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HOSEA 5:14-15
This should be studied in connection
with Mal. 3:1-6.
For I will be like a lion to Ephraim
And like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear to pieces
and go away, I will carry away, and there will be none to deliver.
I will go away and return to My place."
"I will go away and return to My place
Until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; In their affliction
they will earnestly seek Me."
Mat. 23:39, "you shall not see Me until you say, praised is He who comes in
the name of the Lord."
The ministry of Elijah, which will begin the process of restoration, is to
bring about a change of attitude.
It is a change of attitude back to looking for fulfillment of the Messianic
promise; the true heritage of the Jewish people; and to the true character
of the Mosaic law; mercy, faithfulness, justice and the love of God.
Mat. 23:23 and Luke 11:42 and Micah 6:8.
His ministry will be successful for a large group of Jews who will become
convicted of the nation's past failure. They will recognize that Jesus
was/is indeed the promised Messiah and will begin to seek the Lord according
to their national heritage; the Messianic promise.
HOSEA 5:15
"I will go away and return to My place
Until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face;
In THEIR AFFLICTION they will earnestly seek Me."
1. THEIR AFFLICTION refers to the tribulation/persecution of Daniel 12:1,
"and there will be a time of affliction since as never occurred since there
was a nation until that time."
The word at both places in the LXX is thlipsis.
This refers to the oppression by the beast of Rev. 13:3-7 and Dan. 11:36-39.
The tribulation will begin at the midpoint of the 70th week. Dan. 9:27, "and
in the middle of the week, he will put as stop to sacrifice and grain
offering, and by means of the wing of abominations (he) causing desolation
until a completion."
This is the abomination of Dan. 12:11 and Mat. 24:15 and 2Thes. 2:4.
It is after the tribulation begins at the midpoint of the week and before
the Lord returns that there will be a national change of attitude toward
Jesus the Messiah.
During the time BEFORE and within their affliction (the tribulation),
Elijah, as one of the two witnesses of Rev. 11, will testify to the nation
and to the world "to press on to know the Lord" (Hosea 6:3); and to "restore
the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to
their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse" (Mal. 4:6).
The nation, represented by the 144k servants of Rev. 7:1-8, will be
convicted of their national guilt and begin to seek the Lord.
2. ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR GUILT refers to the specific national sin that has
plagued the nation since it was committed.
It is the national rejection of Jesus as their promised Messiah; "the
transgression" of Daniel 9:24.
It is this acknowledgment and expression of spiritual hunger that will
trigger the foreknown plan of God for bringing the Messiah back into the
world.
3. SEEK MY FACE. This is not getting "saved," but is an expression of hunger
for the truth.
This expression of hunger is indicated at Hosea 6:1-3 as the prophet takes
the hearers to the time of tribulation.
Hosea 6:1
“Come, let us return to the Lord.
For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will
bandage us."
A. Torn and wounded refers to the period of divine discipline.
B. Heal and bandage refers to restoration based on a change of attitude.
C. The plea for His return is expressed at Isaiah 64:1-2.
4. THE 144K JEWISH
BOND SERVANTS
After the tribulation begins, a group of Jews as representative of the
nation will recognize that Jesus was their promised Messiah and express
desire to know the truth and to return to the Lord. At that time Jesus will
interrupt (cut short, Mat. 24:22) the tribulation and return in the clouds
of the sky with power and great glory to begin the process of delivering His
people.
Mat. 23:39, "you shall not see Me until you say, praised is He who comes in
the name of the Lord."
This is not salvation. It is not a trust in Jesus as Savior. It is a change
of attitude that now is TRULY seeking the Messiah. It is the acknowledgment
of their national sin, that rejected Jesus as their Messiah, and a return to
the true character of the law of Moses.
This will be what Malachi 4:6 describes, "And he will restore the hearts of
the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their
fathers."
This is the acknowledgment of the 144k bond servants of Rev. 7 that prepares
them to trust in Jesus as Savior after He comes back, which will give them
spiritual life; salvation from sin.
HOSEA 6:2
“He will GIVE US LIFE (revive) after two days; on the third day, He will
raise us up That we may live in His presence."
1.GIVE US LIFE is a piel imperfect of chAyAh. It means to give life.
The translation, "revive us" is fine, but must be interpreted as the
reception of salvation; spiritual life.
It indicates the result of changing the attitude toward Jesus that trusts in
Him as the SAVIOR of the world. They will have been convicted already that
Jesus is the Messiah, and they will be seeking the Lord. When He arrives in
the clouds of the sky with power and great glory, they will trust in Him as
SAVIOR, and be given spiritual life; sealed as belonging to God. The
confession that constitutes belief in Christ as SAVIOR AND the message that
will be proclaimed by the 144k Jewish bond servants is reflected in the
confession of Isaiah 53:1-10.
2. AFTER TWO DAYS: Here, the prophet states a very interesting time line.
If day is symbolic for a year, as it often is, this could be a subtle
prophecy that the return of the Lord will occur during the third year of the
tribulation.
I would like to think that God intends for this to be understood by the
hearers, but this seems to be something to be understood only by those who
are in the tribulation of verse 5:15, "in their affliction they will
earnestly seek Me."
As we compare with other scriptures, we learn that the return of Jesus could
actually be delayed until sometime after the 2nd year of the beast's
persecution of Israel. At least 5 months is required after His return based
on the duration of the 5th trumpet judgment of Rev. 9:5, "torment for 5
months." And it is reasonable to allot one or more months to the previous
and subsequent trumpet judgments.
Thus, "after two days" refers to the first two years of the beast's reign
and the period of tribulation (their affliction) that will begin at the
midpoint of the week. It is at some unknown day and hour AFTER the 2nd year
of the tribulation and AT LEAST 5 months BEFORE the end of the 70th week,
that Jesus will return in the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.
This does not violate the "thief in the night" analogy, nor the unknown "day
and hour" factor.
Jesus already established that His return will come in the season of the
tribulation at Mat. 24:32-37, "Behold the fig tree and all the trees; as
soon as they put forth leaves, you know that summer is near. Even so you too
when you see all these things. recognize that He is near, right at the
door."
And since His return MUST occur AT LEAST 5 months before the end of the
week, and since there probably needs to be more than 5 months for the
completion of all 6 of the trumpet judgments, it is quite reasonable to
place His return at some unknown day and hour during the 3rd year of the
beast's reign.
3. ON THE THIRD DAY:
"After two days" and "on the third day" probably refer to the same point in
time. Not only do the 144k Jews become saved at that time, but they are also
appointed as the bond servants of God.
4. HE WILL RAISE US UP: The verb is a hiphil imperfect of qūm. This refers
to the establishment of the 144k as God's bond servants and the official
embodiment of the nation of Israel.
That is why in John's vision, they are seen symbolically standing with Jesus
on the Mt. of Olives (Rev. 14:1).
These will then pick up the baton from the church and will SERVE as God's
evangelistic representatives on the earth reaching out to the rest of the
Jews who are scattered throughout the world.
5. THAT WE MAY LIVE IN HIS PRESENCE:
This is a clear indication that "give us life" refers to the saving of those
who trust in Jesus. The word "live" here is the same verb as seen above; chAyAh as
a qal imperfect. Because of salvation, those who believe will live in God's
presence. This refers to their life here on earth as having relationship
with God, as well eternity.
The message of Hosea then, is to the people of Israel who will be alive at
the time of the great affliction. Given the promises of God stated here and
elsewhere, that the Lord will return to save and raise up the nation, the
people are exhorted to press on to know Yahweh.
HOSEA 6:3
"So let us know, let us press on to know Yahweh. His going forth is as
certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring
rain watering the earth.”
1. This desire to "know Yahweh' is the acknowledgment of the "nation" (as
represented by the 144k bond servants) that they failed to accept Jesus as
their Messiah, that God has disciplined them, and that He will rescue them
in His own perfect timing. This SEEKING after God will be the trigger for
Him to advance to the next stage of His "plan of the ages." It will come as
scheduled according to His perfect plan which is as certain as the dawn and
as promising as the spring rain.
2. This desire and appeal to the people of Israel will come from the
ministry of Malachi as one of the two witnesses of Rev. 11, and will occur
before the return of Jesus. Accordingly, it is not a message from the
144,000 bond servants since they will not minister until AFTER the arrival
of Jesus.
It is recognition that Jesus was the promised Messiah and that His return is
coming soon. However, after Christ's return, the two witnesses will continue
their ministry to the Jews and with the newly added 144k bond servants,
proclaim the gospel.
3. But most individuals will not put personal trust in Him as Savior until
He actually arrives in the clouds of the sky and they see Him. Those who do
accept Him as THE SAVIOR prior to His coming will be part of the new body of
Christ (the church) and will be taken out of the world at Christ's arrival
via the rapture. Mat. 24:29-31.
4. During the time prior to Christ's return, the church will proclaim the
gospel right up until the Lord takes them out. Mat. 10:21-23, "you shall not
finish with the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes."
Mat. 24:14, "and this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in the whole
world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come."
5. This, along with the ministry of the two witnesses of Revelation 11 who
testify from the start of the tribulation will result in the acknowledgment
of their national sin. Thus, various people from among the Jews will be
appealing one to another to learn more and return to Yahweh.
"let us know, let us press on to know Yahweh."
6. The
plea for His return is expressed at Isaiah 64:1-2.
Oh,
that You would tear open the heavens and come down,
That the mountains would quake at Your presence—
2 As fire kindles
brushwood, as fire causes water to boil—
To make Your name known to Your adversaries,
That the nations may tremble at
Your presence!
7. After the 144k Israelites acknowledge that Jesus was the Messiah, and
acknowledge their "national" sin of having rejected Him, God the Father will
cut short the tribulation (Mat 24:22) and Jesus will arrive in the clouds
of the sky with power and great glory. Mat. 24:29-31.
The first to believe in Jesus as SAVIOR after His return will be the 144,000
Jewish bond servants of Revelation 7. After that there will be many more
from among both Jew and Gentile who become believers. Then after Armageddon,
during the next 45 days (Dan. 12:12), before Jesus sets up His earthly
kingdom, He will remove all the unbelievers from the believers so that only
believers will enter alive into the kingdom. Ezekiel 34:17-22; Mat.
25:31-46.
MALACHI 3:1b
1. And the Lord, whom you seek:
At the time of Christ's first coming, the people of Israel, as a whole, were
not worshipping God according to full knowledge. Romans 10:2-3.
"They have a zeal for God but not according to full knowledge, for not
knowing about God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they
did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God."
They gave lip service to the Messianic promise made to their forefathers,
but they had lost focus on the true character of the law and trust in God.
Mat. 23:23 and Luke 11:42. "justice, mercy, faithfulness and the love of
God."
That condition remains to this very day and will continue until the 144k
bond servants, as representatives of the nation, change their attitude
toward Jesus.
But of course, for those who have rejected Jesus, that arrival will be a day
of darkness and not light. Amos 5:18.
But it need not stay that way, for Joel 2:32 promises, "whoever calls upon
the name of Yahweh will be saved." Isaiah 55:6-7,
"Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let
the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him
return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For
He will abundantly pardon."
And a few verses later the promise is that those who believe will enter into
the Millennial kingdom. Isaiah 55:12-13, "For you will go out with joy And
be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into
shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their
hands. 13 "Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up, And instead
of the nettle the myrtle will come up, And it will be a memorial to the
LORD, For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off."
As can be seen at Mal 3, this expression, "whom you seek" has specific
application to the great tribulation. Hosea 5:15.
"in their affliction they will earnestly seek me."
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