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whirlwind will sweep them away, and their sacrifices will bring them
shame.”
(Hosea 4:1–19)
The message pertains to deliverance; a pasture or place of rest is justice for
the sheep, for those who follow the truth are sheep. We see in the words of
Hosea a sad reflection of what must happen. Humanity is opposed to what
God desires. Humanity is always permitted to choose its own destiny, and
we always seem to choose the hard way—why? Through the analogy of
sheep, we see that humanity receives what it requires or deserves. Listen
further to Hosea’s words: “Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn
us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our
wounds. After two days, he will revive us; on the third day, he will restore
us that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us
press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he
will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the
earth.”
“What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your
love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears. Therefore I
cut you in pieces with my prophets, I killed you with the words of my
mouth; my judgments flashed like lightning upon you.
Fo r I de s i r e me r c y ,
no t sa c r i f i c e ,
and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
Like Adam, they have broken the covenant—they were unfaithful to me
there. Gilead [testimony] is a city of wicked men, stained with footprints of
blood. As marauders lie in ambush for a man, so do bands of priests; they
murder on the road to Shechem [consent], committing shameful crimes. I
have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel. There Ephraim is given to
prostitution and Israel is defiled. Also for you, Judah, a harvest is
appointed.”
(Hosea 6: 1-11)
The meanings of “after two days he will revive us,” and “on the third day
He will restore us” signify the fulfillment of God’s covenant or promise.
But, time in the true sense is a time period or age, not just a day, as we
know it. Remember, the Sabbath was made for man; it is a period set aside
to honor God and finish His work! Remember too, a day to God is like a
thousand years to man, so it is fitting that in time it will be precisely as
Hosea has prophesied. After the two thousand years period called
t ime s
, He
will revive us, and restoration will begin on the third day or a final period of
time called “
ha l f a t ime , ”
representative of 1,000 years.
Furthermore, God said, “Return, O Israel, [chosen of God] to the LORD