Amos 8

8:1-3. SYMBOLICAL.

1,2-. The Symbol. Basket of Summer Fruit.
-2,3. Signification.

689-687 B.C.

Amos 8:1 Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit.

(Summer put for ripe fruits characterizing the summer. Ready for harvest. Cp. 2 Sam. 16:2. Jer. 40:12.)

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;

(Cp Jer. 1:11,12. The end time prophecy is here)

I will not again pass by them any more.

(Summer fruit is ripe for the picking, if you are on the path of the "plumbline." This fruit is ready for harvest, meaning the last days are near. For the most part, the harvest means chastisement. Most will be deceived.)

3 And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day,

(God is telling His People of Israel that when you sing your church hymns in these latter days, He will look at them as howling rather than worship and praise. That's because those hymns are not based upon His oracles, but your vain traditions, and pagan worship. Songs like "I'll Fly Away", when it's not written in God's Word, except in Ezekiel 13:17-23, where God tells us He's against them that teach souls to fly.

Ezekiel 13:20 "Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly,"

If you think you're going to fly to save your soul, it's time to wake up to what the Word of God actually says. God is unhappy with those who teach you to fly to 'save' your soul.)

saith the Lord GOD: there shall be many dead bodies in every place;

(See 6:9,10. Spiritually dead. See Ezek. 37. Physically they are alive.)

they shall cast them forth with silence.

(See 6:10. The temple is the church. They cast forth spiritually dead bodies with a great "religious" hush.)

4-14. LITERAL.

4-6. Incrimination.
7-13. Threatening. Mourning.
14-. Incrimination.
-14. Threatening. Fall.

4 Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,

(God is mad at these, those that take advantage for ill gotten gains.)

5 Saying, 'When will the new moon be gone,

(see Num. 10:10,&c.)

that we may sell corn? and the sabbath,

(Ex. 20:10. Stopping their business for a day.)

that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?

(Hidden dynasty of economy, overvalue the dollar. Inflation. The false teachers cheat the needy of truth. They are robbing the people of God's Word. Their chaff is causing God's children to fall away from Him.)

6 That we may buy the poor for silver,

(Teaching God's word falsely. See 2:6. Prov. 6:11)

and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?'

(Through inflated debt and interest they hold the people in bondage and even sell them the moldy wheat. Who would buy moldy wheat? Have you ever been to a "Beth-el" that has an "Amaziah" in the pulpit putting forth truths that are all moldy from the traditions of men? This is where our spiritual "bread" comes from. Are you being fed? How will antichrist come into power? He will offer prosperity and peace. He will be able to buy many souls. Is your soul for sale?)

7 The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob,

(I.e. by Himself, as in 6:8. Ref. Ex. 15:7. Cp. 4:2; 6:8. Hos. 5:5; 7:10)

Surely I will never forget any of their works.

(Its in the book. Rewards will be good for good, bad for bad. Rev. 14:13. God doesn't forget good works or evil 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;

(Referring to the overflowing of the Nile. Cp. Satan's flood of lies. You should be immune to that flood of lies, because you love God and have His seal in your mind.)

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,

(This determines the time of the fulfillment of this "threatening". See Isa. 13:10; 59:9,10. Jer. 15:9. Joel 2:1,2; 3:15. Mic. 3:6. Can this refer to the earthquake of 1:1?)

and I will darken the earth in the clear day:

(Day of darkness for those who don't care. It irritates our Father when He's not listened to. The children of light won't be in darkness.)

10 And I will turn your feasts into mourning,

(Ref. Ex. 12:14; 23:15,16. Lev. 23. They turned it into parties. See Jer. 23:1)

and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head;

(The outward symbols of mourning. Cp. v.3. Isa. 15:2. Ezek. 7:18)

and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.

(When those who see the True Messiah returning after having worshiped antichrist, it will be a sad day for them.)

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:

(The famine of the last days will not be for physical food or water. It will be a famine for truth. Cp. 1 Sam. 3:1. Ps. 74:9. Ezek. 7:26. I am sure Father becomes irritated with His children that don't pay attention to Him. He has written a letter to His children. Those that study His letter are equipped with the knowledge to deal with the events of the end time. The cause of chastisement is is a lack of hearing the words of the Lord. Who is at fault? The tradition of men and false teachers are causing God's children to spiritually starve and thirst. God's Word is filled with promises and blessings; however, if you never hear His Word, you can't claim the promises and blessings. Don't allow the chaff to become mixed with your wheat! See Jer. 23.

There is a spiritual war going on now in the world. Can you imagine going into a battle with only infants and babies still on the milk bottle? Sadly, most churchmen are as prepared to meet Antichrist as a one-year old would be to face a charging enemy. What are you taught in your church that would prepare you for that battle? You will face Satan and all his forces in this generation, and that is why you must have your spiritual armor on and in place, ready to do spiritual battle with the enemy. Do you even know what the enemy looks like, or what his weapons of spiritual destruction will be? This is why the famine coming on our land and throughout the entire world is so serious, for people will not be ready for the battle Satan will bring upon the earth.)

12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.

(Can't find a church that teaches truth. See Zech 8:10)

13 In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.

(I.e. for hearing the truth.)

14 They that swear by the sin of Samaria,

(Guilt, trespass. Put for the idol herself.)

and say, 'Thy god,

(Other than YHVH, false Messiah)

O Dan, liveth;' and, 'The manner of Beersheba liveth;'

(2 places where the 2 golden calves were set up [1 Kings 12:26-30])

even they shall fall,

(I.e. the 2 calves, or 'they that swear'.)

and never rise up again."

(See v.5 again, then Mic. 3:5.

The "manner" is their mode of worship. Remember in Amos 7:13 when the high priest said that "Beth'-el", God's house, is the house of the king (government). For it is the government that will decide what will be worshipped there. This regulation of churches started many years ago, and is so common today that it upsets no one.

Just start a church and see how the rules regulate and scrutinize just how it is to be run, the form, the leadership, and on and on. It's no different now than what it was then. The king's court (tax system) controls the very life of the church. If you want to be subsidized by the government through tax deductions, you dance to their tune. If you want to be underwritten by a denomination, than you teach what they tell you to teach; for wages, pensions and even a medical plan from them forces you to.

At Christ's return, all earthly systems and forms will fall and only Christ's kingdom will stand and reign. If you have relied on anything, form, system, preacher, or church for your salvation, you have problems. For only Christ, and His word, can provide you the nourishment spiritually to go through the spiritual famine of these end times.)

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