Amos 9:13 – Part 2

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Short Summary
The speaker discusses the biblical concepts of the sower of seeds and the treader of grapes, emphasizing that interpretations differ across Bible versions regarding who is overtaking whom. They highlight that the key lesson is the inevitability of processes occurring at the end of the age, where sowing seeds of truth continues alongside the treading of grapes, which represents the judgment of false religious systems. Ultimately, the message is one of hope and assurance that God will provide sufficient time for individuals to fulfill their spiritual commitments despite the tumultuous events of the world.

Long Summary
### Detailed Summary of the Discourse on the Sower of Seeds and the Treader of Grapes

Scriptural Focus: The discourse centers on the parable of the sower of seeds and the treader of grapes, drawing from the Book of Amos, specifically Amos 9:13. The speaker reflects on the implications of various Bible translations concerning who overtakes whom in the processes described.

Anomaly in Translations:
– Different Bible versions interpret the relationships between the plowman, reaper, and treader of grapes differently.
– Some versions suggest the plowman overtakes everyone, while others specify that the plowman overtakes the reaper, and the treader overtakes the sower.
– The speaker leans toward the latter interpretation, emphasizing that the overtaking may not matter as much as the overall message of divine processes at the end of the age.

Definition of “Overtake”:
– The Oxford Dictionary defines “overtake” as catching up and passing while traveling in the same direction.
– The Hebrew word for “overtake” (number 5066) implies going in the same direction and catching up, suggesting that these processes of sowing and reaping will occur concurrently.

Processes of Sowing and Reaping:
– The analogy of planting a field is used to illustrate the spiritual process of preparation, growth, and harvest.
– The speaker aligns this with Matthew 13:39, which discusses the end of the age and the harvest.

Historical Context:
– The discourse mentions the Apostle Paul’s reference in 1 Corinthians 15:52-54 about the resurrection of the dead in Christ, identifying it as a key moment in the ongoing reaping process.
– The sowing of seeds is described as a continuous process throughout the Gospel Age, lasting nearly 2,000 years, with references to Isaiah 61:1-2 and Luke 4:18, depicting the mission of spreading the Gospel.

Treader of Grapes:
– The identity of the treader of grapes is discussed, initially associating it with the Church but later clarifying that it refers to judgments upon those who oppose God.
– Isaiah 63:3 is cited, where the Lord speaks of treading the winepress alone, indicating a divine act against those who rebelled.

Symbolism of Edom:
– The Edomites, descendants of Esau, are identified as enemies of God, reflecting the idea that the treader of grapes represents false religious systems, particularly those that have aligned against God’s people.
– This symbolism extends to the Church and broader religious systems, suggesting that God will bring judgment and destruction upon them.

Contemporary Reflection:
– The discourse reflects on modern instances of corruption within organized religions, noting how truth is being revealed and systems are experiencing pressure and decline.
– The speaker believes that the treading of grapes has begun, with historical events such as Napoleon’s actions against the papacy symbolizing a turning point in this judgment.

Future Hope:
– The speaker emphasizes that after the destructive processes, God will pour out His Spirit in abundance, referencing prophecies of a new era filled with divine blessings.
– Citing Hebrews 13:5 and Revelation 7:1, the speaker reassures that God will not abandon believers and will ensure they have sufficient time to fulfill their spiritual journeys.

Conclusion:
– The discourse concludes with a call to remain faithful and to trust in God’s timing and provision, reinforcing the message that despite current troubles, believers are encouraged to press on in their spiritual commitments.
– The speaker expresses hope for the fulfillment of God’s promises and the eventual establishment of His Kingdom, filled with blessings for all who have remained faithful.

### Key Bible Verses Mentioned:
Amos 9:13: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper…”
Matthew 13:39: “The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world…”
1 Corinthians 15:52-54: Reference to the resurrection at the last trumpet.
Isaiah 61:1-2: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings…”
Revelation 19:13: “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood…”
Hebrews 13:5: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
Revelation 7:1: Reference to angels holding back the winds until the harvest is complete.

This summary encapsulates the key points of the discourse, highlighting the theological implications, scriptural references, and encouraging messages for believers in the context of spiritual sowing, reaping, and divine judgment.

Transcript

My portion of this parable or this scripture is the second, that is the sower of seeds and the treader of grapes. I appreciate everything Brother Lenny had brought to attention and laid the history and the foundation for us to study this. I did find one anomaly here as I was studying for this lesson, and I’m sure Brother Lenny saw it. But it’s nothing major, but depending on which version of the Bible you use, it gives you a different thought as to whom is doing the overtaking. Some versions will imply that the plowman is overtaking everybody, and other versions will say that the plowman overtakes the reaper while the treader of grapes overtakes the sower of seeds.

I tend to follow that line of thought on the second one, that they each are taken over independently for the first ones than the ones that are mentioned ahead of time. But what I did realize after I studied this a little more extensively, that it really doesn’t matter in my mind as much as to whom is doing the overtaking. I think the primary lesson the Heavenly Father is showing us is that something is going to be overtaken at the end of the age.

The word overtake, we’ll start there. The word overtake in the Oxford Dictionary means to catch up and to pass while traveling in the same direction, and that’s important, and that’s something we can all relate to. If we are driving down the highway and we on. On a big highway and someone is ahead of us going slow, we go around them, we catch up to them and we pass them up.

And that, that’s a simple concept. But what it doesn’t say is that once they are overtaken that they are replaced, and Brother Lenny brought this out. It does not say that by definition and it’s not implied. We do know that these processes, the reaping and the sowing of grapes, will be replaced at some point, but not necessarily according to Amos.

At first. We know that from other lessons and other studies we bring in to get a more comprehensive understanding of what God is saying. The Hebrew word for overTake is number 5066, and it’s defined very similar, but there are some slight differences, and this is, this is, this is important to our understanding of this, this lesson. Of course it means to go in the same direction and to catch up and eventually to overtake.

But primarily in the Hebrew word it implies to catch up and to lie together, and that’s exactly what Brother Lenny brought out. These processes are going to happen together for some time until the ones are put down and the other ones take over completely, and this can happen only because we realize that most everything in God’s plan that we understand is a process. It’s a process.

We know that the reaper and the sowers of seeds at some point will be replaced, but they will happen at the same time, and I do feel that that’s very important in our lesson in understanding this. Let’s take a look at that text as a whole, and as far as the direction of travel, what direction are we traveling in? Again, Brother Lenny brought it out.

I’m very confident in what he had said and in agreement that we are all. These are all traveling in the same direction. But what direction is that traveling? Well, Amos speaking on what he knew and how he knew, he made an analogy or a picture for us of planting. Planting a field.

Not necessarily farming, but planning a field. That’s something we can all relate to. Whether you plant 40 acres like some of our brother do, or if you’re planting a pot and put it on your back stoop of your deck, it’s all the same process. You prepare the soil, make sure it has its nutrients. You open up a hole, you plant the seed, you water it, you make sure it has enough sunlight, and then you let it grow.

And you let it grow until the fruit comes, becomes apparent of what it, whatever type of plant it is, and you wait for it to ripen and once, and only once, and then once it’s ripe, then you harvest or you reap. So that gives us a good idea of what direction we’re traveling. Now we realize, as brother Lynn said, that this is, this is in the end of the age. This is. So would we say initially that it’s traveling to, to the harvest?

Well, no. Reaping is part of the harvest. So it’s traveling through the harvest, and the plowman and the treader of grapes are going to continue on after. So this, the direction of travel is heading towards the end of the age, and I think that becomes apparent in Matthew, the 13th chapter, verse 39.

He talks about that, the end of the age in the harvest. So I’m very comfortable with the timing. As was said earlier, this takes place at the end of the age, traveling through the harvest to the completion of the harvest, and then the final two processes, the plowman and the treader of grapes, continues on to the end of the age. So speaking on this text as a whole, have any of these processes started?

And I think we have evidence that yes, they have. Has the reaping started? Well, I think we can pinpoint that to a very specific time, not necessarily a day, but a very specific time according to the scriptures that has happened in our history. Apostle Paul makes it very clear in First Corinthians, chapter 15, verses 52 through 54, and he says, at the sound of the last trump, the dead in Christ shall rise.

That is harvest work, and I think that is the initial harvesting that our Lord was implying in this, in this parable or this scripture. How about the sowers of seeds? Now this one’s a little bit different, we have to understand and Brother Lynn had some good thoughts on that. But because this is talking about the gospel age.

And the gospel age is nearly 2,000 years long now since Pentecost till today, this nearly 2,000 years, and there have been many brethren who have taken those seeds and have let them germinate and grow into wonderful things and have become the saints of God, and their lives are forever. So the sowing of seeds has to be a continual process throughout the gospel age. So who is sowing those seeds?

I think the best example that we have of the sowing of the seeds is given to us by the prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 61, verses 1 and 2, and we’re all familiar that says the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because he what? He anointed me to do what? To preach the good times, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. Those are seeds that he was planting.

And we know that applied to our Lord, our Master Jesus, because he quoted that in Luke chapter 4, verse 18. So we know that he took hold, he took ownership of that scripture. But does it apply to anybody else? Was the Lord the only one planting? And I think not, and I think you don’t either.

It’s a very non specific, although it gives a category, it doesn’t say specifically that this would only be to one person. So anyone who meets that criteria of having the Lord’s spirit and has been anointed by it has this commission in Isaiah to preach the good tidings, to plant those seeds, and Apostle Paul validates that for us in First Corinthians, chapter 3, verses 3 through 7. Apostle Paul makes that crystal clear when he says, I have planted, Apollos has watered, but God gives the increase. So I think it’s easy to say that this planting, and I firmly believe that it’s the seeds of truth have been planted throughout the gospel age and we’re still doing it today.

So let’s move on to the little more difficult one to understand. At least in my opinion. It’s the treader of the grapes. Who is that referring to? Well, I have to be honest with you at first instinct.

And when I have read Amos 9, 13 in the past, I pretty much have stopped with the plum and overtaking the reaper. Although I have read it and I’m familiar with it, I pretty much my thoughts ended there, and I applied that to the end of the age, and as brother Lenny had said, these are processes that have to take place. But I never put a lot of mind, thought or particular time on the treader of grapes and the sower seeds.

So my first instinct, and I have to be honest with you, was well, there are many references to the church and the saints that God has given us in his scriptures in the form of wine and. Or grape juice, and at least not if not the church. It’s his gospel. It’s his beautiful word. The ones are words of life.

There are references of, you can’t put new wine into old sacks. That’s the gospel. In fact, even if you remember our Lord’s very first miracle in Canaan, when he and his mother attended with the disciples, they attended a wedding, Jewish wedding, and his mother made note that they had run out of wine, and our Lord took advantage of that and he performed his very first miracle, and he had the servants there get six jugs, six clay, earthen, earthen pots with lids on them, and he had them fill them up to the very brim.

He put the lids on and in just a moment it turned into wine, and that was verified by one of the dignitaries at the wedding. He said, you saved the best wine for last. So my natural thought process was that this treade of grapes had something to do with the process of, of the church. Is there any other relative scriptures that you know of that relate about treading of grapes?

And there are Isaiah 63, probably the better example, and it reads verse 63, verse 3, and it’s, it starts out in Isaiah is relating. He’s quoting the Lord, he’s saying, I, I, the Lord have trodden the wine press alone, and then he continues and says of the people. Okay.

So the Lord is doing this process and it’s of the people. Okay. But then he says something that’s very distinctive and he says, there were none for me. Yeah. So that would not reference the church, that would not represent, reference the saints of God.

And he continues and he puts an exclamation point after because he says, and I Will tread them in my anger. So definitely doesn’t have reference to the church, the household of faith, and the prospective saints and members of the church. So who does it represent? Well, from this tone, we realize it’s not those who have answered the call. So you have to go back a little further in Isaiah to verses 1 and 2 of that same chapter.

And it gives us the answer, and it tells us that this process, this is all taking place in the peoples who are called the Edomites or the peoples of Edom, and we should all be familiar with who Edom is. That comes up in our studies often. Edom were the descendants of Esau, the twin brother of Jacob, and if you remember Jacob.

I’m sorry, Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of soup or a bowl of porridge, and we know that at first he was fine. He. He gave up the opportunity for the Lord’s line to come through him, or the blessings to come from him for earthly gain, satisfaction of his earthly desires. But later he regretted it and he pursued Jacob.

And Jacob was fearful for a short time. But consequently.

Consequently, they made up. They met and they made up, and they went their separate ways, and of course, Jacob established the land of Israel. They became the peoples of Jacob, and Esau went a little further southeast, in just a little bit beyond the Dead Sea of Israel, and he founded the peoples of the Edomites.

Okay, what do we know about the Edomites? Well, we know that they were the enemies of God from our studies, and they. In fact, they were. They were unlike Esau, who had forgiven Jacob and made.

Made atonement with him. Over years they developed, and it almost seems like jealousy for Israel and what their father had done, Esau had done. They not only did bad things and evil things to Israel themselves, that they coerced other nations and other countries in a treacherous way to do bad things for their. On their behalf, to do bad things against Israel. So they were not.

They were definitely enemies of God’s people in those olden days, and we know that from our past studies, and the narrative continues, though, in verses one and two, and this is where it gets interesting. It says that they dressed in garments that were dyed red. That in itself doesn’t seem to be anything of any distinction or in direct opposition to the Heavenly Father’s plan.

I mean, there are many people that wear red today. It’s not a big deal. Linen typically comes white and they dye it with the color of their choosing. But these ones are definitely dyed red. But it says they wanted to be.

It says like, like him or like the Lord. Okay, is there anything in the Scriptures that dictates what this might relate to as of the Lord wearing red garment? And there is. If you look at Revelations, chapter 19, verse 13, I want to read that for you. It’s quite eye opening and I’m sure you’re familiar with it.

Chapter 19, verse 13, and this is talking about our Lord himself, and it says and he was clothed with a vesture, dripped in blood red, and his name is called the word of God. That’s a reference to our Lord.

In his vestige, his clothing was dripped in blood. It was red, it was stained red. These people of Edom were trying to do the same thing. What does that tell you? What can we gather from that?

Assimilate from that? This group of people symbolically were trying to look like the Lord. They were imposters, and like I said, as we have learned, Edom typically represents nominal Christendom, the counterfeit church. Specifically.

Revelations 14, verse 20 also gives us some thoughts on this. That and it speaks in very similar fashion as to the wine Press verse 18 of chapter 14 of Revelations. It’s the angel is instructed to put his sickle into the earth and to gather the vine of the earth when it was ripe. Notice it doesn’t say the vine of the Lord because there are references to the church and the followers of Christ being of that vine, but not this one. It says the vine of the earth.

That’s the key to it. It’s not a reference to anything from the heavens. In fact, John 15 tells us and makes that relationship of the vine. It’s called the true vine. Not this one.

This was, this is a of that counterfeit system that grew up from the deceits of Satan and the iniquities that he had preached. So what is that telling us, brother? Well, it’s my opinion that this treader of grapes, God is not going to allow these false systems, the counterfeit church, to continue. They are going to be destroyed and they will be destroyed before the end of the age, and I take it more encompassing where it doesn’t mean just nominal Christendom, but I firmly believe it’s all organized religions, all these false religions that have propped up through time under the deceits of Satan.

God is not going to allow them to continue, not and continue into the kingdom for sure, and I think specifically this, this particular grapes is referring to the nominal systems. Babylon and all her daughters, when you do the process of treading grapes, and I had to catch myself on this, too, you think, well, you’re treading grapes, you’re making wine. But that’s not so.

When you tread grapes, it’s a destructive process that separates the juice from the hull. Making wine is an additional process. Now, wine, as has been, as we had said symbolically, has been used in the Scriptures to represent the Gospel and sometimes even the church in a few instances. But we know fermented wine or fermented grape juice has also been used in representation of Satan and how he came and sowed leaven or yeast into the Gospel, and he made it into what it is, and the deceitful lies that the world has become accustomed to.

Now, I think this, these grapes strongly represent those who are not the true followers of the Lord, but they are of the vine of the earth, and, and I’ve come to this conclusion, brethren, that this process has started also, that the treasure of grapes in this process has already begun. It’s my opinion. I think we can pinpoint it back to it even closer than we can when the reaping started.

So when did the treader of grapes start? Well, in my opinion, there was a man in history named Napoleon, and Napoleon, in the year 1799, which we know is when the man of sin was revealed, and he took capture of the Pope, he crowned himself the emperor, and eventually he disposed of that Pope. He exposed the man of sin. Now, I look at this as he didn’t kill or slaughter and end the reign of the papacy and the Pope, but he gave him a fatal blow, and that system has been bleeding out ever since.

But ask yourself, have we seen evidences in our lifetime of this same system bleeding out? Have we seen evidences of this pressure being put on these grapes and them and, and being destroyed? And I say, absolutely. I know I’ve seen it in my lifetime.

You know, some of the richest people in the world today are the pastors and the preachers of these nominal systems, some of the richest people in the world. But even more recently, in the last 20 years, maybe we are seeing evidences of this is the age of everything being made known. We have seen evidences of certain ones of these systems where their hierarchy did abusive, terrible things in the name of God or in the name or thinking that they had privileges and rights beyond what any man could possibly have, and they took young boys and young girls, girls, and they’ve abused them, and it’s now coming to light, and that’s been going on for centuries.

The age of everything being made known. Brethren, I think these are definitive as to the pressure that the Lord is putting on, and he’s not doing it in a negative way. It’s that sort of truth. These, these, these, these apparent things that are wrong are being made known and people are fighting.

And it’s the Lord’s army who’s made up of the peoples of the world that are fighting. They’re seeing these things and they’re realizing these are, these things are atrocious, they should never be. All these pressures that are coming on them are squeezing those grapes and they’re eventually going to put an end, put an end to that. The, the systems that Satan has put in mind, put in, put into practice, and this wine, press wine.

Although it’s happening simultaneously with the sowing of the seeds of truth, the sowing of the seeds of truth will come to an end at the heart at the end of the harvest when the church is gone and the winepress will continue as the plowman in preparation for the kingdom. It’ll, it’ll bring a destruction to all these systems by the pressure of the truth, and eventually we know that that scripture will be fulfilled. Babylon the Great has fallen, and that’s in the future. It hasn’t happened yet.

You know, God has a very unique way of putting out his truth in the gospel, in his written word specifically, and this was brought to attend my attention by some of the brethren who have gone along before us that God always speaks of, and he starts off with the past and I’ll say the negative, these are the hardships. But he always finishes it on a high note, and he does that here in Amos 13, because it says, after these processes are all done and the destructions, the destructive processes are finished, then what’s going to happen?

There’s going to be sweet wine, that sweet grapefruit juice, that sweet grape juice, I should say that unfermented wine that’s going to pour out of the, the heavens and down the earth and down the mountainsides into the earth and fill the people with his spirit, and that’s a prophecy that we know that even Apostle Peter said that the Lord will pour out his spirit upon all people. It’s a beautiful thing, and that’s coming in the kingdom that has not happened yet, and that’ll happen at the dawn of that glorious kingdom in the millennial reign of our Lord.

So, brother, and I have one more question that I wanted to answer, at least for myself. Why did the Lord feel it that important for us to know this particular items before the end of the age and I thought about it and it became very clear to me and it seems very reasonable that to those who are walking, running this race and walking in this narrow way now, there’s a lot going on in the world, isn’t there? The plowman is doing his job. The reaping is continuing. We’re still sowing seeds and the treader of grapes has already started the trading of grapes already started.

Remember the definition of that Hebrew word 5066. At some point they’re going to lie together. As brother Lenny brought up, these processes are happening at the same time. What I think the Lord wanted us to know at the end of this age is that regardless of the process is starting, there is sufficient time for everyone who comes and gives their heart to God who makes that vow of consecration. He is going to make sure that you have enough time to complete that sacrifice and finish your course and hopefully be found, faithful and enter into this kingdom and the joys of the kingdom.

Brother, we are in a great time of trouble. We see the evidences of the wars, the rumors of wars, the pestilence, all the. All the problems that God had foresaw and foretold that would happen at the end of this age.

But there are scriptures that support and give us God’s oath that he won’t cut that time short for anyone. Every precious grain will be picked up of that wheat and brought into the garner. Hebrews 13:5. One of those dearest scriptures that I keep close to my heart and says, God will never leave us nor forsake us. I think he’s directly talking to this issue.

He’ll never forsake us. He will never cut our time short. He will give us ample time to complete that sacrifice, that living sacrifice. He asked, and then brother, Brother Len mentioned also, it’s another testimony of God.

Revelations 7:1. God is not causing this destruction, but he has instructed his mighty angels to hold back the four winds until the harvest is complete. Yes, brethren, we are in the time of trouble, but we are not in those final battles yet. God will collect every grain of wheat before he allows those destructive forces to continue to bring Satan’s empire to ruin. So brethren, I believe that God gave us this for good purpose.

That’s to give us comfort to ease our minds in these troubling times, that whatever takes place in the world, God is going to give us enough and sufficient time to finish that, finish that walk, that race in the narrow way to make our calling, and it is such a blessing to know that this mighty Creator, the Creator of all life, Creator of everything. The God of this universe cares so much about you and me and anyone who has given their heart to him that he worries about even our feelings. That we don’t panic and worry that we will run out of time. That we will have sufficient time to make this calling and hopefully in our elections.

Sure, and may the Lord add His blessing. Amen.

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