Chapter 3
2022 - Amos 3:2, You only -- no other worldwide wrath, only God's great correction of his own people.
This chapter is the word of God against Israel. First, He makes it clear that what is coming is coming from Him. He has been offended and is about to act. There is this very interesting verse:
7 "For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. [Amo 3:7 ESV]. Surely this was something in effect during that time, when prophets were always around. I cannot see it in our day. There were no prophets who foretold what Isis would do, or who foretold the six day war or any of that. But still, an interesting verse. On second reading, I think God is reminding them that he warned them repeatedly that wrath would eventually come, via the messages of the prophets. He does not punish without warning. He gives chances, time and again, for people to repent of their evil. This is reinforced with many "cliches" about how things work. It concludes in 6b where it says: Does disaster come to a city unless the Lord has done it? In our day, the warnings are in the written word of the Bible, as clarified to the spirit within His children. We can read and understand because he reveals the depth of His teachings to us.
Here is another powerful statement in light of the riots and violence going on right now:
10 "They do not know how to do right," declares the LORD, "those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds." [Amo 3:10 ESV]
Either God changes them from the inside, or they continue in their violence. They don't know any better!
The specifics of the judgement are in vs 11. This will be an invasion, not fire from heaven, not that earthquake. God is sending invaders.
11 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "An adversary shall surround the land and bring down your defenses from you, and your strongholds shall be plundered." [Amo 3:11 ESV]
This verse:
12 Thus says the LORD: "As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part of a bed. [Amo 3:12 ESV]
MSB thinks it means a small remnant will be left after the Assyrian invasion. I think it means that what is left will be useless for any purpose. It means Israel will be reduced to beggars, carrion eaters, scavengers of what the stronger and more able have killed and eaten and grown tired of, and discarded.
Vss 13-15 announce God's intention to destroy the false altar in Bethel, set up by Jeroboam I so long ago. That has to go. Further, these verses say the destruction of Israel will be complete. Not recoverable for them.
2024 - So the calves were in Bethel and Gilgal? We will see this verse tomorrow: 4 "Come to Bethel, and transgress; to Gilgal, and multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days; [Amo 4:4 ESV]. Pretty much fits doesn't it? Previously, there was this: 28 So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, "You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt." 29 And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. [1Ki 12:28-29 ESV]. Is Gilgal in Dan? Not initially. Dan was west of Jerusalem and had some seacoast. But remember that they relocate later to the north. But...so far north that they do not include Gilgal in their territory. So...was one of calves later moved to Gilgal or I am just mistaken about that? Looked in quite a few places. Calves in Bethel and Dan are the only one's mentioned. Hosea says Gilgal is where Joshua and the people mistakenly trusted the travelers from a long way off, which resulted in the sparing of Canaanites who should have been killed. It was in Gilgal that God "first began to hate Israel" because of this sin, NOT because of the calves.
2026 - These first three chapters are prophecies against specific places. They all seem to be coming in the near future of Amos' time. I don't see a lot of near/far here, at least none that connects with Daniel or Revelation. I would say that everything Amos prophesies in these first three chapters is now in the past. That's how it reads to me, that is not research based information.