Book of Hosea Chapter 7 Vs. 2

 INIQUITY UNCOVERED

And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face. Hos. 7:2

they considered not... But Israel continued to sin and did not remember that her wicked deeds were before His face (Eze. 8:12). The omniscient God is aware of everything that people do.

now their own... The heart of man is what he is. It is desperately wicked, or it is stayed upon God. In the case of those of Israel, they were desperately wicked. Their sins are the very things that cause this terrible judgment to come upon them.

And they never think in their hearts that all their evil is recorded by Me.

This evil doing witnessed against them, Hos. 7:2. Their passions did not need incitement, just as an oven retains its heat without the baker’s continued attention.

To make matters worse, they disregarded God’s moral character by failing to realize that He was taking careful notice of their sin (cf. Psm. 50:16-21). Therefore, like a wall their sins had completely surrounded (did engulf) them, making repentance improbable. (The Heb. word for their sins is trans. their deeds in Hos. 5:4.)

Gospel of Matthew Chapter 24 Vs. 30

 The Coming of the Son of Man

Matthew 24:30 “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

And then shall... And then—immediately after the tribulation (Mat. 24:29-31; 25:31-46).

the sign of... The Son of man Himself is the sign. The events described here precisely parallel the description (in Dan. 7:13; Rev. 19:11-21).

all the tribes... All in the immediate vicinity of Jerusalem, including the armies of all nations surrounding the city (Zec. 14:1-5; Rev. 1:7). Many will not see Christ until He is here reigning, and the saints take over all parts of the earth. Then people will go up to Christ (Isa. 2:2-4; 52:7; 66:19-21; Zec. 8:23). I.e., over their own rebellion. Israel in particular, will mourn over their rejection of the Messiah (Zec. 12:10-12).

Mourn (κόψονται).

Stronger: beat their breasts in anguish

see the Son... See with the natural eyes. Therefore, it is not a spiritual coming (2Thes... 1:7-10; Rev. 19:11-21; Zec. 14:1-5).

clouds of heaven... He went away in clouds, and He will return with them (Acts 1:9-11; Dan. 7:13-14; Rev. 14:14, 14:16).

with power and... Coming in power sufficient to defeat the armies of earth and Satan, all his fallen angels and demons in one day (Zec. 14:1-21; Rev. 19:11-21; 20:1-3; Jude 1:14; 2Thes. 1:7-10; Isa. 24:21-23; Joel 2:1-32).

and great glory... Mat. 25:31; 2Thes. 1:7-10; 2:8.

Jesus went to heaven on a cloud, and the angels told the disciples that were looking on, that He will come back the same way He went. Here is the fulfillment of that prophecy. He truly will come back in the clouds. Then He will not be as of one of us, but in Power and Great Glory. This is when we will see Him in all of His heavenly attire.

We will know for sure who it is with His eyes like flaming fire, white flowing hair, feet like burning brass. Then He will be King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Of course, He has always been that, but then we recognize Him as that.

Exactly what the sign of the Son of Man will be is unknown. The sign of the setting aside of the nation of Israel was the departure of the glory from the temple (Eze. 10:3, 10:18; 11:23). Perhaps the sign of the Lord’s return will again involve the Shekinah glory. Some believe the sign may involve the heavenly city, New Jerusalem, which may descend at this time and remain as a satellite city suspended over the earthly city Jerusalem throughout the Millennium (Rev. 21:2-3). Or the sign may be the lightning, or perhaps the Lord Himself. Whatever the sign, it will be visible for all to see, for the Lord will return on the clouds… with power and great glory (cf. Dan. 7:13).

Book of Hosea Chapter 7 Vs. 1

 A PEOPLE IN DECAY: MORALLY

When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers spoileth without. Hos 7:1

When I would... God longed to heal Israel (also referred to here as Ephraim and Samaria, the capital city).

Samaria, As the capital, Samaria represents the northern kingdom.

for they commit... God's desire all along, was to heal Israel. We have talked a great deal about the will of man. Even though God wanted to heal them, they had to be willing to give up the worship of false gods, as we said in an earlier lesson. In the time of Jeroboam II, they made a calf and put it in their place of worship as symbolizing God.

The second subunit

The reference to the Lord’s desire to heal (cf. Hos. 6:1) His people come near the beginning of this subunit. God longed to restore Israel to a place of blessing, but His efforts were met with new outbreaks of sin and crimes. The people’s widespread deceit and robbery epitomized their lack of regard for the covenant (cf. Exo. 20:15).

INIQUITY UNCOVERED

The last clause of the previous chapter belongs to this. God desired to turn aside the captivity of His people and to heal Israel, but His pleading was unavailing because of their inveterate sin.

Gospel of Matthew Chapter 24 Vs. 29

 The Coming of the Son of Man

Matthew 24:29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:”

Immediately after the... Having told them what the sign would be and counseled His disciples to lose no time in making their escape as soon as they should see it, He further warns them, in a few impressive words, of the terrors of those days of tribulation.

tribulation of those... The three closing verses of this portion of the prophecy refer pre-eminently to the great Day of the coming of the Son of man (Mat. 24:29-31).

the sun be... Such phenomena are a common feature of the Day of the Lord prophecy (see Isa. 13:9-10; Eze. 32:7-8; Joel 2:10, 31; 3:15; Amos 8:9). The ultimate fulfillment of these prophecies takes place during the time of the Beast’s reign (Rev. 6:12-13; 8:12).

Immediately following the distress of that period, the Lord will return. His return will be accompanied by unusual displays in the heavens (Mat. 24:29; cf. Isa. 13:10; 34:4; Joel 2:31; 3:15-16) and by the appearing of His sign in the sky (Mat. 24:30). The appearance of the sign will cause all the nations to mourn (cf. Rev. 1:7), probably because they will realize the time of their judgment has come.

Book of Hosea Chapter 6 Vs. 11

 Israel and Judah Are Unrepentant

Also, O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, when I returned the captivity of my people. Hos. 6:11

Also, O Judah... Lest Judah feel smug at her neighbor’s demise, the prophet reminds them that they have a day of reckoning awaiting them (Jer. 51:13; Joel 2:10-3-1).

he hath set... Judah, the southern kingdom, will fare no better than Ephraim, the northern kingdom; for it committed the same sins. God’s judgment will come to them some 136 years later and by a different agent, Babylon.

an harvest for... A reaping time of judgment.

when I returned... Judah had sinned like Israel, and they too, would reap what they had sown. There is a great harvest at the end of the earth when all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will be carried to heaven to live for God. Those who reject Jesus will be the tares which are gathered and burned.

The comparison of judgment to a harvest (cf. Jer. 51:33; Joel 3:13) emphasizes its certainty (appointed) and its thoroughness.

Gospel of Matthew Chapter 24 Vs. 28

 The Abomination of Desolation

Matthew 24:28 “For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.”

wheresoever the carcase... Where the dead bodies are slain at Armageddon the birds will be gathered together to eat them (Job. 39:30; Eze. 39:17-22; Luke 17:34-37; Rev. 19:17-21). The rapture will have taken place years before this. Christ is not a dead carcass nor are the saints eagles to be caught up to such a carcass. This is not in the air, but on earth (Eze. 39:17; Rev. 19:11-21).

Carcase (πτῶμα)

From πίπτω, to fall. Originally a fall, and thence a fallen body; a corpse. Compare Lat. cadaver, from cado, to fall. See Mark 6:29; Rev. 11:8. On the saying itself, compare Job 39:30.

will the eagles... The location of a carcass is visible from great distances because of the circling carrion birds overhead (Job. 39:27-30). Similarly, Christ’s return will be clearly evident to all near and far. The same point is made by the lightning in verse 27. The vulture and dead body imagery here also speaks of the judgment that will accompany His return (Rev. 19:21).

Eagles (ἀετιό)

Rev. puts vultures in margin. The griffon vulture is meant, which surpasses the eagle in size and power. Aristotle notes how this bird scents its prey from afar and congregates in the wake of an army. In the Russian war vast numbers were collected in the Crimea and remained until the end of the campaign in the neighborhood of the camp, although previously scarcely known in the country.

Wherever there is a carcass physical corruption, vultures will go there to eat it. Similarly, where there is spiritual corruption judgment will follow. The world will have become the domain of Satan’s man, the Antichrist, the lawless one (2Thes. 2:8), and many people will have been corrupted by false prophets (Mat. 24:24). But the Son of Man will come quickly in judgment (Mat. 24:27).

Book of Hosea Chapter 6 Vs. 10

 Israel and Judah Are Unrepentant

I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled. Hos. 6:10

I have seen... This phrase means Ephraim and Judah subsequently discriminated.

an horrible thing... The horrible thing refers to polluting idolatry. This peculiar word occurs again in Jeremiah. According to the punctuation of the Hebrew the reciter hesitates before pronouncing the horrible thing which grated through his teeth. Yea, crime have they done. In the house of Israel I have seen horrors: there Ephraim hath played the harlot: Israel is defiled-Judah as well.

there is the... In the house of Israel is the Whoredom of Jeroboam, who was of the tribe of Ephraim, and caused Israel to sin, to go a whoring after idols. Or the Whoredom of the tribe of Ephraim, which belonged to the house of Israel, and even of all the ten tribes. Both corporeal and spiritual Whoredom, or idolatry, are here meant.

Israel is defiled... With Whoredom of both kinds; it had spread itself all over the ten tribes. They were all infected with it, and polluted by it (see Hos. 5:3).

The horrible thing they had done was the worship of false gods. The Whoredom they had committed was spiritual adultery. As we will see in the next verse, these are all 12 tribes of Israel, which got caught up in idolatry, not just Ephraim. Ephraim is mentioned separately, because he received the right hand (spiritual), blessing from Jacob.

The nation’s sin is described in powerful figurative language. The widespread breach of covenant (Hos. 6:6-7) was a horrible thing. Jeremiah used a related term to describe rotten figs that are inedible (Jer. 29:17). Israel had become defiled by her prostitution, that is, her unfaithfulness to the Lord (cf. Hos. 5:3).