Expounds on Hosea chapters 2 and 3, focusing on God's enduring love and faithfulness towards Israel despite their spiritual adultery. It highlights God's plan to restore Israel, symbolized by Hosea's reconciliation with his unfaithful wife Gomer, emphasizing the future millennial reign where Israel will call God 'Ishi' (my husband) and experience a renewed covenant. The message contrasts different millennial theories, asserting a premillennial return of Christ and detailing the blessings of creation's restoration and Israel's eventual knowledge of the Lord. It concludes by describing Israel's present condition of being without a king or sacrifice, yet prophesying their future return to seek the Lord and David their king, ultimately pointing to Christ's second coming as the solution for both the church and the world.
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Now we look to the Lord in prayer before we go to the Scriptures. Beloved and blessed Father, we thank thee again. For the throne of grace, we rejoice in the knowledge. The blessed Savior has done the work that has rent the veil in two and brings every child of God through the precious blood of the Son of God himself into the holiest. We bless thee for that holiest. It's there we see our Savior, the great intercessor, the great high priest, the great advocate of his beloved people. Truly we can rejoice in the knowledge as we pass through this scene.
He knoweth our frame. He remembers that we are dust, something we forget, but he remembers that we are dust, and we bless thee for that grace and strength that comes from above. We pray for one another how we can raise our thanksgiving to the goodness and the mercy of our Lord for all that he has done for us. First let us thank thee, Father, for the great salvation the Savior provided. That work that was done all at Calvary, never to be repeated for the work that saves is done. We thank thee for what he's doing for us.
We praise thee too, and we wait with joyful anticipation for what is yet to do for his redeemed people. Precious are the words of thy blessed book that encourages that it is better on before. And we bless thee together for the many times we have gathered on this occasion in the Bible class to study thy holy words. Many times we have been dwelling upon. those future blessings that are still to be enjoyed. And we want to thank thee, Father. We don't have to wait until we get there to know something about them.
You've given them to us in the Word and the Holy Spirit to reveal them. And as we come to the Word today, we expect with confidence and blessed assurance thou will reveal these wonderful things. that are yet to take place. And Lord, we pray, make them real to our hearts. We may not be physically, and we know we are not in those days that are yet to come. But oh, the joy of knowing the spiritual blessings they impart, they can bless the soul. To that end, we pray for one another. Then we think of the loved ones for whom we pray, the dear ones that may be sick, Whether they're at home or in the hospital, comfort them and strengthen them and heal if it be thy will.
We pray for the families that we represent, the loved ones that are still out of Christ for whom we pray. May they be brought to him before it's too late. Now again we ask, Lord, open thy word to us. Help us indeed to be in the heavenly as we look into the pages of thy precious truth. anointing us with the Holy Spirit of God that our eyes may see wonderful things out of thy blessed word we ask it for the honor and the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ in his worthy name amen well we bless you for coming and thank God for the privilege that we can have to be together and dwell upon those things that are eternal our well-being apostles words in second Corinthians chapter four can comfort us in knowing the things that are seen, they are temporal, but the things that are not seen, they are eternal.
And in our study in the prophecy of Hosea, particularly today, we shall see some of those things that are not at the present time visible. If you will turn in your Bible to chapter two of the book of Hosea, I'd like to complete what we almost but did not quite finish last week. at the end of the chapter which you will find referred to on your lesson sheet page number three regarding the results of that coming day when Israel will return to Jehovah I like to read particularly beginning at verse fourteen and get the connective thought where we ended last week and complete the chapter before we go into chapter three reading the chapter two and verse fourteen 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 Thence and the valley of Acre 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, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call me Ishi. and shall call me no more Baalai. For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth. They shall no more be remembered by their names. And in that day will I make a covenant for them, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground. And I will break the bow when the sword and the battle go out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.
And I will betroth thee unto me forever. Yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness and in judgment and in loving kindness and in mercy. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness. Thou shalt know the Lord. And it shall come to pass in that day. I will hear, saith the Lord. I will hear the heavens. They shall hear the earth. and the earth shall bear the corn, hear the corn and the wine and the oil, and they shall hear Jezreel. And I will sow her unto me in the earth, and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy.
And I will say to them which were not my people, thou art my people, and they shall say, thou art my God. May God bless the reading and hearing of this portion. Let me get the connected thoughts with which we closed last week in this section. I believe we came particularly down as far as verse eighteen, seventeen, and eighteen. But please note and remember this particular principle. In every prophetic book of your Old Testament prophets, you find the great themes, first of judgment and then of mercy, all in relation to Israel.
And please let me emphasize the literal interpretation. Don't try to apply these truths literally to the church. The church is not found revealed in the Old Testament. But these prophetic utterances are in relation to God's earthly people. And we know from their history as well as from the Word of God that judgment became their portion. But as we studied the prophecies, judgment is mingled with mercy. I think it's in the book of Habakkuk when he wrote, saying, Regarding that same coming day of wrath that is yet to be the portion of Israel in the Great Tribulation period, the prophet wrote that in wrath, remember mercy.
And may I state, it's not only a principle for Israel, it's a divine principle for God's people at all times. In the time of his judgments that he may meet out upon his people, always remember he's merciful. And thank God he doesn't change in his attributes. Now I want you to know something particularly. If you please, let me repeat one thing that we'd like to remind of our hearts that we saw last week in verse sixteen. The lovely expression where you find in that day, in that, and let me emphasize once again to you, the importance of knowing the meaning of that expression that day.
We find it three times, I believe, in this chapter. But let me give you an incident that you'll find in the book of Zechariah particularly. In chapters twelve through fourteen of the book of Zechariah, Where you have Zechariah declaring and revealing the last great burden of prophecy that God gave him to write. You have the unusual repetition of three particular facts. You have a reference to the city of Jerusalem. Twenty times. In three chapters. For the whole prophecy revolves in that particular book around Jerusalem. And the coming purposes of God for it.
Then you also have, too, thirteen times a reference to the nations. It may be translated peoples or nations. You'll find either one or the other. And it is a reference to the nations around Israel. But then you have also twenty times the reference that day. In that day. In that day. In that day. Now every pious Jew, every rabbinical scholar, every rabbinical teacher of old, whether in the Old Testament or in the age of our church period, every rabbinical teacher rightly suggests and believes fully that day means the day of Messiah's glory.
That day, the day of Messiah's glory. Now in this sixteenth verse, as we saw last week near the closing of our study, In that day, says the Lord of Israel, thou shalt call me what? Is she? Meaning, and literally it is, my husband. Again, we would like to repeat what we stated. It is an affectionate, it is an affectionate turn, coming from the heart. Now, as we have noted, chapters one, two, and three, Bring before us the marital experiences of Hosea. The prophet, unfortunately, with sadness and grief and sorrow, went through the experience of not just marrying a wife, but having her turned out to be an adulteress.
And we shall see. The Lord tells her to get her back later on. And there you have in symbolized form in the three chapters what the prophet went through was an example not the whole thing it could never be that but it was an example of what Jehovah God himself was passing through for do you remember what we stated last week on one occasion as we studied they not only the children of Israel not only broke the law of God they broke the heart of God And I'm sure we can all sympathize with any person who has a broken marital experience.
And that is what the prophet passed through. And that was the lesson that God was teaching to represent what he was passing through. And as in the case of the prophet, ultimately he brought her back as we shall see. And made her his own. Made her recite for a while till he could take her. and do for her all that he wished. But so when Jehovah restores his earthly people, in that day they'll look upon him and call him my husband. Let's go a little further, if you please. Let me go with you in verse eighteen.
And as we found in verse Sabadini, he takes away the names of the idols from their mouth, and they will be remembered no more by such names. but in verse eighteen in that day now here's what I want you to note as we continue from verse eighteen to the end you have a picture of the millennial glory and in that day I want you to note the things that God declares he will do in that day I will make a covenant for them now look with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of heaven and with the creeping things of the ground and I will break the bone and the sword and the battle out of the earth and will make them lie down in safety.
I wonder if you'll turn to your lesson sheet for just a moment, the closing section of page number three. And I want you to note something beginning if I may read at the end of the paragraph on the letter B. As we have noted in our reading, there will be fruitfulness, there will be singing there will be songs you remember in verse fifteen it mentioned that she will be singing and there will be songs of praise and you got the example in Exodus fifteen when they came out of Egypt Isaiah chapter twelve prophetically suggests that for the millennium and Israel will be remarried under the Lord Jehovah her former relationship restored and becoming the earthly wife of Jehovah while the church will be the land's wife in heavenly glory.
Now perhaps at this junction, particularly as I've read that particular phrase, I want to make something very definitely, clearly understood. What we are studying and what God is revealing is the millennial glory of the earth when the Lord Jesus comes back. Now we'd like to make just a statement for the way of clarity regarding the millennium. I don't know how many of you are acquainted with the doctrines that have prevailed and still do prevail to some extent regarding the theory of the millennial. When I was younger, the post-millennial theory was very popular.
Now, post-millennialism, as it is called, theoretically and theologically, post-millennial teaching meant that the church would convert the world. To bring in the millennium. Now let me repeat that. The post-millennius believes by the preaching of the gospel, he and the church should and will convert the world. I just want to ask you one question. How's it coming along? Well, you know the answer. Now there's another school that is called the R-millennialist. That means no millennial kingdom.
And they spiritualize, now frankly, they spiritualize the blessings that God promises to Israel and apply them as being for the church. Now that's not scriptural. But then there's what we call premillennialism, which means the Lord is coming before the millennial kingdom begins. Post-millennial theory believes he'll come after they've converted the world. Our millennial theory believes he's coming, yes, they teach the coming of the Lord, his second coming. But presto, when he comes, we're in eternity.
And eternity begins. I don't see that in my Bible. In other words, they deny the theory of the thousand-year reign of the Lord Jesus on the earth. That premillennial meaning is this. We believe he must come first before he sets up his kingdom and in order to set up his kingdom. So keep those distinctions. You'll meet them perhaps. Postmillennialism is certainly, well, it's depleted in its claims today more than ever. But the armillennialism, may I say this? The theory of armillennialism, that there'll be no millennial kingdom for Israel, Israel is forever set aside. Now, will you go to, will you look at your book for just a moment?
Will you look at verse nineteen in your chapter? I want you to know what God said through the prophet in verse nineteen first. I will betroth thee unto me for how long? Forever. Forever. Well, all I can say of our millennialism is preposterous. And one can recognize God promises what he will do for his earthly people. Now go to verse, let me read on your sheet first, a reference to verse eighteen. Look on verse, on your sheet number three, and let us see the last paragraph. The whole creation will then be blessed, and it will be the time of deliverance that will come.
Well, did you note it? I'll make a covenant, says the Lord. with the beasts of the field, the founts of the air, and the creeping thing. I'll break the bow, the battle bow, the battle sword, and all wars out of the earth. And I'll make my people to lie down in space. Can I take you with me, please, to Romans chapter eight? Romans chapter eight, if you please. I'd like you to notice something very precious that Paul brings out of the eighth chapter of the book of Romans. And perhaps beginning to read at verse twenty-two, if I recall correctly. And here you find in chapter eight these words, and I'd like you to note them with it, because it definitely refers to what God said through Isaiah.
Reading, if I may, verse nineteen. Verse nineteen. For the earnest expectation of the creature. Now that's a reference to the literal creation, the animal creation, the living creation belongs. Whether it be the animal, vegetable, mineral kingdoms of the earth. And the earnest expectation of the creature or the creation. Wait for what? The manifestation of the sons of God. And beloved, the manifestations of the sons of God. It's when the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints. When his saints glorified will come with him.
And the Lord will come to the earth. But read further please. He goes on to say, for the creature, that animals, all the creation, name every part of it, was made subject to vanity, without purpose, not willingly, but by reason of him who has subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself. Now let me point out to you. Look, if you find a dog bites, don't blame it on the dog. Originally, the blame ought to be on Adam. When sin came into the world, the curse of sin not only affected the human race, it affected the whole creation.
And you know from Isaiah sixty-five and other scriptures in Isaiah, you remember the scriptures that tell when the millennial comes and the lion will lie down with the lamb? My, what would he do to the lamb right now? And the bear with an ox? And you can reckon, and a little child shall leave them. The creation is going to be changed. I want to tell you frankly, I'm enjoying in my heart the hope of the creation being changed. All the ecologies will never do it. They're trying to change it, to protect, prolong the life of humanity.
They can't do it. But the coming of the Lord will do it. And then, as Isaiah is written, they'll beat their swords into plowshares. Right now, they're beating their plowshares into swords, figuratively speaking, as we well know it. Now, please note your chapter. Let us go on and read that paragraph. It is the same as in Isaiah chapter eleven, verses six and seven, as we have read in Romans eight, verse thirty-one, verse thirty, as we see here. Let me read that in Romans again. Let me read these words in verse twenty-two, or verse twenty-one and twenty-two, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth altogether in pain. And beloved, let me say this. If you read that chapter, lovely thoughts you can find. You've got the groans of creation here, and you'll find in the next verse, verse twenty-three, you'll find the groans of the believer, and you go to verse twenty-six, you'll find the groans of the Holy Spirit. It's a groan in creation. And please, in verse eighteen, God says, I'm going to lift those groans. I'm going to remove them. The very literal creation, the animal creation, and all, what a change that will be. Oh, beloved, please let me say, what joy to realize the coming of the Lord will bring that to pass.
But now let's look at verse nineteen, please. I'd like you to note something special in verse nineteen. I will betroth thee unto me forever. Yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, in judgment or justice, and in loving kindness, and in mercy. Now, let me raise a question. Might be raised in some minds. And some do raise this. Why should God restore Israel? Why should God show his mercy to Israel? Ah, beloved, let me say, when he does so, it will be on a righteous basis. It will be done to justify his own character as a just God, as well as a holy God.
Let me just give you this reference in passing. When you go to the book of Zechariah, as you may read in chapter twelve, and you'll read in chapter twelve at the end, that when the Lord comes to the earth, his earthly people, the remnant that will recognize him and acknowledge him, they shall look upon me, says the Lord, whom they are fierce. Then they shall mourn, acknowledging in repentance and confession, I mean contrition. Their evil departure from him and all that they did to him.
But when you come into chapter thirteen, immediately the prophet writes there'll be a fountain open in that day for cleansing. When any sinner turns in his need or her need, for the cleansing of the soul that is convicted by his or her sin. And turns to the Savior, and you know that precious old inn, there is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty sins. Please let me say, whether it be the Old Testament saints or the New Testament saints, or those that are yet to come, Their cleansing is on a righteous basis before the Holy God.
Through the value of the precious blood of Christ, a fountain of cleansing will be opened in that day, and it will be done in righteousness, in justice, in loving-kindness, and in mercy. Beloved, look, t'was the same way God saved you and me. Neither of us, none of us deserved. Where the Jew are Gentiles. His loving kindness. His tender mercies. And in that coming day. Not only keeping the promises that he has made to Abraham, Isaac, and the fathers in the past. But also to show out his loving kindness.
Even to reserve the people whom he will restore. Also let me qualify another thing. It will not be every individual Jew that will come under that blessing. But every individual Jew that will be a repentant sinner in that day when the Messiah returns will be cleansed by the precious blood. Now please note in verse twenty, lovely thought, I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness, and thou shalt know the Lord. I will betroth thee unto me in faithfulness. And then thou shalt know the Lord.
We come, God willing, later on to chapter six. And we'll find that the prophet writes, In that day no man will say, No, the Lord, for all shall know him. And what a joy to recognize. The knowledge of the Lord is going to fill the earth. But in that day, God's earthly people will be able to say, We know Jehovah. It will be a living experience in their souls individually that form the nucleus of the coming nation in that glorious day. And what a joy it will be, they will know the Lord. Now let me also add this.
Why will they know the Lord? There will be a purpose for it. And let me again repeat the words that the prophets again and again have said. The knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. For it will be the nation of Israel. That will be the divine instrument. And let me go back to post-millennialism, by the way. Which believe in their theory that the preaching would convert the world. Well, may I say the conversion of the whole world is going to be done by Israel. Ain't that day. When they are restored. Then they're going to fulfill the purposes of God to make Jehovah known throughout all the earth.
My, sometimes I feel as though I could envy them. They're preaching. Everybody will have to listen. And today you can't get them to listen. In that day they'll have to listen. The Word of the Lord. will be heralded throughout all the earth. And God's earthly people, as the prophet Ezekiel, I believe, as well as Jeremiah, calls them the menaces of God. The priests of Jehovah. They know him. And through their knowledge of their Jehovah, they will bring that knowledge and disseminated throughout all the earth to the glory of God and the blessing of the nations.
Oh, what a joy to know the change that it will be. But then, well, you also note something in verse twenty-one. And here's something very precious for me. And it shall come to pass in that day. Now know what God says. I will hear, said the Lord. I will hear the heavens. And they shall hear the earth. Now, I don't want you to gloss over that. He says, I will hear the heavens. What do you mean? And I will hear the earth. The prophet by the Holy Spirit connects the heavens above with the earth.
And God is saying the heavens will be speaking. And the earth will be speaking at the same time. How about today? Well, beloved, let me remind you something. Remember the study we had two, three years ago on the Gospel of Matthew. You remember that the theme of the Gospel of Matthew was the kingdom. You remember the expression you find thirty-three times in Matthew's Gospel, the kingdom of the heaven, the kingdom of the heaven, the kingdom of the heaven. All depicting, portraying, for which the Lord Jesus came and offered himself to Israel, their king, and as their king, to set up the kingdom of the heavens upon the earth.
And in that coming, you know the so-called Lord's Prayer, as is often uttered, we pray at the end, thy kingdom what? Come. Thy will be done on earth. But may I give you this thought? The psalmist wrote, the heavens are not pure in thy sight. Heaven and the earth, as the prophet wrote. and in chapter twelve of the book of the Revelation you remember that study where we had there was war in heaven in chapter twelve let me begin reading if I may I'd like to begin reading only at verse nine there was war in heaven Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and the dragon fought and his angels and prevailed not neither was their place found any more in heaven and that great dragon was cast out That old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world.
He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And do you recall, if we study Revelation chapter twenty, at that time when the Lord comes, where's the devil go? Into the bottomless pit. May I give you this thought? The greatest trouble that the earth faces and sustains is due to the fact There's a great body of evil spirits in heavenly places that affect this world. Let me quote Ephesians six, twelve. When Paul said, We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world in high or heavenly places.
And beloved, let me pray. Before the Lord can set up his millennial kingdom, he's going to take care of clearing that place up there. The heavens are going to be cleared. Then you ask why? Well, go with me to John's Gospel, will you? Chapter one for just a moment. I want you to know something in John's Gospel. Precious truth regarding the conversion of Nathaniel. Chapter one in John's Gospel. And what a joy to realize the meaning of these words that we can find at the end of chapter one. in the Gospel of John. Let me begin reading, if I may, in verse forty-eight. Nathaniel said unto him to Jesus, Whence knowest thou me?
For Jesus knew who he was. He told him, He said, I know you were sitting under the fig tree. And between where Nathaniel was sitting and where the Lord Jesus was, when he came and Nathaniel came to him, there was a mountain. But Jesus knew him. And then Nathaniel said, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, When thou wasst under the fig tree, I saw thee. Let me give you a little thought. What was Nathaniel doing under a fig tree? Well, I'm not at all persuaded that he was just there to eat figs. The fig tree is a type of Israel.
And I'm wondering that this godly, pious Israelite that Nathaniel was, May he had been meditating upon the days of the Messiah's glory that had been promised. Longing that he would come and that the kingdom would be upon the earth. But anyway, read on please and see what the Lord answers him. And then Nathaniel said to Jesus first, Rabbi, thou art the son of God. Thou art the king of Israel. Now I want you to consider the meaning of these words. And particularly of importance, Nathaniel first comes face to face with the Lord Jesus as Philip brought in.
And as Philip had told him to come and meet Jesus. Jesus of Nazareth. Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? A despised city in the realm where Gentiles permeate the country? And he comes face to face with the Lord Jesus. And immediately by revelation, Nathaniel perceives, he knows who I am. And in the knowledge of such a revelation, the Spirit causes Nathaniel to make a tremendous confession. Thou art the Son of God. Now I want to tell you that proved he got saved. And second, thou art the King of Israel.
My, oh my. Then you can recognize He acknowledges the true king of Israel. Now read what Jesus goes on to say. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I sent unto thee, I saw thee under the victory. Believers now, thou shalt see greater things than these. And he said unto him, Verily, Verily, I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see, and note the word, you shall see heaven open. And the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. Now I want you to note very carefully some truth in that last verse.
Nathaniel was informed. Greater things were yet to be seen by him and would be. And it would be in the generation, meaning in the day of the glory. And please note the end of the last verse. The title the Lord Jesus uses is Son of man. Son of man. That's a human title and a glory when he reigns upon the earth. Let me remind you when Jesus was before the Sanhedrin. And when the high priest questioned him as to whether he was the son of God. And he affirmed that he was. And the priest went his clothes and accused him of blasphemy. We need no other evidence. He's worthy of death.
Remember the Lord Jesus said, Hereafter ye shall see the Son of Man coming in his glory. And when the Lord Jesus comes down from the glory in all the glory of his humanity, he'll be the Son of Man. But know what Nathaniel told? You shall see the heavens open. And the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. Now, you perhaps remember the dream that Jacob had in Genesis twenty-eight. As he put his head upon a stone for a pillow. I never knew how he could do that without getting a good chiropractic adjustment afterwards. But anyway, he slept upon a stone for a pillow.
And he had that dream. A ladder from earth to heaven. Above it. God revealing himself to Jacob. And the angels of God ascending and descending. What it suggested was the communicating link, unhindered communication between heaven and earth. Now, beloved, you'd see the meaning when God said to Isaiah, I will hear the heavens and I will hear the earth. Now, let me pray. There won't be any need of any satellite to have that communication in the millennial kingdom.
Beloved, please let me say, oh, let me say that we've little taken in, that the blessing of the millennial reign, when Israel's restored and the Lord Jesus there Messiah upon the earth, will be reigning the heavens and the earth. will be in communication. Know him. Satan in the bottomless pit. Angels also taken care of. The unholy angels. And the nations, well, read Matthew twenty-five, thirty-one through forty-six, the judgment of the living nations.
And as God, as the Lord Jesus, judges the nations that are living when he comes, the sheep go into the kingdom, The goat's going to have a last seat off me. Now, this is often time. I have been criticized for making the statement I'm going to make. But I still stand by it. When the Lord Jesus is finished judging the earth, I believe there'll not be one unsaved person on the earth. None at that time. There will be later through the millennium who may not believe on the Lord, born during that period. But when he judges the earth... Thus behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints to do what?
To execute judgment upon all the ungodly. Beloved, let me say lovingly and earnestly, I wish the ungodly people of today could be awakened to their danger. Judgment, unveiling which they are deserving. Now let me repeat. We have seen, we're going to see it more as we go into Isaiah further. God's judgments upon Israel, even as his own people. And how again and again he completed those judgments as we shall see. And yet promises in his love and his mercy he will restore a remnant that will be his own in that coming day.
But let me repeat. It'll be a cleansed earth. Now during the millennium, people are going to be born. No question of doubt. And as you may find from the prophecy of Isaiah particularly, there will be some that will die. And even though there will be great, wonderful living upon the earth. And if anyone may die at a hundred, he'd be considered a child in that day. It would only be death because of sinning and disobedience. But oh, the remarkable change. But let me remind you, note your lesson sheet, please. There's something I want to remind you of. Under that paragraph, after fruitless, fruitfulness, note the end of that paragraph.
The former relationship of Israel will be restored. Becoming the earthly wife of Jehovah. Becoming the earthly wife of Jehovah. Remember those words in verse sixteen? She will call me, says God ishing, my husband. Oh, beloved, what a joy it will be. To the very heart of God. Jehovah, and you please note carefully, the precious name of Jehovah is chiefly the name of redemption to the people of Israel. He never called himself Jehovah until he redeemed them and was about to redeem them out of Egypt.
As you may read in the book of Genesis and the early chapters, particularly in chapter ten and chapter twelve. And then he revealed his name as Jehovah. And it's the same name the Lord Jesus has. Jehovah Jesus. A Redeemer. A Savior. And in that day, Israel will call him my hope. Can I repeat it in another manner? When the restoration takes place, it will be permanent. It will be permanent. What joy to realize that.
But please, know at the end of that paragraph we have this mention. And I want to make the distinction. While the church will be the land's wife in heavenly glory. You know I got to thinking recently. You know, once in a while somebody does think. But anyway, I remember thinking a week or so ago, meditating on this lesson. Israel calling Jehovah, is she? My husband. I got to say, well, what are we going to call you? What are we going to call you? We're not the earthly people. We're the church. And heavenly in character. Heavenly in citizenship. Heavenly in destiny.
And we're going to be, as Revelation. Nineteenth declares the land wide. And I said, Lord, what are we going to call you? And I got to think many different names that you find about the Lord. But you know, in the book of Revelation, or I've said it before, you've got prominently one special name, beginning in chapter five to the end of the book, I think about twenty-eight times. You've got one special title, the Lord is given. It's the Lamb. The Lamb. The Lamb's wife. The Lamb. The marriage of the Lamb is God. And may I suggest two things. that precious name of the Lamb suggests, first of all, why it's his sacrificial name.
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. And as the saints in heaven, chapter five of Revelation, what do we think? Thou art worthy. We see him as the Lamb. The little land in the midst of heaven's glory. And we think, thou art worthy to take the book because thou wast slain. And as redeemed us unto God by thy blood. But it's not only his sacrificial name. I believe it's his name of affection. His bridal name for us to enjoy. For it's the marriage of who? The marriage of the land.
His coming. The marriage of the Lamb has come. And what a joy to recognize. Though Israel will be restored upon the earth. And married of the earthly people of Jehovah. Ah, let me say this. I don't envy Israel. Bless your soul. I am happy to know what they're going to get. But I believe with all earnestness. Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. that he might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water by the word, that he might present it unto himself, what? A glorious church, not having blemished or any such thing.
And oh, let me say, please let me say, the relationship of Christ as the bridegroom and the church as the bride is a much more precious one than even Jehovah's Israel, as he will be in that day. My fellow believer, enjoy it. Enjoy it. May you and I enjoy it. Let's go back to Ozea. Finish that chapter, please. I hope I can. Okay, let's go back to Ozea and go then. As you go to verse twenty-one, we'll read that and go on to verse twenty-two. And it shall come to pass in that day. I will hear, said the Lord. I will hear the heavens. They shall hear the earth. Perfect communication.
And then follows the blessing. The earth shall hear the corn. The wine and the oil. And they shall hear Jezreel. Remember we had Jezreel. That was the boy that was born to the prophet. Called his name Jezreel. Meaning God scattered. And also it means God's souls. And as you see the name again appearing. They shall hear Jezreel. That valley of Israel. There will be the great day of the Lord God Almighty in the Battle of Armageddon, undoubtedly. But he goes on to say, And I will sow her unto me in the earth. For Jezreel, as we noted in the first chapter, Jezreel meant also, God not only scatters, and he has scattered his people, but God will sow.
And here we find him sowing Israel in the earth. And I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy. I will say to them which you are not my people. Thou art my people. And they shall say thou art my God. You know what? Let me give you an illustration. Remember Thomas the Downer? You remember when the first day of resurrection came and Thomas wasn't with the disciples? And oh, when the disciples told Thomas, We've seen the Lord! Ah! I don't believe it. Unless I can put my hand, the finger my fingers into his hand, the nail prints of his hand, and thrust my hand into his side, I'll not believe it.
Remember when the week later Thomas was with them and the Lord came again in their midst? Thomas! reach it at thy hand put thy finger into my hand reach it at thy hand and put it into my side be not faithless but believing what did Thomas say my Lord my God said you've got an illustration of doubting Israel well in that day they see him whom they have preached my Lord my God and he will say thou art my people and they will say thou art my God now look at chapter three quickly get your lesson sheet if you want to for in chapter three we've got a short chapter a very short chapter but it's very precious if we can only realize it it's a short chapter and your lesson sheet tells it tells Israel's past and Israel's present and Israel's future Now let me read it.
Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of God, toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love slagons of wine. So I brought it to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and in half-homer of barley, and I said unto her, Thou shalt abide with me many days. Thou shalt not play the harlot, Thou shalt not be for another man. And so will I also be for thee. Look at your lesson sheet. Let me read the paragraphs. They express the meaning of it. Let me note the chapter is divided into three forms.
Israel's past in verse one through three. Now note the comment. These verses declare God's command to the prophet concerning Gomer. That was his own wife, his unfaithful wife. She had left the prophet to live in adultery with another man. She's not called, will you please note it, thy wife, but a wife, who is beloved of her friend, and who is an adulteress. Yet the prophet is told to love the adulteress wife, the one he loved before her fall, and now commanded to love her after her fall. And in order to save her from abiding in that condition, such as the love of Jehovah, for Israel.
Let me read the next paragraph, literally. The prophet buys her back, not to live with him as wife, but to sit as a widow, not running after others, to wait for him during an undefined period, a long season, until he comes to take it to himself. While she was not to belong to another man, he, her legitimate husband, would be her guardian. And in this portion of Scripture, the spiritual adultery of Israel is in view. Let me just briefly suggest, and I hope you see it. Israel's path, as you and I look upon it, looking backwards from today, I'm sure we all realize when God judged Israel and took the tribes out of their land, they've never been back in their land.
They've never had their form of worship, as we shall see in the next verse. and so on. But oh how God has cared for them. God is God with them. You cannot find in human history a nation, a race of people that have been scattered as well as overcome by the nations around them who have continued to exist in their original identity and race. Now you can take any other nation that has been absorbed by other nations who have taken them into captivity and they've been absorbed in whatever country and nation they were taken in.
Not Israel. They have stood out in their identity throughout the ages of Christianity. I recall as the lad reading the history King Alfred the Great in England. His chaplain one day said to it, or rather his king said to the chaplain, they said, give me one, in one word, give me in one word the Bible being a proof of God's word. The chaplain thought for a moment, but then he instantly answered quickly and said, Jew, your majesty. And beloved, you can certainly count upon the fact the existence of the nation of Israel in their past through the century since their dispersion proved the authority of the Word of God.
Now go to verse four, please, in our chapter. And I want you to note the second part, Israel's present, if we may put it. For the children of Israel, and note, shall abide many days without a king, without a prince, without a sacrifice, without an image, without an ephod, and without a teraphim. Look at your lesson sheet quickly. I'm sure you can recognize quickly as we read it. This is a remarkable prophecy of Israel's present condition. Note the time element. For many days, an uncounted period. They are the days of the present age in which Israel is in the predicted condition.
while God visits the Gentiles to gather the church for his name that we saw last week in our study. But second, note the description of Israel's condition during this age. Without a king, there has not been a king since then Akai, who was the last king of Judah, and was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar. Their legal king was the Lord Jesus Christ, as we well know. And the rightful king, but he was rejected. Which we know too. Now look the next barrier. Without a prince. There is no legal successor to the throne of David but Christ. No other prince. Note Revelation one five.
The Lord Jesus is called the prince of the kings of the earth. And as we can well recognize, neither has any other person in Israel claimed to be the heir to the throne. Now note they were third, they were without a sacrifice. There has been no sacrificial altar in Israel since the destruction of Jerusalem in AD seventy by the Romans. The appointed Levitical worship is missing. Then also without an image. Strange. But true, they've never worshipped idols. As yet, they ceased at the Babylonian captivity. Israel has never worshipped idols since that day. They will, unfortunately... be demanded to worship the image of the beast as we well know in the time of the Great Tribulation then fifth they're without an ephod now that distinctly means they've got nobody that can wear a priestly garment they can't identify anyone whose priest I think the nearest thing that you could come to any Levi would be the name of Cohen anyway that it seems to imply a Levitical name as far as the tribe of Levi and then note the last section without a tariff in meaning an idol God used in their idolatrous days before their captivity.
Ah, without all this. But now note the last verse in the chapter. Afterward. Afterward shall the children of Israel return and seek the Lord there, God. I want you to know something. Will you please? Let me make a distinction here. Afterward shall the children of Israel, and please note. It doesn't say they'll turn. But return. Get the meaning of it. Return. And seek the Lord their God. And David their king. And shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days.
Let me read the paragraph we've got at the end of the page there on your sheet. It covers the interpretation, I'm sure. Israel's future. The afterward in the latter days. That accurate is not yet. The latter days are still future. These two phrases open and end the prophecy concerning their future. They will return and seek the Lord their God. David their king will be and can only be Christ their Messiah. And note the comment that closes. Rabbinical expositions in Israel's past were convinced this person would be the long promised Messiah. even if among the living or if he were to be brought from the dead.
And you've got other prophecies and scriptures that prove it too. And beloved, how we can recognize in that coming day they will know their king. Now, don't get confused with the name of David. David, they can again, let me repeat, the Targum, the books of Jonathan, some of the Jewish Talmud, when they interpreted the scriptures in their own writings. David, their king in the context, meant, could only mean to them the Messiah, the king of Israel. Oh, beloved, let me say this. You know what the world needs? The coming again of the Lord Jesus. The coming again of the Lord Jesus.
Let me put it in two ways. What does the church need? The coming of the Lord. Mine, when he comes, What a great blessing it will be to take his bride and take her before the beamer of Christ, the judgment seat of Christ, and appraise and settle what has been good and what has been bad in the testimony of the church and have her bridal glory revealed in that coming day. The same for the earth, the betrayal. His coming to the earth alone can cleanse the land. as well as the nations of the world.
And I'm sure you and I can say with grateful hearts, Come, Lord Jesus. I'm waiting for thee, Lord, thy beauty to see, Lord. I'm waiting for thee for thy coming again. And may it be very soon, shall we pray? Blessed Father. Oh, we lift our hearts with gratitude that Jesus is coming again. How precious it is, Lord. The sea is coming in this Old Testament book. It warms the heart. It cheers the drooping spirit. It gives strength to the soul and helps the feet to keep on.
And we bless before it. Oh, it will be worth it all when Jesus comes. And oh, how we ask, Lord Jesus, until you come, We say in the words of the dear old hymn, Keep us, Lord, O keep us cleaving to thyself and still believing, till the hour of our receiving those promised joys with thee. Then we shall be where we would be, then we shall be what we should be, things that are not now nor could be. Soon shall be our own. Thank you, Lord. And every one of us would say with a deep amen, Come.