The Third Day
Book of Hosea (The first of 12 Minor Prophets; written in the 8th Century: 787–722 BC)
From Hosea’s perspective in the 8th Century, he warned the 10 northern tribes (including Ephraim) about their exile into Assyria, from which no return was promised. And however, long it might take before Jesus’ appearance on earth in AD 27–30 and the subsequent denial of Him as God’s Son (by Judah’s Jews), God’s response to both past and future sins committed by unfaithful Ephraim, and Judah had already been prophesied by the prophet Hosea. Hosea recorded that both nations’ paths forward would be paved with such suffering and hardship that this would eventually lead to their repentance; but seemingly it would only occur for Judah after a (second) particularly grave and severe time of affliction ( e.g., AD 70‒1948 at the hands of Rome during The Diaspora). Such a disaster should cause them to seek God earnestly as a result of their fateful words and actions… (Note: Ephraim was the 2nd son of Joseph and his Egyptian wife Asenath, Ephraim would become a multitude of nations, and be blessed above his older brother Manasseh, Genesis 48:8–20)
For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah, I, even I, will tear them and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue. I will return again to My place till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek my face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me. (Hosea 5:14–15)
These two tribes represented the whole house of Israel/Jacob.…but, even so, God’s words always offered opportunity and optimism for the Jews/Judah to seek Him at any time—during their dispersion throughout the world—up until the present day. But amazingly, God had also already provided suitable scriptures for them to meditate on when they were overwhelmed by affliction! Cf. Psalm 102: ‘A Prayer of the afflicted’ (…written for the generation to come, that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD. Ps. 102:18). This Psalm (written thousands of years ago by an anonymous author who suffered an unknown affliction) is recited by Sephardic Jews on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) that is observed annually on 10th of Tishrei, e.g., on September 24–25, 2023; October 11, in 2024; October 1‒2, 2025; and on September 20‒21, 2026.
Some Christian scholars also believe the contents of this Psalm tell of the sufferings experienced by Jews during the Holocaust, WWII and afterward, until that generation of Jews were restored to their ancient land (for the second time in 1948), as the re-created and re-born Nation of Israel. (Cf. Isaiah 66:8) So, the words in this Psalm poignantly describe the surviving Jews’ trauma during that time and their prayerful cry for compassion from God, resulting in God’s response and rescue of them, and their reinstatement as a nation. But unfortunately, the writer of this Psalm provides no hint of repentance while suffering such afflictions, which repentance (according to Hosea) is the necessary requirement to bring God out of His place! The Jews need to articulate a more genuine prayer of confession and repentance (even while they are in the midst of a latter day period of dire affliction) to achieve that! According to Hosea, both Ephraim and Judah-Jews will need to say… sincerely…
Come, and let us return to the LORD; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight. Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth. (Hosea 6:1–3; cf. Joel 2:21‒24 below)
Hosea describes this historic period of suffering as two days (compared) with 2,000 years.[i] Therefore, because of Hosea’s words in 5:14–15 (above), these two days—when the Jews were torn and stricken—could be applied prophetically to the experience of the Jews’ in Judaea under the heel of the Roman Empire (4th Beast, cf. Dan. 7:7‒26), via its divided Western and Eastern Roman Empires, and Rome’s descendant modern nations (both in Europe and Asia), from 63 BC—AD 1948 (equalling 2,010 years), when the Jews were expelled from Judaea during the Diaspora. In addition, Hosea’s two days’ time period for God to go away… to return to His place—because of the historical offenses committed by un-repentant Ephraim and Judah during Old Testament times—can also be applied to Jesus’ departing words to the hypocrite Jewish leaders when He departed from the Temple in AD 30 in New Testament times!
See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ (Matt. 23:39)
Thus, Hosea’s original two days’ time period for God to go away… to return to His place… (enacted during the Jews’ time of dire afflictions: annihilation, starvation, slavery, exile, captivity and spiritual desolations that they suffered under Rome in all its manifestations from 63 BC—AD 1948), has also been running concurrently with the withdrawal or ascension of Jesus Christ, God’s Son into heaven in AD 30, (i.e., approx. 1,995 years ago), which is only 5 years short of Hosea’s two days/2,000 years; thus almost fulfilling the time period allowed, for Jesus also to go away from the Jewish people who rejected Him as their Messiah! N.B. There are multiple verses in the Gospels that tell us He would be raised on the third day (perhaps with double meaning). But, according to history, the Jew’s actions and civil war that incited Rome’s invasion, resulted in the burning of the Jerusalem Temple, the destruction of their Capital, and the exile of the Jews into the nations of the world until 1948.
However, since the Jews’ restoration as the Nation of Israel in 1948, yet another 77 years have passed by! [ii] The particular generation that saw Israel’s latter-day birth will soon be eighty years of age, and God is still waiting to hear His Jewish people utter those words of confession and repentance from Psalm 118:25‒26; ’Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord.’
Meanwhile, Hosea’s prophetic third day—set aside for the Jews’ reconnection with God through the redemption offered by Jesus Christ—is rapidly approaching! Consequently, time is fast running out for Israel’s solemn repentance! When that time comes, via their declared belief in Jesus their Redeemer, the metaphorical fig tree of Israel will produce the spiritual fruit of righteousness desired by God. At that time, Joel’s prophecy will be fulfilled:
Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done marvellous things! Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; for the open pastures are springing up, and the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their strength. Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God; for He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you—the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. (Joel 2:21‒24) [iii]
In the interim, the whole world waits for the promised ‘former (autumn) rain’ and the ‘latter (spring) rain’ (Holy Spirit) to fall simultaneously in the first month (Nisan/spring), to bring in the summer season of redemption for all believers via the kingdom of God! Consequently, it is quite possible that the—as yet unfulfilled—affliction mentioned in Hosea 5:15, which causes the Jews to decide to: return to the LORD… pursue knowledge of the LORD… and earnestly seek God’s face… is the very same unidentified event referred to in those emphasised words i.e., ‘But in those days after that tribulation’ (Mark 13:24). These initial words—connected to that tribulation period—which precede everything else that Jesus subsequently listed as signs of His return, could refer to Hosea’s ‘unnamed’ event that causes Israel to repent, which then ushers in the celestial signs beginning the countdown to Christ’s return. Those days may be about to occur as a result of Israel’s tit-for-tat attacks on Iran’s ‘Axis of Resistance’ members like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Huthies who have been considerably weakened since the Hamas and Islamic Jihad attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. At some point in time, retribution will be enacted for the combined Israeli-US attack on Iran’s infrastructure and nuclear sites during the 12 day war on June 13–24, 2025.
[i] The interpretation of a thousand years on earth being equivalent to one day in God’s realm, is based on two scriptures: But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:8–9)
For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night. (Psalm 90:4)
Interesting old commentaries on this subject: Hosea 6:2 Commentaries: "He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, That we may live before Him. (biblehub.com)
Although Hosea prophesied to the Northern kingdom of Israel/Ephraim around 750 BC prior to the Assyrian captivity, his words remained applicable to the Southern kingdom of Judah prior to the Babylonian captivity and exile, and their subsequent return to Judaea after 70 years. Hosea’s message was also pertinent to the 1st Century Jewish people who refused their Messiah and His New Covenant, thus refusing a relationship with God. Hosea’s two days are reflective of the unbelieving plight of the Jewish nation as they await their redemption on the third day.
[ii] A generation is regarded as lasting for 70‒80 year’s duration. The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. (Psalm 90:10)
[iii] The wheat harvest occurs in Israel between May 15th and June 14th in the 6th month, on the 6th Sivan, marked by the Festival of Shavuot (Pentecost).