Famine

In Amos chapter 8, a basket of summer fruit is discussed between the prophet Amos and God. God tells us that “The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more.” Amos 8:2 KJV

So by this we know that end times are being prophesied in this chapter, with details that we can clearly understand when we put our minds to it. The basket of summer fruit means that Israel is ready for harvest and it has to be done right away or the fruit will rot. We do know that Israel became a nation in 1948, and elsewhere in His word it was told us that once that happened, the world would be in its final generation.

We should not let this scare us! It’s a good thing as long as we know what the word of God truly says. The most important truth to know is that the antichrist will arrive on earth first (hence the 6^th trump); and Jesus will come to earth after many have bowed to the antichrist (means “instead of Christ”), because they will believe antichrist is the true Christ.

But Jesus’ feet touch the earth at the 7^th trump, and those who worshipped the antichrist during his time here will ask for the mountains to fall on them, they will be so ashamed. Yikes.

Amos chapter 8 is a most interesting read (hopefully you will read it in the King James Version of the Bible). In verse 3 the description is of those who are spiritually dead, like so many are at this time in our world.

I’m going to fast forward to verse 11, but in verses 4-10 God talks about those who have put financial oppression and deceit on His people (i.e., the banking industry, which is one of the four worldly dynasties controlled by Satan. The other three are education, politics and religion). Also, note in verse 8 that the “flood” is the flood of lies and deceit that will overwhelm the end time.

Amos 8:11 says, “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:”

So when we hear about the famine of the end times, let us not fear our bodies starving; let us instead fear the starvation of our spirits. We see it all around us more and more every day. But there is a solution! Study, learn and understand the true word of God, and you will not be one of those poor starved souls. You will not be fooled by the antichrist, you will wait for Jesus to arrive at the Second Advent, and in the process you will be able to help others not to be fooled.

God has clearly warned us in this chapter not to be fooled by the lies, to know that He is aware of the oppression, and to know and understand the time we live in.

Don’t be deceived! Read and understand God’s word so that you can be fully armored!

God bless you in that endeavor.

Amos 8:1-11
8:1 Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit.
2 And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the LORD unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more.
3 And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord GOD: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence.
4 Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,
5 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?
6 That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?
7 The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.
8 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.
9 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:
10 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.
11 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:
KJV

Israel

How do YOU fit into the Bible? In His Word, God made promises to the nation of Israel. They are the offspring of the 12 sons of Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel by God, see Genesis 32:28, Genesis 35:10). But Israel, you say, is a small nation over in the Middle East so why do we care so much about that? Jesus came to this earth and was crucified for our sins and arose to eternal glory, and then the promise of eternal life was extended to not only Israel but to the “Gentiles” as well.

Ah! True! But do you understand who Israel really is? The Bible and history tell us. Of the 12 tribes, first the 10 northern tribes were defeated and taken into captivity by the king of Assyria, (around 600 B.C.) taken away and then they were scattered, something that God had warned he would do when they wouldn’t listen to Him, over and over and over. They are known as the “lost tribes of Israel”.

Two hundred years after the 10 northern tribes were taken, the 2 remaining tribes of Judah and Benjamin (known collectively as Jews) were taken into captivity by somebody else, the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar. However, we know where most of the Jews are – they returned from that seventy-year captivity in Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem and re-populate the country of Israel, a subject that is well defined in the Old Testament, see the books of Nehemiah and Ezra, particularly. Yes there are Jews living throughout the world, and in general, they know that they are Jews and can trace their genealogy (and DNA, now) back to those olden times.

But those 10 lost tribes – where are they? Who are they? Whatever happened to them? First off, God has not lost them, even if they don’t know who they are, He does. He counts every hair on their heads (Matthew 10:30). There are many mentions of them in the Bible, and we know from history that after they were taken to Assyria, they later traveled over the Caucasus mountains of southern Russia, and went north… and eventually migrated to Europe, and all along the way, they multiplied greatly.

In the great migrations from Europe to the North and South Americas and further in the more current history of the world, especially the 1800s, many of those “Europeans” who arrived in the New World and became Canadians, Americans, Mexicans, Brazilians, Australians… well, put two and two together – the Christian countries of today are no doubt populated by many who don’t know that their ancestors were once part of the ten lost tribes of Israel, but who have the words of God written on their hearts. God said, “go forth and multiply, you will be like the sands of the seas and like the stars of heaven in multitude”.  (see Jacob reminding God that He would multiply Jacob’s offspring like the “sands of the sea” which could not be numbered for multitude in Genesis 32:12.)

Often, when we read the Bible, common sense is required. Use your common sense to understand that Bible subjects are really not difficult or confusing, but pretty much stated in plain language. We need to use our common sense and do some study to understand what is being discussed.

Then apply those ideas to current history, all the while consulting and understanding what the history of the Bible and the prophets are talking about, and confusion will melt away. Once you have an understanding of the peoples and the prophecies of the Bible, your life will be on point! You will be able to move forward with strength and understanding and knowledge of the Truth, and in the process you will find great peace.

God bless you in that endeavor. If I can help in any way, please let me know, and I will do my best.

Thanks for reading, and I pray that this post will bless you and your family in a big way.