Amos "The
Shaking, Symbolic [1-4]." This Bible Study is written by Roger Christopherson, and made available with written permission by http://www.theseason.org When we read about death in this chapter, we are reading about spiritual death. When we consider spiritual death while in the flesh body, it's in a symbolic form, because our minds understand only vaguely the life and death of a soul from an angelic point of view. To the angelic (angel) being it is real, however, to us it is symbolic. Yet, when one understands the Word of God, and our spiritual rebirth into God's family through Jesus Christ, then spiritual life and death become as real as the flesh: As life and death. Amos 9:1 "I saw the Lord standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered." This was a symbolic vision that Amos had, and in that vision the Lord was striking the main column of the temple (churches). The subject of this verse is the condition of their church houses on the last day; and God is saying, let their church houses fall on their heads. God is through with their games, and this earth age of flesh man is over. He will smite them with His sword, the Word of God, and they will be judged by that Word. All of them will account for their words and deeds done in the flesh. God is standing on earth when this happens, thus it will be at His return. Amos 9:2 "Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down:" Amos 9:3 "And though they hid themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bit them:" You just can't hide from God, not in the grave for your evil acts that are unrepented will follow you; not in the sky, not in caves of the earth, nor under the sea. When you play church, God will allow Satan to deceive you. There is no place you can escape God when you have played the harlot with Satan. Amos 9:4 "And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good." It is God that said in verse three, "destroy their church houses and let it fall on their heads". Though it is a symbolic gesture, it is what God thinks of the church world of today, and their pagan traditions. The church systems are not listening to Jesus and the prophet's warning to get ready for a time of testing this world has never seen. A time when Satan will parade as Christ, and all his millions of fallen angels will be dressed up to look just like good church people. They will infiltrate your churches, and everywhere and everything you hold decent will be used to draw you right to Satan. Those who are not on guard, will sing praises to God as they march straight into Satan's camp. God told you this deception is going to happen to the generation that saw Israel reestablished as a nation. To that generation that lived under a one world government, and that is what has been happening for the last forty years. You're living in that generation, and all the symbolism of God's hatred and disgust (Amos 5:21) should be clear to you from every chapter and verse of Amos and is directed to you and me. Now! The shame you will have at Christ's return for not preparing yourself to stand against Satan will be worse than death. In verse four, the sword mentioned are the words and ideas, concepts and doctrine. The sword will slay them through deception. God said, "I will set mine eyes on them for evil,". If you're singing about flying away into the sky; friend, you're going to fly right into Satan's camp. And God said He is going to help you do it. "Set my eyes" - - "I'll see to it." Only the elect of God at this time will desire to study to know the true will and warnings of God. Amos 9:5 "And the Lord God of hosts is he that toucheth the land, and it shall mourn: and it shall rise up wholly like a flood; and shall be drowned, as by the flood of Egypt." The flood of Egypt was a flood that would wash away all the fertile soil down river to the delta, and leave only raw sand. A ground unfit to grow anything. Yet the soil in the delta, this soil, could feed the world. In that day when Satan comes to earth, the truth of God's Word will dry up, and just as the soil after the Egyptian flood becomes sand, so any preparation to seal your mind against Antichrist (Satan) will have dried up. This fifth verse ends with symbolic warnings. Amos now goes to literally what will happen in these days just ahead of us living in these last days. Amos 9:6 "It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven, and hath founded his troop in the earth: he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name." In the previous verses, it appears that God has it in for everyone but a certain few (elect). However, God is a just and loving God, and the hatred is for the laziness and disregard of His children to pay attention to His warnings. God is fair to all His children. The stories of verse six are the chambers in the heavens, and places where He, the angels, and the souls of men dwell. God also has His troops (Army) in these end times, and if you are one of His elect, a child of God following our Lord, you are in that army. It is God that has created this earth, set it in motion, and controls the laws of His nature. That through these laws, water is drawn from the seas, and poured out upon the entire earth as rain. He is telling us: God is the Lord of all, and controls all; for He made everything. God is totally in control. Amos 9:7 "Are ye not as children of the E-thi-o'-pi-ans unto me, O children of Israel? saith the Lord. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Phi-lis'-tines from Caph'-tor, and the Syrians from Kir?" God told us that He is not pleased with the heathenistic practices Israel is bringing in. "Israel" being Christian nations of the end times. You, Israel, have been taken out of Egypt, fed and protected, and given His Word and the law, yet you disregard my words, and become as the Ethiopians, Syrians, and Philistines. If you are in Christ, you are not considered foreign to God. Paul and Jesus taught how all who are in Christ are grafted into the trunk of Israel. They became one in Christ. Amos is addressing the heathen practices being brought into the houses of God, and adopted into doctrine and religious form. God doesn't like it. Though there is a spiritual Israel, there is also a physical Israel which has the blessings of God. With these blessings comes a duty and responsibility to God. God is saying, you're mine, but you don't act like it. Amos 9:8 "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." This can be a frightening verse, which can cause some loss of sleep. But stop and see what God will destroy. It is "the sinful kingdom". The king of that kingdom is Satan (Antichrist) and his domain is the people on earth that give allegiance to him. It will be through the one world system which is coming to pass before our eyes today. The religious head of that system will start at Satan's arrival (Revelation 12:7-9) when Michael the archangel throws him out; and ends five months later as recorded in Revelation 9. The destruction is of the "it", "the government", not people. When a government dies, do all the people die? No. The functions and power and authority that runs that government ends. A new governing form takes over. That new governing form will be Christ's kingdom with Jesus Christ the King of Kings, and the new system will be His. Amos 9:9 "For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth." Those who have migrated and mixed from the "House of Israel" will be drawn out of all nations of the earth. Not one person is lost to God. God won't lose any of His children, for He knows exactly who and where they are. Amos 9:10 "All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us." This is brought on by the famine for truth that we read in Amos 8:11. These are the people (Christians) who insist on following Satan's deceptions, and set their minds on flying away, or following every form of wonders and deceptions coming. Amos 9:11 "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:" The tabernacle of David is the throne of Jesus Christ's kingdom. This is in the Millennium when that temple will be rebuilt. The last three chapters of Ezekiel describe that temple. Amos 9:12 "That they may possess the remnant of E'-dom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the Lord that doeth this." Who is this "E'-dom"? They are the children of Esau. We call them Russians today. Also, those of all heathen nations are to be collected. However, the qualifier of who the chosen are, "those who are called by my name" they are called "Christians". God says He will draw out His own who claim the name of His son Jesus, and it makes no difference what nationality they are. Amos 9:13 "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." This is a time when there will be plenty for God's children. Amos 9:14 "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 plan vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them." God is addressing a time when His people are free of the bondage of the Kenites. Those who place his children deep into usury and all who steal off the backs of God's people; Those Kenites will be gone. All God's children will have prosperity and enjoy the full fruits of their harvest. There will be no more bondage to anyone, only service to Our Lord. Amos 9:15 "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." This land is guaranteed by God. The choice land is promised to God's people and at His return, His people will settle there and never be removed. This takes place at the sounding of that last trump. Are you getting ready for that time? Or getting ready to fly out to Satan's arms? Amos means burden, and God has a burden for His children. He pours His love out to you to come unto Him. He warns us of events to come, that we would not be deceived. In Amos 9:6-15, God says He will try to save every child (person) who will come out of this evil (one world) system, and they will be His, and He will be their God. Those allowed to live in Christ's kingdom will be only those who love Him, follow Him, and try to serve Him. We are only made perfect when we are in Christ. Perfection is not necessary in our flesh body, but when we are in Christ.
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