The book of Amos has some timely and prophetic words that are not as generally read or understood as some of the major prophets. While it has much solemn warnings from the Lord it ends happily with a description of the righteous church kingdom prevailing upon the earth.
Amos was a farmer who turned prophet. His name Amos means “to lift a burden” or “burden-bearer”. In our short study of him, he was like many of our prophets, a courageous man , willing to speak out against the prevailing sins of his people. Obviously he cared deeply about their spiritual welfare, unlike the vast majority who swept the sins under the rug.
Our prophetess declared these words “Each of the ancient prophets spoke less for their own time than for ours, so that their prophesying is in force for us.” (3 Selected Messages, p.338) So let us look at what Amos has in store for us today.
God declared that a “prophet” is the revealer of His secrets. So we must be sure that we hear and act upon the words of His anointed prophets. They and only they can accurately predict what God has in store for us. “Surely the Lord God doeth nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7).
Amos, being a prophet, was divinely given some of God’s secrets, and has some clear words for us about what will soon take place in our church. In the first 5 chapters of Amos we read of judgements and also pleadings from the Lord for His people such as, “Seek good and not evil, that you may live; So the Lord God of hosts will be with you, as you have spoken. Hate evil, love good; Establish justice in the gate. It may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joesph.”(Amos 5.14-15).
But as we proceed on we see that their/our ways do not reform to His pleadings. The people mostly ignored and disliked his straight testimony. Those who truly have love in their hearts for their brethren will tell the straight truth, desiring that all should be saved and not one perish, just like our Master’s desire (2 Peter 3:9).
As we read on in Amos, we read this contemporary prophesy,the Lord says, “I hate, I despise your feast days, and I do not savor your sacred assemblies.” (Amos 5:21). Just as in Amos’ day these words are true today. A while back we made the post called “The church of the routine”, listed under Church. We pointed out how the Holy Spirit is mostly muzzled in our church services today. Kneel at this exact time, stand at this exact time, do this routine at this exact time, time the service to the exact time, and so on. The Holy Spirit’s spontaneous movements are rarely seen. We need to react more to the Holy Spirit. A brother or sister may receive a vision right there in the church, and no one knows about it.
Then we get to the last chapter 9. In verse 8 we read, “Behold the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth; yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” says the Lord.” These words are very applicable for today. He is indeed watching His “kingdom”. Through out history there has only been one kingdom He has constantly had His eyes on–His church kingdom.
We see that He will destroy it but not entirely. “For surely I will command, and sift the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a sieve; yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground.”(Amos 9:9) This appears to be when He goes through His kingdom and “sifts” or judges among His people. Not one of the righteous will fall , “Yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground.”
Let’s summarize verse 8 and 9. First we see that God has His eyes carefully on His church kingdom today and He is not pleased with the “sinful” kingdom. He then must purify His church, but He spares His righteous. The church becomes much smaller, yet pure. This is indeed describing the judgment for the living in His church. The 144,000 are those who are sifted out and remain.(For more information on the 144,000 see our posts listed under “Who are the 144K?”)
Ellen White further confirms this, “In the last vision given me, I was shown the startling fact but a small portion of those who now profess the truth will be sanctified by it and saved.” (Testimonies for the Church, Vol 1, p.608)
The next verse is very important. It describes the ones proclaiming peace and safety, saying in effect the Lord will not bring destruction to His people(church). “All sinners of My people shall die by the sword, who say “The calamity shall not overtake us nor confront us.” (Amos 9:10). These do not believe the Lord will do what He says.
Here is where we need to zoom in closely. The Elijah message is going out right now to us, His people. It proclaims the startling truth that the Lord is soon to secretly come into His churches to begin the beginning phase of the “judgment for the living”. But as this goes out, it is being fought by many, particularly the leaders. The sheep, the laity blindly follow along. They are indeed telling people Ezek.9 will not happen or that it happens at the end, in the plaques. Please my brethren be one of those who trust in His word as it states, not in the false peace and safety message.
“The Lord will not do good, neither will He do evil. He is too merciful to visit His people in judgment. Thus “peace and saftey” is the cry from men who will never again lift up their voice like a trunpet to show God’s people their transgressions and the house of Jacob their sins.” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p.211)
As we read the final words of Amos we see peace and glory come from the Lord. Our Lord declares righteousness upon the land. Let’s read verse 11 and 12. “On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair it’s damages; I will raise up it’s ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old; That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name,” says the Lord who does this thing.”
The above is describing the time of the loud cry. The 144,000 servants of God go to work during the loud cry and bring in the Gentiles. Verses 13-15 says “Behold, the days are coming,” say the Lord, “When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; The mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it”
“I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God.”
Lastly, Amos shows a beautiful peaceful time where the people are in “their land” and enjoying the fruit of the land. There is only one place in all the whole world the Lord has ever called His people to -the land of Israel. Here we see that soon our Lord will bring back His people Israel to His (our) land. And no one will uproot them from there. So as not to have any confusion Ellen White clearly says that we, the SDA church, are the Israel of today (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 9, p. 164).
In closing, let us be faithful like Amos was, desiring to stand strong and for God’s upright plans, though unpopular at times. If we remain true to the end, a glorious promise is made for us. Amen.
For some interesting information about Amos, this article is helpful.
Amos, The Prophet
(From Forerunner Commentary)
| Those who critically examine the Bible unanimously agree that Amos wrote the book that bears his name. Some researchers feel that some minor material may have been inserted later by an editor, but few doubt that a Jewish man named Amos was the author.The prophet hailed from Tekoa, a small town about thirteen miles south of Jerusalem in the Wilderness of Judah. Since he was not from a large cosmopolitan city like Jerusalem or Samaria, Amos, shaped by his rural experiences, had a clearer perspective of the evils that he saw as he walked through the cities of Israel. While the Israelites accepted their lifestyle as normal, the prophet recognized it as a perversion and an abomination to God. Amosmeans “burden-bearer,” and his message to Israel, one of continuous judgment and denunciation, was indeed a heavy burden.Because of the distrust between the two peoples, it is ironic that God sent a Jew to warn the Israelites of their impending judgment. God obviously sent the best man available to do the job, though he was not a formally trained prophet. “I was no prophet, nor was I a son of a prophet,” he explains, “but I was a herdsman and a tender of sycamore fruit. Then the Lord took me as I followed the flock and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel'” (Amos 7:14-15).Amos was more than “just a shepherd.” In Amos 1:1 the Hebrew word noqed indicates a keeper or raiser of sheep or goats (see II Kings 3:4), though it is often rendered as “shepherd.” In Amos 7:14 “herdsman” (bowker) refers to large cattle. God inspired two different words to show that he was a breeder of sheep (and maybe of cattle), supplying others with stock, and possibly developing and refining the breeds. Some of Amos’ land may have also been set aside as a sycamore-fig orchard. His ranch seems to have been small enough that he was personally involved in its operation, though he also seems to have been successful enough to take time off to preach in Israel.Judging from the book’s language and style, Amos was also well educated. Scholars judge his use of language as particularly expressive, vivid, and forceful. Far from being an illiterate shepherd, the prophet was a man of refinement and substance, aware of past events and current conditions in Israel and Judah, as well as in the surrounding nations.
Amos wrote at a very significant time in Israel’s history (Amos 1:1). Both kings Jeroboam II of Israel (793-753 BC) and Uzziah of Judah (791-739 BC) enjoyed long and prosperous reigns. His prophecy can be dated before 750 BC, since Uzziah’s son, Jotham (750-731 BC), who reigned as co-regent with his father for eleven years, is not mentioned. The phrase “two years before the earthquake” helps to narrow the book’s date. Archeological findings unearthed at Hazor in northern Palestine show that an unusually strong earthquake occurred about 760 BC. If so, Amos prophesied in about 762 BC. The phrase seems to limit his prophesying to this particular year, suggesting that his prophetic activity was very short. Many historians have concluded that 722 BC—forty years later—was when Assyria marched on Israel. Beginning with Amos’ warning message, God in His mercy provided His people with a forty-year period of trial and testing during which they could repent. History records, however, that Samaria fell and her survivors were dragged into captivity in 718 BC. Tradition holds that Amos died a violent death at the hands of Jeroboam II, but no historical records have confirmed this claim. However, the prophet left a powerful message of warning and urgency that still rings with truth and fervor. (from www.bibletools.org) |
Godsloveandlaw's Blog 
September 11, 2012 at 5:06 pm |
Amen, brother. Blessings of the Godhead Three.
September 11, 2012 at 7:17 pm |
Praise the Lord bro, may God continue to lead you so wonderfully!