WE come now to the last sermon on the book of Amos, and we are given a wondrous promise of restoration and blessing. The question is as to what this prophetic promise from God refers to. Different answers to this may well spring to mind, but which of these, if any, is the right one. What is certain is that we must find an interpretation which fits in with the rest of the prophecy, specially concerning the message of God through Amos of the final destruction where we are told that God says he will destroy Israel from the face of the earth (v.8). The fact is that history tells us that this prophetic judgement has been carried out, and we know that the northern kingdom of Israel and all its people do not exist today. The Jewish nation we know today have descended from the southern kingdom of Judah.

When we think in this way it would seem impossible that this final promise of restoration refers to the historical nation of Israel. The return of the Jews to Jerusalem under Ezra and Nehemiah was confined to the exiles of the southern kingdom of Judah, so this historical event can't be the restoration refered to by Amos here. Further, through the interpretation given to James in Acts 15 of the previous two verses, we can see that understanding of these verses does not have to refer to the nation of Israel, but rather the faithful remnant who always remains faithful to the faith given to Abraham and enshrined in the law of God given through Moses.

But if this is so why is the restoration referred to here spoken of as referring 'to my exiled people Israel' (v.14) and as God planting Israel in their own land (v.15). Certainly this confuses the issue, and has brought about a dispensational interpretation of a future millenial time when on this temporal and physical plant, God would restore the nation of Israel as rulers over the whole earth. However this view is fraught with monumental problems, not least that under this interpretation the rest of the people of the world still remain in sin. In answer to this it has to be noted that Paul speaks of two Israel's in Romans 9. One being the nation and people of that nation, and the other refering to the true Israel, which is the name for the true people of God who follow the faith given to Abraham, and fulfilled in Christ, which encompasses all the people through history who are the true chosen people of God, saved by the Messiah Christ, and consisting of redeemed people from both the Jews and the Gentiles.

It is not my place to unravel all these conflicting views, but simply to fix our minds on this prophecy of Amos and seek to establish exactly what is promised, and then seek to see if we can see a Biblical understanding which fits these facts.

LOOKING AT THE PROPHECY.

The prophecy begins with the words “The days are coming”. This tells us that the prophecy refers to sometime in the future, but the words are different to those used to introduce verses 11 and 12, and this would indicate that this prophecy refers to a promised restoration beyond the coming of the Messiah, and the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost.

When we look at verse 13 we are given a picture of almost infinite plenty. The picture is of the continued harvesting of the produce of one years crop right up to and beyond the yearly cycle when ploughing and planting commences again. The second description is the same of the planter beginning planting when the grapes of the previous planting are still being harvested. The verse closes with a vivid picture of abundance and plenty of abundance of wine flowing from the mountains and hills in a never ending flow.

As we look at this description of plenty, we see it spoken of in terms of ordinary events of ploughing, planting, harvesting and treading out the grapes in the preparation of wine, but the picture goes beyond normal possible events in our temporal world. From this we have to understand that the picture, though couched in temporal and well known terms, must have a meaning far beyond this temporal existence.

When we come to verse 14 the picture is of God bringing back people in exile, and restoring them to the cities they lived in before they were exiled, and of the rebuilding of the cities which had been devastated and destoryed when they were carried off into exile. The picture goes on with the restoration of the land, with the replanting of the devastated vineyards and fields, and again the land being so fruitful that there is abundance to eat. The picture is of peace, plenty and joy.

The in verse 15 the promise is that Israel will be planted in their own land never to be uprooted from the land I have given them. This is an assurance that all the blessings and plenty described in the previous two verses will be permanent and everlasting. This peace and plenty will never be taken away.

INTERPRETING THE PROPHECY.

As we look at the promise in this prophecy, there are suggestions and implications which underlie the picture. If this plenty is to be permanent, and the abundance is always to be the norm, then the norm in this temporal history in time has many things which have to be removed. There would have to be the impossibility of any future invasion to disturb this paradise. There would have to be no inner enemy which would appear to corrupt the peace and harmony. The climate of this paradise would have to be perfect so that there were no variations in weather patterns which would destory the abundance, or bring destruction on the land.

In the history of Israel there have always been factors which have militated against the peace and prosperity of the people. The most obvious one was the fact of sin and corruption in the human heart which led the people into sin and from the ways of the Lord. This was aggravated by the sinful nation all around whose influences could not be shielded from the people of Israel, and history has shown us that Israel was continually departing and going after the culture and gods of the heathen around. It was this that caused God to judge the nation of Israel and bring disaster upon them.

There has been no time in this earth's history when the curse of Adam has not been evident in the weather, and in the illnesses which have afflicted human beings. For this prophecy before us to be realised there would have to be a complete recreation of our world, where all the ravages of the curse of Adam, and sin, were removed.

That God can bring about such a change is without doubt. We know it will happen because it is the "Lord your God" who has pronounced this promised restoration of all things. The question is whether there is any teaching in the Bible which meets all these requirements, and fits in with the overall message of God in the Bible. We can say confidently that there is. The teaching is of the promise of the return of Christ at the end of the world, when the last judgement will be carried out; all the wicked and unbelieving world will be cast out, together with the devil and all his angels, and the faithful, the true Israel of God, Christ's redeemed people who have been brought to faith in Christ for the gift of eternal life, will be gathered into the blessing of a new creation of heaven and earth in which dwells righteousness.

In coming to this conclusion we have examples in the Old Testament of prophecy of such blessing which can only be understood in terms of a whole new world, where the lion and lamb are able to lie down together, and where a baby can handle apparently venomous snakes, and there will be no hurt of any kind. Then we have the description of the New Heaven and earth in the last chapters of Revelation, which describes a similar plenty and blessing for the people of God.

This has always been the promise in Christ revealed in the Scriptures. Jesus taught that there would be a final judgement when there would be a separation, described as sheep being separated from the goats, and the wheat being separated from the weeds, where the weeds would be burnt and the wheat gathered into barns.

Jesus promised his church at his Ascension that he would return. Jesus taught this in Matthew 25, which ends with the verse “Then they (the wicked) will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.