"SIMPLE SYMBOLISM"
(Hosea 10:12)

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob betrothed Himself to Israel at Mount Sinai in the giving of the law (i.e., His word) to Moses, and the people of Israel vowed themselves to Him as their God and King. Likewise, the SAME God (Hosea 13:4) i.e., the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob (aka Israel) betrothed Himself to us just as He did to His people which were referred to as "the Church in the wilderness" (Acts 7:38)

Giving us His only begotten Son, who is the word of God is like unto the giving of the law of Mt. Sinai. And God's sacrifice of Him who is the Word for the forgiveness of sin is like unto the sacrifice of "His Word made Flesh" i.e., Jesus Christ. God Himself betrothed Himself through Christ to "all His people" (as "the Israel of God") on the mount at calvary when He "gave and sacrificed" Jesus, who is Himself "the Word".

In Genesis, mankind rejected the truth of the word of God, the consequence of which was "ye shall surely die" (i.e., spent eternity apart from God). But God so loved man that He promised salvation (Yeshua) and that salvation came literally in the sacrifice of God's proclamation/word "ye shall surely die". In order to save mankind from eternal separation from His Creator, our loving Heavenly Father send His Word in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. God who is the Word, could not annul His word (He could not go back on His word) so God did something He will never again do: God "sacrificed His Word (in Christ, who is The Living Word) And God has given all mankind the choice to accept His word again, who has risen from the dead and has Himself become our Life eternal (in Him, of Him and by Him).

Accept this sacrifice of My Word (Jesus Christ) which is your salvation and ye shall surely live. Reject this sacrifice of My Word, and ye shall surely die.

As God's people, we are His "beloved" and we are in a figurative sense "married" to Him; we are betrothed unto Him in Righteousness (i.e., Jesus Christ, The Righteous). We (Christians) pledge ourselves entirely to God when we accept Him (Jesus) as our Lord and Savior: this is our betrothal to Him, our marriage "New Covenant" vow.

Following the "giving of the Law" on Mt. Sinai, not long after the people of Israel made their initial commitment to God, they thoroughly corrupted themselves by becoming rebellious to His law (word). His people began behaving like the heathen who knew not the Lord God. Israel became grossly idolatrous (self-willed and self-serving) His people (the Israel of God) became like an adulterous wife: and as a fallen woman she went a whoring with the nations round about her. In her "unfaithfulness" to her covenant vows to God, Israel not only rejected the RULE of God as her KING but mocked God as she adopted the ways and beliefs of the heathen nations. Worse yet, she even incorporated abominable heathen beliefs and practices into the worship of the Lord her God.

The Church (Christendom) today has become just as rebellious and idolatrous as Israel was then. Self-willed and self-serving in God's eyes the Church has become just as adulterous as His beloved Israel. Like Israel, Christianity too has gone a whoring with the "heathen" world around about her. The Church also has rejected the RULE of her KING (LORDSHIP of JESUS) and like Israel, she too has assimilated the ways and beliefs of the heathen nations, incorporating occult practices, eastern philosophy and other abominations into worship of the Lord God Almighty.

But God's mercy endures forever; He is ever compassionate towards His people and tries unceasingly to turn His stubborn and stiff-necked people back towards Himself.

Israel blindly spurned God's every effort to turn her back toward Himself. She hardened her heart, turned a deaf ear and literally turned her back towards God. She utterly defiled His holy temple, prostituting herself with the filth of her abominations.

By her behavior Israel not only mocked God, she also stoned and killed the prophets that God (in His mercy) had sent. In God's eyes the nation of Israel: her leaders and the people, the prophets, kings and priests had become as altogether wicked "as Sodom and Gomorrah" in His sight. And so, God left the people of Israel to themselves knowing that their own devices, the evil of their doings would be their own undoing.

Meanwhile God sent plagues, pestilence, drought and famine against them. God repeatedly allowed the enemies of Israel to triumph over His people and even sent evil kings to conquer and (harshly) rule over them; all the while hoping that severe oppression would cause His beloved to return to Him.

God knew that His people would "perish from lack of knowledge" because they had no real knowledge of Him, of His character, His nature or His ways. In reality, His people knew nothing of His Sovereignty, Omniscience or Providence. Neither had they much real spiritual understanding of His nature, -His absolute Holiness.

Therefore during their time of tribulation, in the midst of their afflictions, God Himself began to reveal His character and nature to His Beloved Israel. In spite of gross disobedience in regards to His law and their repetitious patterns of repentance followed by rebelliousness (which God described as perpetual backslidings) God consistently showed Himself long-suffering and faithful to deliver His people.

Whenever the people of God turned to Him in repentance and called upon Him, He always wrought their deliverance. God always desired and does yet desire that His people would return to Him with their whole heart to serve Him with unfeigned love and obedience.

Although through much suffering and great affliction Israel repeatedly returned to God and frequently renewed their "vows" to Him, pledging their love and obedience to Him alone as their God and King, it was with their lips only. Biblical history stands as a record of testimony, as a witness against God's people (now and then) as it is written: "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me." (Mt.15:8 see also Is.29:13) The hearts of God's own people remain far from Him to this day.

The people of God had so hardened themselves that they became blind and deaf to His calls for repentance. Yet God so yearned for their return to Him that He went to great lengths to get their attention. (Sometimes an illustration may be successful in conveying a message where all else has failed) and so God attempted to "illustrate" for His people just how spiritually adulterous, how unfaithful they had been to Him. He spoke to them through parables, through circumstances in their lives. And through it all His desire what to show His people how very much He still loved them and His intense longing to restore them unto Himself.

In order to try to show these things to His people, God often employed the use of graphic (yet simple) symbolism. In order to present a vivid picture that would illustrate God's "relationship" to His chosen people, demonstrate His enduring mercy and long-suffering towards them, convey His great love for them AND at the same time make an unmistakably clear statement whereby He might reveal to them their deteriorated spiritual condition (their harlotry) God often used symbolism and that symbolism was often written in the lives of His servants...

By way of symbolic illustration of "the word of the Lord to His people" God told Hosea the prophet to go and marry Gomer, who was (presumed) to be a temple prostitute. Hosea's marriage to Gomer was a graphic illustration, an unmistakably clear symbolic statement to the people of God (then and now) that was meant to convey His love and also to confront His people with the harsh reality of their infidelity in their relationship with God.

God certainly did not cause Gomer to sin to fulfill His purpose or plans but God does use or turn evil to good. However, Gomer was chosen by God to be the wife of Hosea the prophet and because of the livestyle she had chosen for herself, she is used to describe or illustrate a "wife of harlotry." The marriage of Gomer and Hosea prophetically represented the unfaithfulness of God's people (even the names of their children were symbolic and prophetic).

God purposefully chose a "temple prostitute" to represent His beloved Israel. Widespread indulgence of the lusts of the flesh included the occult practice of incorporating prostitution into worship (temple prostitution) was common practice among the heathen. The symbolism of Gomer's occupation as a temple prostitute was meant to graphically illustrate the "prostitution" of God's own people with the world: the blatant hypocrisy of their worship, the defilement and pollution of God's sanctuary, and the perversity of His people.

God had called His people to be a "holy nation" set apart unto Himself, a people wholly separated from the world. Israel had thoroughly prostituted herself with the world, adopting the ways and occult practices of the pagans and thereby invalidated her worship of God and had utterly profaned His sanctuary.

Infidelity towards God through "prostitution" with the world, perversity and hypocrisy of worship and pollution of His sanctuary were all pointedly illustrated by the marriage of a prophet of God to a temple prostitute.

Once Gomer was married to Hosea she was expected to forsake the behavior associated with her former lifestyle. (Hosea2:3) Not long after they were married Hosea realized that she had not changed her ways. Gomer had resumed the wanton pursuit of the lusts of her flesh; she became an adulterous wife, a shameless whore. Because of her behavior Hosea finally separated himself from her. Yet he continued to love her and persistently sought to win her fidelity.

Just as Israel was portrayed (by Gomer) as a "wife of whoredoms" who had prostituted herself in her (marriage) covenant relationship with God so has the Church today become a "wife of whoredoms." Just as Israel hardened her heart and turned a deaf ear to God's repeated calls to repentance and spurned all His efforts to win her fidelity, so has the Church (Christianity today) hardened her heart towards God.

Just as Israel foolishly scorned God and even stoned the prophets He sent, so does Christendom today. In these last days, in a final effort by God to capture the attention of His people (the Church) in order to expose their harlotry, win (regain) their fidelity and ultimately retore them unto Himself, God has once again (because of the hardness of our hearts) had to resort to the use of graphic but simple symbolism.

God's people today are just as blind and deaf as the people of Israel ever were and His people today are just as self-willed, self-serving (idolatrous) and rebellious as Israel was then. Spiritual infidelity is just as rampant among God's people today (and is well defined in scripture): God called it harlotry then and He still calls it harlotry now. The apostasy of Christianity today is clearly demonstrated in the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ as the harlot church; (as Israel was then) Christendom today is the harlot bride.

Hosea was sent by God to marry Gomer. Jesus was sent by the Father and is betrothed/wed to the Church ?much of which He knew would eventually turn apostate. Hosea was a prophet of God "commissioned" to love Gomer (an adulterous whore) even though she willfully continued her promiscuous behavior. Jesus who is THE PROPHET (Jn.6:14) wed to a harlot bride who like Gomer is playing the part of a temple prostitute (combining profane with holy.) Out of love Hosea sought to "redeem" Gomer; Jesus (Lover of our souls) is Our Faithful Redeemer.

Once again (as history repeats itself) God's faithfulness, mercy and love has been spurned by a spiritually promiscuous people; Christendom has played twice the harlot that Israel ever was. In wantonness through lewd affairs the Church has flaunted her (spiritual) harlotry in the face of God.

As His elect (chosen) of God, the Church believes no harm shall come to her but she is deceived. God is not mocked.(Gal.6:7,8) Paul the Apostle said:"...he which is joined to a harlot becomes one body (with her)..." (1Cor.6:16) Since the Church has prostituted herself with the world and has adopted its' whorish ways, she will be judged accordingly.

Those who have EYES TO SEE AND EARS TO HEAR are now hearing the call of the Spirit of God to: "Come out of her my people..." The Churches, the houses of God which are "called by His name" have become houses of harlotry, "cities" of whoredom. Jerusalem's prophets had become as Sodom (false Jer.23:14) so too the "prophets" in the Church(es) today are false: speaking lies and visions of their own minds, saying the Lord hath said when He hath NOT said; telling lies and speaking divination, saying God's people will prosper in wickedness, making His people vain, teaching them witchcraft.

The inhabitants of "the great city of God" have become altogether as the inhabitants of Gomorrah. Since the Church is behaving like a harlot, like a corrupt, wicked city, God will render to her according to her ways: "Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favored harlot, (the harlot Church) the mistress of witchcraft, that selleth the nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcraft.

Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face (to shame her) and I will show the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame. And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock (as a horrible example.)" Nahum spoke those words as a prophecy against the city of Nineveh; God intended to use the destruction of Nineveh as an example to His people and to the world of what happens to those who behave wickedly.

As God had done in Abraham's day to Sodom and Gomorrah, as an example to all, Nineveh too would be reduced to ashes.

In Ezekiel (chapter 33) the Lord tells His watchman that the "righteous man" will not escape the judgment of God if he turns and acts wickedly and that the "wicked man" will escape, IF he will turn from his wicked ways. God is the same, and He changes not. Jesus Christ (is God) and He is the same, yesterday, today and forever. (Heb.13:8) Because the Church has mocked God (and stoned His prophets) because her prophets are deceived and (once again) His people have thoroughly corrupted themselves, HE will expose the Church's sin and will cast filth upon her. How great her fall will be because she has so highly exalted herself; she will be made a proverb, set before the whole world as an example of what God does with those who are foolish enough to mock Him.

In the very process of exposing her sin, God is going to use every available opportunity to demonstrate (once again to His people) through the use of graphic but simple symbolism, how unfaithful His people (the Church) have become in His eyes. As God Himself exposes her nakedness, each sin and abomination which He uncovers will be exposed before the eyes of the whole world to shame and humiliate the harlot Church, so that she might recognize and repent of her (spiritual) harlotry. He will not relent: "I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offense (admit their guilt), and seek my face: in affliction they will seek me early (earnestly)." (Hosea 5:15) [portions in parenthesis are from KJV Open Bible]