“I said, 'Plow new ground for yourselves, plant righteousness, and reap the blessings that your devotion to Me will produce. It is time for you to turn to Me, your LORD, and I will come and pour out blessings upon you.'” (Hosea 10:12)
In this chapter, Hosea the prophet reveals Israel’s sin. He is known as the prophet of doom because of all his declarations of Israel’s doom. But there is also hope in his prophecy. It’s the Lord’s pleading for their repentance. They have been unfaithful in turning to idols and erecting temples to idols.
What we see is that the Lord is longsuffering and patient with the sinner. He is especially patient with us because of the sacrifice of Jesus. We are living in what is called the dispensation of grace. Grace, God’s mercy and blessing to the undeserved is poured out during this dispensation because of Jesus. Jesus died for the sins of all the world. “For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not die but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Paul spoke about this dispensation. “If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:” (Ephesians 3:2 KJV) The Lord has appointed during this time messengers of His mercy and love toward man. He is giving all of mankind a time to repent and turn to Him.
This dispensation was the mystery Paul spoke about. The mystery is the church and the Gospel preached to the Gentiles (non-Jews). It was unheard of that the message of God’s kingdom would be shared with Gentiles. The oracles of God were given to Israel exclusively. But God’s plan was always to include all of mankind. We see this in the promises given to Abraham. “The Scripture predicted that God would put the Gentiles right with Himself through faith. And so the scripture announced the Good News to Abraham: "Through you God will bless all people." (Galatians 3:8) And throughout the Old Testament we see God’s mercy on Gentiles which shows that He wanted all to come to Him. To name a few, there was Jethro, the Midianite father of Moses; Rahab, the Canaanite prostitute who helped the spies in Jericho as told in the book of Joshua; Jael, the Kenite women who killed the Canaanite commander Sisera in the book of Judges; Naaman, a Aramean commander who washed in the Jordan River seven times to be cleansed per the instructions of the prophet Elisha; Obed-Edom, the Gittite whose tent housed the Ark of the Covenant for three months following the death of Uzzah; Ruth the Moabite who wouldn’t leave her mother-in-law Noemi; the Gentile sailors who threw Jonah overboard into the sea after he had disobeyed God's command to go to Nineveh also feared God; the people of Nineveh when Jonah finally went and preached there and the Queen of Sheba, who was amazed by King Solomon. There was also provision in the Law if a Gentile wanted to become a Jew.
This dispensation of God’s grace to all mankind will come to an end. What follows is the Tribulation and after that the Millennial Kingdom of Christ. This dispensation will last 1,000 years. That’s 10 centuries; a very long time. It’s mentioned in God’s promise to David that his kingdom would last for eternity. It can only last for eternity if it’s divine. Jesus is a descendant of David. God the Son, Jesus, will reign forever. And He will reign on the earth for 1,000 years. Isaiah tells about it in chapter 35. Then explains how it will be when Jesus reigns. “The LORD says, "I am making a new earth and new heavens. The events of the past will be completely forgotten. Be glad and rejoice forever in what I create. The new Jerusalem I make will be full of joy, and her people will be happy. I myself will be filled with joy because of Jerusalem and her people. There will be no weeping there, no calling for help. Babies will no longer die in infancy, and all people will live out their life span. Those who live to be a hundred will be considered young. To die before that would be a sign that I had punished them. (21-22) People will build houses and get to live in them—they will not be used by someone else. They will plant vineyards and enjoy the wine—it will not be drunk by others. Like trees, my people will live long lives. They will fully enjoy the things that they have worked for. The work they do will be successful, and their children will not meet with disaster. I will bless them and their descendants for all time to come. Even before they finish praying to me, I will answer their prayers. Wolves and lambs will eat together; lions will eat straw, as cattle do, and snakes will no longer be dangerous. On Zion, my sacred hill, there will be nothing harmful or evil." (Isaiah 65:17-25) It is a time when all of God’s promises to Israel and to creation will be fulfilled.
That time on earth will be much different from this time. After the Millennial Kingdom of Christ is the Great White Throne Judgment of the unbelievers. The believers will be judged by Jesus at the Judgement Seat of Christ. “For all of us must appear before Christ, to be judged by Him. We will each receive what we deserve, according to everything we have done, good or bad, in our bodily life.” (2Corintians 5:10) Our works will be judged whether good or bad. Only God knows our hearts, our motivations and purposes.
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