Holy Scriptures and Israel

Guest (Male): Shalom. Holy Scriptures and Israel is a ministry designed to share with the Jewish people the good news of the Lord Jesus Yeshua the Messiah and to instruct Christians on the Jewish roots of their faith. And now teaching God's word from a Hebrew Messianic perspective. Here is Gideon Levitan.

Gideon Levytam: Shabbat Shalom everyone. I hope you have your Bibles with you. We're going to open our Bibles to the prophet Amos today. Amos in English, Amos in Hebrew. And today we are finding ourselves in Amos chapter five and we are reading Amos 5 verse 18 into Amos 6 and verse 14. I would like you to follow me as we are reading these verses. We are studying the prophet Amos. Amos chapter five in verse 18. And so we read. Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord. To what end is it for you? The day of the Lord is darkness and not light.

As if a man did flee from a lion and a bear met him or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it? I hate, I despise your feast days and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offering, I will not accept them, neither will I regard the peace offering of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs.

For I will not hear the melody of thy vials. But let judgment run down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream. Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness 40 years or house of Israel? But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Molech and Chiun, your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves. Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts. Chapter 6 and verse 1. Woe to them that are at ease in Zion and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came.

Pass ye unto a Calneh and see and from thence go ye to Hamath the great and go down to Gath of the Philistines. Be they better than these kingdoms or their borders greater than your borders? Ye that put far away the evil day and cause the seat of violence to come near that lie upon beds of ivory and stretch themselves upon their couches and eat the lambs out of the flock and the calves out of the midst of the stall that chant to the sound of vial and invent to themselves instruments of music like David, that drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the chief ointment.

But they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed. The Lord God had sworn by himself, saith the Lord God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob. I hate his palaces. Therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein. And it shall come to pass if there remain 10 men in one house, that they shall die. And the man's uncle shall take him up and he that burneth him to bring out the bones out of the house and shall say unto him that is by the side of the house, is there yet any with thee?

And he shall say no. Then shall he say, hold thy tongue, for we may not make mention of the name of the Lord. For behold, the Lord commandeth and he will smite the great house with breaches and the little house with clefts. Shall horses run upon the rock? Will one plow there with ox? For ye have turned judgment into gall and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock. Ye which rejoice in a thing of not, we say, have we not taken to us horns by our own strength? But behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith the Lord, the God of hosts.

And they shall afflict you from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of the wilderness. And I'm stopping with the reading of chapter 6 and verse 14. Beloved brothers and sisters, and so today in this ministry meeting, we are in the middle of the study of the prophet Amos. And as we study together the prophet Amos, I would like once again to emphasize as we look at the a maps and the charts that we have already presented before you more than once, I like you to just understand every message I have to emphasize it in order for us to understand it.

By the time that the first king of Israel by the name of Jeroboam became the king of the northern kingdom, he have led the northern kingdom of Israel a to remain in the north and no longer to come down to Judah, Yehuda, to Jerusalem and to Zion to worship in the temple in Jerusalem. What happened that this man by the name of Jeroboam kept our own people of Israel in specifically worshiping in two areas in a place called Beit El right here and in the north in a place called Dan and he have created with the rest of the nation two golden calves.

And in beside those golden calves, there were altars upon which the northern people of Israel offered sacrifices to these golden calves in Beit El and in Dan. So what God did because Israel slowly but surely departed from the way of the Lord, God raised a man by the name of Amos. Amos actually was not from the northern kingdom. He was right here from the southern kingdom, Malkhut Yehuda, the kingdom of Judah. He came from a village that is called Tekoa. Tekoa is right below Beit Lechem a somewhere there in the center of Israel, the center of Judah.

and there in Tekoa, he was simply a herdman. He was moving flock. He was like a shepherd. When we're going to get to chapter seven, we will find out that he was not only a shepherd or a herdman, he was also a man that was gathering sycamore fruit and he was distributing that among the people of Judah. He was a shepherd and a gatherer of sycamore tree, a fruit from the tree. And God raised Amos to go all the way north and to speak to the northern kingdom of Israel and to warn them against judgment that was going to come.

And surely at 722 721 BC the judgment came and the Assyrian came and took the northern kingdom of Israel to what we call to assure to great Assyria and many of them have suffered, have died and then been dispersed throughout all the then known nations of the world. But as God speaking to the people of Israel in the north through Amos, he gave them a two prophecies in chapter one and chapter two of which he first of all show that he going to judge the surrounding nations of Israel, the Philistine, the Edomite, the Moabite, the Ammonite, the Syrian and also the people of Tyre.

He going to pour judgment upon the surrounding nation who surrounded both Judah and Israel. But then after he finished in chapter one and the second half, he also promised that he will judge Judah a little bit later on. And he did at 586 BC when the people of Judah, the southern kingdom were taking to Babylon. But even before this happened, he promised that he going to send the northern kingdom to Assyria in order for them to spend some time disperse among all the nations to realize their wrongdoing brought about the judgment of God. So Amos gave eight prophecies speaking about every one of those nation.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. This is in chapter one and chapter two. Then we said, we have learned up to now that in chapter three all the way to chapter six and today we're going to conclude chapter five and six that he Amos gave also three sermons. And those three sermons began with the word hear this word. Chapter 3 verse 1 hear this word. Chapter 4 verse 1 hear this word. And chapter 5 verse 1 hear this word. In Hebrew he says Listen to what God is saying to you, O people of Israel.

So we cover chapter three, we cover chapter four and we cover chapter five verses one to 17 in a previous ministry meeting which God said through Amos to Israel that the judgment will surely come and the punishment is imminent and it will surely come as Amos said to the people of Israel. Very interesting that within the third hear ye this word message of Amos. He included in chapter five and in chapter six two woe judgment. If you notice in chapter 5 verse 18 that we read today woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord.

Notice in chapter 6 verse one woe unto them that it is in Zion. In other words, there are two woe judgment that are coming that are included in that hear ye the word of the Lord that is found in chapter five and in chapter six. Now it is sad when you hear God is saying to his people woe unto you. In Hebrew the word is hoy. Is something we we use this expression It's like you would say in English, oh boy, look what have happened. And it is really speaking about this a serious judgment that was going to come.

And in a sense it is God who speaking through the prophet Amos and saying to Israel woe unto you. And when God is speaking to his nation Israel, he doesn't do it out of joy. He doesn't do it out of pleasure he has in his heart. He does it because in a sense God is sad because he know what he going to have to do to his nation, his chosen people Israel. Yet he is warning them and he you might say grieving at the same time woe unto you, people of Israel, what is going to come upon you?

You know this expression of woe is found many times even in the in the New Testament when Yeshua was warning the Pharisees and the Sadducees and specifically in Matthew chapter 23. You remember in verse 13 he says woe unto you scribes and a Pharisees in verse 13 of Matthew 23. In verse 14 woe unto you scribes and Pharisees. In verse 15 woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. Verse 16 and so on he continue and he speaking about the judgment that is going to come upon the people who refuse to submit to his authority. Now it's very much the same for us today as believers in Yeshua the Messiah.

It doesn't mean because we are part of the the assembly, the the church that we are exempt from judgment because we always read first Peter chapter four, judgment must begin at the house of God. And if it begin with us, what's going to happen to them that obey not the gospel of God? So the two-fold woe judgment I mention here in Amos chapter five verse 18 to the end and Amos chapter six verse one to verse 14. The two-fold woe judgment that is yet to come upon the nation of Israel. So I would like you to follow with me on these two-fold woe judgments that are found here and I'd like you to see the reason for the woe judgment and the consequence of not responding to God's warning.

The reasons and the consequences of the violation of the word of God. And so the first thing we find out in Amos chapter five verses 18 to 27 that there is a woe judgment that is going to come because of hypocrisy that existed in the life of God's people, namely in this context the people of Israel. God does not appreciate hypocrisy. And you know what hypocrisy in Hebrew we call it It's like coloring ourselves with one color and then changing to another color later on and then turning again and changing to another color. Many years ago when they were acting in the theater, they would put two face.

You know they would put one mask for one show and another mask. Perhaps it could be in a very same show that they would put the two separate masks which mean you are not really who you are. You might go through the process of religious activity, but you are I know you, God says to his own people. And I would like you to be sincere and not hypocrite that is not pleasure to the Lord. And so notice that in verses 18 19 and 20 Amos chapter five. Here is the first reason for the first woe judgment.

Look at the reason in verses 18 19 and 20. He says woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord. To what end is it for you? The day of the Lord is darkness and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion and a bear met him or went into the house and leaned his hand on a wall and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness and not light or even very dark and no brightness in it? Let just pause here for a moment. I would like you to understand this expression.

I would like you to see a chart in a moment here. And I would like you to understand that the day of the Lord whenever you read in the Hebrew Tanakh, in the Hebrew Scripture about the day of the Lord in Hebrew we call it Yom Yehova, the Yom Adonai. It's a day in which God is going to come in judgment upon his people. It is a day that will actually before blessing going to come, there will be judgment that going to come first. Now again, there are many views of Bible teachers today and I just want to mention our view, my view, what I teach and what I believe.

I believe we live today in what is known to be the the day the days of the assembly, the church age. Jew and Gentile are united together in the body of Messiah while Israel our nation is still awaiting the day of restoration. Romans 11 verse 25 says blindness in part happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentile become in. And so all Israel shall be saved. It takes us to the future day. So we live in a time right in this time in which is called the the assembly age or the church age. The Messiah died on a Roman cross.

Every one of us that have accepted Yeshua the Messiah became part of the congregation, the assembly, the called out one. But there will be an end to the church age which will come when the church, when the assembly going to be taken up to heaven to be in the presence of the Lord. And the Lord will rapture his own people and take them to be with him in glory. When that will happen and the church, the assembly, the Ecclesia will be taken to heaven, then we going to begin what is known to to us all from Scripture as the tribulation period.

The tribulation period is Daniel last week. It's seven years in length. And that is known in the Bible as the day of the Lord. What does that mean? It is a day in which God will come in judgment number one upon the world. Number two to refine his people Israel. And number three to culminate with the second coming of the Messiah. And that finally he will establish what is known to to us the millennial age, the Messianic kingdom. So this is more or less just to give an idea of what we believe and teach and understand from Scripture.

And of course there are many views today you are but for us we understand it and teach that we live in these days of the assembly. Jew and Gentile are united together in the body of Messiah. And we believe that this end this day of of the church age will come to a conclusion. And then finally there will be the seven year tribulation which will culminate with Israel restored at the second coming of the Messiah. And the finally going to be the reign and rule of the Messiah with Satan going to be bound for a thousand years until finally there will be the eternal order when Satan is loosened at the end of the thousand years.

And then finally we have the judgment of the Lord upon the whole world that remain rejecting him at the end of the Messianic kingdom. And he will establish the eternal order. This is called the new heaven and new earth of the Revelation 21 and 22. So back to Amos please for a moment. In Amos chapter five, but notice what happened here. The Lord is speaking through Amos in verses 18 19 and 20 and he says to some of the people of Israel who desire for the day of the Lord that he will come. Notice it says in verse 18 woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord.

To what end is it for you? He said to them in verse 18 and he said to them the day of the Lord is darkness. It said it's not light. In other words, why do you desire the day of the Lord? Now pause here once again with me for a moment as we look at this. You see because, beloved brothers and sisters, the tribulation period because it they knew that the end of the tribulation will bring the millennial age, the kingdom reign. And Israel restored and blessed. They say wow, we really want the day of the Lord.

They desired the day of the Lord. But they were mistaken to assume that they going to be exempt from the punishment of God because they will have to experience the punishment of God as well. Now again, if you just pause with me and think with me, when Amos was preaching this message to the a northern kingdom of Israel, if you look at the map one more time, when Amos was preaching, do you know when he was preaching? He was preaching there sometime around 780 770 BC. 45 50 years later Israel will be taken captive by the Assyrian.

Imagine from 772 BC up till today over 2,700 years passed by. And Amos was already speaking about a future day that is yet to come in a coming day. And so he didn't see at all the days in which you and I live in today. All what he saw soon Israel is going to be taken by the Assyrian. Then the day of the Lord will come, the judgment will come and ultimately Israel will be restored into the Messianic kingdom and blessing will flow. He didn't see the days in which you and I live in today.

He didn't realize that we going to still take so many generation will pass until it going to come to pass. You and I know that because we live in today and we have the complete canon of Scripture in our hands. So he says woe unto you. The desire the day of the Lord. And I want you to know he saying to them that the day of the Lord he said in verse 18 and 19 he says listen, it will be a day of darkness. A day of darkness and not light. There is a tribulation period before the Messianic kingdom will come.

There will be a time of darkness and sadness and sorrow that Israel will experience and the whole world will experience. Now if you just for a moment turn to for a moment just to read couple of verses in another prophet. Zephaniah chapter one and verses 14 and 15. Look how Zephaniah describe the day of the Lord. Zephaniah one verse 14 the great day of the Lord is near. It is near and hasten greatly even the voice of the day of the Lord. The mighty men shall cry there bitterly.

Guest (Male): You have been listening to the Holy Scriptures and Israel with Gideon Levitan. Gideon teaches God's word from a Hebrew Messianic perspective. For more information about this ministry, write to Holy Scriptures and Israel box 1411 Niagara on the Lake, Ontario L0S 1J0 or visit our website at holyscripturesandisrael.com. You are also invited to Gideon's weekly Bible teaching on Fridays at 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. at Willowdale Christian Assembly Hall 28 Martin Ross Avenue in Toronto. Holy Scriptures and Israel is made possible by your prayers and financial support. If you would like to support the program, visit holyscripturesandisrael.com.

God bless you. Shalom. Shalom. k