About Jesus Steve Sweetman

About Jesus Steve Sweetman

The Final Piece Of The Puzzle

Over the years I've heard Bible teachers state what they think is the last thing that must take place before Jesus physically returns to earth. So I thought I'd throw in my two cents worth concerning this issue, which is probably worth twenty dollars in today's inflated economy. Me getting twenty dollars for a few thoughts is probably wishful thinking on my part, but that's okay, I'll state my thoughts anyway.

Concerning God judging Israel, Hosea 5:14 says, "I (God) will be like a lion … I will tear them (Israel) to pieces and go away. I will carry them (Israel) off with no one to rescue them". From my prophetic perspective, I believe these words began to be fulfilled in 70 A. D. with the Roman invasion of Jerusalem, sending Israelis into exile throughout the Roman Empire. A second invasion took place in 135 A. D. just to make sure their weren't any Israelis left in the holy land.

Hosea 5:14 also says that God will "go away", that is, "go away from Israel". Hosea 5:15 says, "then I will go back to my place …" God did "go away". He did "go back to His place" when He left Israel to her own folly in 70 A. D..

There are two ways Bible teachers view who exactly "goes away" in this passage. Some say it's God the Father. (Yahweh) Others say it's Jesus. I'm not sure it really matters. God did step back from Israel, although He did not forsake her. That being said, there's a good chance this passage refers to Jesus who did tell Israelis that He would return to His Father and then at some future date return to Israel the same way He left.

Hosea 5:15 doesn't end on this sad note. The verse also says, "then I will go back to my place until they (Israel) admit their guilt. And they will seek my face, in their misery, they will earnestly seek me". From 70 A. D. onward Israelis have experienced much misery, which will reach its climax in the tribulation period that ends this age. Israel's sufferings will become so severe, two thirds of them will die in the tribulation. (Zechariah 13:8) Those who survive will finally admit their guilt and seek their God as earnestly as they can.

How these Israeli survivors express this guilt is found in Hosea 16:1. "Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us and He will bind up our wounds …" Hosea 16:3 says, "… surely as the sun rises, He will appear". Jesus will come back from His place and appear to Israel when they express their guilt. You can bet on that. Then, what Jesus says in Luke 13:35 will come true. "Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord'". (Lord meaning Yahweh)

Israel will repent and finally acknowledge their Lord, but not without His help. Zechariah 12:10 and 11 says, "I will pour out on the house of David (Israel) and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son. On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be great …" The word "supplication" means "a cry for mercy". As with anyone finding salvation, we can't cry for mercy from the Lord, repent, or believe, in our own strength. We need the Lord's help even to do that. Israel gets that help once she is brought to her knees in the misery that is the tribulation that ends this age.

So, Hosea 5:15 states the very last thing that must happen before the return of Jesus. "I will go back to my place until they (Israel) admit their guilt". When Israel finally admits her guilt and cries out to the Lord for mercy, you know it won't take Jesus long to leap from His heavenly throne and blaze His way down into the promised land that He loves.

So there's my two cents worth. O, I mean my twenty dollars worth. You can't see it, but my hands are open just in case someone wants to drop a twenty dollar bill or two into it. I'll say thanks in advance and remind you that it's better to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35)

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