Dr. McGee’s teachings implore believers to shift focus from sign-seeking towards faith and patience as they anticipate Christ’s return. Addressing the fall of the northern kingdom and its implications, he dissects Amos chapter 9 to unveil visions of both judgment and hopeful restoration. This episode encourages a journey through prophecy towards spiritual readiness, fostering hope in the mighty resurrection of Christ and His impending return that is devoid of warning signs, yet laden with promise.
00:00:17 Introduction and Caution Against Date Setting
The prophet Amos announced that the end of Israel’s northern kingdom had come. But will it really be the end, or does God have a plan for them in the future? Welcome to Through the Bible. I’m Steve Schwetz, welcoming you aboard the Bible bus as we set off for another fascinating study in God’s Word with our teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee. Now, this is our final study in the book of Amos, but before we dive into Scripture, Dr. McGee recorded a few words of caution about setting dates for Jesus’ return. So, let’s listen.
SPEAKER 01 :
Now, I want to call your attention to this matter of setting of dates. Several of the Gospels, and we’re told in the Gospel of Matthew, when they came to him, you remember, and they began to talk to him about the fact that they wanted a sign. Well, he answered them in verse 38. of the 12th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. It says, “…when certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we’d see a sign from thee. And he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Now, hold on to that for just a moment because that’s very important. And over in the Gospel of Matthew, when this is recorded there, Dr. Luke says in the 11th chapter at verse 29, it says, “…and when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say…” This is an evil generation. They seek a sign, and there shall no sign be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of Man be to his generation. Now, you must remember that the Lord Jesus said Jonah not only had a message for the Ninevites, but that he was a sign. He was a billboard. And what was that billboard? He was a man that had been in a fish for three days, and I personally believe he was dead inside that fish. God raised him from the dead. Now, the Lord Jesus said, “…the sign of this generation.” And I wish we emphasized the resurrection more in the church than we do today. We mentioned the cross. All of us fundamentalists are good at that. But we need to also remember the resurrection. Christianity rests upon two great pillars. One is the death of Christ. The other is the resurrection. Paul says that’s the gospel. Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. That’s important. And today the great sign is there’s a man back from the dead. Just one of them. That’s the Lord Jesus Christ. He’s in a glorified body today. Christ, the first fruits. And afterward, those that are Christ is coming. And one of these days, he’s going to come and call his church out of this earth. We’re going to meet him out here in space. This idea that he’s coming out just a mile or two in atmosphere is a mistake. May I say to you that word means we’ll be caught up to meet him in the upper area. We call that space today. And we’re to be caught up and meet him there. May I say to you that the Lord himself. is coming for his church. And there are no signs for that. We are listening. We’re listening. Oh, that we might have the listening ear today and not have these itching ears that are around trying to find out about this sign and that sign.
SPEAKER 03 :
Let’s pray for our listening family as together we open God’s word. Our gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for the wonderful hope that Jesus Christ is going to call us out of this world. As Dr. McGee said, help us to have listening hearts, hearts that wait patiently and readily for his return. In Jesus’ name, amen. Here’s our study of Amos chapter 9 on Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.
SPEAKER 01 :
Now, friends, this will be our last study today in the little book of Amos. We’ve been here a long time, but it’s been, I trust, a very profitable study. To me, it’s been one of the most thrilling books. Now, I want to pick up something that we left dangling back in chapter 8, because we consider it very important. You have here in chapter 8 the dissolution… and the downfall permanently of the northern kingdom. They’re going into captivity and they’ll never return back to the land as the nation of Israel, that is, of the northern kingdom of Israel. They will come back, but they’ll come back with the 12 tribes. And actually, many of them return with the 12 tribes. We talk about the lost 10 tribes. They’re not lost. They’ve been scattered throughout the world, by the way, as we’re going to see as we move into this next chapter. And you remember he made this statement in verse 13 of chapter 8. “‘In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.'” They that swear by the sin of Samaria and say, Thy God, O Dan, liveth, and the man of Beersheba liveth. Well, Amos has already made it clear. Back in chapter 5, verse 2, the virgin of Israel is fallen. She shall no more arise. She’s forsaken upon her land. There’s none to raise her up. So the northern kingdom never returned back to the north as Israel. When they came back, they came back as one nation. And that’s the reason that people have got the, I think, rather foolish notions that you’ve got 10 lost tribes. They’ve just been scattered throughout the world. And many of them returned back after the 70 years’ captivity. And this swearing that took place, they’d gone into idolatry, and they said, “‘Thy God, O Dan, liveth, and Beersheba liveth.'” Idols. Well, you remember Paul said that an idol is nothing. That’s what he called an idol, nothing. It’s just nothing in the world, but just a statue of something, that it’s nothing as far as worshiping God is concerned. Because they went into idolatry now, they are going into captivity and not to return. Now, when we get down to chapter 9 here, we have given to us in the first 10 verses… we have a vision of worldwide dispersion. Then in the last part, that is from verses 9 through 11, why we have a vision of worldwide regathering and restoration of the kingdom of the Lord. We will see both of these now today. Now, last time we got through verse 1, and it was a continued pronouncement of judgment upon the temples that were built there. And there was a temple of Baal also up there at Samaria. temple of the golden calf and down in Bethel. Now, the people in the time of the siege, when Assyria came down, they would seek refuge in these temples. God would bring down judgment upon them in such an extent that these temples would be destroyed so suddenly, apparently by the enemy, he’d used the enemy for this, that when the temples fell, we’re told the pillars from beneath and above, they crumbled. And the people were not able to get out. And many of them were slain at that time. And they were not able to escape. And those that did get out alive were carried into captivity. Now, we have here a very significant and a very strong statement made. You find it made several times in the prophets. I’m going to read it. Verse 2 now, chapter 9. Though they dig into our translation says hell, but it should be Sheol. That’s the place of the dead or the grave. It can be either. There shall mine hand take them. Though they climb up to heaven, from there will I bring them down. Now, this is a very frightful statement. Fact of the matter is, there is the terror of the wicked. And there are two things that cause the terror of the wicked that give any thought to this whatsoever. Most of them today have tried to blot it out of their minds. They’ve been brainwashed in this liberal society in which we live today. But the two things, that bring terror to the heart of the wicked are the omnipresence of God and the immutability of God. Now, here we have the omnipresence of God. That is, God is present everywhere. You couldn’t even go into death and get away from him. And the immutability of God is that God never changes. Never changes. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Now, these two great truths are a great comfort to God’s children, but their terror to the wicked. Now, this is what I mean. The omnipresence of God to the child of God. The Lord Jesus said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Wonderful is it not, him that cometh to me. He says he’ll never, no wise, will he reject you. He receives you and he receives you for eternity. No one can take us out of his hand. And if you’re in his hand, you’re very close to him, you see. And he uses the other figure of the vine and the branches. Well, I tell you, you can’t get any closer to a vine than the branch. The branch is right close to the vine. So that the omnipresence of God is a comfort for the child of God, but for the wicked, the omnipresence of God is a terror. A great many people today commit suicide. They want to get rid of it all. They want to rub out life. One very prominent man here in Southern California committed suicide, and his note was, I want to end it all and get rid of this life. Well, he got rid of his problems here, and he got rid of a great many things here that were really annoying him. He was in deep trouble. But he didn’t get rid of God. You see, death didn’t separate him from God. God is there. And the psalmist, you remember David said, though I make my bed in hell, why, God’s there. And that is in death. And though I go into heaven, I can’t get away from it. You can’t run away from God. Francis Thompson years ago wrote a poem. Actually, he didn’t intend to be irreverent, and it’s not irreverent. It’s called The Hound of Heaven. He’s right on your track. I don’t care who you are. He’s right on your track, and you can’t get rid of him at all. And then, of course, the immutability of God. If God said back yonder in the Old Testament, he’s going to judge sin. He didn’t read anything in the Los Angeles Times today, and he could read a whole lot of liberalism there. And he didn’t learn anything by listening to the Senate or the president or the college professors and presidents or the scientists. God didn’t learn anything from them. He hasn’t changed his mind. God never changed. He’s Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and forever. And that’s wonderful for the child of God, as we said some time ago when we saw that passage in Hebrews, how wonderful it was that the same one who walked the Sea of Galilee and was so gracious, so wonderful. He’s still the same today. And that’s a comfort for the child of God. Now, let’s move on here because we’ve got a great deal to cover. And he says, though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel. Now, Mephibah’s on Carmel today. And along the side of that mountain, and the city’s built along the side. I’ve been along there quite a few times. And there are caves there. And apparently, they would try to hide themselves there. He says, I will search and take them out from there. And though they be hidden from my sight in the bottom of the sea, there will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them. You may be able to get in a submarine, go to the bottom of the ocean. God’s there, friend. You can’t get away from him. Verse 4, “…and though they go into captivity before the enemies, there will I command the sword, it shall slay them, and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil and not for good.” So the wicked today do well to fear God and to fear the future. And a man that commits suicide thinking he’s getting rid of his troubles, he’s just moving into trouble. It’s like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. That almost literally. Verse 5, “…and the Lord God of hosts is he who toucheth the land, and it shall melt, and all that dwell in it shall mourn. It shall rise up holy like a river, shall be drowned as by the river of Egypt.” And I don’t think you can go through that land without being conscious of the fact that the land that was the land of milk and honey is today, even with all of the irrigation, all that’s being done, today it’s not a land of milk and honey. It’s far from it. A judgment has come upon it. I talked to a very fine Jewish couple. I met them in the elevator. They could tell I was a Gentile, I guess. And we began to talk. And they had come out to buy an apartment that they might spend. In fact, they thought they might retire that permanently, but at least part of the year. And he said very candidly, though we bought the apartment, we want to help our people in this land. We never expect to use it. Because he says, I don’t think that this is the land that the Bible says that it is. And it’s not. But, of course, he just didn’t read about the judgments of Amos on that land. Now, will you notice, verse 6, “…it is he who buildeth his chambers in the heavens, and hath found his troop in the earth. He who calleth for the waters of the sea, poureth them out upon the face of the earth. The Lord is his name.” Now, who’s going to do this? Well, I’ll tell you who’s going to do all of this. It’s the Creator, the omnipotent God now that we’re talking about. He’s not only the omnipresent God, but He is the omnipotent God. And not only that, but when you move down through here, you get the impression that what He’s trying to say that everything that’s in nature obeys God. The only thing in the creation of God that does not obey him is little man down here. Imagine a little man. There is the sun out yonder in the sky. There’s the moon. There are all of these tremendous galaxies and all of the quasars. Every one of them is obeying God. Great big thing. Obeying him. He’s made certain laws. They really follow it. But little man. No, little man. He’s in rebellion against God. Now, here is one of the strangest statements in the Bible. And it’s quite wonderful. Verse 7. Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? God wanted to let them know how much he loved them. And he said, I love you like I love the Ethiopians. I ran a series of messages years ago when Mussolini moved in to Ethiopia. You remember, he took over the country for a while. And at that time, I said it couldn’t be permanent. And I made a study of the prophecies that concerned Ethiopia. It’s quite interesting, and I can’t go into that, but… It’s amazing the place that Ethiopia has in the program of God for the future. A nation that, I guess, most of us think very unimportant. But God says they’re very important to Him, by the way. Now He says, “…have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Kaphtor, and the Syrians from Kerr? Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom.” That’s Israel. And I will destroy it from off the face of the earth. That is, as a nation. Except, listen to this, that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord. Now, God says, the nation is through, but not the people. God says, I will not destroy them. Verse 9. For lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations. Now you want to know where the lost tribe is? Get your telephone book. Look up the names. Cohen, Goldberg. I have received a letter here from a Jewish Christian friend of mine back in Chicago named Goldberg. And he’s a wonderful Christian. May I say you want to know where the ten tribes are today? They’re scattered throughout the world, and they’re not lost as far as God is concerned. Will you notice? I will scatter them, sift the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a seed. Yet shall not the least kernel fall upon the earth. God says, I won’t lose the one of them. All the sinners of my people shall die by the sower. Now, how about the sinner? Well, they’re going to die. He will judge the individuals that won’t turn to him. You have the same analogy in the church today. Not all church members are saved. I hope you agree to that. If you’ve been pastor as long as I have, you’d know that not all church members are saved, but they’re church members. Paul says, not all Israel is Israel. Not all the individuals are. Now, all the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who say the evil shall not overtake nor meet us. Now we come to the wonderful part of this book, that is, the optimistic part. Listen to this now. In that day. Now we are moving past the time of judgment, the great tribulation. Listen to this. In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that’s fallen, And if you want to follow through on this, go listen to James in the 15th chapter of the book of Acts. He quotes this, and he says that God today is calling out a people from among the Gentiles to his name. But he says, then afterward he will raise up the tabernacle of David, and then all the Gentiles will seek the Lord. In other words, he’s speaking of the kingdom, the greatest day that’s yet in the future. He says, that is fallen, and I’ll close up the breaches of it, and I will raise up the ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old, that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the nations which are called by my name, saith the Lord, who doeth this.” And there’ll be many nations that are going to enter the millennium. Verse 13, “…Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed.” Now, I’ve said before, and here’s the proof of it, that when the people are being blessed, the land is blessed. And when the land is being blessed, the people are being blessed. That land and that people belong together, and you couldn’t untie them. God makes it very clear that when He puts them back in the land, that that land will again be the land of milk and honey. And it just doesn’t happen to be that right now. So I take it the present return. They’ve returned to the land, but they have not returned to God. Now, he says, “…and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt, and I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build away cities.” Now, God’s going to restore them to the land, but not as a separate nation from the nation of Judah. They are together, and I think they’re mixed all over the world today. This idea that Great Britain and the United States are the ten lost tribes, you’d contradict the word of God. God says, I’ve sifted them among all nations. Now, has he or hasn’t he? Now, if it’s just England and the United States, the ten tribes, then believe me, they’re not sifted all over the world. We’re very much stay-at-home folk. And we’ve got a few million people in this land of ours. So is Great Britain. They’re not the ten lost tribes. The ten lost tribes have been sifted, but they’re going to be returned. I’ll bring again the captivity of my people of Israel. They shall build away cities, then habit them. They shall plant vineyards and drink their wine. They shall also make gardens and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land, which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God. Now, these are the things that God says that he’s going to do for his people. He’s going to restore the Davidic dynasty. And who do you think will be the king? Why, son of David, by the name of Jesus. Born down in Bethlehem of the house and lineage of David. And he’s to rule. And you will see Israel take her place among the nations of the world. No longer going to the United Nations with her hat in her hand. And no longer shutting out Arabs either, by the way. But a nation that’s going to be blessed of God and occupy a place among the nations of the world. There will be a conversion of the nations of the world, friends. The greatest time of salvation has already taken place before the church got here. Look at the city of Nineveh. When Jonah went there, we’ll be there shortly. And the greatest day, though, for the history of this world is yet in the future, after the church leaves. Now you have also the land is to be blessed when God puts them back there. And the curse of judgment is upon them today. And they’re going to rebuild their cities. And they’re going to be there permanently. That’s the belief right now of several expositors of the word that are outstanding, that the nation Israel may be put out of that land again before the end time. That’s something for you to turn over in your thinking, by the way, today. And this brings us to the end of the book of Amos. I reluctantly leave it, but next time we’ll be in 2 Peter. Until then, may God richly bless you, my beloved.
SPEAKER 03 :
Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Next up is a study of 2 Peter, also known as the book Dr. McGee affectionately calls Peter’s Swan Song. So don’t miss it. And if you haven’t yet downloaded Dr. McGee’s free notes and outlines for 2 Peter, you can grab them in our app or find them on our website, ttb.org. You’ll find the entire set included in our book, Briefing the Bible, as well. It contains all of Dr. McGee’s notes and outlines for our five-year study from Genesis to Revelation. You’ll reap the rewards of having this terrific resource alongside you for the entire journey. And you know, best of all, it’s free. So download it now at ttb.org. Or if you’d prefer to receive an abridged print version of Briefing the Bible by Mail, well, we got you covered there too. Just give us a call at 1-800-65-BIBLE. And when you do call us, be sure to sign up for our mailing list to receive our monthly newsletter that contains extra teaching from Dr. McGee as well as tips to help us apply what we’re learning in our studies and great news about what God is doing through his word around the world. Well, that’s all for now. I’m Steve Schwetz. For all of us here at Through the Bible, we’re grateful for your company on the Bible bus and for your partnership in taking the whole word to the whole world.
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All to him I owe.
SPEAKER 02 :
Sin had left the prince unsaved. He washed it white as snow.
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Our story on the Bible Bus today is just one step in a five-year journey through the entire Word of God. Come along for the ride, and you’ll study both the Old Testament and New Testament, discovering God’s great redemption story. Is this your story too?
