Dear Bernard,

Your question(s): "The question I have, is found in the book of Amos 8:11 have that famine of the word of God came to pass yet? If so when?"

My answer(s): Thank you for your question. First, let me point out that this prophecy in Amos 8 do not refer to the world as a whole, God chose only one group of people from this planet, the Hebrews, as His very own special people (Deut. 7:6-8, 9:5, 10:15, 14:2-3, 29:10-13,29; 2 Sam. 7:23-24, 1 Kings 8:53 and Psalm 105:8-11). Also, do not think I am implying this world, as a whole, the Gentiles and other nations have God’s word, because they do not. The world, as a whole has to this day a famine "of hearing the words of the LORD". For it is written, the evil one is the god of this world (See John 14:30, John 16:11, Eph. 2:2, James 4:4, 1 John 2:15, 4:1-6, 5:19, Col. 2:8 and Rev. 12:9). God did not give His words (law of God) to the world; God gave His words to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Gal. 3:16-18). With this in mind, let me say, when we go to the books of the prophets such as Amos, we must read these books in their historical context as well as their spiritual context. In the case of Amos, this book was prophesied during the reign of Uzziah, king of Judah and Jeroboam, king of Israel whom I will refer to as Jeroboam II. [This was Jeroboam, son of Joash in 2 Kings 14 not to be confused with the first king of Israel after the split of the tribes in 1 Kings 12, also named Jeroboam whom I will refer to as Jeroboam I]. Historically, the first king of Israel, Jeroboam I became king of Israel after God split Israel into two nations one called Judah and one called Israel because of the sins of Solomon and God’s promise to David His servant (2 Samuel 7, 1Kings 11:9-13,26-40 and 1 Kings 12).

Now, Jeroboam I in 1 Kings 12, devised a holiday to worship God with two golden calves, saying these "golden calves" brought the children of Israel "up out of Egypt". This caused the whole nation of Israel to sin against God, rejecting the law of God and His holy festivals and replaced them with Jeroboam I devised holidays, which caused the people to forget God’s word (the beginning of this famine of the word of God among these ten tribes). Go to http://www.kushedifyingministries.org/Easterweb.htm for more details on this sin of establishing a holiday to worship God. This also was the beginning of the so-called "lost ten tribes of Israel", which made up the nation called Israel that split from the tribes of Benjamin, Levi and Judah. The tribe of Judah was prophesied to keep the scepter of the law by Jacob in Genesis 49:10, the word of God under the old covenant; this split was its initial fulfillment and Christ is it final fulfillment. I say this because today, many refer to the Jews, as if they consist of all the tribes of Israel, which came out of Egypt, but they do not. So you may ask, why I mention this, because after this split when there are prophecies about Israel we must examine the text to see if they apply only to these ten tribes or to the house of David (which includes Levi and Benjamin), called Judah or to both.

Therefore, we must determine which nation Amos is prophesying about. In Amos 4:6, it says "house of Joseph" a clue that this book refers mostly to the ten tribes only, and not to the nation called Judah. For Joseph had two sons Ephraim and Manasseh his firstborn, Jacob adopted these two sons and he gave them his spiritual name, Israel (Gen. 32:28, 41:50-52; and Gen. 48:5-20). Now, Amos prophesied and admonished Israel, as well as Judah for their sins in his time and in the future, for God had told Amos these people would not repent of their sins. In Amos 4, God sent a famine of the land, and overthrew some of the cities of the ten tribes called Israel. Yet, they did not repent. In Amos 5, God is calling the nation Israel (the ten tribes) to repentance; yet these people hated instructions and those who spoke uprightly to them, in this case Amos (sound familiar). God tell these ten tribes that He hates there feast days and sacred assemblies (man-made holidays and church meetings), these are holidays God were speaking of which the descendants of this nation Israel devised for themselves. Remember, these ten tribes stopped following God’s word from their beginning as a nation, these ten tribes have been in "rebellion against the house of David to this day", choosing not to remember God’s word, a famine of the word of God among these ten tribes (1 Kings 12 and Amos 5:21).

The Holy Spirit also speaks of the "day of the Lord" in Amos 5, which refers to the Second Coming of Christ (more on this later); but I say this that you may know time is a constant for God. And His prophecies are given as a constant without regard to time, meaning they are spoken of all in one verse or one chapter or book, and may come to pass within a short period of time, or in the far off future. With this in mind, in Amos 5:27, God says He will send the ten tribes of Israel into "captivity beyond Damascus". And in chapter 6 of Amos, God speaks of the nation of Judah not caring about the captivity of the ten tribes; therefore because of this lack of concern and other sins of Judah, He will send them into captivity also (Amos 6:6-7). Yet, Israel is sent into captivity over 500 years prior to Judah’s punishment. Again, in Amos 7, the Holy Spirit makes it plain that God is speaking to the ten tribes of Israel; see the phrases "against the house of Jeroboam" and "Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel" (Amos 7:9-10). Amaziah was not a Levite, he was appointed a priest according to the words of the king of Israel in 1 Kings 12:31. Then in Amos 7, the ten tribes called Israel are said to "be led away captive" from their own land (Amos 7:17). However, as in the churches of Babylon today there is a "remnant of Joseph", speaking of the few among the ten tribes whom the Lord is gracious to because they do not follow the majority of these ten tribes, the historical nation formerly called Israel (Amos 5:13-15).

When we reach Amos 8, God pronounced the final judgment of the ten tribes of Israel, which received their just punishment for their pride of life and their sins against the poor, and the oppressed (Amos 8:2-7). Then in Amos 8:11-12, God speaks of "a famine on the land", not of bread or water; but "of hearing the words of the LORD". After this the nation called Israel in history, the ten tribes were vanished from the Promise Land; they lost all knowledge of the words of God and who they were, even to this day. Therefore, these ten tribes have a famine of the words of God, even to this day (the famine of the words of God spoken of in Amos 8). They have been hungry for the words of God today, yet God has not revealed Himself to them as a whole. [Today, God has begun to reveal Himself to those among these ten tribes who have turned from their sins, and accepted His grace]. And there are some of among these ten tribes who have found God’s words because they are the "remnant of Joseph" (Amos 5:15). However, the rest of these ten tribes of Israel and other nations are caught up in the mystery religion of this evil and adulterous world called Babylon the Great, the Mother of all harlots (Rev. 17). And those who want more out of this present life, among these so-called "lost ten tribes", "run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord" in the different denominations of these human organizations called by the name churches of this world today (Amos 8:12). But, they will not find His true word, unless they turn and the veil is removed. Again I say, remember, this famine of the words of God applies only to the ten tribes called Israel. For the Gentiles where these ten tribes are sifted among were never given the words of God as a whole as Israel did, the other nations on this planet have always had a famine of God’s word. For God chose the Hebrews as His own people, and today under the Church era God has given His Spirit to all who answer His called (John 6:44), grafting in other nations and the Gentiles as Abraham’s descendants through Christ Jesus (Romans 11 and Gal. 3:29).

Now, in Amos 9, it is prophesied that God will return to these ten tribes, called Israel in the period called the "Day of the Lord", remembering what I spoke before concerning time being a constant with God. The prophecies about the "day of the Lord" will not occur until "maybe" beyond our current lifetime. For God have sifted "the house of Israel among all nations", the Gentiles and other nations. God tells us in Amos 9:8, He "will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob"; they’re called Jacob here because as I said before the ten tribes took Jacob’s spiritual name Israel. Finally, we see God restoring the ten tribes of Israel to their land, and "those Gentiles who are called" by His name having accepted the calling which goes out to the many (Matt. 20:16). God will plant these ten tribes back in their land, and they will no longer be pulled up from the land He has given. For it is said in Amos 9:15, "no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them," Says the LORD’". Amen and Praise God.

May God be with you and your household;

Ron Davis, a minister of Christ