Fri.’s Devo - The Visions of Amos

Read: Amos 7:1-9:15; Revelation 3:7-22; Psalm 131:1-3; Proverbs 29:23 God never does anything he doesn’t tell his prophets first. God showed Amos that he was planning to send locusts to devour their crops. Amos cried out for mercy saying they could not survive it, so God relented. *** Next, God showed Amos a vision of a great fire he would use to punish his people for their idolatry. Amos cried out again saying they would never survive it. So, God changed his mind about that. *** Then, God showed Amos a plumb line he would use to measure his people’s sins. He could no longer let Jeroboam’s dynasty continue in their idolatry. Jeroboam would be killed and the people would be sent into exile. *** Amaziah was the evil priest of Bethel where the golden calf was worshiped. He reported to Jeroboam all the things Amos was prophesying against him. Amaziah told Amos to take his prophecy business someplace else. Amos explained he wasn’t a professional prophet, he was just a farmer with a message from God. God said that Jeroboam’s wife would become a prostitute in their land and his sons and daughters would also be killed. Their land would be divided and Amaziah would die in a foreign land. The people would become captives and be taken far from home. *** Amos was shown a basket of ripe fruit which stood for Israel. They were ripe for punishment. God could not forget the pride of Israel. They mixed chaff with the grain and sold it. They cheated the buyer with dishonest scales. *** God would send a famine of hearing his words. They will go searching to hear what he was saying and not find it. There will be no place for them to hide from the judgement that is coming. Their very foundations will shake and the roof of the Temple will fall on their heads. The nation of Israel will be destroyed from the face of the earth but the family of Israel will not be completely destroyed. *** God will restore the fallen house of David and repair its damages. God will rebuilt and restore the Temple to its former glory. It will become very fruitful and prosperous once again never to be uprooted again. *** In Revelation, John was told to write a letter to the angel of the church of Philadelphia. Philadelphia was the church who had the key of David who could open and no one could close and what he closes, no one could open. They were people who understood spiritual warfare and intercession. God would cause the imposters of the Jewish nation to come and bow down to them and acknowledge that they are the true Jews. God will keep them in the time of great testing They will become pillars in the Temple of the Lord and be citizens in God’s city - when the Kingdom of heaven comes to earth. They will be given God’s new name. *** A letter was written to the angel of the church in Laodicea. They were the lukewarm ones who would be spit out of God’s mouth. They deceived themselves into thinking everything was okay, when it wasn’t. They were indifferent and didn’t take sides against evil or for righteousness. God warned them to turn from their indifference. He was waiting to be invited in to fellowship with them. *** Lord, may we not be indifferent towards you and what you are doing on the earth. May we be awake and aware of what you are doing and participate with you. May we put our hope in you alone.