Presentsthe book of Hosea, the book of salvation, on one file.
A preview of some of the many things we will learn in Hosea.
"What is a book titled "Salvation" doing in the Old Testament?" The answer is quite simple. Our Father placed it here for our understanding, to learn not only why salvation is necessary, but especially how He feels about His children who have gone astray (even from the first earth age), and to understand the tremendous love He has, in that, He would not only give up His human, flesh and blood, life on a cross at Calvary, but He would take back a wife, Israel, (i.e. today's Christian Nations located in North-western Europe, the Isles of Britain and the Americas, who just like they are today, in this 21st century), who was once an unfaithful adulterous nation.
To that end, this book of Hosea is written which contains very graphic and descriptive language presented in such a way that we might be able to form a PICTURE in our minds of the spiritual things our Father wants us to SEE! The Word of God is full of such imagery. In fact, all that is necessary for our spiritual understanding, including not only such things as salvation, but even all the prophecies written for this final generation, have been acted out in history and recorded for us in His Word. Paul documents this in 1 Cor. 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."
It is important to notice that Judah and Israel have separate kings.
That is because the 12 Tribe Nation of Israel became TWO separate nations following the reign of king Solomon and HAVE BEEN SO EVER SINCE. The southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin became known as the House of Judah and the northern ten tribes became known as the House of Israel. (Most Bibles have maps in their appendixes which will clearly show these two nations as separate.)
You see, without understanding who
and where the House of Israel and the House of Judah are today, one
cannot understand Bible prophecy.
So why did God tell Hosea to go marry a whore?
Hosea 1:2 The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.
You must learn to read carefully if you desire to understand the simplicity of God's Word
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"?
You see, it is kenites of the house of Hemath, the direct descendents of Cain, who through their control and influence of the Four Hidden Dynasties shall afflict the House of Israel, i.e. today's Christian Nations located in north-western Europe, the Isles of Britain and the Americas, right up to the end of this flesh age.
Did you know that these events which happened of old were actually "ensamples" for us today, which God brought to pass so that we could SEE and KNOW what would befall us in these last days "upon whom the end of the world are come"?
1 Cor. 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."
Therefore, if we would like to know what is in store for America, we need to know what happened in the Valley of Achor and the exodus from Egypt, right?
The Book of Hosea is divided into two sections.
The first of which is the first
three chapters gives us an overview as to the severity of the adultery/idolatry
of God's people along with His plan of salvation (Hosea) to take back His
estranged wife, Israel i.e. today's Christian Nations located in north-western Europe, the Isles of Britain and the Americas.
The second section, from chapter 4 to the end, contains
the details of Israel's transgressions and transgressors as our Father
presents His legal case against her and lays the foundation for the judgment
to come at the return of Christ.
The "quick" are those who are "spiritually alive", i.e. have eternal life. Their judgment shall be reward, at Christ's return (the "1st resurrection to eternal life") and their relief shall be eternal life whereby they are no longer subject to judgment or the second death (Rev. 20:6).Tim. 4:1
I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
The "dead" are the "spiritually dead" and they will be required by the Judge (God) to go through the probationary period of the Millennium to await final judgment at the "Great White Throne" before they too can receive eternal life or eternal death. You see, the problem is that God's children have forgotten His Word and have once again gone astray. There is perversion and much corruption in our land. So perhaps it is timely that we as a nation currently (2017) find ourselves steeped in the midst of legal controversy and judgment, over our choice of a president, even involving who shall serve on the Supreme Court of our land. i.e. a pro-life justice or a pro-abortion justice!
Did you know that preachers are taught in seminaries not to teach those things which are controversial, lest they offend members of their congregations. I suppose, they are afraid of it's effect on the "Felt Lined Plate".
You
see, everyone knows that God told mother Eve
not
to eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
which
was in the midst of the garden, right?
The
only problem is that most people do NOT know what that "fruit" was
that
she was not supposed to eat
nor
do they know who the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was.
Do you?
Many question whether or not Adam participated in the seduction, the "affair", which took place in the fig grove.
It is written that they both were deceived, i.e. ate of the bad fruit, Eve directly from the voice of Satan and Adam through the voice of the woman.
It is not written that they both "touched" the tree, though they will both discover their nakedness. Obviously Eve did "naga" (the Hebrew word touch, means to lie with a women) because she conceived Cain and the result was that her punishment was to be sorrow (labor pangs) in child bearing which follows conception. Genesis 3:16 "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."
The
preachers and ministers either cannot understand the simplicity of what
happened in the garden of Eden or they won't teach it because it's controversial,
lest they offend members of their congregations.
Ahh! The collection
plate!
Here is another question: Have you ever read about the "grove worship" upon the tops of the mountains, i.e. the religious sexual orgies of Ashtoreth, also known as Ishtar, from whom we get the word "Easter"? I didn't think so! Doesn't the preacher, of the church you attend, teach you any thing from "God's Word".
Speaking of whoredoms, did you know that Ishtar (Easter) was a "sex goddess" and that Ishtar "eggs" and "quick-like-a-bunny rabbits" are symbols of sexual fertility? Better get yourself a good Bible Dictionary and do a little research. You might be eating some really bad fruit, or shall we say rotten eggs, in church, no less!
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, when Christ returns, without a wedding garment on (Mat. 22:11-14), and you shall not enter in!
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 (He's off to heaven) 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, nursing a baby, Satan's 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.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.
What about the other 5 virgins?
Luke 23:29For, 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.
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.
(Teach
us what the prophets meant) Hosea was one of those prophets,
so you should study Hosea.
Hosea chapter 1
Some people wonder why these twelve wondrous books are called "Minor" Prophets. It is only because they are shorter in length than the other prophecies, not because they are of minor importance. However, in all the Hebrew manuscripts and printed Hebrew Bibles they are written and printed in unbroken sequence and are combined together to form one book, just as the twelve Tribes of Israel, each a separate entity in Israel, combined to form one nation.
It is to that nation, mother Israel and her children (vs. 2), particularly the Ten Northern Tribes known as the House of Israel, that Hosea prophesied, though he had warnings for Judah also. His prophecies were given during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, all Kings of Judah, and during the days of Jeroboam, the King of Israel. We also find that Hosea's work basically contains two sections, the first of which is contained in chapters 1-3 and the second in the remainder of the book. (Note: For further background and structural information on the Book of Hosea and the Minor Prophets, refer to pages 1206 - 1208 in the Companion Bible.)
Editor's note: We are going to stop here in our study of Hosea, and take a little side trip, all with a blue background below, to be sure you know who these twelve tribes of Israel (God's Chosen People), being talked about are; And where they came from.
The Hebrew word translated "man" is adham. In the manuscripts it is not preceded by the definite article 'eth and so it does not refer to a specific person, i.e. the word adham means human being or mankind, and no gender is implied.Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
And so God said, let "us" make mankind in "our" image. The words "us" and "our" refer back to Elohim, which is to say God and the host of heaven, i.e. (all of us God's created children who were gathered back to heaven after the 1st earth age fiasco, in our original angelic form, awaiting our turn to come to earth, this time, through the womb of woman as flesh and blood human beings), or God and the angels. It does not say that man just looks like God, does it? Keep that in mind as we continue.
On the sixth day God created mankind, the different races, the ethnos. And He created them male and female!Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Was this before "'eth ha Adham" and his wife Eve were formed? Yes it was! This was the sixth day. The man we call Adam was formed on the eighth day and we haven't gotten there yet. So hang in there! However, you now know the answer to a question that often puzzles ministers and even scholars, "When Cain was sent forth into the land of Nod, it says he took a wife. Where in the world did she come from?" The answer is simple, she was of the sixth day creation.
[28] And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
The above verse describe the creation of mankind in general (the races) Next we'll discuss the Forming of the individual man we know as Adam.
We now come to the eighth day, the seventh having passed away. We only call this the eighth day because it happened after God's day of rest.
Now, you will find that in just about every commentary of the Bible extant, that the creation which follows is presented as a parenthetical insertion, a more detailed account of the creation of man which we read of in chapter 1 beginning in verse 26. This false assumption will lead to great difficulty in explaining how it is that in chapter one the animals are created first, then man, while here in chapter two man is formed first and then the animals. Which is it?
The answer is BOTH. There are two separate happenings. We begin to "see" in the next verse.
Do you recall that we noticed there was no mention in chapter one, whatsoever, of a farmer, a man to till the ground and plant seeds? The sixth day man was given dominion over the fowl of the air and the fish of the sea. They were only hunters and fishers.Genesis 2:5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
And so here on the eighth day, following God's day of rest (Sabbath), God says that He has "no man to till the ground". It is significant that eight, in Biblical numerics, means "new beginnings", because God is about to form a new man for a very, very special purpose.
There are several important things to notice in this verse:[6] But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.[7] And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
First, the Hebrew word for "formed" is yatsar, meaning to "mould" or "form" as a potter. It is not the same word as "created" in Gen. 1:26, which is bara.
Secondly (and this is crucial to our understanding), the word "man" used here is "'eth-ha adham", with the article and particle, and means "this same man Adam". It means a specific man, not mankind in general. Again, if you are fortunate to have a Companion Bible, it will document this for you.
Lastly, we see God "breathed" into Adam's nostrils the "breath of life". The word translated "breathed" is naphach, which means to "inflate", as in He inflated Adam's lungs. But the word translated "breath" is neshamah, which means "divine inspiration", "intellect", "soul" or "spirit".
[8] And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
Now having gone over all that; We can talk about who these twelve tribes of Israel are. And we can say that the purpose of this separate forming of this individual man "'eth-ha adham" and his help meet Eve, was to start a pure blood seed line through which Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God would descend from.
After a whole lot of trouble caused by Satan, to render this blood line impure (but that is another story, you'll have to read about yourself); The reason for Noah's Flood, a pure blood strain was introduced through Isaac, and his son, Jacob (whose name God changed to Israel); Therefore his twelve sons, are now known as "The Twelve Tribes of Israel".
This is an extremely important point to understand, in order that you may fully comprehend the events in the next few chapters, even, your whole Bible, because the Bible is really the story God tells us about the physical lives of these people, the descendants of this individual man "'eth-ha adham" and his help meet Eve, and how those events let us know what we can expect to happen to us spiritually in these last days. If you have a Companion Bible it will document it for you.
Now back to our Hosea study. Sorry for the long side trip, but we felt this was important for you to know.
So the question is... "What is a book titled "Salvation" doing in the Old Testament?"
The answer is quite simple. Our Father placed it here for our understanding, to learn not only why salvation is necessary, but especially how He feels about His children who have gone astray (even from the first earth age), and to understand the tremendous love He has in that He would not only give His life but He would take back a wife who was once an unfaithful adulterous.
To that end, this book of Hosea is written which contains very graphic and descriptive language presented in such a way that we might be able to form a PICTURE in our minds of the spiritual things our Father wants us to SEE!
The Word of God is full of such imagery. In fact, all that is necessary for our spiritual understanding, including not only such things as salvation, but even all the prophecies written for this final generation, have been acted out in history and recorded for us in His Word. Paul documents this in 1 Cor. 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."
For example, we know that the Satan is soon coming as the false-christ and will claim to be the real Jesus Christ. As the "destroyer" he will spiritually "slay the souls of men and women" through the sword of deception. Well, our Father knows we cannot see an invisible spiritual sword slicing through a soul, so He gave us the complete analogy of this spiritual battle of the end time in the historical record of the slaughter and captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon.
Then too, even nature itself is designed to enable us to understand the things that are invisible, i.e. the things that are spiritual, even our relationship to our heavenly Father.
The very reason we begin our trip through earth school as babies, completely dependent upon our parents, and then mature into adults and become the mommies and daddies ourselves, is so that we can experience and learn about those different relationships.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:
The love we as parents have for our children helps us understand the love our heavenly Father has for us, His children.
The same applies to husbands and wives. "Marriage" helps us understand the love of Christ, and that brings us to this Book of Hosea.
You see, Israel (the woman) was married to the Lord at Mount Sinai. That's right, Christ entered into a marriage covenant with her whereby He became the husband and vowed to provide her with all her needs as long as she remained faithful. But she did not remain faithful! She soon went astray and started "cheating on Him" and became an adulteress, meaning she became "Idolatrous". Remember, we cannot see spiritual things such as idolatry, as in a person's idolatrous thoughts, but we can see and understand adultery!
So you know what Christ did with backsliding Israel? He divorced the whore! That's right, He served her with a "Bill of Divorce"!
Jeremiah 3:8
And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
There are three important things to note in this first verse. #1. First and most important is to understand that this is the Word of the LORD, not the words of man. #2. The second is to take note of the names that are given, for as we shall see, they all have meanings that give us much insight, even as we learned that the name "Hosea" means "salvation". #3. The third important item is to notice is that Judah and Israel have separate kings. That is because the 12 Tribe Nation of Israel became TWO separate nations following the reign of king Solomon and HAVE BEEN SO EVER SINCE. The two southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin became known as the House of Judah and the northern ten tribes became known as the House of Israel. (Most Bibles have maps in their appendixes which will clearly show these two nations as separate.)Hosea 1:1
The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
You see, without understanding who and where the ancient House of Israel and the ancient House of Judah are today, one cannot understand Bible prophecy. Unfortunately, most preachers and ministers do not know where they are... well... they know where Judah is, in part (they think they are that little mid-east nation we call Israel TO-DAY but, that's only partly true, some of the good figs are there along with the bad figs, but most of the House of Judah is right along side the House of Israel, scattered throught north-western Europe and the Americas, i.e. "The Christian Nations of the World") but they do not know that the 10 northern tribes migrated over the Caucasus Mountains and became known as the Cimmerians, the Celts, the Saxons, etc. In fact, the word "Saxons" means 'Saac's Sons as in Isaac's Sons.
If you would like
to know more about where the House of Israel is and where the US and Great
Britain are mentioned in the Bible, then contact Artisan Publishers, P.O.
Box 1529, 1409 West Shawnee, Muskogee OK, 74402 www.artisanpublishers.com
1-918-682-8341 and purchase the booklet "The Abrahamic Covenant",
by E. Raymond Capt.
Or you can find out by loging unto the two live links below:
Live Link to->>>> Pamphlet #1020 "Do you
know who you really are?"
Live Link to->>>> Pamphlet #1064 "Israel's
Lost Tribes"
Live Link to->>>> The Good Figs and Bad Figs of Judah are today planted together in the little mid-east country named Israel.
Now let's take a look at the names in verse one. People often overlook the fact that names have significant meanings in the Bible. For instance, "El" in Hebrew means God and is the suffix of many names such as:
Then we have the many names beginning or ending with (Y)ah, God's covenant name:Samu-el = Asked of God or God-heard
Ezeki-el = God is strong or God strengthens
Dani-el = God is Judge
Jo-el = Yah is God
Micha-el = Who is like unto God?
Here then are the definitions of the names in Hosea 1:1:Isai-ah = The Salvation of God
Jeremi-ah = Whom God raises up, launches forth
Obadi-ah = Servant of God
Zephani-ah = Hidden of God
Zechari-ah = Remembered of God
Mic-ah = Who is like God?
Yah-shua = God's Savior = Jesus
So Hosea, whose name means salvation, is the son of Beeri, the "man of a well" or fountain, symbolic of the "Fountain of Life", Jesus Christ. And Hosea's prophecy was given in the days of Jeroboam for the time when "The people would become numerous" as the sand of the sea, a time when God would "hasten to help".Beeri = Man of a well
Uzzi-ah = Might of Yah
Jo-tham = Yah is upright
Ah-az = God has sustained
Hezeki-ah = Strength of Yah
Jeroboam = The people become numerous
Jo-ash = God has hastened (to help)
So here is the beginning of the Word of the Lord to the prophet Hosea:
Our Father wants us to understand exactly how He feels about His children who depart from His Word and follow after the traditions of men, which is idolatry, which is "Spiritual Adultery". Have you ever read what Jesus Christ said regarding "spiritual adultery" to THIS final generation?Hosea 1:2
The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.
If the bridegroom returns from a long trip and sees His bride, who is supposed to be virgin, nursing her baby, what would that tell Him? She was unfaithful and had been in bed with someone else, right? Woe unto her! He is going to be angry with her! Wouldn't you be? However, those virgins who remain "barren" shall be blessed, for they shall be His bride when He returns.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.
So God told Hosea to go marry an adulterous woman, who would be a woman of the backsliding House of Israel (who departed from the LORD). You see, that is what the Lord would have to do in order to take back Israel, isn't it? He would have to marry woman of whoredoms!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 Book of Hosea, whose name means "salvation", is written to and concerns the salvation of the 10 tribes of the House of Israel. To most Christians and even to most scholars they are known as the 10 Lost Tribes! Are they really "Lost"? The answer is a resounding NO! They are not lost, except to themselves. Yet they are still God's people, the people of the Book, the children of Abraham, but because of their ignorance due to the idolatry of the traditions of men they call themselves "gentiles" and not His people by heritage! They are so biblically illiterate, they don't know who they are!
It is written many places by the prophets of God in the Holy Scriptures that Israel would be taken captive and scattered among the nations and then re-sown as a nation that in the latter days. That nation would become the head of nations and no longer the tail. So if you would like a hint as to where the so-called "10 Lost Tribes" went, then you can start by answering the question, "Who is the head of the nations, the great superpower in the world today?"
You see, God has a Plan for the salvation of His children and for the restoration of their kingdom! He knows exactly what He is doing and if His children would just study His Word they would know also, for He has written it all down for them.
Consider the following:
Imagine a king who bequeaths great riches and wealth and even great authority to his children and has their inheritance and his instructions to them all written down in his Will and Testament! But alas, his children do not know who they are because they had been taken and educated by a stranger. They therefore have no idea and the thought never even crosses their minds that they are actually the king's children. That would be a real shame, wouldn't it?But then one day someone knowledgeable in Testaments comes along and reveals to the children their true heritage and they soon discover with great delight that they are really children of the great king. Oh what a joyous day for the children of the king!
Anyway, today's study concerns the heritage and destiny of the house of Israel. It is written in both the Old and the New Testaments that Israel shall be saved.
Here are the words of Isaiah:
We are going to learn about that "salvation", which is everlasting, and God's plan to bring it to pass in our study of Hosea.Isaiah 45:17
But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.
Well, God told Hosea to go marry one of those unfaithful women and have some children with her. In this heartfelt analogy we will not only see how God feels, but we will find contained in the Hebrew names of the children the very plan of salvation for the House of Israel. We begin with verse three where Hosea has just been instructed to go marry a "wife of whoredoms" (vs. 2).
Gomer means "completeness" which Dr. Bullinger points out in the Companion Bible on page 1209 means completeness as in "filling up the measure of idolatry". In other words, Gomer represents the complete or whole idolatrous House of Israel who has become the daughter of sensualities, which is what her mother's name "Diblaim" (a double cake of figs) means.Hosea 1:3
So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son.
Note: Students of history who know and understand the migrations of the descendents of Noah, and how his grandson, whose name was Gomer, became the progenitor of the Cimmerians and various branches of the Celts and the Gauls, etc., will see the deeper significance in the name "Gomer", a name that also means "perfect". (see Smith's Bible Dictionary)
So Gomer conceived and bare Hosea a son, a son whom the LORD Himself named! So we can be sure there is great significance in that name.
This fourth verse is pivotal to understanding that which our Father would have us know and understand in this first chapter of Hosea concerning His Plan of Salvation for His people Israel. First of all, one must learn to read carefully if he or she desires to understand the simplicity of God's Word. Notice that the LORD has NOT said that He would cause the "children" of the house of Israel to perish or cease. It is only their "kingdom", their national identity as the "House of Israel" with a king reigning over them, that He would take away!Hosea 1:4
And the LORD said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.
Secondly, we learned earlier that names have meanings and are therefore important, sometimes even essential as in this case, to our understanding. Many preachers and ministers have a real difficulty understanding this chapter of Hosea and that is simply because they do not do their homework and rightly divide the Word of God as instructed in 2 Tim. 2:15.
The word "Jezreel" in Hebrew actually has two meanings: (1) may God scatter (Jer. 31:10); and (2) may God sow (Zech. 10:9). And so the very name Jezreel itself is actually prophetic because that is exactly what God has purposed to do which He is explaining to us in this chapter of Hosea: (1) He will take away the kingdom and scatter his people among the nations; and (2) in the latter days He will re-sow them in their own land.(Think north-west Europe, the Isles of Britain and the Americas)
Now let us understand this next tasty treat of hidden manna in God's Word:
The words "Jezreel" and "Israel" are rhyming words in both English and Hebrew, though even more so in Hebrew. They form a figure of speech called a Paronomasia which is the repetition of words similar in sound (see appendix 6 in the Companion Bible).
Here they are as they appear in Strong's Concordance:
There is a great significance in this figure of speech which is like a "play on words". You see, it would be because of whoredoms, i.e. their idolatry, that the "sons" of Israel would lose their identity as the House of Yisrael and would be called by a different name. But you know what? Just because they would be as "Yizreel", scattered and "lost" as to who they really are, they would still always be God's children, "Yisrael", for He would never lose sight of even the least among them. And in the last days, even now, many would begin to learn their true identity (vs. 10). How about you? Have you ever read the little booklet "The Abrahamic Covenant", by E. Raymond Capt? If not, you can purchase one from Artisan Publishers, P.O. Box 1529, 1409 West Shawnee, Muskogee OK, 74402 www.artisanpublishers.com 1-918-682-8341.Yizre`e'l, yiz-reh-ale', Hebrew 3157; from Hebrew 2232 (zara`) and Hebrew 410 ('el); God will sow; Jizreël, the name of two places in Palestine and of two Israelites :- Jezreel.Yisra'el, yis-raw-ale', Hebrew 3478; from Hebrew 8280 (sarah) and Hebrew 410 ('el); he will rule as God; Jisraël, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity :- Israel.
The reality is that the scattering and sowing of this prophecy has already come to pass and God's Word stands confirmed as true and accurate. There is no Kingdom of Israel today who has a king over it. The northern 10 tribes of the House of Israel began to be broken up in 2 Kings 18:11-12. And do not be confused by that little nation in the Middle East who we call Israel today, because she is actually, if only in part, Judah, NOT the House of Israel. Today, it is basically the Christian nations of the world who make up the House of Israel and her identity and markings are pasted all over those nations if one will just take the time to read history and observe the signs.
With that background in mind, let us return to verse 4 to complete our understanding of this verse.
We see in this verse that God is going to take vengeance on the house of Jehu (*which means "the living") because of the "blood" of Jezreel. What does that mean? What did Jehu do wrong, because if you read 2 Kings chapter 10 you will see that Jehu, as the king of Israel, was told to go cleanse the land and get rid of the Baal worshippers of the house of Ahab, which he did do even though he shed much blood?[4] And the LORD said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu (*living should be eternally-see below), and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.
Here it is:
However, over and above the blood he shed in Jezreel, Jehu committed a far more serious offense. He formed an alliance with a man named Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, the son of Hemath! In other words, Jehu made a covenant with an influential Kenite, a son of Cain (Kayin in Hebrew).2 Kings 10:11
So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left him none remaining.
Here is the documentation that Jehonadab, who was a son of Rechab, was a Kenite:
Here is the account of Jehu's little covenant:1 Chron. 2:55
And the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Suchathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab.
In other words, Jehu asked Jehonadab, "Are you as loyal to me as I am to you?" And Jehonadab answered back, "You can trust me!"2 Kings 10:15
And when he [Jehu] was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart?...
You see, Jehonadab the kenite "was highly esteemed and possessed great influence in the country. Jehu saw in a moment the advantage that his cause would gain from the friendship and countenance of this venerable man in the eyes of the people, and accordingly paid the distinguished attention of inviting him to a seat in his chariot. 'Give me thine hand' was not to simply aid him in getting up, but was for a far more significant and important purpose - the giving, or rather joining hands, being the recognized mode of striking a league or covenant, as well as of testifying fealty to a new sovereign; accordingly it is said, 'he [Jehonadab] gave him [Jehu] his hand'." (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown)... And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot.
So here we have Jehu, king of Israel, leading the charge with a kenite right by his side. Well, there is nothing new under the sun, is there? We see much of this same "hand shaking" and "bonding" with kenites by many of our leaders today![16] And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD. So they made him ride in his chariot.
Yep, Jehu did what God told him to, but with good old influential Jehonadab right by his side![17] And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the LORD, which he spake to Elijah.
Let's see how this story ends.
This is certainly good news for Jehu. Did he continue to listen to the LORD and walk in His ways?2 Kings 10:30
And the LORD said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.
Too bad. I guess Jehu's heart really was the same as Jehonadab's after all! You see, it is kenites of the house of Hemath, the direct descendents of Cain, who through their control and influence of the Four Hidden Dynasties shall afflict the House of Israel right up to the end of this flesh age. Even now at this very hour, the powerful economic and political stranglehold they have on the nations of the world, including this one, would shock most people. God warned us if we let them in and covenant with them we would have nothing but trouble and more trouble:[31] But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.
And Live Link to->>> The Hidden Dynasty of the Economy
The word "afflict" is "lachats" in Hebrew, which means to press and to distress as in "to oppress". "Unto the river of the wilderness" is an expression which simply means "until the end". And it is the kenites, who do not believe in our God and His Christ, who carry forth the spirit of antichrist and bring about the "leaven" of idolatry into the house of Israel. That is why Christ said in Matthew 16:6 "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."Amos 6:14
But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith the LORD the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entering in of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness.
Let's return to the prophecy of Hosea.
Hosea 1:5
And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.
Gomer now conceives again and has another child, this time a daughter!2 Kings 18:11
And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes:[12] Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed his covenant, and all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear them, nor do them.
THIS IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE (in type) OF WHAT IS HAPPENING spiritually TO THE Christian NATIONS OF THE WORLD, IN THIS 21st. CENTURY.
Our Father also named this child and He called her Lo-ruhamah, which means "not beloved". It was not that God actually stopped loving His children, God forbid, but because of their idolatry, their whoring around with other gods, He would no longer keep them from the consequences of their actions.Hosea 1:6
And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Lo-ruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.
Nevertheless, as we read in verse 4, our Father utterly "took away the kingdom which belonged to them" and the kingdom of Israel was never restored from that Assyrian captivity. Judah on the other hand, at least a remnant thereof, did return from her captivity after 70 years.
II Kings 18:13 Makes it clear that much of the House of Judah was also taken by Assyria and most likely went with the House of Israel over the Caucasus Mountains when Babylon over threw Assyria!
That means it was only those in and around Jerusalem, the remnant, who were
left of the House of Judah for Nebuchadnezzor
to
carry into Babylon 135 years later.
This prophecy of Hosea now moves forward in time to our day and beyond.
Again, this verse shifts the time to the end of this earth age. (See the note on verse 7 in Companion Bible, pg. 1210.) There is a time coming at the end of this earth age when our Father will directly intercede and save His people, and He will not be needing horses and chariots and swords this time.Hosea 1:7
But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.
Looks like fertile Gomer was at it again. At this rate the children of the idolatrous house of Israel will become as numerous as the sand of the sea. Oh my goodness, they are! My how time flies!Hosea 1:8
Now when she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son.
"Lo-ammi" means "not my people". Plain and simply, our Father will not be the God of a bunch of whores, i.e. an idolatrous people. Until such time as they repent and quit following after the traditions of men and turn and walk in His ways, they can have the rock of Jehonadab and his people, for "their rock(rock with a small r is Satan) is not our Rock(with a large R, being Christ Jesus)" (Deut. 32:31). In fact, they will worship the god of Jehonadab, Satan, when he comes with his band of merry angels (Rev. 12:7-9) claiming he is Jesus Christ.[9] Then said God, Call his name Lo-ammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.
But there is wonderful news from our Father, right here in the Book of Hosea, concerning the salvation of our many people (many, thanks to Gomer - just kidding):
And although most of them do not know who they are, for they have lost their national identity, true Israel HAS become as numerous as the sand of the sea. God first made that promise in His covenant to our father Abraham, which He confirmed in Isaac and Jacob! (Think "The Christian nations of western Europe and the Americas)Hosea 1:10
Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered;...
It has already come to pass that the spirit of God is being poured out on the sons and daughters of the forefathers of Israel, as both Joel and Peter said would happen in the last days. And through His Spirit, His Word, they have come to "see", i.e. to understand, the visions of the prophets and they are prophesying (teaching the prophets) to our people, who are those sons of the Living God who know not who they are (the 10 "Lost" Tribes).... and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.
Here is Peter quoting the prophet Joel on that first Day of Pentecost following the Resurrection:
To prophesy simply means to teach and God's watchmen are teaching. They are speaking to those spiritually "dry bones" of true Israel (Ezek. 37), made dry because of the great endtime famine for hearing His true Word in our land (Amos. 8:11). And many of those dry bones are coming to life as the Spirit of Truth enters them and they are beginning to realize who they are. Yes, many Americans and Canadians and British, etc. who have always called themselves gentiles, not the sons of Abraham, not His people Israel, are beginning to understand that which has been "Jezreel" for so long. How about you? Are you a son or daughter of the living God? Even if you are a gentile, do you have eyes to see and ears to hear the truth of His Word?Acts 2:17
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:[18] And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
Live Link to->>>> Pamphlet #1064 "Israel's Lost Tribes"
And there is even more good news! The two houses of Judah and Israel (when our true Lord returns) shall soon be joined together under one head, even the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
Speaking of the valley of the "dry bones", this prophecy of the joining back together of the two houses of Judah and Israel is exactly the same as God gave to His watchman, Ezekiel.Hosea 1:11
Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.
The two branches (branch #1, i.e. the former "House of Israel", i.e. >The Christian nations of Western Europe, the Isles of Britain and the Americas and branch #2, i.e. the former "House of Judah", i.e. >The tribes of Judah and Benjamin minus the Kenites, that have infiltrated their ranks and are living amongst them today, in that little country in the Middle East called Israel, shall soon be joined together when Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior returns at the sound of the 7th Trump and gathers His people together, after rounding up the bad Jews, Kenites, to be destroyed if they do not repent of their sins.Ezekiel 37:16
Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:[17] And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.
What a great day that shall be, indeed!
Hosea chapter 2
Just as most of the prophecies in God's Word, in fact most of the Bible itself, was written and recorded for those "upon whom the ends of the world are come" (1 Cor. 10:11), we documented in our last study that the time of the prophecy of Hosea was also written and referred to the last days, to these days when the children of Israel have become as numerous as the sand of the sea. And all that is really required to understand the simplicity of Hosea's messages is to understand to whom it is written. So if you understand the history of the migrations of the children of God, i.e. how the 10 northern tribes of Israel went over the Caucasus Mountains (along with most of the children of Judah) and settled in Europe and in the Isles of Great Britain and later in the Americas, then you will have no difficulty understanding the words of Hosea, for he speaks directly to the true House of Israel, i.e. to America and her sister Christian nations of the world.
Live Link to->>>> Pamphlet #1020 "Do you
know who you really are?"
Live Link to->>>> Pamphlet #1064 "Israel's
Lost Tribes"
Live Link to->>>> The Good Figs and Bad Figs of Judah are today planted together in the little mid-east country named Israel.
We begin this study where our Father is going to tell Hosea to give instructions, call them marching orders if you will, to those of this final generation who ARE His children, meaning those children He is the Father of and to whom He does show mercy and grace. In other words, they are those children who are NOT spiritual harlots, meaning they are not steeped in idolatry but have come out of Babylon (confusion, Churchianity) and into the marvelous Light of His Truth.
Remember we discussed in our last study that one must learn to read God's Word carefully. Then notice that this instruction is NOT to the idolatrous children "Lo"-Ammi (not-my-people) and "Lo"-Ru-hamah (not-pitied). "Lo" in Hebrew means "not". Hosea is speaking to Ammi (my people) and Ru-hamah (pitied one). He's speaking to those who are not harlots, i.e. don't go chasing off after Satan's false religion.Hosea 2:1
Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ru-hamah.
The next verse will document the fact that these children are not "deceived" because they know that their mother, Gomer, i.e. idolatrous Israel (now say to yourself "America and the Christian nations"), is whoring around and they are instructed to plead with her to STOP IT!
If Jesus Christ is not her husband then with whom is she sleeping and who is it that she is embracing dear to her heart? Ever hear of the other Jesus Christ, the imposter who is not some pope or some other human world leader or some man born in the Middle East, etc.;but is none other than that beautiful archangel Lucifer/Satan himself. He is really Gomer's lover and pimp who causes her to commit her fornications. Our Father is not happy about it, to say the least, and unless she repents she's in big trouble.[2] Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts;
What is this parched and thirsty wilderness? Though the 10 tribed nation of Israel was in fact physically stripped naked and scattered, this refers to her "spiritual condition" today. Gomer (say out loud, "America and her sister Christian nations") has become a "dry land" (spiritually) and is even referred to in Ezekiel 37 as the Valley of Dry Bones. How did she become that way? Because of the great spiritual "famine" of these last days.(Amos 8:11)Hosea 2:3
Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst.
Have you never read of it?
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:
Live Link to->>>> The famine is already started!
Because of idolatry and the churches teaching the traditions of men instead of God's Word line by line, we have become a Valley of Dry bones (spiritually dead), indeed, for the Truth is not in our people. They have thus become as harlots chasing after sensualities and materialism and worshipping a substitute god who is not their Father.
Again, Gomer's children are the idolatrous children of Israel of these last days. God says He wasn't merciful on their ancestors and He will not be merciful on them, for they are a bunch of whores. By the way, whose child are you?Hosea 2:4
And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms.
Remember also, Gomer is the daughter of Diblaim, "Double caked figs", i.e. Sensualities and Materialism which are a big part of her idolatry. Those who understand the Parable of the Fig Tree that Christ commanded us to learn in Mat. 24 and Mark 13, also know that it is the "bad figs", Jehonadab's relatives whom we have given our hand to and permitted to ride in our chariot, who have brought about the debt monetary and economic systems that our people follow after.Hosea 2:5
For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.
You see, you better understand one thing very clearly! It is because of the blessings of YHVH, the God of Israel and the unconditional promises He made to our forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that America has become the wealthiest and most prosperous nation in the world. There were NO alliances with other nations (lovers) and NO trade agreements or anything else that could keep us in prosperity without His blessing!
Should you wish get a more detailed description of the harlotry and who these "lovers" are then read the 16th chapter of Ezekiel. Here is a link to a study that will help.
[6] Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths.
If our people wish to continue to be spiritual whores and worship the "idols" of sensuality and gold and silver (materialism) and follow after the idolatrous church traditions of men, i.e. play church instead of study His Word chapter by chapter and verse by verse, our Father will see to it that they are blinded and their table that they eat from becomes a "stone wall" preventing them from reaching their reward!
The apostle Paul made this very clear in the Book of Romans:
Romans 11:7
What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
[8] (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.[9] And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:
Your garments are the Gospel Armor described in Ephesians 6. Such a suit of armor cannot be purchased or bought at church. Because it is spiritual, it actually grows on those watchmen who eat from the table of the Lord, i.e. study His Word, and are doers of that Word.Rev. 16:15
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
To the dismay of many "professing" believers, salvation for most of Israel will not occur at the First Resurrection. No, MANY Christians must learn the hard way and "hit bottom" by discovering the sin of their harlotry/idolatry. Though they call themselves born-again Christians and they do many wonderful humanitarian works, they do not know that they are spiritual whores, because they are ignorant of His Word.Hosea 2:7
And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.
Just claiming to be a Christian doesn't "cut it" with Christ!
Lo-ammi and Lo-ruhamah aren't going to make it unless they repent.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.
Make no mistake about it. These are our loved ones, our brother and sister Christians who go to church and prophesy and do wonderful works in Christ's name. They just do not know the Word of God, which means they do not really know Jesus Christ. Most don't even know their heritage past great grandpa much less the migrations of the tribes of Israel. They are those foolish virgins who do not have enough oil in their lamps to make it through the dark hour of the reign of the false-christ. They will be the first woman taken in the field and will marry Instead-of-Jesus. It is only those who "endure unto the end", unto the return of Messiah, who shall be saved, at the first resurrection, Matthew 24:13 "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."[22] Many will say to me in that day, 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?
Christ made it very clear in Mat. 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, as the very first sign of the last days, that there would be MANY who would be deceived by those who claim to be Christian ministers, many of whom are quite deceived themselves. The ministers and preachers of America and her sister Christian nations have NOT built up an hedge of protection for our people in these last days, preceding the Day of the Lord, Christ's return. In other words they have NOT taught the Word of God to our people. Consequently, our people have become a bunch of Biblical illiterates who listen to the lies, like fly-away rapture theories, of those who claim to be God's ministers.[23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Sly and cunning creatures these preachers are in this desert, in this Valley of the Dry Bones (Ezk. 37) where famine and thirst have parched the land (Amos 8:11).Ezekiel 13:4
O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.
Our people will be slaughtered (spiritually) by the soon coming king of Babylonbecause they have no Gospel Armor on and in place to withstand the fiery darts of Satan (Eph. 6).[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.
Live Link to=> Gaps in Scripture
This may offend some, but, so be it! God simply does not tell these many deceivers of our people that someone out there in TV land has a bad back or a sore elbow. Sorry, that is hogwash. And God did not give Margaret MacDonald in the year 1830 in Glasgow Scotland the vision that Christ is going to return at any moment and take-away the church in some rapture before "antichristos" comes. And God does not promise you prosperity if you support these deceivers. Read the rest of Ezekiel 13 and understand how they give "false hope" to our people and whitewash the truth.[6] They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word.
Let us return to Hosea.
Gomer seems quite blinded to the fact that God has created everything, owns everything, and is in total control. All the gold and silver and corn and wine and blessings of this nation come from Him and He can take it all away as easily as He gave it.Hosea 2:8
For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal.
Hosea 2:9
Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness.
If you do not want to appear naked before the Lord and everyone else, then hearken to the words of the Lord and wake up and study and do His Word so you have some spiritual clothing on![10]And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand.
Yes, our people live in prosperous times and overall they have it pretty good, don't they? Many even go to church on Sundays but they KNOWEST NOT that they are spiritually, wretchedly, miserably Poor, Blind, and stark Naked.Rev. 3:17
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
What should they do? That's simple ... Listen to Christ!
Get your treasure and spiritual clothing from HIM, His Word! Churches and men cannot give them to you!
[18]I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Hosea 2:11
I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts.
Only that which is spiritual shall remain.
[12] And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them.
Is there any doubt that our people have forgotten the LORD? Oh, they give lip service to Him and they call themselves Christians and they go to church and sing songs. But as it is written in Luke 12:34 "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."[13] And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the LORD.
Thus one thing is for sure! The fact that our people are Biblically illiterate documents where their heart is NOT, and it is NOT in His Word else they would be spiritually rich and not poor and naked. Think about it!
This is how they have forgotten God. In other words, they have ignored His Word and have substituted everything else under the sun! Therefore, as it is graphically written, they are nothing but a bunch of whores. Yes, it is that bad, only worse! And as it is written in both the Old and the New Testaments, that day is soon coming when their spiritual lewdness and their whoredoms shall be revealed. It will not be pretty sight.Mark 7:6
He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.[7] Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
So "Wake Up" and do not be as the foolish virgins who fail to obtain spiritual "oil", the Spirit of Truth, from the Word of God. "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus ChristEzekiel 23:35
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.
(2 Peter 3:18)", for time is growing short.
Romans 13:11
And that, knowing
the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our
salvation nearer than when we believed.
What makes America the greatest nation on earth? Try conducting a poll among a group of Christians and see how many respond with the answer, "Because God Blesses America". Few seem to know from whom all our blessings flow, yet that is precisely why this "One nation under God" is now the "head" of the nations and no longer the "tail". But while God has blessed America the Beautiful with an abundance of natural resources and prosperity because of His unconditional promise to our forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, America has forgotten God and "knows Him not" because she has forgotten His Word. Oh, there are many of our people who belong to and attend church, especially on Christmas Eve, but they are Biblically illiterate and are steeped in a feel good idolatrous churchianity which goes by the name "Christian". They know not that they, as true Israel, the descendents of their forefathers whom God brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, have once again become enslaved by their taskmasters, even the kenites, who among others things have placed them in economic bondage through a debt system economy laded with usury.
Live Link to->>> Who controls the United States Economy and therefore;
Her Government!
But that's not the worst of it! They know not that the king of Babylon (Satan as the spurious messiah) is soon coming to take them away (spiritually) and place them in spiritual bondage, to him! They will love him for they will believe him, when he says he is Jesus Christ.
It is true that America and the Christian nations of the world are steeped in idolatry but as it is written in Romans chapter 11, they are blinded and they do not know it. They have become deceived by the MANY false prophets (Mat. 24, Mk. 13) who have come in the name of Christ, i.e. they are Christian ministers and preachers, and who teach the traditions of men and not the Word of God chapter by chapter and line by line. It seems that many of our people are naive to the extent that if a person or a group or a minister merely calls itself or himself "Christian", then it must be so! The truth is, "It isn't so!" Those same people will quickly be deceived (seduced) by the false messiah (Satan) when he shows up with power and signs and wonders and performs miracles in the sight of men, showing and claiming that he is Jesus Christ (2 Thes. 2). In fact, the whole world, including the majority of Christianity, except for God's elect who have the seal of God in their foreheads (Rev. 9), will believe he is Jesus Christ.
What about you? Do you know who the true Bridegroom is because you know the Word of God or must you learn through the shame and embarrassment of discovering "at that day" when Christ returns that you have been an harlot and you are spiritually naked?
So what is God to do with his people, Israel (Christians), who have
become spiritual whores? The good news is He has a loving plan of salvation
designed to cause her to return unto Him of her own free will, of her own
desire.
Most Christians don’t even recognize when God is disciplining them to make them aware of their sin of idolatry.
Live Link to->>> "The Plan of God"
You see, just asking her nicely to stop her adultery isn't going to cut it. There must needs be some intervention to cause her to see the light and desire in her heart to return to her first love.
Salvation is a choice. Just as Israel chose to forsake God and become an harlot, likewise she must choose life and live (Deut. 30:19). Our Father will not force anyone to love Him, nor can He really. Think about it! You cannot "force" your children to love you, can you? They have free will and their love must come from within their hearts. Salvation therefore is a matter of individual choice.
Keep in mind as we continue in Hosea that the analogy God uses of adultery and whoredom to express spiritual idolatry is not just for the purpose of revealing Israel's adultery/idolatry but to also let us know the deep feelings and emotions that our Father has. In our last study we learned that God has purposed to do something about Israel's adultery and her worship of false gods, Baalim. He has a plan which He actually reveals in the next two verses if you wish to take the time to do some research and understand them.
"Therefore, behold" means because Israel continues to play the harlot and remain adulterous, when the time is right He will allure her (draw her out), and bring her into the wilderness and speak to her heart (comfortably). It is so wonderful that we can get a clear picture and understanding of how this shall happen in these last days by observing the "type" that was set forth long ago in the days of Israel's youth and in the days when she came up out of the land of Egypt.Hosea 2:14
Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.
Did you know that these events which happened of old were actually "ensamples" for us today, which God brought to pass so that we could SEE and KNOW what would befall us in these last days "upon whom the end of the world are come"?[15]And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.
1 Cor. 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."
Therefore, if we would like to know what is in store for America, we need to know what happened in the Valley of Achor and the exodus from Egypt, right?
Let us first begin with Achor, which means "trouble", and we will learn what causes Big Trouble among our people. When God gave the city of Jericho into the hands of Joshua and the Israelites, He told them by all means do NOT take of the accursed thing lest they become accursed (by God Himself) and bring trouble into Israel.
Here is that command:
However, there was one by the name of Achan (troublesome) who disobeyed and took a Babylonian Mantle, even a priest's robe, and 200 (200 means "insufficient" in Biblical numerics) shekels of silver and 50 (means "Holy Spirit") shekels of gold. The result of this was that the army of Israel with 3,000 men was defeated by a mere handful of the men of Ai, who killed 36 (means "enemy") Israelites.Joshua 6:18
And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.
Joshua immediately knew there was an accursed thing in the land for otherwise God would have given them the victory over Ai. So Joshua sent out men to find the transgressor and burn him with fire.
Achan (trouble) turned out to be the guilty party and here is his confession to Joshua:Joshua 7:15
And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
Achan was subsequently stoned to death and cremated.Joshua 7:20
And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:[21] When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
After Israel was purged of her "trouble" the LORD turned from His fierce anger and the place was called the Valley of Achor, the Valley of Trouble.Joshua 7:25
And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.
Remember, this was a type, an ensample for us today concerning idolatry of materialism and false preachers, symbolized by the priest's robe, the accursed thing. When you take in the "mantle" of a priest of Babylon (which means confusion), you bring idolatry into the family of God and the whole family suffers spiritually as a result. It is an accursed thing and just as it caused Achan's physical death, it can cause your spiritual death. Stay away from Satan, the antichrist and his religion. Let's go back and re-read Hosea 2:15 to pick up the remainder of the verse:[26] And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.
You surely know the story of how our Father drew Israel out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and how Moses led them to the shore of the Red Sea when they discovered Pharaoh's army was closing in on them. The people believed they faced certain death and they began to murmur against God and His servant Moses and began to look back.Hosea 2:15
And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.
However, when all seemed hopeless and the Israelites looked like they would be slaughtered, God intervened and SAVED HER!Exodus 14:11
And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?[12] Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.
So much for the might and power of the Egyptians whom they served. Then all Israel crossed over the Red Sea and their enemy, Pharaoh and his army, were drowned and destroyed in the sea. How do suppose the people felt when they witnessed and experienced the salvation of the LORD? They were jubilant and they sang for joy.[13] And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
And so it is there is "trouble" in our land today, brought about by the kenites, and yet there shall be greater trouble when the accursed thing himself, even the abomination of desolation, Satan, the false-christ, stands among our people. He shall rule for a short time and then he will be "stoned" with that "stone cut out without hands" (Dan. 2:24) as God draws His people out and delivers them from that wicked one. They will also be jubilant as their ancestors and they will sing the Song of Moses (Deut. 32) at the victory celebration (Rev. 15).Exodus 15:1
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.[2] The LORD is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.
"That day" is when Christ returns and the wedding takes place, the day of the Marriage of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7), when Israel shall affectionately call Him "My Husband" (Ishi) and not "My Lord or Master" (Baali). And He shall strip away all the names of the images of Baalim such as Baal-gad and Baal-zebub, etc. In other words He shall remove all false gods, including Satan.Hosea 2:16
And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali.
The good news is that there will be no more Baal worship or idolatry when the true Bridegroom returns.[17] For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name.
There will be total peace and harmony on earth both in nature and among the nations when Jesus Christ returns. "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb (Isa. 11:6)" and "they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more (Isa. 2:4)".[18] And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.
Will you remain faithful and be a chaste virgin when Christ returns, as Paul so expressed his concern?
Or will you be as the first woman taken in the field (Mat. 24) and allow anti-christ/Satan to allure you to his wedding and seduce you spiritually as he did mother Eve physically?2 Cor. 11:2
For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
The wedding of the false-christ occurs first at the 6th Trump before the Marriage of the Lamb at the 7th Trump. The Five foolish virgins of Matthew 25 do not make it to Christ's wedding (I pray you are not like them), but the Five wise virgins do. The difference between those five and the other five is the amount of "oil", anointing oil, i.e. Holy Spirit, they have in their lamps.[3] But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
That oil is obtained only from studying and absorbing the Word of God.
Next, we are privileged to read Jesus Christ's Eternal Wedding Vows at that marriage:
The marriage of the Lamb will be for all eternity! That means there will never again be a "Bill of Divorcement" (Jer. 3:8).Hosea 2:19
And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.
His virgin bride will be wed as a faithful wife and she shall KNOW the LORD. He will not say to her as He will say to the Five foolish virgins, "...I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matthew 7:23)[20] I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.
And so it is that the Prince of Peace shall marry the Beautiful Woman and they shall live happily everafter.
Hosea 2:21
And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the LORD, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth;
This is the restoration that SHALL come to pass in that day: The Lord shall be attentive to His people and the heavens shall give to the earth and she shall yield her "bread" and "wine" (the sacraments), and the anointing "oil"*, and they (the bread and wine and oil) shall lift up Jezreel to once again become His people Israel.[22] And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel.
Thus shall Jezreel, which means "to sow", no longer be "Not My people" and "Not Pitied". Our Father will bring them forth and "sow" them in the Millennium and then "all Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation".oil = yitshar, yits-hawr', Hebrew 3323; from Hebrew 6671 (tsahar); oil (as producing light); figurative anointing :- + anointed, oil.
Sown as Yizre`e'l (Jezreel) to once again become Yisra'el (Israel).Isaiah 45:17
But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.
Lo-ruhamah (not pitied) and Lo-Ammi (not my people) shall become Ammi (His people), and the salvation of Israel shall have been accomplished. The perfect Plan of God, the Salvation of His people, is done in "righteousness, and judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies", and He shall betroth His people who are faithful (in faithfulness). And they shall sing with joy and say "Thou art my God!" What a beautiful and uplifting ending to this flesh age!Hosea 2:23
And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.
Hosea chapter 3
The Book of Hosea, which means "salvation", was written to reveal God's plan of salvation for His children, Israel (who today are the people of the Christian nations in North-Western Europe, the Isles of Britain, and the Americas), the woman in the wilderness He took to wife on the Mountain where He promised (vowed) to be the provider of all her needs if she would just remain faithful to Him. But she did not remain faithful and she forsook Him and went whoring after Baalim and became another man's wife, even the "ish" ("man" in Hebrew) who deceives the whole world (Isa. 14:16). The question is, "Should God take His adulterous wife back?"
The good news and the answer is, yes, God will take back His wife when she returns to Him and, as we learned in the last study, at that time she will call Him "Ishi", her husband. Meanwhile she is estranged from Him for He divorced her.Jeremiah 3:1
They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.
It was prophesied long ago and written in the scriptures that because of Israel's backsliding and her adultery (idolatry) that God would remove her from the land He gave to her and "scatter" her among the nations and "re-sow" her in the west, as Jezreel. In other words, she would lose her identity as "Israel" and history documents how those "Lost Tribes" went north over the Caucasus Mountains, became known as the Cimmerians, Scythians, Celts, Saxons, etc., and were re-sown in the west where they settled in north-west Europe and Great Britain and later many made their pilgrimage to the Americas.Jeremiah 3:8
And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
We also learned in our last study that God would give Israel the "Valley of Achor" as a "Door of Hope". It was Achan, of the tribe of Judah, who brought the "accursed thing", the mantle of Baal, into the House of Israel which angered our Father and caused Israel to lose her battle against Ai (Josh. 6-7). The point is that the valley of Achor was a type, for there shall be a time of trouble for the house of Israel, even Jacob's trouble, when the accursed one himself, the abomination of desolation, Satan as the false messiah, will enter in. Even now Satan's own children, the kenites, the offspring of Cain, cause much affliction and trouble among our people because we have allowed them and their accursed doctrines to enter in (Amos 6:14, Mk. 8:15).
Then too, we also learned that following that time of trouble, just as God saved Israel with a mighty hand when he drew her out of Egypt, so shall He save and deliver His people in these last days.
Daniel spoke of that time and delivery.
But before that time of trouble, as it is written in both the Old and the New Testaments, God would send teachers who would understand the visions of the prophets and instruct and warn His people and bring all those who will have their eyes and ears opened into the marvelous truth of His Word and His plan and help to prepare them as chaste virgins for the wedding of the Bridegroom. Here is the promise of those teachers from both the Old and New Testaments, for it is direct quote by Peter (in the New) from the Book of Joel (in the Old):Daniel 12:1
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
To "see" visions means to "understand" visions, even the visions of the prophets, and "to prophesy" simply means to teach, i.e. to teach what the prophets said. These sons and daughters are God's elect, His "faithful" servants who will not partake of Baal worship and will not whore after the little "ish", Satan, the false messiah. You see, it is written that our Father has always had a remnant of His elect present down through the ages, even from "the first earth age unto this very day". Paul documents it for us Romans chapter 11:Acts 2:17
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:[18] And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
Paul was not a "Jew", i.e. from the tribe of Judah, but rather a Benjamite. He documents it again in Philip. 3:5.Romans 11:1
I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
These words were spoken long ago to the great prophet Elijah.[2] God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,[3] Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.
[4] But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
Even so in these last days God's faithful elect are present, and that brings us to the third chapter of Hosea which concerns those elect who help bring about the return of Israel to her true husband.[5] Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
Hosea is told to go again and "love" (not take) a "woman" (not Gomer) who is an adulteress, i.e. from the idolatrous House of Israel. The word "friend" used here means "husband" and "flagons of wine" means "cakes of figs" which are representative of sensuality.Hosea 3:1
Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.
Note: Some scholars claim that Gomer must have died which may or may not be true for it isn't written. However, it is immaterial because Gomer's adultery made void her marriage vows anyway.
Fifteen pieces of silver and an homer and a half of barley is the price for redeeming a slave. An homer is about 8 bushels, so an homer and a half would be 12 bushels. Isn't that interesting? The point is that this woman was redeemed and paid for before she became Hosea's wife. Those with eyes to see and ears to hear will refer to Romans chapter 8.[2] So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley:
This "wife" will remain true and faithful and shall "abide" with him, even in sense of "sequestered". In other words, when God's elect are brought into the truth they will thenceforth remain true and faithful and "abide in His Word" but they shall also be sequestered as His "servants in bondage". Paul spoke of this on several occasions as in Col. 4:3 for example: "Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:" (See also Philip. 1:13)[3] And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee.
The children of Israel spoken of in this verse are those represented by the "faithful woman" Hosea was to love, i.e. God's elect. All the items listed that they would be "without" while they abided with Him, refer to idolatry! Remember she would not "play the harlot" and not "be for another man". She would not take on a false king of kings, or a false prince of peace, or sacrifice to Baal or his "bow down to his image", or wear a false priests garment (ephod) or place any other gods (idols, i.e. teraphim) before the true God. She would remain His faithful, sequestered "wife" who would serve Him according to His will in these last days.Hosea 3:4
For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim:
"After that", after God's elect have fulfilled their appointed destinies, some of whom will be delivered up to the false messiah to give testimony and witness against him (Mat. 24, Mark 13, Luke 21), then the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God.
Are you among those who fear (revere) the Lord and love Him for His "goodness" to us in these latter days? Are you faithful to Him and do you serve Him according to His will (His Word)? It is written in Matthew chapter 5 that out of the 10 virgins, as in out of the 10 tribes of Israel, only 5 remained faithful and made it to the wedding of the true Bridegroom. The other 5 played the role of the harlot and became the wife of another man, the little "ish" (Satan), the false king, the false prince of peace.[5] Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David* their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.
Hosea chapter 4
This second section, from chapter 4 to the end, contains the details of Israel's transgressions and transgressors as our Father presents His legal case against her and lays the foundation for the judgment to come at the return of Christ.
The "quick" are those who are "spiritually alive", i.e. have eternal life. Their judgment shall be reward and their relief shall be eternal life whereby they are no longer subject to further judgment or the second death (Rev. 20:6).Tim. 4:1
I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
The "dead" are the "spiritually dead" and they will be required by the Judge, to go through the probationary period of the Millennium, to await final judgment at the Great White Throne, before they can receive eternal life.
You see, the problem is that God's children have forgotten His Word and have once again gone astray. There is perversion and much corruption in our land.
It is written concerning the judgment that shall come that it will begin at the house of the Lord (1 Pet. 4:17), i.e. with the preachers and teachers of His Word. Therefore, our Father begins His case in this fourth chapter of Hosea against the priests of our land for their failure to perform their duties and educate our people in the knowledge of His Word.
Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye, ye children of Israel! Thus saith the Lord God! The LORD has a "controversy" with the inhabitants of the land. The word "controversy" is a legal term meaning "contest" or "suit". (Let's see, we here in America, are now certainly in a "contest" period as a nation, aren't we?) Think abortion and same sex marriage! Think "GO ALONG TO GET ALONG" as most Christian churches do.Hosea 4:1
Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
"They break out" means they "breach" the law, "the Word of God" and "blood touches blood" is a figure of speech meaning they commit "one sin after another". We have already learned that adultery is symbolic of idolatry, so while these sins of swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery certainly are prevalent in our land, one must understand that in reality they are but "symptoms" of our spiritual sickness caused by the lack of the knowledge of the Word of God.controversy = riyb, reeb, Hebrew 7379; or rib, reeb; from Hebrew 7378 (riyb); a contest (personal or legal) :- + adversary, cause, chiding, contend (-tion), controversy, multitude [from the margin], pleading, strife, strive (-ing), suit.[2] By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.
There shall be, even as there is already is, great lamentation (mourning) in the land, not only among the inhabitants thereof but even among nature itself which groans in travail. In other words there is both spiritual pollution as well as physical pollution.[3] Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
Here are few quotes from some other translations to make the point.Hosea 4:4
Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive with the priest.
Have you got the point? As stated before, the problems in our land are symptoms of our spiritual degeneracy. The question is, "Who is responsible to teach and give spiritual guidance unto our people?" Right, the priests and ministers are to "Feed the Sheep" the truth and knowledge of God's Word. Where are those teachers of truth? They are few and far between. But know this: If you are teacher of God's Word you had better be knowledgeable and not mislead God's people by withholding truth and teaching the fairy tale traditions of men, like snakes and apples and rapture theories and Easter bunnies, etc., for it is written that God will hold you responsible for the spiritual death of the people of your congregation and even the "sicknesses" in our land."Don't point your finger at someone else, and try to pass the blame to him! Look, priest, I'm pointing my finger at you!" (LB)"But it is not for any man to bring a charge, it is not for him to prove a case; the quarrel with you, false priest is mine." (N.E.B.)
"But let no man denounce, no man rebuke; it is you, priest, that I denounce." (JB)
[5] Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother.
In other words, the great battle of the last days, the events of Revelation for example, is not of blood and guts but of the spirit, which is why you must have the Gospel Armor (Eph. 6) on to stand against the "fiery darts" of Satan!
However, if you remain ignorant of God's Word and do not study it, even though some false preacher tells you not to worry about studying Revelation because Jesus is going to come "fly you away" in the Rapturemobile to a place of safety, you therefore reject God because you reject His Word.
If that's the case then quite frankly, you are in big trouble and will be among those spiritually destroyed for lack of knowledge, a foolish virgin indeed!
How many Christians, even Christian ministers, do you know who understand the Law of God; not the Ten Commandments, but the "Law" as in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy? It used to be a requirement in this nation that in order to be a judge of our people you needed to know the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy.[6] My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
Here is what our Father says about this foolishness of our people through His prophet Jeremiah:
The word "sottish" is an old Celtic term meaning "stupid"! (See note in the Companion Bible) If your preacher isn't teaching you the Word of God chapter by chapter and line by line, then what are you doing listening to him or her?Jeremiah 4:22
For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
Christ said there would be "Many" who would come in His name, as Christian ministers, and deceive Many of our people" (Mat. 24, Mk. 13). How, you ask? By teaching the traditions of men, i.e. playing church and promoting every good work EXCEPT teaching the knowledge of the Word of God! The PROOF is the fact that we are nation of Biblical illiterates with a huge United Way fund!Hosea 4:7
As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.
Note: It is fitting as we discuss teaching God's Word to remember that we are admonished in 2 Tim. 2:15 to not only study His Word, but in doing so to rightly divide it. To that end, be advised that the latter portion of Hosea 4:7 is not correct as it appears in the King James Version. The Sopherim confess that they "altered" the primitive text (for details see appendix 33 in the Companion Bible).
Hosea 4:7 should read as follows:
The priests and preachers are a bunch of whores/idolaters who change His glory into shame through their harlotry.Hosea 4:7 As they were increased, so they sinned against me: changing My glory into shame.
Many preachers in our land not only consume the "sin offering" of people for their own gain. So they are "covering up" the sins of the people while they "sheer the sheep".Hosea 4:8
They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity.
Did you know that preachers are taught in seminaries not to teach those things which are controversial, lest they offend members of their congregations.
[9] And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.
There is a GREAT famine in the United States of America this very day, RIGHT NOW! Did you know that? Has your preacher informed you of the "famine" Jesus Christ warned us about in Mat. 24 and Mark 13 that would be one of the major "Signs" just preceding His second coming? That famine is recorded in these Minor Prophets in the Book of Amos.[10] For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD.
It is not only our Seminaries and what they teach preachers, to say and not say, but also the Publishing Houses!!!!
It is every thing the Kenite's control!!!!
Live Link to->>>Does your version of the Bible have these 17 verses missing???
Here is what that famine is:
Our nation has become a spiritual desert, a Valley of Dry Bones (Ezek. 37), as result of this great famine. And we are suffering from the "pestilences" which always follow famine, even those pestilences described in verse 2 (Hos. 4:2), i.e. the adultery, the sodomy, the abortion, the lying, the cheating, the stealing, the corrupt justice, etc.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:
Again, our people are being spiritually starved to death. They wander from "sea to shining sea" trying to find some spiritual food, some meat from God's Word that satisfies the soul, but they cannot find it![12] And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
You see, the preachers (the one verse revs.) in so many of the churches in this land merely pass around a baby bottle of milk (Heb. 5:12) or toss a few morsels to their congregations, i.e. read only a few verses, and then they get down to their real business at hand and pass the "basket" for themselves! I mean, suppose you were hungry and you went to a big fancy restaurant with stained glass all around, and you sat down expecting to be served a satisfying meal, and all they brought you was a gold platter with one or two croutons on it. Would you then pay them for the price of a fine meal? Somehow the word "sottish" (stupid) comes to mind.
Remember those 10 Virgins and how 5 of them did not make it to the marriage of the true Bridegroom? They did not have enough "oil" in their lamps from the Word of God, did they?[13] In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.
They should have read and taken heed to Hosea 4:6 that we read earlier: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:". Now let's look at Hosea 4:10 again.
Many Christians wonder why their prayers are not answered and why they are not blessed. It may well be "because they have left off to take heed to the LORD"? They do not study His Word so how could they take heed to His Word? Should our Father reward their disobedience to Him, even though they have been blinded by the blind (preachers)?Hosea 4:10
For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD.
Yes, judgment day is soon coming and our Father is presenting His case right here in this Book of Hosea. So consider yourself briefed on the complaint. However, if you are one of His faithful virgins and your name is written in the Book of Life as one who is forgiven and exempt, then you are blessed indeed, for you are not named as a defendant in this case.
All others shall give testimony and present their case before the Judge.
Jesus Christ warned us in Mat. 24, Mark 13, & Luke 21, that in the last days there would be great famine in the land because of the MANY Christian priests and preachers who would deceive and starve our people (to spiritual death) by not feeding them the Truth, i.e. the bread of life from the table of the Lord. These false prophets teach not from the true prophets but from "quarterlies" handed down by deacon boards and they cause our people to believe and practice the traditions of men; But, NOT OF GOD!!!
Therefore, as we learned in verse 10 in our last study, our people have become harlots and they commit gross spiritual whoredoms because they do not listen to the LORD, the Word of God.
Hosea 4:10
For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD.
The only problem is that most people do NOT know what that "fruit" was (she had sex with him/Satan anyway!) that she was not supposed to eat nor do they know who the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was.
As a result we are overrun in this 21st. century with Kenites (grand-children of Cain) revising our Bibles and telling our preachers what to teach or not teach!
BUT, JESUS TOLD US IN Matthew 13:27-30 To LEAVE THEM ALONE UNTIL HARVEST TIME.
The traditions of men would have Christians believe that the fruit was an "apple" and that the serpent was just a "snake". Not so! If those men, had read their Bible before they started that tradition; They would know that IS NOT SO!!!!
Editor's note: Eve knew what Satan wanted to do to/with her or else she wouldn't have said what she did in Genesis chapter 3 verse 3.
Genesis 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
But she believed the lie (his bad fruit) Satan told her in verses 4 and 5 and had sex with him anyway.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Look up the word touch in your Strong's Concordance. OK I'll do it for you. The Hebrew word is nâga‛ It means lay the hand upon (for any purpose; euphemistically, to lie with a woman); naw-gah' A primitive root; properly to touch, that is, lay the hand upon (for any purpose; euphemistically, to lie with a woman); by implication to reach (figuratively to arrive, acquire); violently, to strike (punish, defeat, destroy, etc.): - beat, (X be able to) bring (down), cast, come (nigh), draw near (nigh), get up, happen, join, near, plague, reach (up), smite, strike, touch.
The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (note: trees do not know anything about good and evil) was the beautiful and charismatic archangel, Satan himself, the first super-preacher of this flesh age. (For those with eyes to see, Satan is "the first and the last" false messiah of this flesh age.) He was that corrupt tree who brought forth the evil fruit in the beginning, i.e. the lies and false doctrines concerning the Word of God, that Adam and Eve "ate" from, as in consumed. It is written that the Tree of Life (Jesus Christ) was also in the garden of Eden, but Adam and Eve "took heed" and listened to the wrong tree! "Fruit" is symbolic of that which a person produces? Here is Jesus Christ explaining the fruit produced by "trees" which themselves are symbolic of persons (read Ezk. 31).
And so it is that Satan, the evil and corrupt tree, that old box cedar (Ezk. 31:30), will be cast into the lake of fire along with all the saplings (Kenites) he produces. So where should Christians get their "fruit" from? The answer is from the Tree of Life, from the eternal Word of God. In fact, later on in this Book of Hosea, (salvation) our Father will liken Himself to an evergreen tree (symbolic of eternal life) and He will declare that Ephraim, representing the 10 Tribes of the House of Israel, should get his "fruit" from Him:Matthew 7:17
Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.[18] A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
[19] Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
It is also written in Rev. 22:1 that throughout eternity we will receive "fruit" from that Tree of Life: "In the midst of the street of it [New Jerusalem], and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."Hosea 14:8
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.
So what happened to Adam and Eve after they ate the evil fruit from the corrupt tree in the midst of the garden? It is important that we take the time to understand what happened in the beginning, for the rest of this chapter in Hosea is actually self explanatory if you know how it was in the beginning.
So... to the garden we go...
This is the basic salvation message, from the very beginning, stated in the negative.Genesis 3:2
And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:[3] But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
If (1) you follow the spurious messiah (Satan) and (2) you are seduced by him, then (3) you will perish because you "believed not" the Word of God!
It must be pointed out again that the word "touch" in Hebrew has to do with "seduction".
Here is Strong's definition.
Now, here is what the first false preacher of God's Word had to say to Eve, for you can be sure He represented himself as one possessing great spiritual wisdom and knowledge:touch = naga`, naw-gah', Hebrew 5060; a primitive root; properly to touch, i.e. lay the hand upon (for any purpose; euphemism, to lie with a woman); by implication to reach (figurative to arrive, acquire); violently, to strike (punish, defeat, destroy, etc.) :- beat, (× be able to) bring (down), cast, come (nigh), draw near (nigh), get up, happen, join, near, plague, reach (up), smite, strike, touch.
[4] And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
The last I knew you can still download one FREE at:
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.
Note: You can also buy one, at a even lower price, on Amazon or even e-bay. I recently bought one for $35.00.
The Companion Bible contains notes directly from the Massorah text, pointing out any discrepancies from the original manuscripts.
The Companion Bible (KJV) The text is that of the Authorized Version of 1611 as published by the Revisers in their "Parallel Bible" in 1886. It is the absolute BEST Study Bible that I know of. Each Book of the Bible is introduced, outlined and it's structure is shown. Every page of the text has a parallel column jammed packed with explanatory notes. Many of the Old Testament notes are based upon Ginzberg's collection of the Massorah (small writings in the margins of the original Hebrew texts to prevent errors and bring attention to corruption during copying). E. W. Bullinger, the Editor of The Companion Bible, was the only Christian Ginzberg allowed to help him with his collection of the Masoretic Notes or even to see them. This is the ONLY place I know where an English reader has access to this extremely enlightening material. Plus, the New Testament marginal notes are a great help to any Bible student, as well! Not to mention the virtual treasure trove of Bible knowledge available in the 198 appendices in the back of the book.
Note: It should be understood that no one from the forming of " 'eth-'Ha 'adham ", with the article and particle, which means this same man Adam, as described in Genesis charter two, had "died" up to this point which is key to understanding why it is that the sons of God must be "born from above" and dwell in flesh bodies and experience the first death, the death of the flesh, BEFORE judgment! Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." Then they will know from their flesh experience what God is talking about concerning the second death, spiritual death, the death of their soul.
Additional note: It is true that humans had died, physically before that, but they were descendants of " 'adham ", without the article and the particle which means mankind, male and female, in general (the races) as described in Genesis chapter one.
But, I don't know if Adam and his help meet Eve knew that. They were isolated and lived in a special garden God made for them!
Satan used "religion", the profane reasoning of the Word of God, to deceive and seduce mother Eve. He told her that you do not need the Word of God to discern between Good and Evil, the Holy and the Profane, The Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, i.e. between Satan and Jesus Christ. That ability to "discern" between the Holy and the Profane will be what is taught in the Millennium by God's elect to those of the House of Israel who are deceived by the spurious messiah, Satan:[5] For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Ezekiel 44:23 "And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean."
As it is written, Satan's ceremonies and his sweet words
of comfort and promise of reasoned salvation (i.e., you won't surely die
if you are a good person) all sounded real good and reasonable to Eve.
She started to listen to the corrupt tree's profane wisdom and told her
husband Adam all about her newly found source of knowledge and wisdom. And the next thing you know, there was a orgy going
on! Right there in the Garden (Fig Grove)
Here we go again: (1) it looked and sounded good (like the correct interpretation of God's Word, i.e. like the good food, like the bread of life), (2) it "felt" real good, and (3) so it MUST BE the right tree to make one wise and lead one to salvation.[6] And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he* did eat.
And so it is written that Eve was first to believe Satan's version of God's Word and she convinced Adam whereby they both consumed (ate) his "fast food", his garbage
doctrines. Furthermore, Eve did "touch" the corrupt tree, i.e. she was physically seduced and became the first "harlot", the manifestation of being the first idolater. And as a result of her "seduction" she conceived and brought forth Cain, the offspring of the Serpent, the father of the Kenites.
That's right, Cain was not Adam's son which is why he is not listed in Adam's genealogy in chapter 5 of Genesis*. Cain's genealogy is listed in chapter 4 of Genesis.
* Note: For more details concerning what really happened in the garden of Eden, log unto and read "Genesis (Part 1)". Also, we receive many questions asking whether or not Adam participated in the seduction, the "affair", which took place in the fig grove. It is written that they both were deceived, i.e. ate of the bad fruit, Eve directly from the voice of Satan and Adam through the voice of the woman. It is not written that they both "touched" the tree, though they will both discover their nakedness. Obviously Eve did "naga" because she conceived and the result was that her punishment was to be sorrow (labor pangs) in child bearing which follows conception. Genesis 3:16 "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."
Adam's punishment was meted out because he listened to the sweet talking voice of the woman and thus ate of the SAME fruit of the tree, repeated through the mouth of the woman. Genesis 3:17 "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;". It seems apparent that Adam did not "dress and keep" the garden according to God's commands as it is written in Genesis 2:15-17 where we read, "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. [16] And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: [17] But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Had Adam properly "dressed and kept" the garden he was given charge over he would not have listened to the voice of Eve. Even so, if you properly "dress and keep" and "sow and cultivate" the Word of God, you won't be deceived either.
Now, let us pause for a moment and consider mother Eve. Do you think she was a bad person? Of course not! In fact, Eve knew of God's command not to eat of the fruit of the tree which was in the midst of the garden and she let Satan know so. Furthermore, there is no record of her disbelieving the command not to eat (consume) Satan's fruit (his lies)! How is it then that she was so easily deceived and seduced?
Must we re-quote Hosea 4:10?
Adam and Eve, God's children, were just like the MANY good Christian folks today. They did not "take heed" to the Word of God. Instead, they listened to Satan and swallowed his religious lies when he said "God said this and God meant that" when He did NOT! They did not return unto the Father and seek His counsel because... hey, it all looked and sounded true and it felt real good, just like Churchianity does today! Since they did not return unto Him, He would come to visit them in the "cool" of the day, i.e. in the "ruach" which is in the spirit (if you understand)!Hosea 4:10
For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD.
Let's return to the garden.
They got one rude awakening, didn't they? Then they tried to cover-up what they had done and hide themselves from the presence of the LORD God.Gen. 3:7
And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
As it was in the beginning, so shall it be in the end, when the Lord returns in the "cool of the day" and visits those who were deceived by the false-christ, "that old serpent called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world" who is "cast out into the earth, and his angels are cast out with him (Rev. 12:9)". It is written in Rev. 6:15-16 that when Yeshua returns those who were deceived will try to "hide themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; [16] And say to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb". They will know that they are spiritually naked and that they have been whores and harlots, and they will be greatly ashamed.[8] And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.[9] And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
[10]And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
Go ahead, listen to the Christian preachers and consume their fruit without checking them out in the Word of God! But be "warned" that if you do, you may find yourself as Adam and Eve, trying to hide your shame from the face of the Lord God because you thought the "fruit" you were eating at church was "good" to eat when all along you were being deceived and seduced and had become a spiritual WHORE! Your Father has told you NOT to eat bad fruit, so you had better check it out! Yes, if it all looks good, sounds good, and feels good, you better watch out![11] And He said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
Wine is produced from fruit and the wine that takes away the heart, which means takes away understanding, is made from BAD FRUIT! Our Father consistently, throughout His Word, use adultery and drunkenness to symbolize idolatry and spiritual fornication. Remember the famine of Amos 8:11?Hosea 4:11
Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.
The same is told of by the prophet Isaiah:
Only the "bread" and pure "wine" from the Word of God can give you life!Isaiah 29:8
It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.
Many people are spiritually drunk with religion, such as Churchianity, and it has blinded their eyes to truth. Our Father allows it to be so in order that they might discover their shame and their salvation may be effected.[9] Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.
The preachers and ministers, with all their sheepskins and Degrees of Divinity and Doctorates of Theology, cannot understand the simplicity of what happened in the garden of Eden. They present the Word of God to the people as being full of mysteries that only they, the learned, can understand.[10] For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.
You should hear the many "stupid" interpretations of the Book of Revelation by these so-called learned men of the cloth. Oh well, anyone who thinks a garden snake can trick someone into eating an apple cannot be expected to possess much in the way of spiritual understanding, can they? So let's take the Good Book to a layman (is that like a nagaman?) of the church:[11]And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:
The church member who has perhaps sat in a pew faithfully each week for 30 or 40 years says, "You will have to ask the minister, the learned man, what this verse means."[12] And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.
And so it continues with the blind leading the blind!
They sing praises and give glory to God, but they "have none understanding", i.e. their heart is removed ("taken away" as in Hos. 4:11), because all they know about God is what they have learned through the traditions of men! And that is BAD FRUIT! Again, many, many good natured Christians have attended church and Sunday school for years and years and yet they are still completely Biblically illiterate. Why? You know why, because of the famine, because the Word of God is not taught to them chapter by chapter and line by line. How can a person understand the Book of Hosea if they do not know the basic principles of His Word, like what happened in the garden? How long have you been a Christian? Have you gotten to the meat of His Word?[13] Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
Here is what Paul has to say about many churchgoers:
Our people sit in church pews and sing songs and give praise but they learn NOTHING. Their church is therefore a "House of Emptiness" which is "Beth-aven" in Hebrew. "Beth" means "house" in Hebrew. So Beth-el is "House of God", Beth-lehem is "House of Bread", etc.Hebrews 5:12
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
If you are unskillful in the Word of God, of how much use can you be to your Father? How could you possibly "dress and keep" His garden and "sow and reap" in His field, if you do not even know His instructions, much less "do" them?[13] For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Unless you "take heed" to the Word of God and follow Him, neither shall you be able to tell the difference between the Good Tree and the Bad Tree. Again, most Christians today eat exactly the same fruit Adam and Eve ate and they do not even know it! Their day of shame is soon coming![14] But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
"Stocks and staffs" are symbolic of "idolatry" and "divining rods" that people turn to for counsel and comfort instead of God's Word. Did you know an idol can be a church or a religion that even calls itself "Christian"? (Rev. 12:7-9) Did you know that when Satan is cast out of heaven to this earth he will call himself "Jesus"? You see, any spirit that is not of God and does not align with His Word is a "spirit of whoredoms" which cause God's people to err and go "whoring from under their God". Have you ever read what Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees, the religious leaders of the people, in Matthew 22:29 concerning erring? "Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God."Hosea 4:12
My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.
To that end we are instructed in 1 John 4:1"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." There are a bunch of "bad trees" out there who will cause you to be seduced. Our Father says "Test them" ALL with the Word of God before you believe them. You can either take heed to that command or take your chances and "wing it". Good luck!
Here is another question: Have you ever read about the "grove worship" upon the tops of the mountains, i.e. the religious sexual orgies of Ashtoreth, also known as Ishtar, from whom we get the word "Easter"? Speaking of whoredoms, did you know that Ishtar (Easter) was a "sex goddess" and that Ishtar "eggs" and "quick-like-a-bunny rabbits" are symbols of sexual fertility? Better get yourself a good Bible Dictionary and do a little research. You might be eating some really bad fruit, or shall we say rotten eggs!Hosea 4:13
They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery.
To understand this verse you need to look up the word "themselves" which means "men", as in priests. (Note: If you have a Companion Bible it will explain this verse.) In other words, what God is saying is that He is not going to just punish the whoring daughters and adulterous spouses (both of the House of Israel), because the men, the priests, are "seducing" the Temple-women right in the temples, which are supposed to be houses of God, i.e. Beth-els! You see, the same thing is occurring spiritually in the churches in this great nation! Do you understand? "The people that do not understand shall fall (Hos. 4:14)!"[14] I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall.
You better be careful where you "swear" as in where you give your allegiance and worship God. Father has instructed us not to "go ye up" and worship in a Beth-aven, a House of Nothingness, wherein there is no truth taught. As far as Judah is concerned... well, historically the House of Judah survived a little longer but also went the way of the House of Israel and became an harlot!Hosea 4:15
Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, nor swear, The LORD liveth.
Your Companion Bible will explain this verse which basically means that Israel has been as stubborn as an old heifer and so Father has to treat her and feed like a baby.[16]For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer: now the LORD will feed them as a lamb in a large place.
Ephraim is symbolic of the 10 tribes and the word "joined" means "mated" or "united". The House of Israel is joined, as in "mated to", to idolatry, which is simply Churchianity disguised as Christianity! You might even say that our people are barking up the wrong tree! You see, our people cannot tell the difference between religion and reality, between the fake Christianity and the real Christianity, between the fake Jesus and the real Jesus, between Satan and Jesus Christ, between the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life! They do not test the fruit they eat because (1) it looks good to eat, (2) it tastes and feels real good, and (3) therefore it must be the good and righteous tree! WRONG! Always remember where are you supposed to get your fruit? Remember also that the day is soon coming when Jesus Christ will return and (for 1000 years, during the Millennium) Ephraim, the 10 Tribed House of Israel (in fact ALL of Israel, Judah included), will no longer eat fruit from the bad tree.[17] Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.
Until then...Hosea 14:8
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.
Their "wine" that they think is so sweet and good tasting is SOUR, i.e. it is BAD STUFF, the product of Bad Fruit! It is the wine of the wrath of fornication and our people wallow in spiritual drunkenness from that sour wine. Their "rulers" tell them that the way to show your love to God is to "just believe" and do good deeds for your fellow man and give of your tithes and offerings. So what if God hates Easter! And you don't have to do all that "dressing and keeping" of the garden. You can fool around with the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. You also do not need to "try the spirits". Just have love in your heart.Hosea 4:18
Their drink is sour: they have committed whoredom continually: her rulers with shame do love, Give ye.
You hear this ALL THE TIME:
Excuse me dear Christian! Did you know that our good parents, Adam and Eve, died? The real question is, do you really know why?"Surely God will not cause a good hearted person who loves the Lord and tries his or her best to be kind and generous to die, WOULD HE?"
The "wind" is "ruach" in Hebrew which is symbolic of "spirit". Does the "spirit of whoredoms" have you bound up, i.e. in bondage, which is what the first part of this verse means? If so, you shall be as Adam and Eve, standing naked before the Lord while trying to cover your shame, because you have eaten the fruit from the wrong tree which your Father has warned you to stay away from, and you have become an harlot! May God give you eyes to see and ears to hear the truth of His precious Word.Hosea 4:19
The wind hath bound her up in her wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
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!
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.
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"! 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.
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.
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.
Hosea chapter 6
Are you familiar with God's plan of salvation? Unfortunately, very few Christians are aware that "salvation" is what this Book of Hosea is all about or even that the very name "Hosea" means "salvation", as in "deliverer"! Yet it is this Book of Hosea which tells us in graphic picture format, using such analogies as marriage and adultery, how our Father looks upon and feels about the horrible adulterous (idolatrous) affairs that His children commit. You see, it is their RELIGION of Churchianity, which has all the glitter and appearance of Christianity, but which teaches the traditions of men and ignores His Word, that is the adulterous debauchery of the House of Israel, yes even of America the Beautiful. Gomer has gone astray and become the bed partner of another "man" and her children of this day belong to another, the Instead-of-Jesus, Satan, himself.
However, it is written throughout God's Word that there is a day coming, called the Day of the Lord, when Jesus Christ will put an end to all the whoredom and idolatry in the land, and Gomer will return to her husband. Unfortunately for her, as with most professing Christians, she returns only after she has learned some hard lessons, after she has "suffered in her affliction" and "acknowledges her offence", her adulterous (idolatrous) ways, and stands poor and wretched and naked before her Lord when He returns from His "place". Until then, as both Peter and James tell us, the Lord waits patiently for that day lest she returns to Him now:
Hosea also tells us He waits "till" that day of reckoning, which is where we left off in our last study:2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.James 5:7
Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
Where is the Lord's place? Well, where did He go and return to? He returned to heaven following the crucifixion and now sits at the right hand of the Father and shall remain there until that day, until the sound of the 7th Trump. The question is, "What are you going to do until then?"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.
The amazing thing about correction is that children come to respect and to know in their hearts that their parents love them when their parents discipline them in love. Let me translate that as it concerns our people. America the Beautiful, the largest of the 10 tribes of Israel, after learning the hard way that her lovers cannot heal her nor bind up her wounds, will eventually come to know that it was the Lord God who corrected her and disciplined her in His unconditional love for His people. Unfortunately for most Christians, that realization will not occur until His return at the 7th Trump and they will miss out on the enormous blessings of the First Resurrection, which is the first granting of eternal life. It is written in Rev. 20:6Hosea 6:1
Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."
However, the invitation to the wedding is now open and as Hosea just said, "Come, return unto the LORD", meaning return NOW! If you do, He will grant you that eternal life when He returns and you shall live (forever) in His sight (1 Thes. 4:17).
[2] After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight.
Do you "follow on to know the LORD", i.e. study His Word and seek to know Him, or do you follow after the traditions of men? "His going forth is prepared as the morning" means it is already predetermined and "hewn in stone", and God's plan and timetable are as sure a thing as the sun coming up in the morning. He shall return on schedule, at the appointed time, which is near at hand! Until then, it is written in both the Book of Peter and the Book of James how the Lord now waits patiently (in His place) for the harvest, for the precious fruit of the earth, and He provides the former and the latter rain for that harvest. Do you know what the latter day rain is? It is his precious Word, as recorded in your Bible.[3]Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
James 5:7
Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
whereby you grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord and your love for Him increases each day.
Did you know that those who seek Him now and overcome the deception (mark) of the false messiah will be singing the Song of Moses, which is the 32nd chapter of Deuteronomy, at Christ's return? All that we have been learning concerning salvation in this Book of Hosea is contained in that song, so it is important that we know it. Here is the documentation that the overcomers will be singing it.
His judgments shall be made manifest (made known) when He returns. In other words, as we read in Hosea, at that time His people will know and will acknowledge their "offences" (Hosea 5:15) and that it was the Lord who "hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up (Hos. 6:1)."Rev. 15:2
And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.[3] And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
[4] Who shall not fear [revere] thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.
Let us read a few lines from the beginning of the Song of Moses:
Deut. 31:30
And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.
Jesus Christ, the Word of God, is that Rock upon whom the "wise" virgins, the wise Christians, build their houses!Deut. 32:1
Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.[2] My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:
[3]Because I will publish [proclaim] the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.
[4] He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
What have the "foolish" done?...
Their spot is not our spot means their blemish, i.e. their gross offence of whoredom/idolatry with another "rock", is not the spot or blemish belonging to His children who have remained faithful to Him.[5] They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.
Oh foolish people (who have not built upon the Rock) and unwise (void of wisdom from His Word), is it not the Lord God who has bought thee? Was it not He who paid the awesome price to redeem His children? He gave His life for them of which there is no greater act of love. So the question is, "What more can He do?"[6] Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?
He asks that very question through His servant Hosea:
"What am I going to do with you children?", He asks. "Your love is so fleeting, like the early morning fog and dew that are quickly burned away when the sun comes up. You go to church once a week and sing praises to me but do you ever crack the Book during the week and study my letter which I have written unto you?" The words of Isaiah 29:13 are so true: "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men." All most of our people know about the love of God is what they have learned through the traditions of men while they ignore His Word, which reveals the very nature and mind of our Father as well as His entire Plan of Salvation.Hosea 6:4
O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.
What this verse is saying is that the entire Plan of God, His Plan of Salvation for His people, is "cut in stone", i.e. hewn! That's right, the whole plan from the beginning is cut out and laid out by the prophets of God through whom He spoke His Words, the words of His mouth! Therefore, His people are WITHOUT EXCUSE! Jesus Christ said it simply and clearly in His own words in Mark 13:23 when He declared that He has foretold us ALL THINGS! "But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things (Mark 13:23)." Therefore, as we just read in Hosea 6:5, as SURE AS THE SUN COMES UP (which is what "as the light goeth forth" means) His judgments shall come to pass! YOU CAN COUNT ON IT![5] Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth.
And you know what? It is really too bad that His cup of wrath must be poured out because all our Father really wants from His children is their LOVE and devotion. He doesn't want their animal sacrifices or their money, etc.! He just desires that they love Him and get to know Him through His Word!
Hosea 6:6
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
As it was in the beginning so shall it be in the last days. Yes, from Adam (like "men") even to this day God's children have broken His covenant and they have been unfaithful (dealt treacherously) against Him. Even as Eve was seduced by the serpent (Satan) His children continue to break their spiritual marriage vows with total disregard as if they meant nothing. Even this very day, though our people have the Written Words of the Living Word right on their coffee tables or book shelves, they ignore His warnings and instructions He gave them through the prophets and the apostles and they have allowed themselves to be hypnotized and seduced by that old serpent, the false messiah, the prince and power of the air. And their "many" preachers of whom Christ warned them to be wary in Mat. 24 and Mk. 13, lead them right down the path to hell, to spiritual death. Would you like a graphic illustration to demonstrate the spiritual treachery and iniquity of today's preachers? Our Father gives us one in the next two verses.[7] But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.
Ramoth-Gilead was a city of refuge and of the priests and serves as an example of "them that work iniquity". Remember the words of Christ in Matthew 7:23 "... depart from me, ye that work iniquity."? Well, you can do your own homework and read the history of Ramoth-Gilead and of the "roadkill" on the way to Shechem for yourself. Just remember that it is an analogy of that which is spiritual. In other words, just as Gomer's physical adultery represents the spiritual idolatry of God's people, so does the bloodshed of Gilead represent the spiritual slaughter, the murder of the souls of His children who have been stalked and ambushed by the consent of the priests.Hosea 6:8
Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity, and is polluted with blood.
How do the priests commit spiritual murder? By their lewdness, i.e. by their IDOLATRY! Priests and preachers can be your most DANGEROUS enemies because they can cause you to become and remain a "spiritual whore" if you listen to them instead of God's Word! And our people just love their preachers and their churches of which many are nothing more than Beth-avens! However, it is not a pretty sight to our Father for He is horrified by the lewdness of the priests and His children in churches of our land.[9] And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent: for they commit lewdness.
How much more horrible can it be? Imagine seeing your wife commit adultery and give her love to another "man", i.e. SATAN! Oh America the Beautiful, God has so shed His grace on thee! Why do you forsake His Word for the love of church and the traditions of men? Why cannot you see your adultery? You are defiled indeed. You have "spots" and "blemishes" because you have allowed the "leaven", the doctrine of the Pharisees which Christ also warned against (Mat. 16:12, Luke 12:1), even the doctrine of the kenites, to infiltrate your houses of worship and you actually serve their "rock". "O come, all ye faithful... return now unto the Lord (Hos. 6:1)."[10] I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled.
Yes, there is an appointed time for the harvest, which means the "reaping of judgment", for the House of Judah too! The question is, "Will you continue listening to the preachers of Churchianity and wait until such time as the pain and shame of Israel's adultery is revealed at the sound of the 7th Trump, or will you turn to your Father now and love Him and seek His Word, which is to give Him His heart's desire?" Do you really love Him? He loves you and He has shown that love in so many ways! If you do not SEE it now, some day hopefully you will! I pray that happens before His return, for then the period of His grace will have ended, you will miss out on the First Resurrection; And your only hope for "Eternal Life" then will be "by your works during the Millennium" (The second Resurrection to Eternal Life) or You will face "The Second Death in the Lake of Fire". (TO BE NO MORE, THE SAME PUNISHMENT AS SATAN'S)! Hosea 6:6Hosea 6:11
Also, O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, when I returned the captivity of my people.
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
Hosea chapter 7
What is it that our Father desires from His children? If you are a parent yourself then the answer to this question is intuitive for He wants the same thing from His children as you want from yours. In other words, He wants His children to love Him and listen to His wisdom, His Word, so they can be happy and successful, which thus gives Him great pleasure and joy, which is WHY He created His children in the first place (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.) The question is, "Have you given Him much pleasure lately?"
Did you know that you can be a "very religious" person, a "good" Christian(by your own definition) (Mat. 7:22), and yet give your Father no pleasure at all? That's exactly what this verse implies. In fact, this is the "root" of the message of Hosea, the book of the salvation of His children. You see, you can be a fine upstanding member in your church and yet be a whore, an adulterer (idolater) in the eyes of God! How so? Because you listen to men and do what the church system teaches you to do instead of seeking Him and receiving your instructions directly from His Word.Hosea 6:6
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
We now begin our study of Hosea chapter 7, which opens with another heartfelt acknowledgment from our Father in which He expresses that He wants so much to heal His people Israel, but their adulterous (idolatrous) sins and their wickedness stand in the way.
You see, you cannot reward wicked and disobedient children, for then you send the wrong message whereby they believe their evil ways can produce good fruit and bring them the same rewards as those bestowed upon good and obedient children.
To have one's iniquity "discovered" means to be denuded as in "laid bare" before Him. Ephraim of course was the largest of the 10 Tribes of Israel, even as America is the largest of those same tribes today, and is used in a figurative sense (a Synecdoche - of the part) to represent of the whole house. Samaria was the capital of the northern 10 tribes, House of Israel, where the leaders assembled, the so-called guardians of the people. Isn't it interesting that "Samaria" means "watch mountain", which is "an appropriate designation for a city on a hill" (see "Davis Dictionary", Baker Publishers).Hosea 7:1
When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers spoileth without.
Guess what we call the place where our leaders meet in Washington, D.C.? Capitol Hill, "Samaria" indeed! Are there any falsehoods (lies) committed on Capitol Hill or do any "thieves" enter therein? Well, if there is such a thing as a dumb question, that's it! And while the leaders, the insiders, plunder "on the hill", the "troop of robbers", which if you recall from the last chapter (vs. 9) are the preachers and priests, "spoileth" without. The definition of the Hebrew word for "spoileth" says it all:
And so our people are "stripped" bare by both their politicians and their preachers, the latter stripping them of their spiritual clothing (and in too many cases as much money as possible).spoileth = pashat*, paw-shat', Hebrew 6584; a primitive root; to spread out (i.e. deploy in hostile array); by analogy to strip (i.e. unclothe, plunder, flay, etc.) :- fall upon, flay, invade, make an invasion, pull off, put off, make a road, run upon, rush, set, spoil, spread selves (abroad), strip (off, self).
They think the phrase "One Nation Under God" in our Pledge of Allegiance is just words, not a reality! Woe unto them! If they think they are going to get away with their iniquity they are in for a rude awakening because as we just read from the great Book of Hosea, their "own doings (works)" are right there in front of our Father's face. You see, our Father's data collection and storage systems operate in the spiritual dimension, which means they not only include a precise record of their actions, they do so even in the first person, which then includes a record of their motives and inner thoughts. Yes, just like parents compile "Baby Books" and "Picture Albums" and record videos of their children as they grow up, our Father likewise keeps complete records on His children, which records are called "books". And He has one with your name on it which is your complete testimony from birth (even from before the foundation of the world) unto death, both the first and the second if need be! Rev. 20:12 "... and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead (spiritually dead) were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." The good news for God's children who love Him is that when they repent and ask for His forgiveness, He erases their sin from their book, as if it was never written there![2] And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face.
Hey, the Executive branch and the Legislative branches love the corruptness of the thieves who come in! Some translations read, "the kings and princes are won over, or beguiled, by their wickedness and treachery". Today we call that methodology, "lobbying" on Capitol Hill. There's nothing like a corrupt king or president, is there? It just reminds me of one of the favorite sayings of a former employer of mine, "A Fish Smells From the Head Down"![3] They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.
They are ALL adulterers (idolaters), the kings, the princes and the people! In fact, they are so adulterous they never cool the fires of their lust until the next "go 'round", which is what this analogy of the baker and his oven, having been somewhat botched in the KJV translation, explains. In other words, like a baker with a "ready hot oven", they are eager to slam another loaf of bread into it even before the leaven has had time to make the dough rise properly! Plain and simply, they walk around like a bunch of dogs in constant heat! Got it?Hosea 7:4
They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened.
This verse also loses somewhat in the English translation. The word "him" should be read "themselves" (see note in Companion Bible). What is being said is that after they have beguiled the king and taken advantage of him with their treachery, they "party it up" by drinking wine and flattering themselves (look up "sick" in Strong's) at the king's own celebrations and yet he stretches out his hand to these scorners and scoffers. In other words, the king, therefore the government, supports these corrupt left wing, no good thieves and adulterers.[5] In the day of our king the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine; he stretched out his hand with scorners.
You see, the left wing enemies of our people, with their perverse and idolatrous agendas, are always "hot", like a flaming oven ready to burn God's people at anytime, day or night. The phrase "to lie in wait" is a figure of speech meaning to premeditate, which is what murderers do. And the phrase "their baker* sleepeth all the night" simply means that their "anger (hatred of that which is right, i.e. God's ways) smolders all night long" and in the morning it bursts into flames again. (Maybe that's where the phrase "Flaming Idiots" comes from!)[6] For they have made ready their heart like an oven, whiles they lie in wait: their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire.
* Due to a transcription error where the Hebrew letter "Ayin" was mistaken for the letter "Aleph" because they look so similar, the word "baker" in this verse should be translated "anger". Further explanation and documentation, with references to Dr. Ginsburg's Massorah, can be found in the marginal notes for verse six in the Companion Bible.
So do not be deceived. The heat from the fiery darts of the dragon devours all those who do not have on the Gospel Armor (Eph. 6), i.e. seek the Lord!
No matter what lies and falsehoods the ACLU or anyone else tries to tell you, we are a Christian* nation, "One Nation Under God", the God of the Bible, and the strength and blessings of our people and our nation come from following God and His ways. PERIOD! It does not come from diversity or technology or reliance on treaties with other nations! Do our judges and heads of state call upon the Lord, as in seeking wisdom and knowledge from His Word? No, they do not! They have even permitted the courts to throw God and the Bible out of our schools. And then they have the nerve to go to parties and celebrations and "stretch out their hands" to these scorners and scoffers! Yes, though some of our judges and leaders may occasionally acknowledge God's existence, they do not CALL UNTO HIM nor seek His counsel! That will soon change when the King of kings and Lord of lords returns and God's elect, the Zadok, will judge and reign for a thousand years (Ezek. 44) according to His Word.Hosea 7:7
They are all hot as an oven, and have devoured their judges; all their kings are fallen: there is none among them that calleth unto me.
* All one needs to do to document that we are a Christian nation is to simply look out across our country on December 25th; and read the inscriptions on the walls of our early 1800s government buildings.
Ephraim, the largest of the 10 tribes of Israel used figuratively to represent the whole House of Israel, has mixed himself among the people to the point that he has lost his identity. He does not know the simple history of the migrations* of his forefathers who went north over the Caucasus Mountains following their captivity by Assyria, and became known as the Cimmerians and the Celts, the Saxons, "Saac's sons", i.e. Isaac's sons. And thanks to the influence of the "strangers*", Ephraim, the true house of Israel (not the house of Judah), even considers himself to be among the ethos, i.e. as a gentile people, instead of the house of Israel. Therefore, he is like a half-baked cake, even one that is inedible or at least unpalatable. He needs to be turned over and have some "heat" applied to his backside, if you know what I mean.[8] Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned.
* If you do not know where the 10 Lost Tribes of Israel
are located today, it is time you do. Live Link to>>>> "Do you
know who you really are?"
Are you a Israelite?
Be thoughtful before you answer.
(Maybe you only think you're
a Gentile!)
Again, Ephraim's strength is in the Lord God and yet he does not know it because he does not realy"know" God! Why does he not know God? Because of the "strangers" within who have led him to commit idolatry through the traditions of man and to worship a god who is not God:[9] Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.
Have you yet learned the lesson and message of this Book of Salvation, the Book of Hosea? Gomer, Hosea's wife, became a whore (an idolatrous woman) and she slept with another man, a strange man (who claims he is like god), and her children, the lost tribes of Israel ( The Christian nations of western Europe and the Americas, &c.) belong to him! The stranger is of course the "Instead of Jesus/Satan", the imposter, the god of churchianity, who will soon come to this earth, in person, claiming to be the Messiah. And as it is written, the majority of Christianity will worship him as Jesus Christ which Paul calls the "great falling away" or the "great apostasy" in 2 Thes. 2:3.*strangers = zuwr, zoor, Hebrew 2114; a primitive root; to turn aside (especially for lodging); hence to be a foreigner, strange, profane; specifically (active participle) to commit adultery :- (come from) another (man, place), fanner, go away, (e-) strange (-r, thing, woman).
The arrogance of Israel, i.e. the Christian nations, who see their strength as the result of their own doings, shall testify against him through the suffering of the consequences of his adultery/idolatry! Yet, as it is written, through all the pain and suffering and chastisement, the majority of the house of Israel, i.e. the Christian nations, will not return to the LORD their God, nor seek His Word, until Jesus Christ returns![10] And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek him for all this.
In the heartfelt words of our Father:
Hosea 6:4 O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee?
The Book of Hosea: The book about the salvation of God's children who have gone astray and whored after other god's and who continually rely on everything and everyone else under the sun to give them peace and security except the ONLY one who can truly give those things to them, their heavenlyFather. It is sad but true and it was foretold by Jesus Christ Himself, that the majority of Christians in the last days would be deceived because the many preachers and teachers who come in His name will lead them, though not intentionally in many cases but through their own ignorance of His Word, to follow after Satan, the false Messiah, who will soon appear unto them disguised as the real Jesus Christ.
Which Jesus do you follow? There are two you know! Do you follow the Jesus taught by the traditions of men or do you follow the One who reveals Himself through His Word/ the Bible? Are you deceived by men's traditions and will thus be taken captive by the spurious messiah, Instead-of-Jesus, or do you have the wisdom through the knowledge of His Word, i.e. enough oil in your lamp, to see your way and endure until the end when the true Messiah returns at the 7th Trump?
Let us take a lesson from the history of our people.
Ephraim, the largest of and representative of the 10 tribes of the house of Israel, is like a deluded bird who does not have enough sense to know where to fly to. Chirp, chirp! Flutter, flutter! The analogy is that God's people do not have enough heart (wisdom from His Word) to be able to keep their sense of direction and know who it is that protects their nest and so they continue to forsake Him and continue to make alliances with other superpowers for their welfare and protection. Well, it is not like they haven't been warned. It is not like they do not have the Word of God, before them. It's laying their on the coffee table: hasn't been opened in years!!! (Did you know that the Bible has been the #1 Best Seller since the founding of our country?) Therefore God will see to it that they are chastised (vs. 12) for their disobedience and He warned them through His prophets, His Word, that they would be taken into captivity by the Assyrian, both then (physically) and now in these last days (spiritually).Hosea 7:11
Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.
Yes, "silly" (deceived) and "without heart" (void of wisdom) most surely and accurately describes our people to this very day:
silly = pathah, paw-thaw', Hebrew 6601; a primitive root; to open, i.e. be (causative make) roomy; usually figurative (in a mental or moral sense) to be (causative make) simple or (in a sinister way) delude :- allure, deceive, enlarge, entice, flatter, persuade, silly (one).There is one thing you can count on as sure as the sun coming up in the morning; Our Father is ALWAYS true to His word, and He said Israel, i.e. the Christian nations of north-west Europe, the Isles of Britain and the Americas, would go into captivity if they transgressed His covenant and so (physically) into captivity they did go, and (spiritually) they will go when Satan arrives claiming he is God:heart = leb, labe, Hebrew 3820; a form of Hebrew 3824 (lebab); the heart; also used (figurative) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything :- + care for, comfortably, consent, × considered, courag [-eous], friend [-ly], ([broken-], [hard-], [merry-], [stiff-], [stout-], double) heart ([-ed]), × heed, × I, kindly, midst, mind (-ed), × regard ([-ed]), × themselves, × unawares, understanding, × well, willingly, wisdom.
Remember that what happened to our people in the past happened as a type (see 1 Cor. 10:11) for our benefit, for our admonition, so that we "upon whom the ends of the world (age) are come", can get a clear visual PICTURE in our minds of what will befall us spiritually in these last days. Because you see, the captivity and the battle of these last days is a spiritual conflict, a battle for the inner souls of men that cannot be seen with the flesh eye. In other words, you can see an actual sword slice through a man's flesh, but you cannot see a spiritual sword slice through a man's soul. Neither can you "see" the "spiritual captivity" of our people by the soon coming King of Babylon (Satan as the false-christ), but you can "see" the physical captivity of our people by the historical King of Babylon.2 Kings 17:4
And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.[5] Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.
[6] In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
Paul explains:
If you understand this one simple principle it will help you to understand the entire Bible, including prophecy, much more clearly. For example: The seduction by the fallen angels that took place before flood of Noah, and the devastating flood of Noah itself, helps us visualize the spiritual seduction of God's people and the spiritually devastating flood of lies soon to drown the whole world in deception. That is why Christ said Luke 17:26-27 "And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. [27] They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all."1 Cor. 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.
1 Cor. 10:11
Now all these things happened unto them (the anceint Israelites) for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
We just learned here in the Book of Hosea that God said our people would go to Assyria because of their whoredoms (idolatry), their seeking after other gods and relying on alliances with other nations for their protection. And so shall it be in these last days that our people are going into spiritual captivity for the same reasons. You know the saying, "History repeats itself." Therefore history is actually prophecy, isn't it?
You see, our Father warned our people when He made His covenant with the whole congregation of Israel, that if they would keep His laws and obey His commands He would greatly bless them and protect them. However, if they transgressed against Him they would be severely chastised (see Deut. 27:14-26).
Though Israel was like a bird who flew her nest, God never ever lost track of exactly where she went and even where she makes her nest this very day! Do you know where the lost tribes of the house Israel dwell today?Hosea 7:12
When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard.
And Live Link to>>>> "Do you know who you really are?"
Are you a Israelite? Be thoughtful before you answer. (Maybe you only think you're a Gentile!)
When you are on the receiving end of a "Woe" from God, you have got Big Trouble! Jesus Christ said in Mat. 24:19, Mk. 13:17, and Luke 21:23, "And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!" He was speaking in spiritual terms concerning the spiritual whoredom in "those days", which are "these last days". In other words, just as the analogy of Gomer's(Israel's) adultery is given to graphically show our people's spiritual idolatry, the words of Christ and the lesson to be learned in this 7th chapter of Hosea is that if you are "silly" (deceived) and "without heart" (without wisdom from His Word) in these last days, you will be spiritually seduced and will be taken spiritually captive by Satan. i.e., you will worship the wrong Jesus Christ, the false Messiah/Satan when he comes to earth claiming to be God.[13] Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me.
It is not that our people do not recognize that there is a God. It's just that most of them do not really know Him through His Word because their heart is not right with Him. Oh, they assemble themselves for corn and wine, but in doing so they actually rebel (turn away, apostatize) against Him. And they cry alright, but not unto Him to sincerely seek His will. They howl and cry "poor me baby" and "help me", yet they are unrepentant because they STILL will not seek His Word to keep His covenant. They therefore remain in their unfaithful, adulterous state of idolatry, i.e. in their apostasy. If you would like a clear, precise vision of exactly how our people are, then read the entire 78th Psalm.[14] And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me.
Here is an excerpt:
Again, His children are a bunch of whiners and murmurers who cry "Why me?" and "Help me, Oh God!" and when He does they return again to their idolatry, their traditions of men, and forsake Him until the next time they are in trouble. No, their heart is not right with Him. They never seek His Word to remain stedfast in His covenant, and yet that is where their strength and their power does lie. Jesus Christ said in Luke 10:19, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." He is our power and our might.Psalm 78:35
And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.[36] Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.
[37] For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.
God is our Rock, our strength, and our salvation. Have you ever read the history of Israel's battles and conflicts in the Old Testament. If you have, or if you do, you will find that EVERY TIME the king and the people turned to God, they were victorious and EVERY TIME they forsook Him the victory belonged to the enemy. "O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee (Hosea 6:4)?" Are we stupid or something? (all Those things happened, so that we, by that example, can know what we will face SPIRITUALLY in these last days)Hosea 7:15
Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me.
Check out the words "imagine" and "mischief" used in verse 15 in your Strong's Concordance. To "imagine mischief" against God is simply to "weave or fabricate" (imagine) "good for nothing" (mischief) traditions of men. It reminds one of Ezekiel 13 where the false prophets weave or "sew pillows" over the outstretched saving and protecting arms of our Father. In other words, they hide and cover up the truth with their fabrications and their lying divinations and their phony-bologna fly-away doctrines. THEN... they want God to bless them. Go figure!1 Cor. 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.
Ephraim keeps shooting and shooting his arrows toward heaven but he is too "silly a bird" and too "without heart" to realize that without God's Word he is always using an "untrue bow" and consequently he always misses the mark, and always will until he wises up. Others watching this silly action, i.e. watching him stand there and shoot arrows with a crooked bow and wonder why they miss their target, mock him and deride him. You can hardly blame them, can you? Our next study begins with a warning to Sound the Alarm, Blow the Trumpet, because as it is written, our people are about to be taken captive once again.[16] They return, but not to the most High: they are like a deceitful bow: their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue: this shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.
Hosea chapter 8
It is the dawn of The Millennium and the prophecies contained in the Word of God are rapidly coming to pass exactly as they are written, exactly as God said they would in both the Old and the New Testaments. You see, there eventually comes a time when the last grains of sand finally run out of the hour glass signaling that "Time's about Up"! We are now down to those last few grains of sand, or as Jesus Christ said in Luke 21:31 "So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand." We now see those things He spoke of coming to pass.
We have been studying the great Book of Hosea, the book written concerning the salvation of the 10 tribes of the house of Israel, which details the adulterous (idolatrous) transgressions of God's children and their ensuing chastisement that they were duly warned would befall them should they choose to break His covenant. In other words, Israel's captivity by the Assyrian and their subsequent scattering among the nations was written and pre-determined to befall them long before they actually took place. AND, they were given sufficient notice and warned by the true prophets of God that unless they repented and turned from their whoredoms and returned to their true Husband, the LORD God who brought them out of the bondage of Egypt with a mighty hand, they would face the swift onslaught of the Assyrian and be taken away captive. However, as it is written, they preferred listening to the soothsaying priests who told them not to worry and that God would protect them from the Assyrian. I guess they were both in error, weren't they? They should have listened to the Word of God instead of heeding the words of men, especially preachers! The rule you should ALWAYS go by is to NEVER let any man, this man or any other, convince you that the Word of God says this or that without any documentation and more importantly, without you first checking it out in His Word.
And it all happened as a example of what we, in this last generation will face SPIRITUALLY IN THESE LAST DAYS!!!!! 1 Cor. 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.
And so it came to pass exactly as it was written, exactly as the prophets of God WARNED them would happen, that the Assyrian did come swiftly against the house of Israel because of their idolatry and took them all away (2 Kings 17:4-6). Let it be known, therefore, to the children of God in these last days, that the prophecy and the history stand written and they combine to confirm that the Word of God is true! Why is that important? Because what happened historically to the House of Israel was a type of that which WILL befall us in these last days. Do you remember Paul's words in 1 Cor. 10:11 which we quoted above? "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." Don't FORGET IT!!!
Therefore, as it is written, the Assyrian, one of the names given to Satan (Isa. 14:25 ), is about to descend swiftly against the present day house of Israel and take them all away into captivity once again. Only this time it will be a spiritual captivity, and effect your SOUL for all ETERNITY, not your Physical body!
So the question now is, "Are you are a watchman of God?" Do you know the duties of a watchman? Do you know that His watchmen of this final generation are those sons and daughters spoken of by Joel the prophet and quoted by Peter on Pentecost Day in Acts 2, who would understand (See) the visions of the prophets and teach and warn God's children that the Assyrian, the false-christ, is soon coming BEFORE the return of Jesus Christ (2 Thes. 2)? If you know that and you are one of His watchmen, then this next verse is written to you.
Blow ye the trumpet! Sound the alarm! Warn our people! He, the Assyrian, the spurious messiah, shall come swiftly, as an eagle (or vulture) descends, against the House of Israel, i.e. the Christian nations of this 21st. century, because they have broken His covenant and played the role of the harlot though their idolatry! Do you think that Hosea is being told to preach some "new" revelation to the House of Israel, something they did not or should not already know? No, it was already written in God's Word, in the "law"!Hosea 8:1
Set the trumpet to thy mouth. He shall come as an eagle against the house of the LORD, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law.
That nation is the Kenites.Deut. 28:49
The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;
Here is the documentation of who Hemath is:
And the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Suchathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab.
ïP÷ qayin kah'-yin #7014 The same as H7013 (with a play upon the affinity to H7069); Kajin, the name of the first child, also of a place in Palestine, and of an Oriental tribe:—Cain, Kenite (-s).
You better learn who they are for like locusts they have already consumed the treasuries and most of the "vineyard" of true Israel (think America and Europe!) plus (International Bankers). In chapter 7, Amos will be shown a vision of the locusts and see how "small" Jacob, the natural seed of the House of Israel, has been reduced to when the locusts have finished "eating all the grass". Don't miss it! Live Link to- Locusts, Locusts, Everywhere!
I'll bet you think the president makes all the decisions for our country! Live Link to->>> Who controls the United States Economy?
Sorry for the long side trip, Now back to our Hosea chapter 8 study:
Have you ever seen an eagle swoop down and take its prey? Then you have a "VISION" in your mind of how the "Assyrian" (Satan, as the false messiah) shall come "Fast and Furious" against our people in these last days! Plus you have the historical type to serve as an ensample!
So blow ye the trumpet! Sound the alarm, watchman!
Oh yes, it is also written in Eccles. 1:9 "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun." When the sand finally runs out of the hour glass in the final "hour" of this last generation and it is too late to heed the warning of the trumpet, then shall our people shall cry unto God, as they did in the past, "We know thee, Lord!" Hmmm, this will once again pose a severe credibility problem for them because obviously they did not believe His Word nor heed His warning! If this next statement comes as shock to you, then so be it, unless you are newly converted Christian; But if you have been a Christian for some time now, then to SAY that you KNOW the Lord God, the "Living Word of God", and yet you do not KNOW the "Written Word of God", makes you a liar!"Hosea 8:2
Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee.
His "commandments" are not just the 10 Commandments, as this verse even documents. His commandments are His WORD, the TRUTH, which cannot be IN those who have not studied it or even read it with understanding, can it? John 17:17 "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." Therefore, you can do all the "things" your church may tell you, will "make you" a good Christian, like going to church every Sunday, and helping with the food drives, and giving money to charities and missionaries and the church, and recruiting members, etc. etc. Certainly we are not condemning doing good and wonderful works. However, is it through all those wonderful works that you can come to KNOW the Lord God or is it through His Word, His Spirit of Truth?1 John 2:4
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
Hear the words of the Lord which will be spoken after the sand runs out of the hour glass:
"Israel, i.e. most of the folks who in this 21st century, call themselves Christians, shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee" (Hosea 8:2).Matthew 7:22
Many will say to me in that day, 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?
Sorry, that is not true!
Why doesn't He KNOW them? Because they never took the time to KNOW Him, to keep His Word, to "study to show themselves approved unto God" (1 Tim. 2:15). As James said in James 4:8, "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." Their hearts were not right with God. They did not hunger and thirst and seek to consume their "daily bread", i.e. His Word. They were satisfied with milk and crumbs perhaps once a week on Sunday morning! Sure, they were very religious and went to their Beth-Avens (houses of emptiness) regularly and did all sorts of wonderful humanitarian works, etc., but they did not "keep", i.e. hold fast, His Word and they allowed themselves to be led astray into idolatry, to stand before the golden calves, which is to become a spiritual whore as this Book of Hosea so declares! Therefore, they were not sanctified according to John 17:17, were they?[23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
It is a fact that "We the People" of The United States of America, the leader of the free Christian nations of the world, have true to prophecy become a nation of Biblical illiterates. The great spiritual "famine" of the end time prophesied by Jesus Christ and recorded in Amos 8:11-13, has come to pass! Yes, the house of Israel has cast off the knowledge of His word, His truth, and today they have gone one step further and even cast off the knowledge of their own heritage.Hosea 8:3
Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him.
In other words, the majority of those who are of the House of Israel do not even know who they are, that they are of the house of Israel (not Judah). They believe that they are as the other nations, i.e. that they are gentiles. Well, the sand ran out of the hour glass in the days of Hosea, and we are now running out of the sands of time in this generation of the fig tree! So, Blow ye the Trumpet! For as it is written in Hosea 7:12, "... I will chastise them", saith the LORD God.
Do not be deceived, the "Assyrian"/Satan, will soon be swiftly upon us, in person! Will you recognize him or will you believe he is God, as he'll claim to be?
They set up kings, but not by His counsel, i.e. they have set up kings who do not serve God according to His Word. Instead, they have set up civil and religious leaders who do not know His Word and who place idols before the people, thereby cutting them off from His blessings.
Again, there is nothing new under the sun. Not only do our ministers and preachers set up idols and a false sense of security with their traditions of men and their rapture theories which promise our people they will not face the "Assyrian", (Satan) but our civil leaders today, who seldom even give lip service to God or His Word, set up false security through their entitlement programs and other "systems" while at the same time declaring an era of peace, peace.
You should know the story of the golden calves of Samaria and how Jeroboam set up the altars and the calves so that the people could worship God without going to Jerusalem as God commanded.[5] Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off; mine anger is kindled against them: how long will it be ere they attain to innocency?
Here is the narrative from 1 Kings 12:25-32:
It all looked so religious but it was a bunch of "Bull" and it was sinful indeed as far as the Word of God is concerned.Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel. [26] And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David: [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. [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. [32] And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.
The lesson to be learned here is that you had better be able to discern what the "golden calves" of modern Christianity, as taught in most all of our 21st century so-called Christian churches, are and not let "idols" of any sort, whether they be money or possessions or the traditions "made by men", cause you to stray from the Word of God and from keeping His commands, i.e. His Word. The question asked in the last half of Hosea 8:5 is, "How long will it take before our people are no longer guilty of such adultery (idolatry)", i.e. until they are innocent?
Unfortunately for most of God's children, it seems, it will not be until all the sand runs out of hour glass in this flesh age, and they miss out on being part of the "First resurrection into Eternal Life"! And therefore; Salvation by The Grace of God! And they will have to earn salvation, at the "Second Resurrection to Eternal Life", based on their works during "The Millennium"!
The golden calves of Samaria, which means "watch mountain" where the watchman are supposed to be on guard, were made by and set up by men CONTRARY to the Word of God, just as the traditions of men have been set up in most of today's So-called Christian churches, the system of worshipping God, set forth in substitute for studying and keeping His Word, are concocted and set up by men.n mostHosea 8:6
For from Israel was it also: the workman made it; therefore it is not God: but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.
Remember what happened to the calf when Moses returned from the mountain of God in Exodus 32:19-24?
Well, the modern day "calves" of Churchianity SHALL likewise be destroyed at the return of Yeshua.
In summary, "Make sure you seek the Lord and study His Word so that the Truth dwells in you!" Otherwise, as it is written, you are full of "Bull"!
1 John 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him
The questions to consider for today are: If you have never read the Personal Letter that your heavenly Father has written to you, then how would you know for sure what it is that pleases or displeases Him? Do you rely on the words of some man (your preacher) who claims to be an official letter reader to tell you what your Father wrote to YOU? Certainly it is a good and wonderful thing to have a knowledgeable and gifted teacher, but is the Word of God just written to ministers and priests to read and understand?
Some churches claim that is so, but it is NOT SO! In fact, you can read in Acts 17 where the Bereans, after listening to the words of the apostle Paul, the servant of God who wrote the major portion of the New Testament, searched the scriptures "daily" themselves to see if what Paul was telling them aligned with God's Word!
That's right, they
checked him out just as you are commanded to do in
1 John. 4:1 with what
you hear preached or taught! So do you test the words
of your preacher or priest or pope or bishop or elder, etc., to see if
they align with God's Word? Hopefully you do! Otherwise you are
already disobedient to His Word starting with 1 John 4:1 and 2 Tim. 2:15.
Here is the account of the noble Bereans readiness to seek and verify the truth of God's Word:
Why is this so important? Because of deception and because it is written and it is a fact that "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap". Never forget this because God will not be mocked by man, either on purpose or in ignorance!Acts 17:10
And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.[11] These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
You see, many Christians in their ignorance, in their blindness to truth caused by listening to the traditions of men, i.e. the doctrines and rituals of churchianity, believe that their "sacrifices" and their "offerings" are pleasing to God.Galatians 6:7
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
The question again is, "How would they know? How many Christians do you think have ever read the Book of Hosea (salvation) where God calls His children a bunch of spiritual whores who worship in Beth-avens, houses of emptiness, where rituals and worship abound but the Word is not taught?"
Yes, it is strong language! Certainly we are not condemning churches or judging our good hearted brothers and sisters, but the reality is that even if a person is blind or ignorant he will STILL reap what he sows! Make no mistake about it! "Be not deceived! God is not mocked!"
For example, you may be told by some likeable though misinformed preacher type and you may believe with all your heart that the corn seeds you are planting are watermelon seeds! Do you then think that just because you are expecting watermelons to grow that that is what you will get? Sorry! You plant corn seeds, even if you believe they are watermelon seeds, you get a corn crop! As the teenagers say, "Deal with it!" Seems to me a wise person would what to make certain he (or she) knows what he is planting, especially if his life depends on it!
Then too, we have the historical record of our forefathers
who did some sowing of their own! Remember in our last study that they
set up kings, but not according to God's counsel, and they worshipped,
went to church, where the Golden Calves were set up rather than go down
to Jerusalem as commanded by God.
Hey, they were told it was OK, but not
by God! On the contrary, we documented in our last study that they were
WARNED against such idolatry!
Let's continue in the 8th chapter of Hosea and see what our Father has to say about their worship practices and their "own version" of sowing seeds of faith:
Even though Christ Himself said that many Christians will be deceived in the last days (Mat. 24, Mk. 24) and they will later come to Him claiming to have worshipped and done wonderful works in His name (Mat. 7), some Christians just do not see how a good church-goer could be said to be doing anything wrong because they are worshipping God and Jesus, are they not?Hosea 8:7
For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.
I guess the question is, "Can you worship God and Jesus in vain, i.e. for nothing?" Well, it doesn't matter what I say, because you will check me out anyway, right?
So let's cut out the middle man and let the Lord Himself answer that question. In Mark 7:5 Jesus had just been asked by the Scribes and Pharisees why His disciples eat bread with unwashen hands:
Yes, you can worship God in vain by following the doctrines and traditions of men and the church systems they have set up on the hill! You may think that you are sowing good seeds but even in your ignorance if you are in fact sowing to the wind, you will reap a crop of wind, even a whirlwind! And of course without God's blessings, without pleasing Him by listening to Him, even if you did yield a crop of corn, God would chastise you, His child, and see to it that it was consumed by strangers!Mark 7:6
He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.[7] Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
And so it came to pass, in the past, even as it has once again come to pass this very day, "that Israel (Today's descendants, being the Christian nations of western Europe and the Americas) has forgotten his maker (vs. 14)", i.e. left off His Word, and "sowed to the wind" according to the traditions of men, all the while believing he was (and is) doing the right thing and worshiping God. Nevertheless, he did reap what he sowed and he was taken captive by the Assyrian as swiftly as an eagle swoops down and captures its prey and carries it away!
Israel was indeed swallowed up and his chastisement came to pass exactly as it was written. Remember 2 Kings 17:6? "In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes." Therefore the once great nation of Israel has become about as pleasing to God as a "broken pot"![8] Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.
Like a wild ass wandering astray in the wilderness all alone, so go the children of Israel who have forgotten their God by committing fornication and adultery (idolatry).Hosea 8:9
For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself...
Here is how Isaiah describes them:
This is a hard reality check! God says that even a dumb ass knows his master's crib, but Israel is not even that smart! They are dumber than a dumb ass because they do not "consider" as is "discern" and "understand", i.e. they do not use their brains and study His Word!Isaiah 1:3
The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
Why not? Because quite frankly, just as we notice many of our brother's and sister's attitudes when we look around us today, they just don't give two corn cobs.
Will the 10 tribes of the House of Israel (Christians of Western Europe and from the Americans) get away with turning their backs on the Holy One of Israel? Ha! Can donkeys fly? He said, " Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." You can rest assured and be confident that our Father is completely fair and everyone gets exactly what they have coming to them.[4] Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
So Israel, represented by the largest tribe of Ephraim, having forsaken God by forgetting God, by not considering His Word, resorted to hiring (buying) friends and allies for protection and security. That's a "Big No No" according to His commands.
This practice of buying friends and allies is continued big time by the United States of America as long as I can remember! And you want to talk about "dumb and dumber"? An harlot usually charges her lovers for her services, right? Not good old Israel (America). She PAYS THEM!Hosea 8:9 (continued...)
Ephraim hath hired lovers.
Editor's note written in January of 2017, shortly after Donald Trump took office: Will Donald Trump change that? I hope and pray he does! I believe he intends to, at least until the International Bankers start to threaten him!
Here is how Ezekiel describes her using the same adultery/idolatry terminology as Hosea:
She pays them to be her lovers/allies! The word contrary means "reverse" or as we say "bass ackwards"!Ezekiel 16:32
But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband![33]They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom.
[34] And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.
What have we learned so far today? "You reap what you sow", right? Therefore, because Ephraim has forgotten God and acted contrary to His commands, instead of his allies helping him and coming to his aid, God will gather them against him and Ephraim will suffer for a little while under the tribute (burden) paid to the king of princes.Hosea 8:10
Yea, though they have hired among the nations, now will I gather them, and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes.
What does it mean that Ephraim, who is representative of the 10 tribes of Israel, has made (multiplied) many altars? It means that there are a multitude of churches in the nation, one on every street corner in some towns, but as we have learned, many are merely Beth-Avens, houses of emptiness, whereas they should be Beth-Els, houses of God. Therefore, Ephraim's religions and his churches are a sin unto him even as the worship services before the golden calves of Samaria were sin unto him.[11] Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sin, altars shall be unto him to sin.
The sad part of all this is that our people are really without excuse. Unlike those who lived in the Dark Ages where access to the Word of God was prevented and denied by the church*, i.e. the Light of Truth was all but snuffed out (hence the term the Dark Ages), we in this nation do have access to the entire written Word of God. But now, there are many times more Bibles in this land than there are people, but there are few people who have "considered it", i.e. read it with understanding.
* If you have not read "The Letter to the Reader", the
rather lengthy preface written to the English reader by the translators
of the King James Bible, then log unto this file.
Chances are that you did not even know this document exists because the Kenite publishers have removed it from the pages of your Bible.
This is our Father speaking! He has now given us the entirety of His WRITTEN WORD! And it is not just the critics and scoffers of today who consider it a strange, foreign, alien thing! Most Christians believe it is a "strange thing", as in hard to read and understand. But it is really not that difficult at all if you use common sense, a good translation, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide and direct you instead of preconceived ideas! As we have learned in this Book of Hosea (vs. 6:6), all our Father wants is for His children to love Him and obey His commands, His Voice, i.e. His Word, the Bible. It is not their "sacrifices" and their "offerings" and the rest of their religious practices and traditions that He seeks.Hosea 8:12
I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.
Here is a second witness to His desires:
He wants His children to be well, to be happy and successful and secure.Jeremiah 7:21
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh.[22] For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
[23] But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.
You cannot buy happiness. It comes as a result of listening and obeying your Father. You reap what you sow![24] But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
All the words of those prophets are written and recorded for you and me. In other words, those same prophets have been sent to us this very day (they're all recorded in your Bible)! But, Do our people read them, listen to them and hearken unto their voices? NO!!!![25] Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them:
They could give two corn cobs![26] Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.[27] Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee.
There is a great famine in our land, "not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD" (Amos 8:11).[28] But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.
Question: The truth has been cut off, our people do not know His Word so how could they possibly obey His voice? Answer: They can't and they don't! They worship and serve God after the traditions of man not according to that which is written in His Word! Soooo... they reap what they sow.
It is so true that our brothers and sisters whom we love very much truly believe that God approves of their sacrifices and offerings. They truly believe that the church they go to is a Beth-el and not a Beth-aven. Remember what we just covered in Jeremiah and in Hosea 6:6 which we covered just a few short studies ago? Our Father wants His children's "love" and He wants them to "know" Him (through His Word) rather than all their burnt offerings (sacrifices). But they are so deceived by the traditions of men perpetuated by the churches and the many ministers who come in the name of Christ, that they believe that what they do is pleasing to our Father! You can be sure most of them have never read the Book of Hosea and you can be sure that they have no idea, no clue, that they are spiritual whores! Again, we not judging nor condemning them. Our Father loves all of His children very dearly and He will see to it that they are chastised and disciplined and that He is brought into their remembrance.Hosea 8:13
They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; but the LORD accepteth them not; now will He remember their iniquity, and visit their sins: they shall return to Egypt.
Here is your documentation about their salvation by WORKS: (This is at the close of the Millennium)
Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
(The sins of those folks are still covered by the Blood of Christ, but no longer by grace!)
Now back to our study:
But because they have forgotten Him and because they have not "considered" His Word but have become spiritual harlots by allowing themselves to be deceived by the traditions of men, they shall return to Egypt, which is to return to captivity! They shall reap what they have sown! The Assyrian, as antichrist/Satan, shall soon come again and take them captive.
Just as the House of Israel has forgotten who they are, i.e. that they are true Israel, they have also forgotten who their true Maker is because they have not listened to His voice, His Word. But they continue to build one church after another and both Israel and Judah think they can protect themselves with "fortification made by man" instead of relying upon their Maker.[14] For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.
Too bad, for it is written:
Deception as defined by Webster is "believing something to be true when it really isn't"!Galatians 6:7
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
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. 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, 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:
Hosea chapter 10
Did you know that the overcomers of the great tribulation will sing the Song of Moses, which is the 32nd chapter of Deuteronomy, at the victory celebration when Christ returns? Here is the record of that event by the apostle John in Rev. 15:
That's right, those singing the Song of Moses are those who have gotten the victory over the beast (Satan, the false-christ), and his image (his public persona as Jesus Christ), and over his mark (deception in their minds, i.e. in their foreheads), and over the number of his name Live Link to-> 666 (if they know how to use "pebbles" (small stones from Tyrus, not from our Rock) to enumerate with in tracing his children, the kenites).Rev. 15:2
And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
You see, there is nothing new under the sun. As it was in the beginning so shall it be at the end. Only the Lord's ways, His commands, are "just and true" and He is the King of the saints. But as the history of our people from the beginning reveals, when God's children experience good times and prosperity and His blessings rain down upon them, then they seem to get real busy and forget God and forsake His Word. Worse yet, they then ascribe their success to their own greatness and their own devices. Oh, but when trouble suddenly overtakes them, then they pray (usually whine and moan).[3] And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
Here are some excerpts from that great Song of Moses:
The last verse in Deut. 31 documents that the 32nd chapter which follows is the Song of Moses. Let's pick it up in verse 9.Deut. 31:30
And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.
Israel was His heart's delight, the apple of His eye!Deut. 32:9
For the LORD'S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.[10] He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.
God greatly blessed the children of Israel and all they had to do was the same thing Adam was instructed to do, which was to "dress and keep the garden" according to His Word, which of course means to keep His Word, His commandments, and stay away from strange gods, i.e. idolatry, pronounced "Idol-a-Tree". And you know the "tree" we are talking about, the one that produces bad fruit in the midst of the garden!Deut. 32:13
He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock;[14] Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.
Jeshurun means "upright" and is a symbolic or poetic name for Israel. To means to become a "wax fat""fat cat" as we would say today. It seems that when things are really going well and God's children are busy enjoying the prosperity produced by His blessings that we cannot seem to find time for Him, for studying His Word, or for plowing the ground, or for planting seeds, or for producing good fruit. Those who are familiar with the political phrase "It's the Economy Stupid" can apply it as an updated version of verse 15.[15] But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
This is exactly the same thing we have been reading in Hosea. Their strange gods are all one form or another of the "abominable one", the abomination of desolation, the spurious messiah, i.e. Satan.[16] They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger.
Our people just love religion which is NOT what Christianity is all about, because you see, Jesus Christ is for real![17] They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.
Same old, same old story! There is nothing new under the sun! It seems it "Takes a Village Destruction", i.e. much chastisement and calamity to get the attention of Americans these days. Yet, they are ignoring all the signs and warnings which are all around us.[18] Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.
Our Father is becoming increasingly angry with the whoredom/idolatry of our people today who worship in Beth-avens, houses (churches) of emptiness, void of the teaching of the Word of God, whereby in their ignorance of that Word they blindly give obeisance to the golden calves of the traditions of men! And what is the reward of sowing such wickedness?[19] And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters.
They have faith in something, just not in Him! For if our people truly had faith* in Him they would "believe" Him and be doers of His Word, which is a requirement to please Him (Rom. 2:13, Ja. 1:22). Do you know that there are two types of faith, one that pleases our Father and one that doesn't?[20] And He said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.
*Note: If you would like to know more about real "faith" then study the great Book of James, which many people are surprised to learn was actually written to the tribes of Israel who were taken captive by Assyria and scattered abroad, even to these Americas. James 1:1 "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting."
And now to the Book of Hosea, chapter 10:
This is a description of "Jeshurun waxing fat" and means "Israel is a constantly emptying vine", constantly emptying itself of fruit, i.e. bringing forth much fruit. And of course the more and more he is blessed, the more he "waxes fat" and the more idolatrous he becomes. In other words, the more God blesses him and prospers him the more "idols" (golden calves) he sets up in his mind and the more elaborate Beth-Avens (churches) he builds, thou they be churches of emptiness.Hosea 10:1
Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images.
Their heart (minds) are divided, split away from truth, i.e. their Father's Word. Remember in our study of Hosea 7:14 when we quoted Psalm 78:37, " For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant"? As a result not keeping His covenant, their golden calves and their idolatrous denominations of religious worship are soon coming down.[2]Their heart is divided; now shall they be found faulty: he shall break down their altars, he shall spoil their images.
Yep, a lot of good an earthly "man king" will do you if you forsake the LORD. You see, there is only one true King of Israel and without reverencing Him you are in sad shape.[3] For now they shall say, We have no king, because we feared not the LORD; what then should a king do to us?
When they make covenants (among nations, etc.) forbidden by His law and make false promises, then they have sown wickedness, haven't they? Thus like the "venom from snakes in the field" (hemlock in the furrows) judgment shall come upon them. Then they will cry out to their god(s) who will not be able to save them, because their rock is NOT our Rock, i.e. their god is not God. Their god is none other than Idol-a-Tree.[4] They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: thus judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field.
The fellow-citizens of Samaria, which means watch mountain, will bemoan their precious little gods, the calves of their Beth-avens, their houses of emptiness (most of them, empty of God's Word).[5] The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Beth-aven: for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the priests thereof that rejoiced on it, for the glory thereof, because it is departed from it.
Jareb is a symbolic name for Assyria (see Strong's Concordance) and means "contender" or "he will contend". And unfortunately, Ephraim's shame will soon be made known.[6] It shall be also carried unto Assyria for a present to king Jareb: Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.
Oh well! What good can king do you anyway if God is against you because you have forsaken Him?Hosea 10:7
As for Samaria, her king is cut off as the foam upon the water.
If you can understand this next verse then you will have learned the whole point of the lessons we are learning in this Book of Hosea (salvation).
Here it is:
The "high places also of Aven", i.e. the Beth-avens, are the places of worship, which are what today? Churches! They are the "sin of Israel" because it is in those "high places" where the idolatrous traditions of men are placed as if they were "golden calves" in substitute for the Word of God. And just as Christ foretold us in Mat. 24 and Mark 13, all this deception is done in the name of Christianity! It...[8] The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.
Those "high places" are soon coming down and many Christians who are caught up in the "great falling away", the great apostasy of the last days spoken of by Paul in 2 Thes. 2, will discover their whoredom and be so ashamed they would rather die, i.e. that the mountains would fall on them, than face the One to whom they were unfaithfu to, when they committed adultery and were impregnated by the lies of Satan, the Instead of Jesus, whom they believed was their God!... shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.
The same thing is recorded is the Book of Revelation concerning those who worshipped the beast, the false messiah:
Yes, those who eat the bad fruit from Idol-a-Tree make Him angry.Rev. 6:16
And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
The answer as to who shall be able to stand in that "great day" depends on what kind of a house you have built for yourself:[17] For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
You build that house line by line, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, upon (from) the Rock, Jesus Christ, the Word of God.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:[25] And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock."
Or you can continue in the traditions of men which, though you cry "Lord, Lord' (Mat. 7:21), leads our people to commit spiritual whoredom and spiritual perversion! By the way, did you ever read what happened in Gibeah in Judges 19 & 20 when we suggested it two studies ago in Hosea 9:9? If you did, then you know those engaging in perversion got what was coming to them! (Remember that the physical sins they committed represent the spiritual type of idolatry committed today (see 1 Cor. 10:11).
O Israel! Don't you know that you reap what you sow? Can't you see how Gibeah sowed wickedness and therefore reaped the reward of their sinful ways?Hosea 10:9
O Israel, thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah: there they stood: the battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them.
It is in His Word that He will chastise them and the yoke of bondage shall be bound upon their necks! You see, if you choose not to "dress and keep" and sow righteousness, you "ain't gonna do it" in His garden! He'll kick you out![10] It is in my desire that I should chastise them; and the people shall be gathered against them, when they shall bind themselves in their two furrows.
It's like this: Ephraim, representing the largest of the tribes of Israel just like the USA does today, loves to do the easy work and participate in the feast days but they are too lazy to study His Word and keep His commands! No wonder the scribes have had a "field day" with their pens! You see, all that prosperity and resulting "fatness" has made Jeshurun (Israel) lazy and self-indulgent and he no longer "dresses and keeps" the garden anymore according the Word of God. This always reminds me of the agricultural, sowing and reaping story of the Little Red Hen. Are you familiar with it?[11] And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods."Treading out the corn is a far easier and more self-indulgent work than ploughing. In treading corn, cattle were not bound together under a yoke, but either trod it singly with their feet, or drew a threshing sledge over it (Isa. 28: -28): they were free to eat some of the corn from time to time, as the law required they should be unmuzzled (Deut. 25:4), so that they grew fat in this work. An image of Israel's freedom, prosperity, and self-indulgence heretofore." (Jamieson, Fausset & Brown)
LITTLE Red Hen found a grain of wheat."Who will plant this?" she asked.
"Not I," said the cat.
"Not I," said the goose.
"Not I," said the rat.
"Then I will," said Little Red Hen.So she buried the wheat in the ground. After a while it grew up yellow and ripe. "The wheat is ripe now," said Little Red Hen. "Who will cut and thresh it?"
"Not I," said the cat.
"Not I," said the goose.
"Not I," said the rat.
"Then I will," said Little Red Hen.So she cut it with her bill and threshed it with her wings. Then she asked, "Who will take this wheat to the mill?"
"Not I," said the cat.
"Not I," said the goose.
"Not I," said the rat.
"Then I will," said Little Red Hen.So she took the wheat to the mill, where it was ground. Then she carried the flour home. "Who will make me some bread from this flour?" she asked.
"Not I," said the cat.
"Not I," said the goose.
"Not I," said the rat.
"Then I will," said Little Red Hen.So she made and baked the bread. Then she said, "Now we shall see who will eat this bread."
"I will," said the cat.
"I will," said the goose.
"I will," said the rat.
"I am quite sure you all would," said Little Red Hen, "if you could get it." Then she called her chicks, and they ate up all the bread.There was none left at all for the cat, or the goose, or the rat.
Let's see, it was also the Baby Boomer generation that made quick-like-bunny "fast food" restaurants such as McDonald's so popular. We not only do not want to take the time to prepare a nutritious healthy meal for ourselves, we cannot even wait for someone else to do so. When we want hamburgers, we want them right NOW! You can take this as a sign as to how Jeshurun has waxen fat!
However, remember it is written and it is true, that you reap what you sow! If you want to participate in the harvest of the Firstfruits, and receive the blessings that come with the First Resurrection to eternal life (Rev. 20:6) then follow the advice in the next verse. It is a choice you can make.
Stay in the field and keep ploughing and seeking the LORD through His Word until He comes! Otherwise the wise virgins will be attending the great wedding feast of the Bridegroom and you will be standing without like the cat and the goose and the rat.Hosea 10:12
Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
And if you are not "tending the garden" as per His instructions, according to His Word, then whose "farming" instructions are you following and what kind of a crop have you produced? Is it fit to eat? Learn the lessons from the history of our people.
She trusted in her own ways and in the covenants she made with others and in the strength of mighty armies to protect her. Well, history shows that didn't work, did it? If you trust not in the Lord then what can a king do for you, or a mighty army, or a god who is no God? And just where do you think the "fruit of lies" comes from? Yes, the Idol-a-Tree (Satan) in the midst of the garden![13] Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.
Do you know what or who they were? (Note: throughout the Bible trees symbolically represent people) Don't forget. the second tree mentioned in the "Garden of Eden" knows both GOOD & EVIL.
Satan comes first claiming he is God! Satan was the tree in the garden with the knowledge of both good and evil. Don't you be fooled by the good he can and will do, to make you believe he is God! Study to show yourself approved; knowing the difference between what is holy (The Real Jesus Christ) and what is profane (The Instead-of-Christ, Satan, i.e.the anti-christ).;.Also remember,he brings his fallen angels, from the days of Noah, with him and he already has plenty of help here on earth, i.e. Kenites from his encounter with Eve in the garden! (descendants of Cain).
Live Link to- How can you count the number of the beast if you don't know who they are. 666 - They are descendants of Cain. What shall we do with them after we've counted them?
Here are Jesus' instructions.
Matthew 13:28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
Should we go round those suckers up?
Matthew 13::29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Live Link to- Locusts, Locusts, Everywhere!
JOEL 1:3 Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation Joel 1:4 That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten
Beth-arbel means House of God's Ambush and as it is written, there shall soon be a tumult arise among our people. In fact, as bad as the day of battle was at Beth-arbel, when even mothers were slaughtered and fell upon their children, Daniel writes that in the last days "there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time." (Daniel 12:1). Only the slaughter will be spiritual, the slaying will be of the souls of men, which is much more serious than physical bloodshed. Remember Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."[14] Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces upon her children.
What goes on in your church, which should be a Beth-el, house of God? Are you going to awake one morning and find that the true King of Israel has been cut off from you because of your "great wickedness"? Do you think that it won't happen to many, many Christians? Well, is Jesus Christ a liar? He said MANY would be deceived by MANY Christian ministers in these last days.Hosea 10:15
So shall Bethel do unto you because of your great wickedness: in a morning shall the king of Israel utterly be cut off.
Here it is:
And like the cat and the goose and rat who did their own thing instead of "keeping and tending", those deceived Christians who have ignored His Word while worshipping in their Beth-avens (churches of emptiness not teaching the Bible, book by book and verse by verse) will seek to enter the kingdom and eat at the celebration feast of the harvest.Matthew 24:4-5
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.[5] For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
The Lord addresses them thusly:
His "will" is contained in both the Old Will (Testament) and the New Will (Testament). Have you read and studied them both? Has the church you attend, even taught them both, book by book and verse by verse? If not you had better study them on your own!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.
Make no mistake about who these people are! Many of them are our beloved brothers and sisters who are professing Christians but who are, just as Jesus foretold, deceived by the traditions of men into believing that their churchianity is Christianity. They do many wonderful things except please their Father because they are not doers of His Word, and therefore they do not know the Word of God, Jesus Christ. Therefore, He does not know them! Matthew 7:23Matthew 7:22
Many by verse?will say to me in that day, 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?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Hosea chapter 11
Chapter eleven in this great Book of Hosea gives us a real personal and heart warming glimpse into the tender compassionate love of our heavenly Father, particularly in view of the fact that if you have studied Hosea (which means salvation) to this point, then there should be no doubt whatsoever that our Father means business concerning the chastisement of His children for their rebellion and idolatry. He warned them over and over again that unless they repented He would use the "correction rod" of the Assyrian to have them taken captive and they would be scattered among the nations. And you know what? History documents that He did exactly as He promised in His Word after their refusal to return unto Him. Therefore we KNOW from FACT that God keeps His word! His track record shows that He always has! So your faith should be increased to the level where there is no doubt that He always WILL! That means you can count on the Assyrian (the false-christ, Satan) coming and taking our people captive as sure as the sun coming up in the morning! Are you ready?
The question is, "Do you think it gives our Father any pleasure to have to chastise His children?" Remember we learned in chapter six, verse six, that all He really wants, all His heart desires, is that His children love Him and get to know Him through His Word. Hosea 6:6 "For I desired mercy [love], and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." Yes, like all loving parents who exercise Godly discipline know, it really hurts to have to severely punish your children for their disobedience! We will now read of our Father's love for his son(s).
Note: If you have a Companion Bible you will notice the structure on page 1220 outlining the "Repeated Alternation" (back and forth) contained in verses 1 through 7 which contrasts "His Love" with "Their Conduct"! Following that outline serves to enhance our understanding of our Father's feelings and compassion for His children.
HIS LOVE
THEIR INGRATITUDEHosea 11:1
When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.This verse really expresses the immeasurable depth of God's love. You see, although this Book of Hosea is written concerning His plan of salvation and restoration back into one nation of all the tribes of the House of Israel, there would soon be another "Son called out of Egypt" who would provide salvation for all of God's children, "yellow, black, and white, for they are all precious in His sight."
Matthew 2:14
When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:[15] And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
The incredible thing about our Father's plan is that while His children dwell in the land of Egypt (captivity) at the same time they are protected! Isn't He amazing?
HIS LOVEHosea 11:2
As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images.The more God warned them and called to His children the more they continued to sacrifice unto Baalim who could not "Bail 'em" out of the chastisement to come their way, could he?
THEIR INSENSIBILITY[3] I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms;...Like little toddlers He took them by their arms and taught them how to walk! He also taught them how He would deliver them (out of bondage - Egypt) and care for them (a cloud by day, pillar of fire by night) and protect them (Red Sea) and provide for them (manna from heaven). Yes, just as a parent also takes his or her little child into his arms and nurtures and cares and protects that child, this He did for Ephraim!
HIS LOVE... but they knew not that I healed them.(Personally, I think God gives us teenagers to help us understand ingratitude and insensibility.)
WARNING of THEIR CHASTISEMENT[4] I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.He lovingly guided them as if He were using gentle reins, easing their burdens and providing for them.
Note: The analogy used in verse 4 is that of a caring, kindly husbandman who would go to the extra trouble to loosen the bits and unharness the yoke around the necks of his paired oxen just to allow them to more freely eat the food he places before them.
And so it was written and so it was done! And so it shall be done again in the time of the end, only spiritually, not physically, this time! "Branches" are figurative for "sons". Notice the REASON for the coming sword of chastisement upon the land, "Because of their own counsels!" In other words, they lean to their own understanding and listen to their leaders and preachers who teach them the traditions of men from their own understanding (kind of like the blind leading the blind).[5] He shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to return.Remember Hos. 8:12? They were warned way back in the law, yet they refused to return to Him and keep His commands. Therefore the Assyrian (one of the names of Satan in Isaiah 14), shall come and take them away and be their king. (Though this happened historically, it is yet future. You see, history repeats itself so history is really prophecy, isn't it? Think about it according to 1 Cor. 10:11.)
[6] And the sword shall abide on his cities, and shall consume his branches, and devour them, because of their own counsels.
Here are a few applicable proverbs:
Or you can choose to listen to your own understanding and follow the traditions of men which, by the way, are EVIL in His sight!Proverbs 14:12 & Proverbs 16:25
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.Proverbs 3:5-7
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.[6] In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
He shall lead you using those gentle reins of His love!
[7] Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear [revere] the LORD, and depart from evil.
You might say they are "hell bent" on backsliding from Him. Why? Because of what we just read in Hos. 11:6, i.e. "because of their counsels" and their lack of understanding which accompanies relying on one's own understanding and traditions instead of seeking the knowledge of His Word. Remember Hosea 4:6? "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children."Hosea 11:7
And my people are bent to backsliding from me: though they called them to the most High, none at all would exalt him.
It is so true that basically all our people really know about their heavenly Father is what they have been taught (counseled) by men in their churches and their catechisms. Sure many of our people go to church because they have a zeal for God, but as Paul states "not according to knowledge" (of His Word). "For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge" (Romans 10:2).
Isaiah says it this way.
How can they exalt Him, as we read in the last verse of Hosea, when they do not know Him? How many times have you heard it said that the Bible is just too difficult to understand?Isaiah 29:13
Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear [reverence] toward me is taught by the precept of men:
However, it is really not that difficult at all if one will just take the time to study it to learn what it really says, but here is the problem:
People think the Bible is difficult so they go to their preachers or theology professors, i.e. the so-called learned, and ask them questions about the Word of God. Since the learned do not have the answers themselves, they take off or peer over their eyeglasses and tell the "seekers" that the Bible is full of "the mysteries of God", of many things which we cannot know. Hogwash! So a person perhaps goes elsewhere, like to a fellow "layman" (as they are called).Isaiah 29:11
And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:
"Hey, what are you nuts?", he says! "You have to go to seminary or a Bible College to learn God's Word! I don't have a degree!" Of course you tried those guys with the degrees and that didn't work, which brings us back to Isa. 29:13 which we quoted earlier.[12] And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.
The point is that these are God's children and although they are blind and ignorant of His Word He still loves them very much, as any parent would his or her own, right? And any loving parent can relate to the fact that it "pains" greatly to have to punish your children! But chastise them He must, BECAUSE He loves them dearly and wants them to learn the error of their ways and return to Him.
That's right, as it is written, discipline and chastisement are part of His love:
By the way, Paul did not say some new thing! It was already written:Hebrews 12:6
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.[7] If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
If you do not discipline your children, because it is too "tough on YOU", then you do not give them your love! "Tough love" is a difficult and painful (as in heartrending) experience more so for the one executing the love than the one receiving it! And so it is with our Father, for although they continue to backslide and commit whoredoms and wallow in idolatry, our Father is filled with compassion in His heart for His children.Proverbs 3:12
For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
He expresses His heartfelt plea in the next verse:
Repentings means compassions and His "heart is turned within me" means it hurts Him very much. He so loves His children and His compassion and desire to not have to punish them is overwhelming. It is just too bad there is no other way than for "the cup of His wrath" to be poured out upon them.Hosea 11:8
How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.
Admah and Zeboim (look up the meaning of their names in a Bible dictionary or your Strong's Concordance) were cities in the plain surrounding Sodom and Gomorrah which were wiped out along with Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 19:24-25 "Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; [25] And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground." You should know what 1 Cor. 10:11 says by now because we have quoted it numerous times in our study of Hosea. Anyway, Peter confirms what Paul said concerning the events of old being enacted as ensamples for us in these last days, in his statement about Sodom and Gomorrah: 2 Peter 2:6 "And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly."
The Gibeans should have taken heed!
Ephraim's harlotry makes Him so angry He feels like wiping them all out just like He did Admah and Zeboim! And man probably would! However, our Father is always in control and He has a PLAN of Love to "save" His children and restore them back into one nation under the King of kings and Lord of lords, i.e. "One Nation Under God".Hosea 11:9
I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city.
Here is that restoration.
[10] They shall walk after the LORD: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west.
Zech. 8:7
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;[8] And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.
Hosea 11:11
They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria: and I will place them in their houses, saith the LORD.
Romans 11:26 And so all Israel
shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come
out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness
from Jacob
Question: Does all really mean all...?As in everyone?
Hosea chapter 12
The Book of Hosea teaches us about salvation, and in particular about the salvation of the 10 tribes of the House of Israel (the Christian Nations of the world, who now live in western Europe and the Americas). In doing so we are first shown in vivid, graphic similitude exactly how our Father looks upon the idolatry of His children. And He doesn't "mince words" or "beat around the bush" either. He simply compares their religious worship to a bunch of lewd whores! Hopefully you have gotten the picture by now!
Just so you know that when Ephraim's reproach, his shame, comes upon him and those Christians who will have worshipped the soon coming spurious messiah, the false-christ, Satan, as the Lord Jesus Christ, stand (spiritually) naked and unacceptable before the true Bridegroom, fully exposed as (spiritual) harlots, that it was written of long, long ago in the great Book of Hosea. "Didn't you read My Word?", He will ask?
Now as we near the end of Hosea, the terminology becomes more... shall we say... socially acceptable. But the word "idolatry" should forever be indelibly etched in your mind as being synonymous with "adultery"! Perhaps you will now look upon "religious worship" in a different "light"! Now let's read some more counsel from His Word concerning the land of the free (for now) and the home of the brave (send a few more to Washington).
Note: The last verse of Hosea chapter 11 belongs at the beginning of chapter 12 (See note in the Companion Bible).
The latter part of this verse should read: "Judah is also unruly against God, even against the Holy One who is faithful." (N.A.S.) (See also Hos. 12:2.) Nevertheless, while God is always faithful, lies, deception, and unruliness is what He has to put up with from His children. These things certainly cannot make Him very happy, can they?Hosea 11:12
Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit: but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints.
The modern term we use today is "suckin' wind". (I'll let you know if it hits a firewall.) Just as our Father wanted us to know from this Book of Hosea that He sees the religious idolatry of His children as harlotry, the transgression of His laws concerning the civil conduct of our nation is also whoredom. You see, signing treaties of alliances and giving big bucks and goodies to foreign countries to BUY their allegiance, is like an harlot paying her lover to put it to her instead of the other way around.Hosea 12:1
Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind: he daily increaseth lies and desolation; and they do make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried into Egypt.
Quote:
Thomas Jefferson's warnings were in agreement with God's laws for our nation. In contrast, here's the advice we were given by Bill Clinton:"In his first inaugural address, Thomas Jefferson warned of entangling alliances."
That is a bunch of "Hot Air", or as Hosea said it in verse 1, that "follows after the east wind" which is the "simoon", the injurious hot drying wind from the east desert."But in our times, America cannot and must not disentangle itself from the world. If we want the world to embody our shared values, then we must assume a shared responsibility."
It is written that if we follow after "hot air" advice that we soon be "sucking the whirlwind" it produces! Remember Hosea 8:7, "For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up." And the "foreigners" do swallow it up, don't they?
Verse 2:
So we know from this verse along with the last verse of chapter 11 that the LORD has a serious problem with Ephraim's lies. Again, Ephraim was the largest nation and therefore represents the 10 tribes of the House of Israel, just as America does today. And although we learned in our last study it hurts our Father deeply to have to chastise His children, nevertheless He is faithful to His promises and so Jacob, the house of Israel, shall reap what he sows. That is what we just read in verse 2, i.e. "Jacob will be punished according to his ways".[2]The LORD hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him.
You want an "ensample" to see how to conduct your affairs? Our Father gave us some role models to follow and He includes one here, even our forefather Jacob whose name means "heel-catcher or supplanter", which God changed to "Israel" meaning "God prevails" or "God commands". The very name "Isra-el" lets those children of His with eyes to see and ears to hear know who is in charge, and it is not man. Did you know the name "Isra-el" comes from "sarah"? Look it up in Strong's Concordance.
Here is what Jacob did:
Jacob took hold of Esau's (Russia's) heel right from the starting gate! Esau was the first born son of Isaac which actually made Him the heir to the blessings of the firstborn, even the promises God made to Abraham. But Jacob not only "supplanted" his brother Esau and received those blessings of the covenant, he wrestled with God and became the "prince that prevails with God" (Gen. 32).Hosea 12:3
He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God:
Contrast this with his children today who have become too "fat and lazy" to supplant much of anything spiritually and would rather bow down to idols in their Beth-avens, instead of "holding on to God", His Word, and seeking His blessings![4] Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us;
The name [memorial] of the LORD God of hosts is YHVH, Yahveh! Never forget that name or Him to which it belongs.[5] Even the LORD God of hosts; the LORD is his memorial.
Let's read of the name change and some of the testimony of Jacob written in the Book of Genesis:Exodus 3:15
And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
Have you seen God? If you have "seen" the Son, the Word of God, you have "seen" the Father. Do know where to look for Him, to "see" him? (Hint: Look in His Word! (your Bible) Jesus Christ is the Word!)Genesis 32:28
And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.[29] And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
[30] And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
The advice is to TURN, i.e. turn to your Father and "seek Him" in His Word and turn away from the traditions of men! Jacob did trust and rely on the Lord his God and he did wait patiently on Him as verse 12 will document. But not his children! The more they increased in numbers and the more God blessed them, the "fatter" they waxed, i.e. the fatter their heads became, and they forsook the Lord and began to rely on their own counsels and make alliances with other nations.Hosea 12:6
Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.
Ephraim has become a deceitful merchant, like the Canaanites were known for, and he loves to make one sided deals at the expense of others.Hosea 12:7
He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress.
The worse part is that America thinks her efforts alone have "gotten him (her) riches" instead of exalting God and recognizing the covenant He made to Abraham concerning our national blessings. America is the greatest nation on earth because God Blesses America, not because we are so great ourselves! And so as we have quoted wise old Solomon numerous times in our study of Hosea, we once again are reminded of his words that "There is nothing new under the sun!" Just give our people prosperity and a good economy and they will become blinded as to their wretched spiritual condition.[8] And Ephraim said, Yet I am become rich, I have found me out substance: in all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin.
Here is Hosea 8:8 repeated in Rev. 3:17 concerning the church of Laodicea today.
Yes, they have need of nothing. Perhaps the national bankers can save them. What do you think? No, I'm afraid Jeshurun has waxed fat headed and his spiritual condition has been severely affected by hot air from the east wind as he continues to trust in his own counsels (Hos. 11:6) and does not exalt the One who has blessed him (Hos. 11:7).Rev. 3:17
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
When will we realize that we can do nothing except He allows us? ALL that we have is because of Him, even the very air we breath. You see, the reality is that one day things can be going really great and all of a sudden a person can be involved in an accident or stricken with illness and just like that his or her life is completely changed. But, Sometimes that is what it takes to cause one to TURN.
So turn to Him, return to Him, and remember always the first commandment of YHVH which, by the way, is contained in the next verse.
Note: Dr. Bullinger points out in the Companion Bible on page 1221 that there needs to be some ellipses supplied in this verse so that it reads "And [thou forgettest that] I, Jehovah thy Elohim from the land of Egypt, [that I have promised that] I will yet make you to dwell in tents as in the Feast of Tabernacles."Hosea 12:9
And I that am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt [and that I have promised that I] will yet make thee to dwell in tabernacles, as in the days of the solemn feast.
Do you think we serve a different God today than the One who revealed Himself to our forefathers? Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." He was the One who led our people out of Egypt, out of captivity and bondage, and we are never to forget where all our blessings come from.
It is the first of the 10 Commandments:
Commandment #2 which follows is "thou shalt not make any graven images (molded in your mind)" which become those "golden calves" of idolatry which are placed before Him!Exodus 20:2
I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.[3] Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Also, the promise God made in Hos. 12:9 that He would make Ephraim to dwell in tabernacles like before is yet future when He shall bring our people out of bondage once again, i.e. after the Assyrian (Satan as ths false-christ) comes and takes our people captive (spiritually).
It is also prophesied in the Book of Zechariah:
Have you gotten the PICTURE yet? He has given us His Word whereby He has shown us ensample after ensample after ensample and told us over and over again!Zech. 14:16
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
He has painted so many pictures for us and given us so many ensamples and told us in such plain, simple language, that we are without excuse for not being able to know what our Father wants from us. And it sure isn't churchianity! Remember Hosea 6:6? "He wants our "love" and for us to "know Him" through His Word, which is to "see him face to face".Hosea 12:10
I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.
But no! Our people would rather do their own thing! Let's see, there's Gilead and Gilgal, and San Francisco, ________ (insert your town here).
Iniquity in Gilead? It is emptiness and will get them nowhere fast. The religious worship in Gilgal, i.e. their golden calves and Beth-avens? They stink like "cow patties"! Check out the word "heaps".[11] Is there iniquity in Gilead? surely they are vanity: they sacrifice bullocks in Gilgal; yea, their altars are as heaps in the furrows of the fields.
You may recall that it was at Gilgal, the place of Israel's first encampment after crossing the Jordan River, that Joshua set up the altar with the 12 Stones. The comparison is that soon the people turned to idol worship and set up their own altars with "golden calves" which to Him are nothing more than "heaps of dung", you know, "bull". (I know what you are thinking, but it wouldn't make it through the firewalls.)heaps = gal, gal, Hebrew 1530; from Hebrew 1556 (galal); something rolled, i.e. a heap of stone or dung (plural ruins), by analogy a spring of water (plural waves) :- billow, heap, spring, wave.
Remember again the example set forth by our forefather Jacob. Jacob worked (tended the sheep) and waited patiently for 7 years to obtain the wife he desired and loved so much (7 is the number denoting spiritual completeness). How about you? Will you "wait" to marry?
God also kept His sheep as He brought Israel out of Egypt and tended them by His prophet Moses.[12] And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.
Yet they would not remain faithful to Him and soon rejected Him at Gilgal.[13] And by a prophet the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.
Have you read about those provocations in the days of Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:25 - 13:5) and Hoshea (2 Kings 17:11-23)? We have already read that Ephraim provokes Him sometimes to the point He would like to wipe them all out like Sodom and Gomorrah. It reminds me of what some parents say regarding their children, "Sometimes he makes me so mad I could just smash him!" (Hi Mom!) Nevertheless, it is written that unless His children reTURN to Him, they shall suffer reproach, which means SHAME, that awful shame of standing there spiritually naked, being exposed as a whore! No wonder it is written that they will wish the mountains to fall upon them rather than face the One to whom they were unfaithful! Got the Picture?[14]Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly: therefore shall he leave his blood upon him, and his reproach shall his Lord return unto him.
Hosea chapter 12
The Book of Hosea teaches us about salvation, and in particular about the salvation of the 10 tribes of the House of Israel (the Christian Nations of the world, who now live in western Europe and the Americas). In doing so we are first shown in vivid, graphic similitude exactly how our Father looks upon the idolatry of His children. And He doesn't "mince words" or "beat around the bush" either. He simply compares their religious worship to a bunch of lewd whores! Hopefully you have gotten the picture by now!
Just so you know that when Ephraim's reproach, his shame, comes upon him and those Christians who will have worshipped the soon coming spurious messiah, the false-christ, Satan, as the Lord Jesus Christ, stand (spiritually) naked and unacceptable before the true Bridegroom, fully exposed as (spiritual) harlots, that it was written of long, long ago in the great Book of Hosea. "Didn't you read My Word?", He will ask?
Now as we near the end of Hosea, the terminology becomes more... shall we say... socially acceptable. But the word "idolatry" should forever be indelibly etched in your mind as being synonymous with "adultery"! Perhaps you will now look upon "religious worship" in a different "light"! Now let's read some more counsel from His Word concerning the land of the free (for now) and the home of the brave (send a few more to Washington).
Note: The last verse of Hosea chapter 11 belongs at the beginning of chapter 12 (See note in the Companion Bible).
The latter part of this verse should read: "Judah is also unruly against God, even against the Holy One who is faithful." (N.A.S.) (See also Hos. 12:2.) Nevertheless, while God is always faithful, lies, deception, and unruliness is what He has to put up with from His children. These things certainly cannot make Him very happy, can they?Hosea 11:12
Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit: but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints.
The modern term we use today is "suckin' wind". (I'll let you know if it hits a firewall.) Just as our Father wanted us to know from this Book of Hosea that He sees the religious idolatry of His children as harlotry, the transgression of His laws concerning the civil conduct of our nation is also whoredom. You see, signing treaties of alliances and giving big bucks and goodies to foreign countries to BUY their allegiance, is like an harlot paying her lover to put it to her instead of the other way around.Hosea 12:1
Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind: he daily increaseth lies and desolation; and they do make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried into Egypt.
Quote:
Thomas Jefferson's warnings were in agreement with God's laws for our nation. In contrast, here's the advice we were given by Bill Clinton:"In his first inaugural address, Thomas Jefferson warned of entangling alliances."
That is a bunch of "Hot Air", or as Hosea said it in verse 1, that "follows after the east wind" which is the "simoon", the injurious hot drying wind from the east desert."But in our times, America cannot and must not disentangle itself from the world. If we want the world to embody our shared values, then we must assume a shared responsibility."
It is written that if we follow after "hot air" advice that we soon be "sucking the whirlwind" it produces! Remember Hosea 8:7, "For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up." And the "foreigners" do swallow it up, don't they?
Verse 2:
So we know from this verse along with the last verse of chapter 11 that the LORD has a serious problem with Ephraim's lies. Again, Ephraim was the largest nation and therefore represents the 10 tribes of the House of Israel, just as America does today. And although we learned in our last study it hurts our Father deeply to have to chastise His children, nevertheless He is faithful to His promises and so Jacob, the house of Israel, shall reap what he sows. That is what we just read in verse 2, i.e. "Jacob will be punished according to his ways".[2]The LORD hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him.
You want an "ensample" to see how to conduct your affairs? Our Father gave us some role models to follow and He includes one here, even our forefather Jacob whose name means "heel-catcher or supplanter", which God changed to "Israel" meaning "God prevails" or "God commands". The very name "Isra-el" lets those children of His with eyes to see and ears to hear know who is in charge, and it is not man. Did you know the name "Isra-el" comes from "sarah"? Look it up in Strong's Concordance.
Here is what Jacob did:
Jacob took hold of Esau's (Russia's) heel right from the starting gate! Esau was the first born son of Isaac which actually made Him the heir to the blessings of the firstborn, even the promises God made to Abraham. But Jacob not only "supplanted" his brother Esau and received those blessings of the covenant, he wrestled with God and became the "prince that prevails with God" (Gen. 32).Hosea 12:3
He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God:
Contrast this with his children today who have become too "fat and lazy" to supplant much of anything spiritually and would rather bow down to idols in their Beth-avens, instead of "holding on to God", His Word, and seeking His blessings![4] Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us;
The name [memorial] of the LORD God of hosts is YHVH, Yahveh! Never forget that name or Him to which it belongs.[5] Even the LORD God of hosts; the LORD is his memorial.
Let's read of the name change and some of the testimony of Jacob written in the Book of Genesis:Exodus 3:15
And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
Have you seen God? If you have "seen" the Son, the Word of God, you have "seen" the Father. Do know where to look for Him, to "see" him? (Hint: Look in His Word! (your Bible) Jesus Christ is the Word!)Genesis 32:28
And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.[29] And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
[30] And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
The advice is to TURN, i.e. turn to your Father and "seek Him" in His Word and turn away from the traditions of men! Jacob did trust and rely on the Lord his God and he did wait patiently on Him as verse 12 will document. But not his children! The more they increased in numbers and the more God blessed them, the "fatter" they waxed, i.e. the fatter their heads became, and they forsook the Lord and began to rely on their own counsels and make alliances with other nations.Hosea 12:6
Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.
Ephraim has become a deceitful merchant, like the Canaanites were known for, and he loves to make one sided deals at the expense of others.Hosea 12:7
He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress.
The worse part is that America thinks her efforts alone have "gotten him (her) riches" instead of exalting God and recognizing the covenant He made to Abraham concerning our national blessings. America is the greatest nation on earth because God Blesses America, not because we are so great ourselves! And so as we have quoted wise old Solomon numerous times in our study of Hosea, we once again are reminded of his words that "There is nothing new under the sun!" Just give our people prosperity and a good economy and they will become blinded as to their wretched spiritual condition.[8] And Ephraim said, Yet I am become rich, I have found me out substance: in all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin.
Here is Hosea 8:8 repeated in Rev. 3:17 concerning the church of Laodicea today.
Yes, they have need of nothing. Perhaps the national bankers can save them. What do you think? No, I'm afraid Jeshurun has waxed fat headed and his spiritual condition has been severely affected by hot air from the east wind as he continues to trust in his own counsels (Hos. 11:6) and does not exalt the One who has blessed him (Hos. 11:7).Rev. 3:17
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
When will we realize that we can do nothing except He allows us? ALL that we have is because of Him, even the very air we breath. You see, the reality is that one day things can be going really great and all of a sudden a person can be involved in an accident or stricken with illness and just like that his or her life is completely changed. But, Sometimes that is what it takes to cause one to TURN.
So turn to Him, return to Him, and remember always the first commandment of YHVH which, by the way, is contained in the next verse.
Note: Dr. Bullinger points out in the Companion Bible on page 1221 that there needs to be some ellipses supplied in this verse so that it reads "And [thou forgettest that] I, Jehovah thy Elohim from the land of Egypt, [that I have promised that] I will yet make you to dwell in tents as in the Feast of Tabernacles."Hosea 12:9
And I that am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt [and that I have promised that I] will yet make thee to dwell in tabernacles, as in the days of the solemn feast.
Do you think we serve a different God today than the One who revealed Himself to our forefathers? Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." He was the One who led our people out of Egypt, out of captivity and bondage, and we are never to forget where all our blessings come from.
It is the first of the 10 Commandments:
Commandment #2 which follows is "thou shalt not make any graven images (molded in your mind)" which become those "golden calves" of idolatry which are placed before Him!Exodus 20:2
I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.[3] Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Also, the promise God made in Hos. 12:9 that He would make Ephraim to dwell in tabernacles like before is yet future when He shall bring our people out of bondage once again, i.e. after the Assyrian (Satan as ths false-christ) comes and takes our people captive (spiritually).
It is also prophesied in the Book of Zechariah:
Have you gotten the PICTURE yet? He has given us His Word whereby He has shown us ensample after ensample after ensample and told us over and over again!Zech. 14:16
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
He has painted so many pictures for us and given us so many ensamples and told us in such plain, simple language, that we are without excuse for not being able to know what our Father wants from us. And it sure isn't churchianity! Remember Hosea 6:6? "He wants our "love" and for us to "know Him" through His Word, which is to "see him face to face".Hosea 12:10
I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.
But no! Our people would rather do their own thing! Let's see, there's Gilead and Gilgal, and San Francisco, ________ (insert your town here).
Iniquity in Gilead? It is emptiness and will get them nowhere fast. The religious worship in Gilgal, i.e. their golden calves and Beth-avens? They stink like "cow patties"! Check out the word "heaps".[11] Is there iniquity in Gilead? surely they are vanity: they sacrifice bullocks in Gilgal; yea, their altars are as heaps in the furrows of the fields.
You may recall that it was at Gilgal, the place of Israel's first encampment after crossing the Jordan River, that Joshua set up the altar with the 12 Stones. The comparison is that soon the people turned to idol worship and set up their own altars with "golden calves" which to Him are nothing more than "heaps of dung", you know, "bull". (I know what you are thinking, but it wouldn't make it through the firewalls.)heaps = gal, gal, Hebrew 1530; from Hebrew 1556 (galal); something rolled, i.e. a heap of stone or dung (plural ruins), by analogy a spring of water (plural waves) :- billow, heap, spring, wave.
Remember again the example set forth by our forefather Jacob. Jacob worked (tended the sheep) and waited patiently for 7 years to obtain the wife he desired and loved so much (7 is the number denoting spiritual completeness). How about you? Will you "wait" to marry?
God also kept His sheep as He brought Israel out of Egypt and tended them by His prophet Moses.[12] And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.
Yet they would not remain faithful to Him and soon rejected Him at Gilgal.[13] And by a prophet the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.
Have you read about those provocations in the days of Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:25 - 13:5) and Hoshea (2 Kings 17:11-23)? We have already read that Ephraim provokes Him sometimes to the point He would like to wipe them all out like Sodom and Gomorrah. It reminds me of what some parents say regarding their children, "Sometimes he makes me so mad I could just smash him!" (Hi Mom!) Nevertheless, it is written that unless His children reTURN to Him, they shall suffer reproach, which means SHAME, that awful shame of standing there spiritually naked, being exposed as a whore! No wonder it is written that they will wish the mountains to fall upon them rather than face the One to whom they were unfaithful! Got the Picture?[14]Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly: therefore shall he leave his blood upon him, and his reproach shall his Lord return unto him.
Hosea chapter 13
The Book of Hosea is a book of Good News! It is a witness from our Father declaring the promise of redemption and salvation for His children and in specific the salvation of the 10 tribes comprising the House of Israel who today basically makeup the Christian nations of the free world led by America, the largest of those nations. And you know what? The time of that redemption draws ever so near, even this very day as the birth pangs of this generation of the fig tree grow stronger and stronger and closer together signaling the soon coming birth of a new age.
It should be comforting and reassuring to know and understand that our Father has a Plan of Salvation, ordained from before the foundation of this world (Eph. 1:4), and that plan includes a precise timeline for Israel's redemption. Yes, His people will find their way back home for as we read in our study of chapter 11, He will call them as a roaring Lion and "they will tremble from the west", i.e. come home (Hosea 11:10). But as we have learned over and over again, and shall learn yet again at the conclusion of today's study, before that "call" is made at the sound of the last trump, the Assyrian (Satan) shall come as a rod of correction and overflow and take the world captive, including the Christian nations.
There is also more Good News in this Book of Hosea, and that is that we have been given a choice, an opportunity to choose either the path of our rebellious forefathers who spiritually prostituted themselves by worshipping idols and following after men's religions, like the golden calves made by hands set up to worship Baal, the instead-of-God, or to follow the Word of God.
Don't you know O' Ephraim, that there is only One God and One Redeemer? So Wake up America and the free world! We are being given final warning that the "wind" is about to change as the "east wind" we shall read of in verse 15 in today's study is about to blow again! Therefore, remember and take to heed the hard learned lessons of our forefathers.
To that end our Father, through His servant Hosea (salvation), now gives us a final review of the facts:
Israel means "a prince who prevails with God" and when his children trust and rely on God's faithful Word and His promises and follow His commands, they become "princes" indeed. This is so simple! But when you follow men and their religious traditions that do not align with His Word, and in fact are contrary to and make void the Word of God, then you are NOT worshipping God. You have become an harlot and you are doomed to shame and failure and ultimately the second death.Hosea 13:1
When Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended in Baal, he died.
You would think that our Christian brothers and sisters would have learned from the history of our forefathers. But nooooo! They don't even know who they are, i.e. that many of them are direct descendants of Jacob, even though history documents that those 10 tribes of Israel went north over the Caucasus Mountains following their captivity and became known as the Cimmerians and Celts and Saxons who settled in Europe and later migrated as Pilgrims to the Wilderness in the West, even the Americas. Yes, the House of Israel (not Judah) has been blinded to their heritage and most today even call themselves "gentiles".
Editor’s Note: I can’t say, from experience, that this is a universal problem, but, I have no doubt that it is; I can say that here in Pennsylvanian, I have learned from experience that every church I’ve ever attended, is guilty of teaching men’s traditions, not the WORD OF GOD in its entirety right from the Bible. They each have their own form of worshiping their “GOLDEN CALVES”, teaching from Sunday school quarterlies, with parts handpicked from the Bible, but written by man, most always, for there, the churches, benefit; NOT YOURS![2] And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves.
Remember what Israel's great sin is! It is their Beth-avens (Hosea 10:8), their high places of worship, i.e. their churches, even most of their so-called Christian churches. Their priests and ministers (many of them deceived, i.e. blind, themselves) have set up systems of worship and teach traditions of men rather than teach the Word of God line by line and chapter by chapter. Consequently our people are STARVING for truth and we are now in the midst of the great famine Christ said would befall us just before His return.
Have you read what that famine is?
Oh, there are lots of churches scattered from sea to shining sea. There is just one problem and that is that most are filled with idolatry, the worshipping of "golden calves" set up by men, i.e. the traditions of men. We are not judging them, but rather pointing out that though our people have a zeal for God, they are Biblically illiterate. One thing you should have learned by now from your study of Hosea, and that is that when you forsake the Word of God, even though you attend a Beth-el (house of God, church), you have FORGOTTEN GOD! Read Hosea 13:2 one more time then know this: When preachers tell you to believe them and to do this and do that and give here and give there and believe this and believe that which does not align with God's Word, what they are really saying to you is "kiss my calves"!!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: [12] And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
Shame on them and shame on you if you do! You have God's Word, so use it and check all things out for yourself!
The following verse makes it very clear, using simple everyday examples that everyone is familiar with, exactly what a person, even a nation, will amount to if he or she embraces the traditions of men and relies on his or her own understanding... (Rather than relying on the Holy Spirit's guidance for their understanding of Scripture).
They shall be...Hosea 13:3
Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney.
... like the morning fog burned off by the sun,
... like
the dew dried up by the first rays of sunlight,
... like
the chaff blown away by the wind,
... like
the smoke rising into thin air.
Remember, you shall reap what you sow. Forsake His Word and and you sow to the wind and you shall reap a whirlwind of fury from your Father (Hosea 8:7).
Again, don't you realize O' Ephraim, O' America, that there is only One God and One Redeemer? Sometimes it seems that if brains were gasoline our people wouldn't have enough to power a flee on a motorcycle twice around the inside of a Cheerio. You see, there is NO release from Egypt, i.e. NO release from bondage, either Nationally or Individually, apart from the One and only Savior. If you want to be free then you must know the truth, for only He can set you free. John 17:17 "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." Therefore, you can kiss all the golden calves you want but bull will always be bull! Read and understand the HIStory of what He has done for us, His people![4] Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me.
Either you believe God did these things or you don't. Which is it? If you truly believe that He did, then you would believe He is quite capable now, wouldn't you? Since we are doing some recapping here, recall to mind once again 1 Cor. 10:11 regarding the historical types, the ensamples of old. Then know that this great land IS the "wilderness" and it IS a land of great (spiritual) drought, even a valley of dry bones (Ezek. 37). However, though we are blessed materially more than any other nation in the history of mankind, we have forgotten His Word.Hosea 13:5
I did know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought.
ALL blessings flow from our Father, beginning with our lives and the very air we breathe. Acts 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being;…[6] According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me.
But the great lesson we should have learned is when our people become prosperous though His blessings they become "spoiled brats" and become a bunch of "fat heads" and they begin to lean on their own understand and leave off studying and following after the Word of God. The time of peace and prosperity is therefore a greater test of faith and love than adversity itself. Most men will cry out to God when they are hung upside down in a well. But when they are standing atop the well and it is pumping oil and depositing great wealth into their pockets, will they then cry out to God? No! "Therefore have they forgotten me."
So... pay day is coming.
[7] Therefore I will be unto them as a lion: as a leopard by the way will I observe them:
The chastisement to this final generation of the House of Israel begins with the emergence of the NWO, the one world system which comes just preceding the desolator, aka: the Assyrian, the king of Babylon, the false-christ. It is written in the Book of Daniel that in "the time of the end" the "wise" shall understand the words of the prophets such as Daniel's words. Did you know that the Book of Daniel and even the Book of Revelation speak of these same devouring beasts?[8] I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them.
This is the New World Order, the devouring one world political beast. By the way, this verse is no longer prophecy. It is now history because the NWO has "risen up out of the sea", i.e. from the people (Rev. 17:15).Rev. 13:1
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Daniel speaks of these "beasts" just preceding the fourth and final beast (you know who!).[2] And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Well America, we have brought it upon ourselves. We have forgotten God and His counsel and we have relied on our own understanding and have made deals and alliances and signed treaties and covenants and our freedoms are being swiftly devoured from within and without. Yes, we are being eaten alive and it is not a pretty sight if you have eyes to see!Daniel 7:4
The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. [5] And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. [6] After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
Live Link to=> Who controls the US and every thing it does?
But as we said at the beginning of this study, there is GOOD NEWS. That Good News is that our Father is in control and if you will turn to Him and no longer forsake His Word and recognize that He is our strength and our refuge, our Savior, then you have nothing and no one to fear. He is your help.
There is none other that can help!Hosea 13:9
O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help.
This verse should read as Dr. Bullinger notes in the Companion Bible and as Dr. Moffat translates it: "Where is your king now to save you, where are your rulers, to uphold your cause?"[10] I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities? and thy judges of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes?
Remember back in Hosea 10:3 this same question was asked? "What good can a king do you if you do not revere God?" And remember Admah and Zeboim? If God decides to set up a king or dethrone a king or wipe out a city or a nation, what king or beast, pray tell, can do anything to stop His plan? Answer: NO ONE!
Note: The answer to the question, "Where is your king now?", in the days of Hosea was this: The first one, Saul, he is dead, and the current one is in or should be in jail, as I write this in the 1990s! Boy, some help they are!
The point is, all dominions and powers and kings are set up only because God allows it.[11] I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath.
Here is how Paul so eloquently states it:
Col. 1:16
For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him:
Any question who is charge?[17] And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.
We said at the outset of this study that God has a timeline set for the correction and the redemption of His children. Christians are not going to get away with their idol worship of the traditions of men which will lead directly to their worshipping the false messiah. And America is not going to get away with committing fornication with the kings of the earth. His chastisement of His children shall happen when our patient and loving Father is good and ready (2 Pet. 3:9), according to His plan and His timeline. Dr. Moffat translates this verse, "Ephraim's iniquity is carefully collected, his sin is kept in store for him."Hosea 13:12
The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is hid.
So Ephraim, spelled A-m-e-r-i-c-a, represents the whole "House of Israel" should not even begin to think that God has forgotten her sins. America may think she is getting away with spiritual adultery and injustice, but you can be assured from the Word of God, it is not hid from Him! Now notice this next verse which actually lets the "wise" know the season spoken of for "the time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time..." (Dan. 12:1).
The "travail" (birth pangs) which "shall come upon him" (Ephraim) are happening to this final generation. They are the same "sorrows" (odin, Greek 5604; a pang or throe, especially of childbirth:- pain, sorrow, travail.) Christ spoke of in Mat. 24 and Mark 13 when He outlined the events just preceding His return. And who is the "unwise" son? He is the foolish virgin (Christian) of Mat. 25 who did not study His Word to gain the supply of oil necessary to see his way through "the days of darkness and gloominess" (Joel 2:2).[13] The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him: he is an unwise son; for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children.
Now, just before we complete this chapter of Hosea, our Father wants us to be reminded once again of the GOOD NEWS. He is our redeemer (vs. 14), in Him is our help (vs. 9), He is the ONLY Savior (vs. 4).
Satan is death (Heb. 2:14). That is why he is called the son of perdition, the son who will perish.[14] I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.
The wise know that God will redeem His people Israel from "death", but for most of them it will be only after they have bowed their knees to Baal (death), i.e. worshipped the false messiah as Jesus. Yes, He has determined to pour out His cup of wrath and that is how it shall be! There shall be no other way!
We repeat Hosea 13 :14 I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes
Satan is death (Heb. 2:14). That is why he is called the son of perdition, the son who will perish
"Repentance shall be hid from my eyes" simply means God will not change His mind or His plan and it shall happen EXACTLY as it is written in this Word.
And here is how it will happen:
The "he" who is fruitful is Ephraim, the largest of the 10 tribes, put forth to represent the whole of "The Ancient House of Israel" whose descendants are "The Christian Nations" of our 21st. century world.Hosea 13:15
Though he be fruitful among his brethren, an east wind shall come, the wind of the LORD shall come up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up: he shall spoil the treasure of all pleasant vessels.
Many of those people today are directly descended from and the tribe of Manasseh (a great people) and live in the United States of America, the land God has so blessed with "amber waves of grain" all across "the fruited plain". And it shall be during America's fruitful, prosperous times that an "east wind" shall come, which is the wind from the desert east of Palestine which brings no good thing, for it is a "desert storm*". (this is in fulfillment of Jacob's prophecy recorded in Genesis chapter 48:10-22. The tribe of Ephraim (England) did indeed become a multitude of nations and the tribe of Manasseh (the United States) did indeed become a great people)
Are you a Israelite?
Be thoughtful before you answer.
(Maybe you only think you're a Gentile!)
See also. Live Link to->>> "Israel's Lost Tribes"
Remember Samaria, which means "watch mountain", the capital hill of the northern 10 tribes of the House of Israel.
But; Remember what we learned in chapter 11!
Ephraim's harlotry makes Him so angry He feels like wiping them all out just like He did Admah and Zeboim! And man probably would! However, our Father God, is not just a man, and is always in control and He has a PLAN of Love to "save" His children and restore them back into one nation under the King of kings and Lord of lords, i.e. "One Nation Under God".
Here is that restoration.
[10] They shall walk after the LORD: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west.
Zech. 8:7
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;[8] And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.
Hosea 11:11
They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria: and I will place them in their houses, saith the LORD.
Romans 11:26 And so all Israel
shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come
out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness
from Jacob
Question: Does all really mean all...?As in everyone?
Maybe it won't happen until they go through THE MILLENNIUM; & 1000 years of training by "The Lord, But Romans 11:26 does say all!
What a trip this flesh age is! But soon Ephraim shall return home and as Dorothy said, "There is no place like home!"Are these great times we live in, or what?
*Note: We will complete the great Book of Hosea in our next study which will be followed by a prophecy update and some Q & A before we go to the Book of Joel. You see, there has been a transition of power and the angel of the whirlwind is in charge of the east wind!Hosea chapter 14
This is it, the Epilogue of Hosea bringing forth the final message, even the salvation message directly from our Father to His children He loves so dearly.
It is a national call as well as an individual call!
The story of Israel's iniquity and their fall has been eloquently and vividly portrayed in this Book of Hosea as if acted out on stage so that we can "see and hear" in our mind's eye and understand in our hearts the feelings and emotions of our Father and the enormous love He has for His children who, despite His bountiful blessings, almost totally ignore His Word thereby forsaking Him. This hurts Him deeply for not only does He long for their love, He must now bring chastisement upon them that they might reap the consequences of their deeds so that they may "see the light" and return unto Him.Hosea 14:1
O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.
The whole story is actually contained right in the meanings of names of the characters:
The Good News is that His children can return unto Him now, before the sands of time for this flesh age run out of the "hour" glass.Hosea = "Salvation", the husband and the Father
Gomer = "Completion", the wife who becomes an adulteress showing the fullness of Israel's sin of idolatry.
Jezreel = "A play on the name Israel and an homonym meaning scattering and sowing", showing Israel scattered and sown among the nations while losing his identity. He would eventually be sown in his own land.
Lo-Ruhamah = "Not compassionate", Israel as the unpitied one.
Lo-Ammi = "Not my people", Israel belonging to another.
Ammi = "My people", Israel returned unto Him.
Ruhamah = "Pitied one", Lo-Ruhamah's new name.(Reference pg. 1223 in Companion Bible)
Here is how to do it:
[2] Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto Him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.
Then promise to cut out the "bull" and praise Him with your lips instead of kissing the "golden calves" of men's traditions.
Here are three bulls to get rid of:
1. The Assyrian, representing the false messiah, cannot "save you" in anyway, i.e. neither nationally nor individually, neither physically nor spiritually. Hosea 13:4[3] Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.
..."There is no Savior beside me!"
2. The reference to "ride upon horses" is a from to Deut. 17:16 meaning do not trust in man's armies for deliverance.
3. Recognize and get rid of "man made" religion and traditions which much of churchianity has become. The traditions of men are pure "apostasy" and will lead millions of our brothers and sisters to worship Satan when he comes as the spurious Jesus! So "Take His (God's) Words!", not man's (vs. 2), and go to Him!
The "fatherless" are the orphaned children of Israel and those who have forsaken His Word and therefore cut themselves off from their heavenly Father.
Israel's "backsliding" does not refer to their flesh sins (i.e. adultery) but rather to their "apostasy" which is "idolatry"! You see, a person can have good morals and not be an adulterer while at the same time being a "spiritual whore"! Therefore, always remember what Israel's great sin is from Hosea 10:8! It is their Beth-avens,Hosea 14:4
I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.
their high places of worship, i.e. their churches which should be Beth-els (houses of God) instead of Beth-avens (houses of emptiness, i.e. void of His Word)! It is precisely because of the lack of the knowledge and understanding of His Word that the majority of Christians will fall into the great apostasy of the end time and worship Satan as if he were God. 2 Thes. 2:3 "Let no man deceive you by any means (Take His Words instead): for that day (the return of Christ) shall not come, except (until) there come a falling away (apostasy) first, and that man of sin (Satan, the false-christ) be revealed, the son of perdition;"
If there is one comforting thing we have seen from this great Book of Hosea it is that our Father is very willing to forgive the adultery/idolatry of Gomer and take her back into His loving arms. By the way, if He is so willing and able to forgive idolatry, the violation of the #1 Commandment of those 10 etched in stone, do you not think He is willing and able to forgive the lesser sin of the flesh, i.e. adultery? All that is required is repentance, the "return" spoken of in Hos. 14:1 and the healing and love of Hosea 14:4 takes over! Of course, without repentance a person remains an adulterer! So do not EVER let some preacher type tell you Christ cannot or does not forgive the sin of adultery and a person cannot remarry. You "Take His Word" for it, not some ignorant man's!backsliding = meshuwbah, mesh-oo-baw', Hebrew 4878; or meshubah, mesh-oo-baw'; from Hebrew 7725 (shuwb); apostasy :- backsliding, turning away.
The next three verses, 5 thru 7, describe the beauty (as a Lily) and splendor (as a tall cedar of Lebanon) and abundance (fruitfulness) of Israel following his redemption, which is yet future at the return of Christ. However, for those who are "wise" (vs. 9), and for those who have "eyes to see and ears to hear" (vs. 8) the words of Hosea, these verses apply right now, this day!
Our Father speaks:
The "dew" is a reference to the Song of Moses in Deut. 32:2 "My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:"Hosea 14:5
I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.
Also, did you know that the cedar grows its roots as deeply as its height, so that they are immovable? That is why God uses the analogy of the cedars of Lebanon to describe His children, because they were the tallest and most beautiful cedars in the world. So the question is: "How deeply are you rooted in the Word of God? Like a cedar of Lebanon? Do you stand tall with our Father, immovable as those cedars?
[6] His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.
The exquisite wine of Lebanon was celebrated for its sweet aroma and delightful flavor.[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 Good News is that Ephraim will one day have his "Ears unclogged" and his "Eyes shall be opened" to HEAR Him and SEE Him [for at the last trump all are changed into spiritual bodies (1 Cor. 15:51-52)]. And they will exclaim and shake their heads at their idolatry even as those who have had their eyes opened and their ears unclogged do shake their heads at the foolish traditions of men they once followed, like bringing Ishtar and her sexual fertility symbols into their Beth-els, and believing fairy tales about snakes and apples, and that God would hideously torture and fry people like bacon forever (when the Word says they shall "perish", as in spiritual capital punishment, i.e. the second death, and be no more!!!), and death defying fly away bye-bye rapture stories spawned by a mentally sick woman in the year 1830 in Glasgow, Scotland, and perpetuated to this very day by the Biblically illiterate preachers and ministers Christ specifically warned us about in Mat. 24 and Mark 13!Hosea 14:8
Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard Him, and observed Him:
Yes, on that great day their eyes will be opened and THEN they will discover that the word "apple" is not even in the Book of Genesis and they will understand the great lesson of the Garden of Eden: If you eat and digest the bad fruit produced by the bad tree in the midst of the garden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the box-tree, that "te-ashshur" of Ezk. 31:3 who was in the Garden of Eden and who shall soon appear claiming to be Jesus Christ, the Tree of Life, then you will surely DIE, spiritually. You see, there is only ONE TREE OF LIFE, and He is Jesus Christ, the Word of God. FROM HIM, that Evergreen, Everlasting Tree, is from whom you take your fruit!
Hear it directly from the LORD if you have ears to hear Him:
From which tree do you get your fruit? Are you really wise enough to know? (Hint: It is a root question.)[8 ...continued] I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found.
Consider the next question most carefully!
So what is the answer to the question: "Who is wise?" and "Who is prudent, i.e. who has understanding?" There is no guesswork required to know the answer for it is given in the selfsame verse. The wise are the "just", the "zadok", God's elect who "walk in the ways of the LORD" because they believe Him and they love Him! They are the cedars of Lebanon who have cast deep roots in the Word of God and in His sight have grown beautiful as the Lily and tall and strong as the cedar. They are watered daily by the dew (Hos. 14:5) and nourished by the "daily bread", the manna from heaven, which they gather daily from the Word of God and consume it all.[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.
Wake up America! The hour is late. The alarm is sounding and it is now time to make your choice, knowing that it is your loving Father's desire that you return to Him and choose life, even life which lasts forever. He has told you how in this Book of Salvation. The choice is now yours and He is calling you!
AmenDeut. 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:
________
To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.
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