Hosea’s Prophecy for Today

The prophet Hosea brought a remarkable prophecy that applies to the Ten Tribes of the modern House of Israel. This prophecy describes them in a pathetic condition, having lost all knowledge of the true God.

In the Old Testament period, the Israelites were God’s only people. In Hosea 1:9, God describes Israel as “Loammi,” which means “NOT My people.” By (the prophet) Hosea’s time, Israel had rejected God’s Sabbath, having replaced it with Jeroboam’s first day of the week observance—Sunday.

During her migration from Assyria to her lands in Northwest Europe, Israel was prophesied to get confused about her “paths.” Notice: “Therefore, behold, I will hedge up your way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall NOT FIND HER PATHS” (Hosea 2:6).

This prophecy reveals that Israel was to lose her identity!

Here is why: “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 2:8). These are direct prophecies that speak of America and Britain now! Our peoples have forgotten how much God has given them. “Baal” is the sun god and Sunday is Baal’s day—as are Christmas, Easter, New Year’s, and other pagan holidays, which have been borrowed from heathen religions and inserted into modern professing “Christianity.”

The PLAIN TRUTH is that God HATES Sunday worship and all the days that point to Baal. Yet hundreds of millions unwittingly follow the authority of the Roman church—and ignore God’s plain commands to keep HIS day—and HIS annual Feast days—HOLY!

All of this comes at a great price for rebellious Israel. Notice how the blessings begin to disappear: “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” (Hosea 2:9).

Numerous prophecies, including Christ’s in Matthew 24:7, foretell of famines that now lie just ahead for our peoples. I said that God hates these holidays, and Sunday, which men have substituted for HIS Holy Days and Sabbath. Notice: “I will also cause all her mirth to cease, HER feast days, HER new moons, and HER sabbaths, and all HER solemn feasts ...” (Hosea 2:11).

Take careful note of this verse. God is not speaking of His own Sabbaths, but of the days Israel adopted (“her” days) from the nations around her who worshipped Baal. These were Baal’s feasts!

God adds more: “And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them [Baal’s holidays], and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgot Me, says the LORD” (Hosea 2:13).

Yes, terrible punishment is coming from the hand of God! Massive drought and disease epidemics will devastate the nations of modern Israel. This will be followed by horrific invasion and captivity for our peoples. It is coming soon. All who doubt this will soon wish they had not. All who scoff will soon scoff no more! The culmination of this prophecy is found in Hosea 2:14-23. But it can only be understood in light of God’s special Sabbath covenant (Exod. 31:12-17).

Let’s carefully read this crucial passage in Hosea. It describes God talking to Israel while she is in slavery, but then ready to hear His instruction:

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. And I will give her her vineyards from there, 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. And it shall be at that day, says the LORD, that you shall call Me Ishi [my Husband]; and shall call Me no more Baali. For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name. And in that day will I make a COVENANT [the New Covenant] for them.... and I will betroth you unto Me forever ... in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth you unto Me in faithfulness: and you shall know the LORD. And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, says the LORD.... and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not My people, YOU ARE MY PEOPLE; and they shall say, YOU ARE MY GOD” (Hosea 2:14-23).

This prophecy only makes sense when one understands modern Israel’s attraction to the pagan feasts and days derived from Baal worship.

Obviously, Israel never became the model nation God intended. All Gentile peoples did not observe her example and seek God.

But again, God has always had a plan for all human beings. The vast majority of peoples on Earth are Gentiles, not Israelites. All Israelites make up less than 10 percent of the world’s population. But the world thinks the Sabbath was only for one tribe, Judah, and that the only people God chose were the Jews.

God does have a specific plan for any Gentiles who wish to be included!

Isaiah Foretold!

By now you have seen that God does not have one Sabbath standard for the Jews and another for Gentiles. Let’s now see this even more plainly.

Isaiah removes all doubt about this. Let’s begin in chapter 56: “Thus says the LORD, Keep you judgment, and do justice: for MY [Christ’s] SALVATION is near to come, and My [Christ’s]righteousness to be revealed” (Isa. 56:1). This verse sets the stage. It also begins with a “Thus says the LORD.” This establishes God’s AUTHORITY to say all that will follow in the next sequence of verses.

Let’s be absolutely sure of the time-setting—of exactly WHEN Christ’s righteousness will be revealed to the world. We will put several verses together: “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him SHALL HE APPEAR THE SECOND TIME without sin UNTO SALVATION” (Heb. 9:27-28).

Do you see this? Carefully follow the point. Christ’s righteousness will be revealed when He appears—at His Second Coming. Here is the timing of salvation revealed plainly: “Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ” (Rev. 12:10). This obviously refers to Christ’s Second Coming. And further, “And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Rev. 22:12).

Once again, I have taken the time to link these verses because they show the critical element of the timing of Isaiah’s prophecy. Now let’s continue with CHRIST’S prophecy in Isaiah: “Blessed is the man that does this, and the son of man that lays hold on it; that KEEPS THE SABBATH from polluting it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil. Neither let the son of the stranger, that has joined himself to theLORD, speak, saying, The LORD has utterly separated me from His people” (Isa. 56:2-3).

Let’s grasp this vitally important verse. It speaks to all Gentiles who wish to become converted, joined to Christ, and receive salvation. Christ plainly states that no “stranger” should declare himself “separated” from Christ. Isa 56:6-7 expand on this prophecy and should excite every Gentile who reads it. Carefully read: “Also the sons of the stranger [Gentiles], that join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants, every one that KEEPS THE SABBATH from polluting it, and takes hold of My covenant [Exod. 31:12-17]; even them [Gentiles] will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them [Gentiles] joyful in My house of prayer ... for Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people” (Isa. 56:6-7).

How PLAIN!

Why do some ignore that God’s Sabbath was established “forever,” as a “perpetual covenant”? And why do so many believe that it was only binding on Israelites? (Of course, we have also seen that converted Gentiles are spiritual Israelites—and Israelites were commanded to keep the Sabbath “throughout their generations.”) Forever is forever—and, on God’s authority, I tell you that every stranger may freely “join himself to the LORD.” As a matter of fact, Gentiles are told not to say that they are an exception to God’s command to NOT pollute His Sabbath day, if they are to see Christ revealed unto their salvation!

All men—Jew and Gentile—will be judged by the same Law!

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