" which means "adversary".[13] When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound.
riyb, reeb, Hebrew 7378; or ruwb, roob; a primitive root; properly to toss, i.e. grapple; mostly figurative to wrangle, i.e. hold a controversy; (by implication) to defend :- adversary, chide, complain, contend, debate, × ever, × lay wait, plead, rebuke, strive, × thoroughly.
So if you do not want to be sober and vigilant and study
God's Word, but would rather be a good church-goer and listen to the traditions
of men, then God will allow the adversary, the Instead-of-Jesus,
the false-christ, the devil, to rip and tear your spiritual socks off! And friend... he will do it in the name of Jesus!!!
Though He uses Satan as His rod of correction, God is not a "liberal", and He takes full responsibility for the chastisement of His children. In fact, we will soon discover in the Book of Joel that God calls Satan and his locust army that comes against our people, HIS army, for He allows it, just as He allows the adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, to devour whom he may!1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
The plan of salvation involves some severe chastisement, some hard lessons to be learned, some tough love, doesn't it? But it is designed in His love as the means to turn lemons into lemonade and cause His children to turn Him of their own free will. He will not force them to love Him. Therefore, He is "longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance"(2 Peter 3:9).Hosea 5:14
For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him.
So He patiently awaits in His place:
Hosea 5:15
I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.
In that day when their moth eaten garments disintegrate and
they stand naked before Him and acknowledge their shame (offence) then
shall the adulterous Gomer, the 10 Tribes of the House of Israel, return
unto Him and seek Him early, i.e. first.
But you can do that right now and be so blessed of your Father that He will see to it that you have need of nothing!
It is written:
Matthew 6:33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.