The sermon mentions God's judgment on various nations for their transgressions, particularly their mistreatment of Israel. You said (25:36) "several foreign nations, all who have sinned and caused Israel harm to one degree or another, they're all deserving of God's judgment." Does this mean that if these nations had not harmed Israel, they would not be deserving of God's judgment upon them? I believe to state the issue this way sets up a view of Israel that goes beyond Amos' intention. It is true that God's children are the apple of His eye, but not all Israel is Israel. Those who simply claim to be His chosen one are not Israel. You will know them by their fruit. I've been reading Amos repetitively six days a week since July 1. I'm on my 16th trip through this great book. Recently, I noticed Amos 1-2 as the foundation for what Paul would later say in Romans 2. Namely, Romans 2:12 For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; Paul could easily fall back on Amos to push his point couldn't he? Thus, maybe the point Amos was trying to make in Amos 1-2 was not so much "touch Israel and you will die," but look, nations rise and fall; they don't get away with their sin. They don't escape the watchful eye of God. Therefore, don't remain proud and think you will escape His wrath. In fact, later in the book Amos instructs Israel, Amos 6:2 Go over to Calneh and look, and go from there to Hamath the great, then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they [the ruling class, the equivalent of our Congress and the ruling class in Israel today] better than these kingdoms, or is their territory greater than yours? In other words, witness God's judgment upon each of these nations. Notice God names the sin they committed. So, while God pours forth His judgment upon these Ninevehs of the world for their sin with no regard for Israel, and while He withholds His judgment a little while longer from Israel, don't think you have reason to rest secure in your sin. Hear the roar. Fear the roar and repent and know that you are next in the queue. Don't think you are better than these. And don't let others (even Christians) encourage you to think that you are better than these. Amos 9:7 "Are you not as the sons of Ethiopia to Me, O sons of Israel?" declares the Lord. "Have I not brought up Israel from the land of Egypt, And the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir? God raises up nations from the dust of the earth, specifically, from Egypt, from Caphtor, from Kir. God is not the Father of one people, but of all peoples. Therefore, don't let anyone sell you the idea that Israel's position in the world comes with special privileges. It does not. 700 years after Amos John the Baptist still understood this: Matthew 3:8-10 "Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; 9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. 10 "The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 2000 years after John the Baptist we don't understand this. Why? Has Israel changed; has Israel repented so we don't need to warn them? Or has God changed so we don't need to warn them? I wish we understood what John the Baptist and Amos understood. I wish Zionist understood this better. (But then, there would not be any Zionist if they did.) I wish the U.S. Congress understood this better so we would not mortgage our children's future to give fruitless Israel unconditional support. I wish Netanyahu understood how he has no special standing in the world or before God. Such lofty views of Israel have become a nasty stench in the nostrils of God once again, like it has numerous times before, like it had by the time of Amos. It is not hard to predict what God will do next. Such incense will either make God sneeze or roar. Just ask Amos. Just ask John the Baptist. But, who is there to point out such things today? Who dare speak as John the Baptist or Amos today? All the Christian church has to offer is cheap grace. The people in the days of Amos were not allowed to call out the sins of Israel. Isn't that true today? It's better to stand by their court's decision that Israeli soldiers have a right to rape their captives than point this out to them and the world. You will be labelled an anti-Semite if you do. A nation in rebellion against God always falls under the control of Satan and Satan always prefers darkness over light, falsehood over truth, censorship over free speech, death and destruction over life. And that is what we get. Thus, we have the most heinous conditions in America and Israel. And these conditions only grow worse and worse for our children because we choose to obfuscate and obstruct, rather than clarify and make straight the way of Israel. We have adopted the mind of Amaziah, rather than the good counsel of God or Amos. Amos 7:12-16 Then Amaziah [the priest of Bethel] said to Amos, "Go, you seer, flee away to the land of Judah and there eat bread and there do your prophesying! 13 "But no longer prophesy at Bethel, for it is a sanctuary of the king and a royal residence. Then Amos answered and said...16 Now hear the word of the Lord: you are saying, 'YOU SHALL NOT prophesy AGAINST ISRAEL nor shall you speak AGAINST THE HOUSE OF ISAAC.' Many today choose to obey Amaziah rather than God. They follow the House of Congress and will never speak against the house of Isaac. Especially in Florida where anti-Israel laws take root under the guise of being anti-Semitic. Woman and children be damned day after day regardless how obstinate and evil Israel becomes. This should not be. The best way to bless Israel is to call them to repentance like Amos sought to do, and like John the Baptist sought to do, and like Jesus sought to do, and like Paul sought to do. They did not want them to remain in the bondage of sin and the devil. We need to stop taking the messages of the prophets that were directed at God's people Israel and applying them to Christians and letting the roar end there. We should take Amos' message and apply it to whom it was given. There is much in God's greater program to be gained from doing this. As we are witnesses, there is much to lose for not doing this. Jeremiah 23:14 "Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: The committing of adultery and WALKING IN FALSEHOOD; And they STRENGTHEN the hands of evildoers, So that no one has turned back from his wickedness. All of them have become to Me like Sodom, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah. The light of truth needs to be turned upon the object of Amos' message, Israel. We treat Israel today like it can do no wrong. God told Amos the sins of the nations; why don't we know the sins of Israel? Why are we so ignorant of this today? How can we expect any people to repent and be saved from eternal damnation if we never expose the error of their way? Christians are tasked with this job. Ephesians 5:6-13 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them; 8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light 9 (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. If we really hear the Lion's roar, we should be the first to alert all those who are in this zoo - especially Israel, especially now. Sin is leading Israel to judgment in the following but not limited ways. Israel is on a course to destroy itself and all associated with them, but a remnant. Who will stand with Amos in light of this fact and warn them? Rather than strengthening the hands of these sinners we should be calling them out for... 1. Illegal Occupation 2. Theft of Land 3. Military Aggression - Israel has already dropped the equivalent of two nuclear bombs, the size that hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in an area a fraction of the size of those cities. 4. Suppression of Palestinian Rights 5. Promotion of Racial Superiority 6. Economic Exploitation 7. Promoting the Right to Rape Prisoners To that end God help us all.
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