Presents
Pamphlet #8069
Hosea chapter 9
Are you familiar with the Feast Days of the Lord which were given as a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ and even show forth the Plan of God in its seasons? It is important that you know at least the basics of agriculture and farming and about "fertile" ground and "seed" planting and early and latter day "rain" and when it is time for the harvests (plural). It is written in Romans 1:20, "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse".
Creation itself is no accident! God even designed and made agriculture and the farming process specifically in accordance with His Word and His plan and to make it very simple and easy for us to understand. In fact, His-story begins with the garden which He planted eastward in Eden where He placed Adam, the individual man He formed to till the ground (Gen. 2:5), to faithfully dress it and keep it. All Adam had to do was to keep God's Word and His commands. But Adam did not faithfully keep things in order in the garden and consequently he had to pay the price: Genesis 3:23 "Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken." But now his "labor in the field" would be among "thorns and thistles" which the ground would now bring forth to him (Gen. 3:18).
So how are you doing with your garden? The reason for the question is, that whether you know it or not or whether you believe it not, harvest time, the time of reaping, is soon upon this ripening final generation which, according to the Parable of Fig Tree, was planted (began) on May 15, 1948. You see, Jesus Christ who has "foretold us all things" (if we will take the time to study His Word and read those things).
So, if you have "eyes to see" and "ears to hear" then you will find that the point of today's study and this 9th chapter of the Book of Hosea is really no different than that of Adam's and Eve's. One thing we as Christians must learn and understand well, and that is that "there is nothing new under the sun" (Eccles. 1:9). As it was in the beginning, so shall it be at the end! Christ even said in Matthew 24:37 "But as the days of Noe [Noah] were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."
If you don't understand exactly who these people being talked about ("The House of Israel") are, go back to chapter 1, and read the side trip we took in that study to explain. It's highlited in blue, like this paragraph, you can't miss it.
The days of Noah; That takes it way back, doesn't it? Let us begin:
Rejoice not, O Israel, you 10 lost tribes who today do not even know who you are! The Party's Soon Over! You just love being an harlot (an idolater) and the reward (the good feeling, the religious buzz) it gives you upon every threshingfloor. In other words, when you reap a bountiful harvest of grain you think it is because of your religion and your worship services and the "idols" you serve, which may be your own self pride! You whore! How dare you bring the reward of your whoredoms into the house of the LORD thy God and pollute His sanctuary! You continue to ignore the Word of God which He has given unto you. Remember Hosea 8:12 where God has said, "I have written to him [Ephraim] the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing", even an estranged thing!Hosea 9:1
Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people: for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor.
Therefore O Israel, lest you continue to think your harlotry brings you joy and blessings, you shall be cut off in the land (vs. 3) and you shall have no satisfying and bountiful harvests (vs. 2), because you shall be gone from the Lord's land and shall return to captivity (vs. 3).
The price to pay for idolatry is quite severe. Let's update this verse to the very near future, even the Day of the Lord. The House of Israel, being Christian nations of the world comprised of those Christians who are to be the "virgin" bride of Christ at His return, will be dismayed that her religion, her churchianity which she knows not is filled with pollution and filthiness and idolatry, did not feed her sufficiently or provide her with enough oil (Mat. 25) to endure unto the end and be saved (Mat. 10:22).Hosea 9:2
The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail in her.
"Religion" is a serious matter and yet Christian's do not take the Bible, God's Word, serious enough to take the time to study and understand it. But no wonder! Their preachers and ministers tell them that all they have to do is believe (by which they really mean "acknowledge", for true belief is quite a different matter as we shall see) in Jesus and be a good person and be sweet to everyone. Oh, and don't forget to come to church every week (and bring your wallet). Sometimes it may seem like I am coming down real hard on our brothers and sisters who we all love dearly. But the reality is that the hour is late and the lesson taught over and over and over again in the scriptures is that unless you stick to God's Word and listen to Him instead of JUST going to church (I'm not knocking going to church) and following blindly after the polluted traditions of man, you SHALL be taken captive by the Assyrian, the king of Babylon, who are types of the king of Babylon of Revelation, Satan, who is soon to be cast out of heaven (Rev. 12:7-9) to this earth to deceive (spiritually capture) the whole world (Rev. 12:9)". Although it may not be very popular, it is the duty of the "watchman" to blow the trumpet and sound the alarm.
So pay close attention to the history of our people! Remember, it is not given to fill space but to give us a clear understanding of that which shall befall us in these last days (1 Cor. 10:11).
Again, there is nothing new under the sun, even from the first earth age, if you have the wisdom to understand. We already noted that from the beginning of this earth age, this flesh age, that God's children, the individual man "'eth-ha adham", Adam and his help meet Eve, were removed from the LORD's land for their harlotry. So also were the children of Israel removed from the land which flows with milk and honey because they had forsaken Him and eaten the unclean thing, even the accursed thing (Josh. 7).[3]They shall not dwell in the LORD'S land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria.
Verse 3 says, Ephraim, representing the House of Israel, shall eat "unclean things" in Assyria. That "eating" was both physically, against God's health laws, and spiritually, against His Word, even as it is in our nation this very day. However, you may recall the account of Daniel and his companions Shadrach, Meshach and Abedneggo who refused to eat the king's unclean food during their captivity. Let them serve as an example, which they were, for us to maintain our spiritual diet during the coming captivity by the spurious messiah, the king of Babylon, the Assyrian, all of which are names for Satan.
This is real simple because it follows the fact that "You are What You Eat", both physically and spiritually! If you eat "unclean food" and "quick-like-a-bunny" (fast) foods (celebrating "the Queen of Heaven" in place of Our Lords Passover, i.e. junk food void of essential nutrition, then the condition of your natural body will deteriorate and you will find yourself in a poor state of health. Such is also true in the spiritual sphere. Unless you adhere to a steady diet and eat your "daily bread", which is the Word of God which is also full of "strong meat" (Heb. 5:14) and all the essential nutrition to keep your soul healthy and your countenance fair (Dan. 1:13), you shall find your self spiritually ill and unpleasing to Him, your Father. Again, there is nothing new under the sun, even from the beginning of this earth age. Adam and Eve ate unclean food, the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (the beautiful and charismatic and very religious one whose name is Satan). As it is written, Adam was placed in charge of the garden of Eden to dress it and keep it according to God's Word. But he did not properly do his duty and he allowed Eve, who eventually "touched" (look this word up in Strong's Concordance) the "tree" and was physically seduced (i.e. lost her virginity - see 1 Cor. 11:1-3), to pass on the unclean fruit, which were the seductive religious lies she had eaten from the unclean one. (Remember, Satan's discussion with Eve was over God's Word.) It was by permitting the seduction of Eve, by harkening unto the voice of the woman who had been eating fruit from the wrong tree, that Adam failed in keeping God's command, His Word.[4] They shall not offer wine offerings to the LORD, neither shall they be pleasing unto him: their sacrifices shall be unto them as the bread of mourners; all that eat thereof shall be polluted: for their bread for their soul shall not come into the house of the LORD.
The question is, "From which tree do you eat your fruit?" Do you really know for sure? Do you eat from the Tree of Life (Christ, the Word of God) or the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Satan and his religious traditions)? We will learn in the upcoming chapters of Hosea, this book of the Salvation of the 10 tribes of Israel, that soon the Day of the Lord shall arrive, and THEN Ephraim shall know that the Lord is his God and he shall only THEN forsake his whoredoms and begin to eat from the proper Tree. Too bad most of Ephraim (21st century Christianity) has to wait until the Millennium and miss out on the blessings of the First Resurrection (Rev. 20:6), the Feast of the Firstfruits. Those with wisdom, who eat from the right Tree now, are blessed indeed!
Let's peek ahead to that time when the Lord has returned.
There will be plenty of "bread and wine" during the Millennium for there will be no famine for the Word of God such as we have now (Amos 8:11).Hosea 14:7
They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.
The Lord is that "(ever)green fir", that Everlasting Tree, from whom we are to get our fruit now and forever more (see Ezek. 47:12 and Rev. 22:2)![8] Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found.
Hey, what is on your menu for today?[9] Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.
With all that in mind it should be now be easy to understand what Hosea 9:4 is telling us, i.e. that if you eat unclean spiritual food, those "traditions of man" prepared by the Assyrian king (Satan, himself) who takes captive the souls of men, then you are unclean and unfit and polluted by the garbage you have eaten. Therefore you are NOT pleasing to Him. Furthermore, He says in the latter part of the verse, keep your "bread", that void of nutrition, puffed-up, bleached (whitewashed), junk bread, leavened by the doctrine of the scribes and Pharisees (Mat. 16:11-12), out of the House of the LORD! If you believe the label, Sunday School Quarterly, stuck on its wrapping by man, your denomination, that it is fortified with vitamins and minerals to make you strong (like Ezekiel), you are in for a rude awakening (and probably constipation)!
Speaking of which (constipation that is) and moving right along, since Hosea will speak of the "watchman" in verse 8, perhaps it is fitting to read what EZEK-I-EL (whose name means God is my Strength), the type of watchman of these last days who has eaten the entire roll (Ezek. 3:1), the Word of God, and digested it in his belly, has a stronger perhaps more graphic description of that "bread". He calls them "dung cakes". Want the recipe? God had Ezekiel bake a few loaves to show His children physically what they are actually eating spiritually (as He sees it):
The "man" whose dung it is, is "that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world" (Rev. 12:9). The "dung" is his religious crap, the traditions of men!Ezekiel 4:12
And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight.
And so, we 21st century Christians, are eating it in most of our so-called Christian churches. Now you know what the unclean thing is that Ephraim shall eat in Assyria, Dung-n-Donuts! Now you know how our Father looks upon the traditions of men, the polluted bread served in Beth-Avens! (21st century churches of emptiness)[13] And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them.
Just like Daniel and his companions, Ezekiel stays away from unclean "bread" that is not baked by the Word of God. Besides, "dung cakes" give you bad breath ("aer")! No, Scope and Listermint will not help spiritual bad breath! The only way to make it pleasing and acceptable is to "cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word" (Ephes. 5:26).[14]Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.
What will you be feasting on when the Day of the Lord arrives?Hosea 9:5
What will ye do in the solemn day, and in the day of the feast of the LORD?
Yes, in most of our 21st century churches.[6] For, lo, they are gone because of destruction: Egypt shall gather them up, Memphis shall bury them: the pleasant places for their silver, nettles shall possess them: thorns shall be in their tabernacles.
Egypt is symbolic of captivity and Memphis, the capital of lower Egypt, means "place or haven of go od". However, their "haven of good" will become nothing more than a graveyard for them. And whereas they once dwelled in the land flowing with milk and honey, now weeds (nettles) shall inhabit their land and thorns shall grow in their dwellings. "Thorns and thistles". Didn't we read of them somewhere before? Of course, Gen 3:18, in the beginning!
Yes, the children of God all believed they were feasting to the Lord and worshipping God, and though they had the Word of God and the true prophets of God "Blew the Trumpet" and "Sounded the Alarm", i.e. warned them of their transgressions, their adultery, they believed them not and continued in their idolatrous ways believing their priests and ministers who told them they were safe and secure and would escape captivity and destruction. Then suddenly, as swift as an eagle, the Assyrian came upon them! Remember Hosea 8:1? "Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the LORD, i.e. the Christian nations of this 21st century, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law."
So all this is written in His Word, but the question is, Have our pe(21st century churches of emptiness)ople, 21st century Christians, learned anything from this? Who has even read Hosea? Have our people studied His Word to listen to, to learn the wisdom of, and heed the warnings of the prophets? Do our people eat their "daily bread" from the table of the Lord or are they busy with other things, including church and church activities? No, there is nothing new under the sun, so this last generation shall be taken captive in the same manner as their forefathers. Only this time the coming captivity is spiritual and the destruction is laid upon their souls, not their flesh.
Oh yes, some blindly believe that "they shall escape" (in their new-fangled Rapturemobiles). But as it is written, "they shall not escape"!1 Thes. 5:3
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
Be forewarned, Pay Day is coming! It is soon time to reap what has been sown. The harvest is soon ripened and the sickle shall be thrust in.
Israel, 21st century Christianity, actually declares her true prophets "fools" by the very fact that she does not listen to them.Hosea 9:7
The days of visitation are come, the days of recompence are come; Israel shall know it: "the prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad", for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred.
Our people would much rather listen to the traditions of men and play church. They always have, and yet they learn not from the history of our people. Consider how the watchmen and the prophets of God have been treated down through the ages (and not just by the kenites)!Hosea 9:8
The watchman of Ephraim was with my God: but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God.
Well, as the world turns (life is a soap opera sometimes, isn't it?) and those last grains of sand begin to run out of the hour glass, it is written that in those days iniquity (adultery/idolatry) shall abound (Mat. 24;12).
It is one of the signs preceding the day of recompense, the day of the Lord, the return of Jesus Christ. And the "physical signs", the flesh manifestations of that which is happening spiritually, are all around us, aren't they? But worse yet, our people have even gone past the corruption of adultery which is certainly bad enough. Ephraim has become so depraved (deeply spiritually corrupted) that they have become WORSE than adulterers. They have become spiritual PERVERTS! Again, the signs are all around us and I will leave it at that. However, if you are so strong minded that "dung cakes" doesn't paint a vivid enough picture in your mind, then by all means read the historical type depicting the depraved, perverted, "spiritual" condition prevalent in these last days. You will find it recorded in Judges 19 concerning what happened in the days of Gibeah, which means "hill", symbolic of a place of worship.
The Lord God shall soon pay a visit to this final "faithless and perverse 21st century generation" (Mat. 17:17)! And the good news is that there will be a great feast, a feast of the first fruits, even a great wedding feast. But not all who cry Lord, Lord, i.e. not those who just acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, will enter therein "but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 7:21)". Do you remember the question your Father asked in verse 9:5?[9] They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah: therefore he will remember their iniquity, he will visit their sins.
It could well be asked, "What will you be eating on that feast day?"Hosea 9:5
What will ye do in the solemn day, and in the day of the feast of the LORD?
That depends on what you eat now!
Believers are "doers of the Word", not just "hearers of the Word". They are those who hunger for the true bread of life.John 6:47
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
Man cannot live (eternally) on any other "bread", even angel's food (manna). Luke 4:4 "And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." Does the flesh body teach you anything? How about, "You cannot live without eating!" Looking at food, singing about food, even praying about food even in your church, won't cut it! You must eat it and digest it! That applies both physically and spiritually.[48] I am that bread of life.[49] Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
If you do not eat this bread, you do not truly believe, and harvest day will bring you no joy![50]This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
If you read this entire 6th chapter of John you will learn that "Seeing (as in miracles) isn't believing"! "Show me a sign, show me a sign, they cry!" No, "Eating is Believing!" That should make perfect sense if you have any sense. You are not what you see, you are what you eat![51] I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
The conclusion of the matter is, and the lesson taught over and over and over again is, that only the Word of the God gives life! Do you have that Word in you?
What's for breakfast?John 6:63
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they
are life.
Do you ever think about the feelings of your heavenly Father? Perhaps the first question should be, "Have you ever considered the fact that He even has feelings?" It is written that we were created in His image and yes, He does have feelings just like you and me. In fact, it is because of His "feelings" that you and I were created in the first place.
Here is your documentation:
There are some things that give our Father great delight and pleasure and joy, and there are some things that displease Him and hurt Him greatly and even as we shall see in today's study, make Him very angry! You see, believe it or not most Christians, because they do not know Him which is because they have not studied His Word, do not really know what pleases their heavenly Father and what it is that makes Him angry! And although the "ensamples" (1 Cor. 10:11) we will read of today that caused Him displeasure may seem extreme and unrelated to today's form of Christian worship, be assured that they are quite relevant and even more so, they are quite pervasive among our people. The only difference is that even though some of the old physical symbols still linger around (like those sex and fertility symbols of Ishtar) the practices and worship are spiritual in nature. Remember, adultery is symbolic of idolatry. That means that even though you do not commit physical adultery you may be a spiritual whore!Rev. 4:11
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Got it?
The following verse gives us a contrast of the way Israel used to be and the "pleasure" with which our Father looked upon them, with the way they became and the depth of depravity and idolatry to which they sank, and the hurt and "anger" which caused our Father to chastise them.
Yes, Israel was beautiful in His sight, like finding luscious grapes in the desert, but then they went to Baal-peor, and went up on the mountain and separated themselves unto "that shameful (thing)". This is big-time idolatry! This really displeased our Father as does its spiritual counterpart today! Do you know what "that shameful thing is"? It is called an Asherah, and it is an erect phallic symbol! If you are fortunate enough to have a Companion Bible you can read about the Asherah in appendix 42. If you do not have one you can go to http://www.angelfire.com/nv/TheOliveBranch/append42.html and read about it online.Hosea 9:10
I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baal-peor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved.
and the appendix at: http://www.markfoster.net/rn/companion_bible_appendices.pdf
or
I believe you can still buy one from Artisan Publishers @ http://www.artisanpublishers.com Yes I just checked their web site. They sell a hardcover addition, with tabs,for $65.00. Click open their links to Bibles
or You can also write to them @ P.O.Box1529, 1409 West Shawnee, Muskogee, OK.74402
The Companion Bible contains notes directly from the Massorah text, pointing out any discrepancies from the original manuscripts.
Now, back to our Hosea study:
You see, our people today in their blindness to their Father's Word, actually worship the "god" of Baal-Peor. The proof will be when Satan comes claiming to be Jesus Christ who has returned and they bow down to worship him as Lord. As it is written, they shall discover their shame and their lewdness when the true Christ returns at the sound of the 7th Trump.
So did you check out what happened on Baal-Peor concerning the Asherah? How would you feel if your children participated in worship services like that? It made our Father angry, to say the least:
Our people surely wouldn't have anything to do with that kind of worship today, would they? Remember, the physical types were given to us so that we could see spiritually what is happening today (1 Cor. 10:11). Remember that "adultery" symbolizes "idolatry"? What do you know about Ishtar (Easter)? Did you know that the word "Easter" is not in the New Testament manuscripts! The word found in Acts 12:4 is "pascha" (Passover)So do you know where Ishtar eggs (symbols of fertility) come from? Do you know what "quick-like-a-bunny" Ishtar rabbits symbolize? Do you now know what went on in the groves of Baal-Peor? Didn't we read in our last study that God said DO NOT bring that "bread" into His house (Hos. 9"4)? in Greek.Numbers 25:3
And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.
Again, most Christians do not know what pleases or displeases their Father. However, even though they are unaware and ignorant of their actions, when they worship in such a spiritually perverted manner, it causes the LORD to become angry against them, and they can kiss their glory and their blessings goodbye!
Let's go to the Psalms where David gives us a complete summary of this 9th chapter of Hosea in Psalm 106:
This is how it begins! How quickly our people forget their savior, the Word of God, and turn to religious worship services!Psalm 106:21
They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt;
Our God is an awesome God![22] Wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red sea.
The Lord was angry indeed![23] Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.
What was the PROBLEM? They "believed not His Word"![24] Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word:
A nation of ungrateful whiners! Sounds like a description of America today, doesn't it? That's because it is! America today!!!!!![25] But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD.
There is nothing new under the sun. The overthrow is coming to town again, real soon! Are you ready for the Assyrian (Satan), the king of Babylon of Revelation? Hopefully you have the Gospel Armor (Eph. 6) on and in place so you can take a stand against him! Remember, though Satan is not allowed to touch one hair on the heads of God's elect, no one is going anywhere in some rapture! And we are NOT gathering back to Christ until AFTER the son of perdition, the abomination of desolation, the king of Babylon, the false-christ, Satan, that old serpent the Devil, stands in the holy place, in the temple of God, claiming that he is Jesus Christ the Messiah.[26] Therefore he lifted up his hand against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness:
The apostle Paul made this perfectly clear in 2 Thes. 2.
II Thessalonians 2:1 "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,"
II Thessalonians 2:2 "That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is [the Lord is just] at hand."
II Thessalonians 2:3 "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come [it will not be], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;"
II Thessalonians 2:4 "Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God."
Even their seed, their children, would be scattered among the nations because of what they did...Psalm 106:27 To overthrow their seed also among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands.
There is nothing new under the sun. They do the same today! It is Satan who is a "dead man" which is why he is called the "son of perdition" which means the son who shall perish (in The Lake of Fire)! He was sentenced to die, to perish, read of it in in Ezek. 28:18-19.[28] They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead.
It was a plague all right! God killed a bunch of them that were joined to Baal-Peor. Numbers 25:5 "And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baal-peor." Perhaps now the next verse will make more sense.[29] Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions: and the plague brake in upon them.
The glory of Ephraim shall flee swiftly from every single last one of them, including their offspring, the fruit of their womb, when the Assyrian descends swiftly as an eagle! Did you know that Ephraim means "double fruit" or "fruitfulness" in Hebrew?Hosea 9:11
As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird, from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception.
It is Ephraim's glory as a nation, as a people, i.e. as His people Israel, that departed from them throughout their generations, it began when they are taken captive and scattered among the nations. And to this very day Ephraim's glory is gone away, i.e. his heritage is consumed away, because he still does not know who he is! He has lost his glory and the knowledge of his generations because he has forgotten His Word! He doesn't know he's the United Kingdom, but in these latter days, he symbolically represents the whole of Christianity!!!!'Ephrayim, ef-rah'-yim, Hebrew 669; dual of a masculine form of Hebrew 672 ('Ephrath); double fruit; Ephrajim, a son of Joseph; also the tribe descended from him, and its territory :- Ephraim, Ephraimites.
They were first to depart from Him, at Gilgal! Woe to them! "When I depart from them" means "When I take command from them" (see note in Companion Bible) and give it to the Assyrian.Hosea 9:12
Though they bring up their children, yet will I bereave them, that there shall not be a man left: yea, woe also to them when I depart from them!
The same "Woe" applies to the spiritual conception in these last days, when the Assyrian (Satan) comes against our people. The analogy is that if you are seduced by the false-christ (believing he is the bridegroom) and impregnated with his lies and deception (as to who really he is) and (spiritually) nursing his little children, when our Lord returns, right along with those lies, then WOE BABY! You have got some trouble coming your way!
Even though our people will worship Satan the false-christ in ignorance, it still makes our Father angry because they have forgotten His Word and hearkened to preachers who teach the traditions of men and as a result they fall down before, and wallow before, this abominable Asherah, the wrong "branch", the wrong "tree"! (Hopefully you are intelligent enough to know that Jesus was not talking about the conception and pregnancy of natural motherhood. He simply uses the same analogy used in Hosea and throughout the Word of God. Harlotry and adultery symbolize idolatry, i.e. getting in bed with the wrong "man", worshipping the wrong "tree", the false messiah!)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.
This is another comparison of Ephraim's glory turned to naught. Ephraim had it made in his "glory days" when God blessed him and he was planted in a pleasant place like the "rock" island of Tyrus. But the glory of Ephraim, like the former glory of Tyrus, came to an end! Tyrus means "rock" in Hebrew and you will find in that same 28th chapter of Ezekiel referred to earlier, that Satan is referred to as the king of Tyrus.Hosea 9:13
Ephraim, as I saw Tyrus, is planted in a pleasant place: but Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the murderer.
And Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the murderer! What does that mean? Well, spiritually it means that Ephraim will not teach his children the truth of God's Word and thus their souls will also be slain by the coming Assyrian (Satan)!
They will no longer be fruitful and blessed and nurtured by the LORD and there shall be great spiritual famine in the land (Amos 8:11). Thus their glory shall be dried up!Hosea 9:14
Give them, O LORD: what wilt thou give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.
Note: This verse contains yet another example of a Bible study principle we must know and exercise in order to be able to understand the scriptures. The example is that if one does not know what "Gilgal" is or what happened at Gilgal then he or she will not fully understand the depth of this verse and therefore not understand the depth of our Father's feelings in view of the fact that He just said He will "drive them out of His house"! This is an important principle because not only have we seen references to other events in this chapter of Hosea, but we find many, many references even in the New Testament to events which happened and are recorded in the Old Testament. And without the proper foundation, i.e. the knowledge concerning those events (or places or persons) referred to, one will surely fall short in his or her understanding. For instance, Jesus Christ said in Mat. 24:15 and Mark 13:14, "When you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (where he ought not)", He made the Book of Daniel part of Matthew and Mark. You see, Daniel makes it clear that the "abomination of desolation" is an entity, a person, even the abominable one who makes desolate the souls of men, i.e. Satan as the coming false-christ. Therefore one cannot really understand those words of Christ without reading Daniel, can they? Nor can one understand the apostle Paul who constantly made reference to the words of the prophets. Here is an example of Paul giving back to back references to two different OT books, one of which is this great Book of Hosea! Romans 9:25-27 "As he saith also in Osee [Greek for Hosea], I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. [26] And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. [27] Esaias [Greek for Isaiah] also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved". There are some Christians who run around with just a New Testament, perhaps with Psalms and Proverbs included. The question is, "How much understanding can they possibly have?" Think about it! Paul and the other apostles preached Christ and they did not even have the New Testament.[15] All their wickedness is in Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more: all their princes are revolters.
So check out the references we have been given in this Book of Hosea such as Gibeah and Baal-Peor and Gilgal and read the details of what happened in and at those places. Here is what happened at Gilgal:
"Gilgal was the site of the first camp of the Israelites on the west of the Jordan, the place at which they passed the first night after crossing the river, and where the twelve stones were set up which had been taken from the bed of the stream (Josh. 4:19-20)." (Smith's Bible Dictionary)You will find that Gilgal is where they first "Rejected" God and chose to set up a king of their own, like other nations (1 Sam. 11:14). From there things began to "roll downhill", a fitting statement since "Gilgal" means "a wheel; rolling" (Smith's Bible Dictionary). Their leaders, their princes, were revolters (rebellious) indeed! Hey, Tyrus (rock) and Gilgal (rolling)! I get it! We're "Rock'n and a Roll'n" today too, aren't we? Hmmm... come to think of it, the king of Rock n' Roll is also dead, isn't he?
This next verse summarizes the details of that which we have been reading.
God cut them off from their pleasant land, DROVE them right out of there by the rod of the Assyrian and dried up their root from which their blessings flowed. OK, they got what was coming to them, i.e. reaped what they sowed, but what about this "slaying" of the beloved fruit of their womb? Do you remember what our Father said in Hosea 8:12? "I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing." Here is what is written concerning His law, even the second commandment:Hosea 9:16
Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb.
A graven image is anything that is "Etched in Your Mind" that you place before Him!Exodus 20:3
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.[4] Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Where did you get your "religion"? Did you grow up a ________ (insert church name or system here) because your parents were ________? Have you forsaken Him, His Word, for the traditional worship exercised by your parents and perhaps grandparents, etc.? God bless them if they have passed on believing in Him for they are with Him now. However, if you continue in those traditions in these last days, then you may find yourself in some serious trouble! How so?Because they did not have to face the Assyrian, the spurious messiah, Satan, but those of this final generation do! Therefore you need to know that you do not have to follow after the traditions of men which will lead you right to the fake "Instead-of-Jesus" (the false-christ). You can turn to the Savior and seek Him through His Word and keep His commandments. Then the iniquity of your fathers shall not be upon you as you shall be shown the mercy of your heavenly Father, and your root shall be restored and the blessings shall flow unto you, and you will make your Father very HAPPY! He loves nothing more than showering His kids with blessings.[5] Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Learn the lessons from your forefathers! Do you want to be like them and wander in the wilderness of confusion (Babel is the Hebrew word for confusion)? Do you want to be taken captive by the Assyrian? If not, then you must hearken unto the Lord and forsake the idolatrous worship of churchianity, i.e. the traditions of men. If you choose not to hearken unto Him then shall your reward (or lack thereof) be any different than that which your forefathers received?[6] And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
We must be extremely careful who we "hearken unto" in these last days. The great Bible scholar, E.W. Bullinger, in his Introductory to "How to Enjoy the Bible", pg. 6, American Christian Press, New Knoxville, Ohio, writes the following concerning the subject "hearkening":Hosea 9:17
My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations.
Hearken only unto the Word of God, not the traditions of men! The choice, as it is written, it up to each individual to exercise on his or her own:"When we come to ask ourselves, and say, 'Where did I learn this?' 'How did I get this?' 'Who taught this to me?' it is astonishing to find out how much we have imbibed from man, and from tradition; and not directly and for ourselves, from the Word of God.All that we have learned from our youth up must be tested and proved by the Word of God. Where we find it is true we must learn it over again, from God. And where it will not stand the test of His Word we must be not only content, but thankful to give it up; and receive Divine revelation in the place of man's imagination."
Seek the life giving truth from His Word (Jn. 6:63) so that you also may teach it to your seed, your children, that they may have life (eternal) also.Deut. 30:19
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: