HOSEA SPEAKS -- Isaiah Speaks -- Zechariah
Speaks
By Your servant, Dan Baxley
Hosea
is a small yet powerful book. It is a book of prophetic value and
concerns not only the people of Israel but the People of the Christ, our
Savior, YaHshua.
Hosea
began his ministry during the times of Jeroboam II of Israel and Uzziah of
Judah, around the 8th century BC. This is after the rich and
prosperous kingdom of Solomon. Solomon had allowed the foreign gods of
his many wives to dot the landscape of the surrounding hills of Jerusalem and
more. The kings that followed him continued on this path of religious
tolerance. The people saw themselves as very religious even after
forgetting about their first God, YHWH. They used His name a lot, in
their ignorance and desire to follow other more exciting gods, gods that
titillated the flesh and the eye. Certainly there were brief periods of
repentance but for the most part YaHWeH was pushed to the back and this is
where Hosea comes into the picture.
Israel
is divided, there are the Northern Tribes which have fallen deep into Baal
Worship and the Southern Tribes still hanging on to a semblance of true worship
of the True God, YaHWeH. Eventually, however, despite the warnings from
the Prophets, like Hosea, the Southern Tribes went the way of their Northern
brothers and sisters.
(2Ki
21:3-6) For he (Manassea) built up again the high places which Hezekiah
his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal(Lord 0r Lords), and
made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of
heaven, and served them. And he built altars in the house of YHWH,
of which YHWH said; In Jerusalem will I put my name. And he built altars
for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of YHWH. And he made
his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and
dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the
sight of YHWH, to provoke him to anger.
Hosea’s
time was spent in warning the Northern Tribe by a visual sign YHWH has
instructed him in, a sign that would be illustrated in his own life. He
was to take a whore for a wife and the symbol of this is not lost on the reader
of the book of Hosea. YaHWeH uses Hosea as an example between Himself and
the unfaithful Israel. As the whore chases after other men, for money and
pleasure, so Israel was chasing after other gods. Israel, however,
thought of itself as very religious and devote in all things religious, even to
the point of sacrificing their own children to the evil, and false, god
Molech. Reading the verses above you read that the Kings were so
religious as to “pass their sons through the fire” – the fire of Molech was to
offer your own children as a burnt offering, consumed by the fires of
Molech. Yes, they were very religious, indeed.
What
Hosea has to say and demonstrates was definitely a message for them, way, way
back then, but there is some curious wording coming out from Hosea. We
must remember it is YaHWeH that is giving these words of warning and also,
prophecy of another time.
(Isa
46:10) Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the
things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall
stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
(Amos 3:7) Surely the Lord
GOD will do nothing, but he reveals his secret unto his servants the prophets.
(secret – purpose, plan)
And
He has – He has revealed from the beginning to the end, from ancient times He
has made known to His prophets more than just things for their times, but for
ours too, all the way to the end. Hosea is one of those prophets –
Hosea
Speaks – To Us
(Hos
4:1-2) Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has
a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or
steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land; there is swearing, lying,
murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed
follows bloodshed.
(Hos
4:3-5) Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish, and
also the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of
the sea are taken away. Yet let no one contend, and let none accuse, for
with you is my contention, O priest. You shall stumble by day; the prophet also
shall stumble with you by night; and I will destroy your mother.
(Hos
4:6) My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you
have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you
have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
(Hos
4:7-9) The more they increased, the more they sinned
against me; I will change their glory into
shame. They feed on the sin of my people; they are greedy for their
iniquity. And it shall be like people, like priest; I will punish them
for their ways and repay them for their deeds.
(Hos
4:10) They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore,
but not multiply, because they have forsaken the LORD to cherish
What,
you think this is only Israel? This is not meant for you and me, for the
country you live in? I have been to several other countries and have
found this truth – all are blind and ignorant of our Creator even in this time
of technological advances and in this information deluge the people are
willingly blind. Satisfied to be unsatisfied, worshiping the things as
opposed to our true God and Savior. There seems to be an unwritten law –
when in a group setting, do not talk about religion – do not invite religious
discussion – do not talk about the One God and Savior. Oh, you can talk
about demons and witchcraft, the burning of candles, and the Eastern religions
of the flesh or the wonderful demands of the Islamic faith but talk about our
Lord and Savior, YaHshua, outside of a Church building or private group?
He
is the bread and He is the life and it is only by and through Him you will
receive real spiritual food, food that will satisfy. He has offered
Himself so there is no need to offer up any other – by His single sacrifice for
us He has put an end to child sacrifice and to animal sacrifice – with Him
there is no need, His blood covers it all.
This
takes us to Hosea’s revelation of what was and did happen –
(Hos 5:3) I know Ephraim,
and Israel is not hidden from me; for now, O Ephraim, you have played the
whore; Israel is defiled. Their deeds do not permit them to return to
their God. For the spirit of whoredom is within them,
and they know not the LORD (YHWH). The pride of Israel testifies
to his face; Israel and Ephraim shall stumble in his guilt; Judah also
shall stumble with them.
Hosea
Declares the Salvation of Israel
(Hos 2:10) Now I will
uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and no one shall rescue her
out of my hand.
(Hos
2:11) And I will put an end to all her mirth,
her feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths, and all her appointed feasts.
He
has done just that. After the Messiah, YaHshua, was rejected and
crucified the fate of Israel, the Jews, was sealed – an end to the days and
times they considered as sacred obligations were brought to an end. In
their stubbornness, even after the signs they so dearly sought were shown to
them and they continued to reject the one that could save them, they clung to
the Law of Moses and Temple worship. This all came crashing down by the
force of His words spoken to Hosea through and by the reality of the Temple
being torn down by the Romans in and around 68-70 AD. It did not end
there, for 70 years later another Roman assault and the whole of the city of
Jerusalem was leveled.
(Hos
2:12) And I will lay waste her vines and her fig
trees, of which she said, 'These are my wages, which my lovers have given me.'
I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall devour them.
(Hos
2:13) And I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals when she
burned offerings to them and adorned herself with her ring and jewelry, and went after
her lovers and forgot me, declares YHWH.
(Hos
2:14) "Therefore, behold, I will allure
her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.
This
is a time to come, a time like before, when He brought the children of Israel
into the wilderness to establish a covenant with them. He did not pick
Israel to fail, but fail they did so that His Might and Power, His Savior could
be shown to them. So, that His great mercy will be on display and be
proof it is He that controls what happens to Israel as a people. One more
time He will bring the “remnant” of the people that survive what is to come,
out into the desert wilderness and He will be kind and gentle, and from that
moment Israel will succeed.
(Hos
2:15) And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of
Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth,
as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.
(Hos
2:16-17) "And in that day, declares YHWH, you will
call me 'My Husband,' and no longer will you call me 'My Baal.' (Or “my LORD”) For
I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be
remembered by name no more.
No
more will other names be used in calling on Him. No more will they defile
and profane His Holy Name. Lord (Baal) worship will end. Some have
wondered who the Bride is, well, what does it say here? “You will call
me, “My
Husband”. Also, when we look in the book of Revelation we see
that the Heavenly City of Jerusalem, coming down from Heaven above is called
the “Bride”. How is this Heavenly City constructed? Twelve gates,
each named for one of the Tribes of Israel, and the foundation stones the
twelve Apostles and the Corner Stone our Savior, YaHshua, and all of these
representing the structure of this Holy City are Israelites.
(Hos
2:18) And I will make for them a covenant on
that day
with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things
of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war
from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety.
War
will be abolished and the people of Israel will live in safety. Does that
seem like any time in the past or now? No, but it is the future for
Israel restored. Hosea is not the only one to declare what YaHWeH has
revealed –
(Zec
14:9-11) And the YHWH will be king over all the earth. On that day the
YHWH will be one and His Name one.
The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of
Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft on its site from the Gate of
Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the
Tower of Hananel to the king's winepresses. And it shall be inhabited,
for there shall never again be a decree of utter destruction.
Jerusalem shall dwell in security.
It
would be of great benefit to read all of Zechar-iah (YaH) 14 to see with your
own eyes, to hear with your own ears what YaHWeH/YaHshua has in store.
What is revealed in that chapter fits nicely with the message of Hosea and the
revelation of the Book of Revelation as well as identifying YaHWeH as YaHshua
in His previous Glory as the God of Israel – whom they rejected.
(Hos
2:19-20) And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me
in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will
betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know YHWH.
(Hos
2:21-23) "And in that day I will
answer, declares YHWH, I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the
earth, and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they
shall answer Jezreel, and I will sow her for myself in the land. And I will
have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, 'You are my people';
and he shall say, 'You are my God.'"
KJV
__ (Hos 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.
This
prophecy is for Israel and Judah, and is not speaking to the Gentiles.
Some have mistakenly applied this verse to the Christian Church, especially
those of the “replacement theology” those teaching the Christian Church
replaces Israel. This is totally incorrect, however, and demonstrates how
the KJV has at times mistranslated the meaning. You will notice in the
example from the KJV (above) the grayed out words? These are words added
by the KJV translators to clarify the meaning as they saw it. This allows
for the bias of the translators to be entered into the Scriptures. This
verse should be read and understood without the addition of these words.
Reading this verse with these added words it then appears to be talking about gentiles being
favored over Israel. The full context of Hosea’s message is for all of
Israel and all of Judah and not Gentiles – at least at this point – look again,
who is this verse addressed to? YHWH rejects Israel as His people at one
point for their unfaithfulness, so He says they are not His people anymore, but
He has not laid out a plan of failure
and by His own power He will deliver and restore Israel and once
again call her His people and He will stop the process of “no mercy” toward her
and exhibit mercy,
even though she still does not deserve it. We need to be
careful in claiming to be what we are not. YaHWeH has a plan to deliver
all of Israel and a good thing too, because it is from them our Savior came by
blood and flesh to save us as well. When we say, “us”, it should be
understood that the children of Israel have been dispersed among the nations and
certainly some of the flesh have lost their identity among the nations and
even, perhaps, some of the blood of Israel have lost who they are and think of
themselves as gentiles. But, who is to say from where you came, only the
Creator of Israel will have that answer. It is, however, very dangerous
to claim to be someone we are not, please read Revelation 3:9 carefully.
We
will Jump ahead in the narrative to stay on point, to show part of the message
from Hosea is not a message of the past but also for the future. Hosea’s
name means “deliverer” which is akin to “savior”. It is clear Hosea is a
type of “husband” over an unfaithful wife that goes whoring after other men –
other gods. But in the narrative of the writing, of the letter to the
whore Israel, the figure seen in the likes of Hosea’s unfaithful wife, Israel
should rejoice for the message is one of deliverance, of salvation for all
Israel, past and present. Are the people of Israel listening? What will
it take to bring them home, to the real home -- when YaHshua rules from
Jerusalem?
He
has determined the times and the places and some of us may witness these
events, who knows, in a few years, ten, twenty, two hundred? Before any
of this can happen we must live through the Seals of Revelation. The most
immediate for us is Revelation 6:12-17 – we are looking over the edge of the 5th
Seal, down into the coming of the 6th when the earth and the heavens
will be struck and all of the combined power of man will not be able to stop it
or control it and will see how helpless we really are and that without Him we
are but a speck floating in space awaiting our demise. If He does not
step in forces beyond the control of man will destroy us – the sun is burning
out, galaxies are colliding, asteroids threaten -- oh, and the ice is
melting. Nuclear war? There may be a
nuclear war, after all, mankind has never developed a weapon they did not use,
but this, if it were to occur, will not be the events of Revelation 6th
Seal.
Will
the people of Israel eventually see their error and accept the truth of their
unfaithfulness and repent? Here is what is revealed, and it is a positive
message --
(Hos
3:4-5) For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king
or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household
gods. Afterward the children of Israel shall
return and seek YHWH their God, and David their king, and they shall come in
fear to the YHWH and to his goodness in the latter days.
How
remarkable is this, in the “latter days”, David is to be King again over the
children of Israel? “Many days” to our God is years, thousands of years
to us, but only a day in time for Him. Peter made known that a thousand
years to us is like a day with Him (2Pe
3:8) But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is
with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. From
this we can know the verse from Hosea is referring to the situation
Israel/Judah finds itself today, without a King, without sacrifice, without
gods – a people in limbo awaiting the God and Savior they rejected some few
days ago, as time is counted in Heaven.
Look,
see, David is their King – in the “latter days”. Imagine, King David is raised to rule over Israel once again.
He is raised and his whole household to life in the flesh once again. All
Israel is to be raised and get that infamous “second chance” people talk about
getting – what would you do if you had a second
chance? Israel is going to find out but in a different way,
as their stony hearts are going to be replaced by a heart of flesh of love and
mercy.
From
here I think Hosea has said enough. Everything in Hosea builds off of
these few verses and the main message is to the people of then (782-726 BC) a
warning to the people of then, but a warning with a ray of hope, hope in a new
and fantastic future as determined, not by men, but by their Creator – but
when? We have yet to see the fullness and finish of this prophecy
concerning Israel.
Isaiah
Speaks
(Isa
11:11-12) In that day the Lord will
extend his hand yet a second time to recover
the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros,
from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the
sea. He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the
banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of
the earth.
“A
second time” and when would this be? When was the first time? We
have seen in our modern times, since WWII, the restoration of a facsimile of
Israel’s return to the land, coming out of nations but not as described
here. We could say the modern return of Israel is the “first time”, but
not in the fullness of this prophecy Isaiah speaks and Hosea speaks of.
Read this verse carefully and you will see that there is yet another time of
Israel’s return to the Land, but this next time, this “second time” will
be more amazing and miraculous than the first.
(Isa
66:18-19) "For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time
is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see
my glory, and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send
survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who
draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the
coastlands far away, that have not
heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the
nations.
Imagine
that, Israel, the survivors of what is to come will be “evangelizing” the
world, declaring the Glory of our God and Savior “among the nations”.
There is a lot that has to happen before this comes to pass. Reading the
Book of Revelation we can see what it means when Isaiah speaks of survivors.
(Isa
66:20) And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an
offering to the YHWH, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and
on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the YHWH, just as the
Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the
YHWH.
Zechariah
Speaks
(Zec
10:8) "I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have
redeemed them, and they shall be as many as they were before.
(Zec
10:9) Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far countries
they shall remember me, and with their children they shall live and return.
(Zec
10:10) I will bring them home from the land of Egypt, and gather them
from Assyria, and I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon, till
there is no room for them.
(Zec
10:11) He shall pass through the sea of troubles and strike down the
waves of the sea, and all the depths of the Nile shall be dried up. The pride
of Assyria shall be laid low, and the scepter of Egypt shall depart.
(Zec
10:12) I will make them strong in YHWH, and they shall
walk in His name," declares the YHWH.
Does
any of this sound like the Israel of today? Certainly, a type of Israel
has returned to the Land (the first return?) but are they living safely, are
they so numerous there seems to be no room for them? Are the surrounding
countries subdued? Is all of Israel calling on the NAME of their
God? Do we see the survivors, the remnant of Israel traveling to far
countries to reclaim their brothers and sisters and proclaim the Name of their
God to the Nations, to declare His Glory? No, we have seen none of this,
because the fulfillment of these words has not happened yet, they are still
future!
(Zec
12:10) "And I will pour out on the house of David and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look
on me, on Him whom they have pierced, they shall
mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over Him, as
one weeps over a firstborn.
(Zec
13:1) "On that day there
shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.
Has
this ever happened? No, but it is going to, it is going to become a
reality and when this time comes, when these days are fulfilled, all of the
doctrines of men, all of the fake gods of stone and wood, and the false
teachers, and fables and myth will cease.
Ezekiel
Speaks
(Eze
36:23) And I will vindicate the holiness of My great Name, which has been profaned
(abused, made useless, hidden) among the nations, and which you have profaned
among them. And the nations will know that I am YHWH, declares the
Lord YaH,
when through you I vindicate My holiness before their
eyes.
(Eze
36:24) I will take you from the nations and gather you
from all the countries and bring you into your own land.
(Eze
36:25) I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from
all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
(Eze
36:26) And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put
within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a
heart of flesh.
(Eze
36:27) And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my
statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
(Eze
36:28) You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you
shall be my people, and I will be your God.
(Eze
36:29) And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will
summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you.
Have
we seen any of this? No, we have not. The Israel of today does not
fit this description. Verse 24 is continually pulled out of context by
modern prophets and authors on prophecy quoted as the fulfillment of Modern
Israel today, but reading the surrounding verses you will see this is not the truth, these prophecies from those who “speak” for YaHWeH
are speaking of another time, a time still in the future. What seems to
be at play, in this “plan” of Israel’s Creator, is another period of utter
collapse of Israel and a saving of a remnant by YHWH/YaHshua ultimately ending
in an everlasting peace and safety under the New Israel, under a New covenant,
under our Savior and theirs, YaHshua.
Hosea Speaks a Final Word -- Speaking,
as all True Prophets do -- For YaHWeH/YaHshu --
(Hos
14:4) I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger
has turned from them.
(Hos
14:5-6) I (YHWH/YaHshua) will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom
like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; his shoots shall
spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like
Lebanon.
(Hos
14:7) They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish
like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the
wine of Lebanon.
(Hos
14:8) O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and
look after you. I am like an evergreen cypress; from me comes your fruit.
(Hos
14:9) Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is
discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the YHWH are right, and the
upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.
Email: dan@servantsofyahshua.com