Supplemental Notes:

“Hosea,
Can You See?”
Hosea’s Challenge to America

It was the best of times, it was the worst of

times. Hosea, one of the most provocative
prophets of the Old Testament, was called
by God to declare His impending judgment
on the Northern Kingdom...They had been
experiencing unparalleled prosperity in their
time; and yet, they had sunk to the lowest
moral depths in their two-century history.
As a result, God was about to use their en-
emies as His instrument of judgment.

America, too, is in a disturbingly comparable

situation: unparalleled prosperity on the one
hand, and yet unprecedented immorality in
their two-century history. Is God also going
to use our enemies as instruments of His
judgment?
© 1999 Koinonia House Inc.
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 The Northern Kingdom, with a successful
“Hosea, Can You See?” standing army, recovered to Israel all the
territory lost—even the possession of Dam-
ascus. They enjoyed material prosperity
Hosea’s Challenge to America unequaled since the days of Solomon.1

It was, indeed, “the best of times.” At least,

so it seemed from their own point of view.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of However, they also had sunk to their low-
times. est ebb of immorality and idol worship. In
Charles Dickens addition to idolatry, other sins denounced
A Tale of Two Cities by Hosea included social injustice,2 violent
crime,3 religious hypocrisy,4 political re-
bellion,5 dependence upon foreign alli-
Hosea was a prophet (or seer) who was ances,6 selfish arrogance,7 and spiritual
called to declare God’s indictment against ingratitude.8
the Northern Kingdom.
It was also, indeed, “the worst of times.”
(Almost a century later, Jeremiah would Particularly from God’s point of view.
be called to render a similar service to the
Southern Kingdom.) Hosea’s Message
The Predicament This is the burden of Hosea: that although
a loving and caring God had provided their
The kingdom divided after Solomon’s death abundance and prosperity, their sin, dis-
into two kingdoms: Judah and Jerusalem loyalty and abandonment of Him will force
in the south, under Rehoboam, Solomon’s Him to vindicate His justice with judgment.
successor, which in large measure remained
faithful to God and the temple worship; After detailing the indictments against the
and the Northern Kingdom under nation, Hosea then declares that God is
Jeroboam, called Israel, which plunged into going to use their enemies as His instru-
idolatry.
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 ment of judgment. Shortly they will be Our entertainment industry celebrates
history... adultery, fornication, violence, aberrant sex
practices, and every imaginable form of
An Uncomfortable Parallel? evil. We have become the world’s leading
exporters of all that God abhors.
The parallels with America are very, very
disturbing. We, too, are experiencing un- It certainly is “the worst of times” from
precedented prosperity. The stock indexes His point of view.
are caressing 11,000. People are purchas-
ing their third and fourth cars. Almost God rebuked Israel for their brutality:
every home has a computer. there was murder, there was violence, and
there was warfare. We, too, have had
It’s difficult to find a pedestrian without a Waco... and Columbine High School. New
cellular phone in his ear or on his belt. York City has recorded more crimes than
Fuel for our cars costs less than a bottle of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Swit-
water. zerland, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands,
Norway, and Denmark, combined.9 And
It is, indeed, “the best of times.” Or so it we, too, have had Vietnam, Kosovo, et al.
seems. We should have been sending Bibles, not
bullets and bombs. Missionaries, not mis-
And yet we have sunk to moral depths siles.
lower than could have been imagined only
a generation ago. We are so “sophisticated” Immorality and deceit have also come to
that we condone homosexuality as an “al- characterize the highest offices of our na-
ternative life-style.” tion as well. Our politics have condoned
and covered up more murders than we dare
We murder babies that are socially incon- list.
venient. We change marriage partners like
a fashion statement. Our public enterprises have been prosti-
tuted to the convenience of the elite. We
We have abandoned the sanctity of com- have clearly disconnected character from
mitment in our marriages and in our busi- destiny.
ness enterprises.
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 There is nothing new in the “new moral- too will become materialistic, harsh, and
ity.” They practiced it in 700 B.C. and were unforgiving.
ultimately destroyed as a result. And so
may we be. And if you worship Christ, you will become
like Him! ...Ah! Devoutly to be wished!
Israel had neglected the Word of God for
two hundred years. So have we. It is staggering to attempt to understand
the insanity of paganism. Who can tally
All this is but a mirror of the American the blood which has been spilled upon the
soul. Behind all of our problems is the big altars of the gods who are not, and the
problem: we are not recognizing God. We demons who are! Covetousness and greed
are virtually ignorant of God’s Word. We (also called idolatry12 ) are now the gods of
have outlawed Him from our schools and America, too.
exiled Him from our lives.
The Prognosis for America
The minute you get away from the Word
of God, you are doomed to failure in both “It could never happen here.” That was
your Christian life and your national life. the cry in Eastern Europe, doubting that
Communism would ever take over. Yet it
The Rise of Paganism did.

When the knowledge of the true and living This also is the presumption that pervades
God is refused, false gods inevitably fill the our own country regarding God’s judgment.
vacuum.10 And we become like the gods we It is the slogan of a fool in ignorance of
worship!11 God’s nature and His commitments.

Are idols of stone cold, unresponsive, and Yet, let’s take an honest, hard look at our-
impersonal? If you worship them, you too selves. We are hated by major segments—
will become cold, unresponsive, and imper- one might say most—of the world’s popu-
sonal. lation.

Is the world materialistic, harsh, and un- As you read this, alliances are being formed
forgiving? If you worship the world, you between Russia, China, and Islamic coun-
Page 6 Page 7
tries against us. Weapons of mass destruc- If my people, who are called by my
tion are becoming increasingly available, name, shall humble themselves, and
and America’s defenses are rapidly being pray, and seek my face, and turn from
depleted, dissipated, and appearing increas- their wicked ways; then will I hear
ingly inadequate.13 from heaven, and will forgive their sin,
and will heal their land.
We would seem to be ripe for judgment. 2 Chronicles 7:14
Have we crossed the Rubicon? Is it too
late? Some think so. This is not addressed to our President, our
Congress, or our population in general: It
Yet, remember Nineveh. This pagan capi- is addressed to “My people, who are called
tal ruled the world for several centuries. by my name.” It is addressed to the Body
And it was scheduled for God’s judgment. of Christ.
It was 40 days from “ground zero!”
If we will humble ourselves, and pray, and
Then God called Jonah, the Reluctant seek His face, and turn from our wicked
Prophet. He wasn’t excited about the as- ways—then He will forgive our sin and heal
signment until God explained it to him a our land.
bit more clearly.
We need a national revival—but it must
And Jonah wasn’t very tactful in his mes- begin with you and me. It is our sin that
sage: “Forty days and you get yours!” is standing in the way of what God would
prefer to do: to have America continue as a
Then, the biggest miracle in the Old Tes- beachhead for the Gospel to a hurting
tament occurred: within those forty days world.
the king on down all repented!
It’s up to us. It’s high time we got serious
And the kingdom was spared for almost about it.
another century! God, we must remem-
ber, is in the miracle business... Our Individual Predicament
God has declared His clear and exciting The Bible is not merely Israel’s history: it
principle: is the story of the human race, and our-
Page 8 Page 9
selves in particular. There is not one of us them that believe on His name.
who has not run from God in spite of His John 1:11, 12
common and abundant grace, and there are
many (believers) who have turned from Through Him the loved one is regained,
Him even though they have been adopted restored, and renewed: the Gospel is gleam-
into His family. ing in Hosea.

Only the horror of sin explains how we can

scorn such Love. But the good news is that * * *
God is both the Just and the Justifier.

The Bible does not end with Hosea. His

name means “salvation.” In the fullness of This Briefing Pack was excerpted from an
time, One came whose name was Yehovah, eight-tape series being presented to the
Yeshua, and Jesus. subscribers of K-Rations and which will be
subsequently published, with complete
The dilemma presented in Hosea is the os- notes and references, as Chuck’s Exposi-
tensible tension between the holiness and tional Commentary on Hosea.
righteousness of God and His Love and
frustration with a rebellious and ungrate-
ful people. Notes:

Yet through His Son, the claims of justice 1. 2 Kings 14:25-28; 2 Chronicles 26:2, 6-15.
are met, the glory of holiness maintained,
and His redemption is not a pity that 2. Hosea 12:7.
agrees to ignore sin, but a power that can-
cels it and sets the soul free from its do- 3. Hosea 4:2; 6:9; 12:1.
minion.
4. Hosea 6:6.
He came unto His own, but His own
received Him not. But as many as re- 5. Hosea 7:3-7.
ceived Him, to them gave He the power
to become the sons of God,14 even to 6. Hosea 7:11; 8:9.
Page 10 Page 11
7. Hosea 13:6. Bibliography
8. Hosea 7:15.
James Montgomery Boice, The Minor Proph-
9. James Montgomery Boice, The Minor ets, Vol 1, Zondervan Publishing House,
Prophets, Vol. 1, Zondervan Publishing Grand Rapids MI 1983
House, Grand Rapids MI, 1983, pp. 38-39.
Thomas McComiskey, The Minor Prophets,
10. Romans 1:22, 23. Vol 1., Baker Book House, Grand Rapids
MI, 1992.
11. Psalm 135:15-18.
J. Vernon McGee, Hosea and Joel, Thomas
12. Colossians 3:5. Nelson Publishers, Nashville TN, 1991.

13. Our forthcoming briefing package, Behold Gary G. Cohen and H. Ronald Vandermey,
A Red Horse - Wars and Rumors of Wars Hosea and Amos, Moody Press, Chicago IL,
will survey the clouds on the world’s hori- 1981.
zon.
David Allan Hubbard, Hosea, InterVarsity
14. See Alien Encounters for a more detailed Press, Leicester England, 1989.
and provocative study of the more precise
significance of the Biblical term “Sons of Ironside, H. A., Notes on the Minor Prophets,
God,” a direct creation of God. Adam was Loizeaux Brothers, Neptune NJ, 1909.
a direct creation; we, however, are sons of
Adam until we take advantage of John Feinberg, Charles Lee, The Minor Prophets,
1:11, 12! Moody Press, Chicago IL ,1948.

Walvoord, John F., and Zuck, Roy B., The Bible

Knowledge Commentary, Scripture Press
Publications, Inc., Wheaton IL, 1983, 1985.

Von Orelli, Dr. C., The Twelve Minor Prophets,

Kock and Klock Christian Publisher, Min-

Page 12 Page 13
 neapolis MN, 1977. (Originally published Related Briefing Packages
by T & T Clark, 1897.) by Chuck Missler
On America
Thanksgiving—America’s Challenge: How
John Chalfont, Abandonment Theology, did the Thanksgiving holiday first begin?
America - A Call to Greatness, Inc. (Call our What provocative parallels emerge in the
office for the two-tape briefing pack.) This is strange career of the Indian “Squanto” and
a “must have” action guide towards saving the Biblical record of Joseph? What is the
America. most important legacy we can leave our
children and grandchildren?
Rabbi Daniel Lapin, America’s Real War,
Mutlnomah Publishers, Sisters OR, 1999. Chuck reviews the origin of our unique na-
An internationally beloved orthodox Jew- tional holiday and challenges our Chris-
ish Rabbi insists that a return to Christian tian stewardship concerning the precious
values are vital for our nation’s survival. heritage that is slowly being stripped away
by the enemies of the Republic.
Bailey Smith, Taking Back the Gospel, Har-
vest House, Eugene OR, 1999. The perils of Twilight’s Last Gleaming: Where are we
a “user-friendly” faith. headed? What can we as Christians do to
halt the downward spiral of our once-great
Robert H. Bork, Slouching Towards Gomorrah, nation?
HarperCollins, New York NY, 1996. Mod-
ern liberalism and the decline of America. A Chuck reviews the “state of the union” and
must read for anyone serious about under- the results of the liberal agenda. Our mili-
standing our times. tary cemeteries are filled with patriots who
died fighting against everything the liber-
Jim Nelson Black, When Nations Die, Tyndale als stand for. It’s time to get serious—only
House Publishers, Wheaton IL, 1994. a miracle can save America, but fortunately
America on the brink: Ten warning signs of God is in the miracle business!
a culture in crisis.

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 Commentaries on Tape
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Each volume consists of eight cassette tapes
and includes notes, diagrams, and a compre-
hensive bibliography. Write for a complete
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