Amos
on America
"America is great because she
is good—if America ever ceases to be good, then she will cease to be great."
(Alexis de Tocqueville, French Ambassador to America, 1830's)
"…but if we in our
posterity neglect the instructions and authority in this book, [the Bible] no man can tell
how sudden a catastrophe may overtake us, and bury our glory in profound obscurity."
(Daniel Webster)
"Latin America was discovered
and settled by the Spanish conquistadors in search of gold. America was founded and
settled by the pilgrims in search of God." (The President of Argentina, 1930's)
America has fallen! She is no
longer great, she is no longer respectful of the instruction and authority of God's Word,
and she is no longer seeking God. The majority of the people in the United States are
sinful, heinous, individuals seeking entertainment, sex, and pleasure rather than God. If
America does not remember the consequences of the Israelites of old she is doomed to the
same fate!
The prophet Amos speaks the
reflection of God's wrath, and God's desire that we return to Him. Amos prophesied at
about 755 B.C. this was before the first carrying away to captivity by the Syrians. He
prophesied under the rule of Joash, Jeroboam II, and Uzziah (Amos 1:1) of which two were
righteous. Amos was placed in a position to call the people back to God before it was to
late. We too pray it isn't to late for America!
The comparisons of prophetic
utterances by Amos three thousand years ago, and the state of America are telling. Please,
understand two things. One, I love my country very much, and would love to see her turn to
Christ and regain the Godliness, morality, and power she once had. Two, remember the power
of the Scriptures—it's not my comments that are important but God's Word!
"And he said, The LORD will
roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds
shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither." (1:2)
One of the sad things in America is
that many do not want to hear God's voice calling them. There are Christians that deny God
can speak to us audibly today, and close themselves off to any mention of it. God speaks,
His voice is strong, and can still be heard, and He will call, we just need to hear.
"…the habitations of the
shepherds shall mourn. Many fellowships cry and mourn because of the lack of
commitment from fellow believers. The fellowships mourn because God will not let them
continue in their own ways! And because the denominations are dead. Get out from them
before it's to late.
"And I will cut off the
inhabitant from Ashdod, and him that holdeth the sceptre from Ashkelon…"
(1:8a)
Those who hold the scepter are
those in authority. Today we have many leaders that are corrupt from the President on
down. God will turn against those leaders that do wickedly.
"…I will not turn away
[the punishment] thereof; because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and
remembered not the brotherly covenant." (1:9b)
Look at how we treat our brothers
and sisters, look how we kill and cheat our loved ones, brother suing brother, children
suing parents! What is the brotherly covenant? "Honour thy father and [thy]
mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Matthew 19:19)
"Thus saith the LORD; For
three transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away [the
punishment] thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they
might enlarge their border." (1:13)
Two things happening here, one, he
says God will not turn away the punishment due the "children" that is the people
not just a country, but the people in that nation. Two, for what reason? …because
they have ripped up the women with child abortion! People, God will not stand for the
continued killing of the unborn!
"And their king shall go into
captivity, he and his princes together, saith the LORD." (1:15)
Going into captivity is not just
succession, but it can mean "bound" of some kind. The President was
"bound" by legal problems and turmoil in office—satan had him bound.
"Thus saith the LORD; For
three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away [the punishment]
thereof; because they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his
commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have
walked." (2:4)
God help us! Today in America it's
"get rid of God, and you get rid of guilty feelings." Our whole nation desires
to reject God and His law. Parents tell their children there is no God, and they tell them
lies and the children follow it.
"Thus saith the LORD; For
three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away [the punishment]
thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of
shoes." (2:6)
Notice, the reoccurring phrase, I
will not turn away [the punishment] thereof? People, God will bring our punishment He
will not allow us to slip by. Because they sold the righteous for silver today we
have T.V. evangelists bilking the unawares for millions, false prophets tricking the
people into giving them money, etc. And the poor for a pair of shoes in Amos' day
this was considered an insult—the thing was considered worthless.
"and a man and his father will
go in unto the [same] maid, to profane my holy name." (2:7b)
Oh Father! Such wickedness, such
vile filth—that incest and prostitution are rampant. That the sharing of wives, and
women goes condoned.
"And they lay [themselves]
down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned
[in] the house of their god." (2:8)
I can't tell you how many times I
have heard of people that were Christians now running to other religions. Many, many, evil
and foreign religions have come to this land.
"and commanded the prophets,
saying, Prophesy not." (2:12)
Weak and cowardly are words now
used to describe so-called pastors today in America. So-called Christians go to denominations
to hear smooth words, gentile messages, and ecumenical speeches. People don't want
hard messages, those hurt to much, God help us!
"Therefore the flight shall
perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the
mighty deliver himself: Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and [he that is]
swift of foot shall not deliver [himself]: neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver
himself. And [he that is] courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day,
saith the LORD." (2:14-16)
Our military is at it's weakest.
"Can two walk together, except
they be agreed?" (3:3)
We can never agree on anything in
this country can we?
"Therefore thus saith the Lord
GOD; An adversary [there shall be] even round about the land; and he shall bring down thy
strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled." (3:11)
People, judgment is coming!
"And I will smite the winter
house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses
shall have an end, saith the LORD." (3:15)
We care more about our houses than
we do God. People spend unreal amounts of money fixing up their houses, but their lives
are in shambles before God.
"And offer a sacrifice of
thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim [and] publish the free offerings: for this liketh
you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord GOD." (4:5)
The offering to God was to be
"unleavened." Notice here they offer it leavened (false doctrine). How
unleavened is your offering to Him?
"…yet have ye not
returned unto me, saith the LORD." (4:6b)
This is the thrust of the prophets
words. This is what God is desiring of America. God says this in verses 6,8,9,10,and 11.
Will His repeated call go unanswered here in America?
"And also I have withholden
the rain from you, when [there were] yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to
rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained
upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered." (4:7)
Notice the weird weather we're
having lately?
"I have sent among you the
pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have
taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your
nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. I have overthrown [some] of
you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the
burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD." (4:10,11)
Hum? Any plagues among us in
America? I have overthrown [some] of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. What
was the main wickedness in Sodom and Gomorrah? Homosexuality! God is overthrowing some,
the homosexuals, with the plague of AIDS. Yet, have ye not returned unto me, saith the
LORD.
The answer is given by God, for
thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live. This He
says three times 5:4,6,and 14.
"Ye who turn judgment to
wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth." (5:7)
How's are justice system? Clinton
and OJ Simpson go free when an innocent man is put to death. Seventeen year olds kill, and
the "system" can't do a thing to them.
"Forasmuch therefore as your
treading [is] upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses
of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye
shall not drink wine of them. For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty
sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate
[from their right]. Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it [is] an
evil time." (5:11-13)
We seek to have and run over anyone
in our way. We want and possess, but forget that we are miserable, poor, blind, and naked.
We keep silent because it's an evil time. The poor are treated like trash. I'm sure one
day they will be deemed "expendable" by the government.
"Therefore the LORD, the God
of hosts, the Lord, saith thus; Wailing [shall be] in all streets; and they shall say in
all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as
are skilful of lamentation to wailing. And in all vineyards [shall be] wailing: for I will
pass through thee, saith the LORD." (5:16,17)
Is there ever a time when our
farmers are not complaining of crop loss? How many will go bankrupt?
"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." (5:18,19)
When He comes there will be no
where to hide.
"I hate, I despise your feast
days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies." (5:21)
We say, "let's put Christ back
into Christmas." God says He hates the feast days. So what about our
holidays—easter, Christmas, valentines day? Pagan, all of them.
"But let judgment run down as
waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream." (5:24)
We had better get our justice
system back on line.
"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!" (6:1)
Are you asleep Christian? Are you
walking in the Spirit? Are you quickened by the power of God's Word? Better be.
"Pass ye unto Calneh, and see;
and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: [be
they] better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?"
(6:2)
Do we think we're better? Careful
God may wipe us as the dust of the ground!
" 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 the viol, [and] invent to
themselves instruments of musick, like David; That drink wine in bowls, and anoint
themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of
Joseph." (6:4-6)
Remind you of some nation? How
about our own?
"The Lord GOD hath sworn by
himself, saith the LORD the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his
palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein." (6:8)
God says He abhors the excellency
of pride of Jacob—the pride of America in not returning to God.
"Ye which rejoice in a thing
of nought, which say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?" (6:13)
How we rejoice and gloat over
nothing. We have rejected God and believed we have gain world power by our own might and
strength.
"And it came to pass, [that]
when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord GOD,
forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he [is] small." (7:2)
How much intercessory prayer do you
do for America?
"Then Amaziah the priest of
Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the
midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos
saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of
their own land." (7:10,11)
How much of this goes on in the
body of Christ believers running to non-believers for council regarding their problems?
"Also Amaziah said unto Amos,
O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy
there: But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it [is] the king's chapel, and it
[is] the king's court." (7:12,13)
Tell the truth of God, and the
"Church establishment" will come against you.
"Therefore thus saith the
LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall
by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted
land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land." (7:17)
We have wives running to other men,
our children are being killed in schools, and on the streets, crack, and drugs are
consuming us. We are being split apart who's side are you on? Our land is being defiled!
But Jesus is coming! Amen?
"Saying, When will the new
moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making
the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?"
(8:5)
Oh, we can't wait to exit Church so
we can run to Carrow's for lunch, or the malls so we can do our thing—to buy and
sell.
"Shall not the land tremble
for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a
flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as [by] the flood of Egypt." (8:8)
Having a lot of floods lately?
"And it shall come to pass in
that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will
darken the earth in the clear day: And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your
songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon
every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only [son], and the end thereof as a
bitter day." (8:9,10)
The Day of Jesus Christ will come.
Are you ready?
"Behold, the days come, saith
the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst
for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD." (8:11)
This is the most clear comparison
and truth in our day. Believers are running to and fro from denomination to
denomination in search of God's Word, but it's not found there.
Ecumenicalism and feminine theology are everywhere. Get out from the denominations!
"Behold, the eyes of the Lord
GOD [are] upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth;
saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD." (9:8)
The consequence of an unrepentant
nation. However, if we come back to Him, here's what He will do.
"In that day will I raise up
the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will
raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: That they may possess the
remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that
doeth this. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the
reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet
wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring again the captivity of my people of
Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit [them]; and they shall plant
vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of
them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of
their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God." (9:11-15)
God promises restoration to those
that come back to Him. However, we must come back as a "whole nation" not just
parts. If we continue of the present course there is only judgment and disaster ahead.
It's our continual rebellion, disobedience, pridefulness, arrogance, and abandonment of
God that's destroying us. Pray for your county, pray for the Church*, pray for lives, and
turn to God. God help us!
Amen?
Questions about this message? E-mail us
* - A note to the
reader: the word "Church" in our studies always means the body of Christ/called
out ones/believers/saints/remnant etc. not the IC DC (Institutional churches or
denominational churches).
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