#muskogee tribe

[tvstvnvkke]

Tribal Names

I don’t think many people, even some native people, are aware that the legal names of many tribes are actually not from the tribe.

Often the names came about because colonizers would ask one tribe "hey, what do you call those people over there?". then they would assign the name given to that tribe. so often the names were descriptions from unrelated tribes, or in more extreme cases, insults.

The Muscogee tribe got pretty lucky since the legal name was "creek" and it came from a different tribe going "oh, those are the people near the creek". which, is accurate enough, most creek settlements were placed along creeks. a famous one that is related to the Muscogee is the name "Cherokee". "Cherokee" is a Muscogee word meaning something along the lines of "people who don’t speak our language". Even this is pretty light compared to some names. some official tribal names translate to phrases like "dog eaters" or "lazy people".

This is why it’s not uncommon for tribes to start using older names. Muscogee comes from the term for our people "Mvskoke", and the tribe has made efforts to distance itself from the name "Creek". Although it is likely still the name you’ll hear most often.

#muscogee #mvskoke #native blogs #native american #indigenous blog #indigenous #native girls #indigenous history #muskogee #cherokee #oklahoma #native americans #tribal names #tribes #north american history #creek tribe

[arthurdrakoni]

Flag of the Cherokee Confederacy

This is the flag of the Cherokee Confederacy. It comes from a world where the Spanish Armada successfully conquered England in 1588. While England did eventually regain its independence, the Spanish conquest severely stunted England’s growth as a world power, and lead to greater political instability. As a result, England never became a demographic juggernaut during the colonization of North America. The lands that would have become the Thirteen Colonies are a patchwork of nations and colonies founded by numerous European nations. There are also several independent indigenous nations, such as the Cherokee Confederacy. 

The Cherokee Confederacy also includes the Muskogee, Chickasaw, and Choctaw tribes. The Cherokee, as reflected by the name, were the founding tribe of the confederacy. The Cherokee Confederacy was one of the first indigenous nations of North America to implement westernization and industrialization programs. Today, most Cherokee dress in European-style clothing, but do wear traditional clothing on special occasions. Like most southern nations in eastern North America, the Cherokee historically practiced slavery. Slavery was formally abolished in 1885 as part of the modernization efforts. Racial divides and tensions still remain, but the Cherokee government has, in recent years, implement programs to help blacks integrate into Cherokee society. 

The Cherokee legislature, known as the Tribal Council, is organized into a semi-parliamentary democracy, with a prime minister as the Head of Government, and a president as Head of State. The Cherokee Tribal Council is closer in style to the French National Assmbly, rather than to the English Parliament. The Cherokee Confederacy is centered around what would be western North Carolina, Tennessee, and the northern bits of Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. The indigenous republics of North America, being sovereign nations, did not suffer an equivalent of the Indian Removal Act. 

Historically, the Cherokee Confederacy has been rivals with the Haudenosaunee Federation. However, in recent times the two nations have been putting their rivalries behind them. In terms of good relations, the Cherokee Confederacy has historically been an ally of New Neatherlands, which in located in Virginia. The various nations of North America have formed a European Union-style economic union, and there are hopes that this will eventually leads to a federation. There is a general spirit of good will and optimism. That said, North America still has a ways to go before its nation states become united. 

The flag contains seven gold stars in the shape of the Big Dipper, or Ursa Major, on an orange field with a green border. Ursa Major is an important constellation to several tribes within the Cherokee Confederacy. It also symbolizes how the same night sky shine over the entire Cherokee Confederacy. Blue would seem a natural color choice, but the Cherokee picked orange instead. There is some debate about why this is. Popular belief says that it symbolizes the Cherokee Confederacy’s ties to New Netherlands. However, the Cherokee actually picked orange to contrast with the blue flags several other North American nations use. The green border is to offset the orange.

Link to the original flag on my blog: https://drakoniandgriffalco.blogspot.com/2022/05/flag-of-cherokee-confederacy.html?m=1

#alternate history #alternate history flag #alternate history flags #flag #flags #vexillology #Cherokee #Cherokee Confederacy #Creek #muskogee #chickasaw #Five Civilized Tribes #Choctaw #indigenous people #Native Americans #Native American #indigenous #north america #United States #America #USA #United States of America #alt history

[auntphibian]

Nex Benedict

A 16 year old Owasso student who died after being beaten in the head by three other students. They were nonbinary and a citizen of the Choctaw nation. They lived in the Cherokee reservation of Oklahoma. They had complained of bullying about their identity prior to being assaulted. Police are claiming their death was unrelated to the assault they experienced just a day prior.

Nex enjoyed nature, minecraft, drawing, and reading. They had a cat named Zeus.

I grew up near this region. I have identified as nonbinary since freshman year of high school. I'm a citizen of the Muskogee tribe. I was bullied in high school. My sister is much the same as me in most of this. I hate to think either of us could have been this poor child. They didn't deserve this. I can say from first-hand experience that the handling of bullying in Oklahoma schools is pretty much non-existent. This situation makes me so incredibly sad. This did not need to happen.

I hope Nex rests peacefully. Hopefully, something good can come from this tragedy. Hopefully, we will see change.

#art #nex benedict #oklahoma #owasso #tulsa #two spirit #lgbtq #lgbt #nex #benedict #crime #im just so sad about this

[redpanther23]

FAQ

How do you write your comics?

They're satire. Dare to say no!

What are your political views?

The only state I care about is the altered state of consciousness. For any more specific questions, I refer to dear Uncle Lou Reed: "Give me an issue, I'll give you a tissue, you can wipe my ass with it."

What's with your crazy accent?

My great-great grandmother was Muskogee, and I come from an unbroken line of single mothers, so I have her accent.

What software do you use?

I only use hardware to create my art, unless you ascribe to the theory that all reality as we know it is a computer simulation.

What are your pronouns?

Whatever is funniest.

How do I refer to you in other languages?

By my name...if your language doesn't have a specific word for Puma concolour, then the biggest native cat is close enough.

What religion do you practice?

I never practice, I just have natural talent.

What is Discordianism?

A philosophy (or way of liberation) from the late 60's based on Zen Buddhism and absurdist humor. It's like an irreligion for crust punks who eat acid. You can read our most sacred text here, and you should, because we'll be taking over the world soon. You can also buy a physical copy from Last Word Press. (If religion is the opiate of the masses, then you can just cook me up another hit, babe.)

What is your band name/where can I hear it?

My punk cover band is called Rong, and it's a multigenerational chaos magic and performance art project, passed down to me by my father. In the words of my uncle, guitarist Scott Panther, our lead singer "takes strange drugs and leads our village into the spirit world." You can hear our recordings on Youtube. As a Discordian magical practice, anyone is free to be Rong, and if you're interested, you can read my very brief grimoire here. My all-original band is called the Red Scare, but we have no recordings yet!

What's your advice to aspiring artists?

Sell your soul to the devil.

Where did you study?

I got let out of high school early for good behavior, and after much hard work, I was accepted into Weed University (located in Ithaca, New York) where I earned my BS in Bong Engineering. I studied under Subgenius/Discordian Pope, His Assholiness Professor Bluey Cleveland.

What makes you a doctor?

I inherited the title from my dad, but I asked him, and he said he ain't never tried PhD.

What's your REAL name?

My real name is Red Moon Rising, which was given to me by my grandfather Silent Thunder of the Meskwaki tribe after my walkabout.

What's your diagnosis?

Schizoaffective Cannabis Dependency.

What's your sign?

"Out of Order"

Are you single?

I'm married.

Witness mine paw:

From Mega Stoned: The Work Completed 418; MAGUS 6'=9' L.'. S.'. D.'. whose words are slurred; who is called Knight in the City of the Hub; Saint on the Hill of Ghosts: Doctor in the mystic order of the City of Lost Souls L.'. S.'. D.'. and in the World of cats upon the Earth, Red Panther of Jones County, Mississippi.

[oceanherbalist]

Found a page this morning that reminded me of what my page used to be like. Back when I was excited to connect with both my black and indigenous heritage. I am Muskogee on both my parents' side. On my father's side, my great great grandmother ophelia, who I was shown a picture of in her traditional clothing (before this, my family would say we were native but I didn't believe them lol). And on my mother's side, my grandfather, her father, was Muskogee. We later found his father on the dawes roll. His name was Doc. His mother was also native, but we don't know which tribe. Her name was Mozorra.

For a long time, I let go of trying to connect with this side of my family because I was afraid of all the racism I was seeing between natives and black folk. This morning, though, seeing this page reminded me that it's still my heritage whether someone wants to acknowledge it or not. Whether they accept me or not, I still want justice for indigenous people. I still feel sadness when we find those babies buried or when they steal our children. I feel outrage when they destroy the land and disrespect indigenous customs. I'm angry that they attempted to take away both of my heritages and pitted us against each other, all while making us go through exactly the same things.

Thank you @southernmermaidsgrotto for reminding me that I can connect. I'm am going to allow myself to reconnect with both of my ancestors.

#random thoughts #herbalism #indigenous

[yesiwillyes]

i see things about mfa programs all the time that are like everyone in mfa programs are rich af and that’s why they’re That Way and all new writing is so bad and it’s like. idk my gut reaction is like that’s so untrue like i think about the people in my program who are like a firefighter with 3 kids or a member of the muskogee tribe or who just like grew up poor af in queens the daughter of a jamaican immigrant. but then i also think about how i as someone who just went to a regular state school and worked since i was 15 just like decidedly middle class will sometimes feel so alienated by all the people here who literally went to harvard. like there’s literally a dozen harvard and uchicago and columbia and brown people floating around too. so idk can’t even imagine how weird and isolated other people feel but we don’t really talk about it like we all hang out. so then it’s like maybe we’re being corrupted by the harvard influence after all. idk i feel like this program is different because it pays so well. like this is the most money i’ve ever made. so like idk it feels backwards but i think the more the program pays the more open it is to poor people because it’s actually something you can live off of like it’s a good gig compared to the places that pay like $20000 or less wherein those people are likely relying at least in part on family money to get through on that alone. idk i genuinely think if you’re poor/working class/middle class and you want to be a writer you should do an mfa. like literally it’s praxis to make a university pay you to do absolutely nothing. like outside of how you might feel about trying to make a career from your writing just take the money and run

[adubbayu]

#family #ancestors #accountability #payitforward #self healing

[dear-indies]

Hello there! Can I ask for some Tenoch Huerta alts? He fits a new character I'm developing but with everything I've read about him I don't feel comfortable using him anymore. Thank you!

Benjamin Bratt (1963) Peruvian [Quechua] / German, English, Sudeten German.

Rudy Youngblood (1982) Yaqui and Comanche.

Joel Huiqui (1983) Yoreme.

Alex Meraz (1985) Purépecha - the only Purépecha faceclaim I could find around his age!

Diogo Sales (1985) Brazilian [Black and Unspecified Indigenous].

Marlon Teixeira (1991) Brazilian [Portuguese, Unspecified Indigenous, one quarter Japanese].

Not Latine:

Adam Beach (1972) Saulteaux and Icelandic.

Chaske Spencer (1975) Nez Perce, Lakota Sioux, Muskogee, Cherokee, French, Dutch.

Martin Sensmeier (1985) Koyukon, Eyak, Tlingit, Irish, German.

Kalani Queypo (1986) Blackfoot, Kānaka Maoli, Swedish.

Aboriginal:

Aaron Pedersen (1970) Arrernte and Arabana.

Rob Collins (1979) Tiwi.

Uli Latukefu (1984) Tongan.

Lasarus Ratuere (1985) Fijian, Torres Strait Islander, and Unspecified Aboriginal Australian.

Mark Coles Smith (1987) Nyikina.

Please note that Indigenous nations/tribes should not be cast interchangeably but I don't know anyone else who is Nahua and Purépecha! These are the best suggestions I could come up with at the time of posting (and after hours of research and asking my friends!) but I'll be sure to update this if anybody is more fitting.

#fc help #rph #rpc #Tenoch Huerta alts

[hewasmadeofthegalaxy]

Okay so...do you have any resources for reconnecting natives then?

I try to post resources as I find them and ascertain whether it's respectful for me to do so. In general, tribal websites are a great place for reconnecting natives to start and offer a wealth of information.

Cherokee/Tsalagi

OsiyoTV on YouTube

Cherokee Nation website and YouTube Channel

Chickasaw/Chikasha

AYA walking app, free on Google Play. Walking app lets you unlock words of the Chickasaw language, as well as giving you a fictional "walking partner" that teaches you about history as you walk.

Chickasaw Nation website

Choctaw/Chahta

The Choctaw Biskinik and Iti Fabvssa

The Choctaw Nation website

Muskogee Creek/Mvskoke

Mvskoke Language, an app that teaches you words and phrases in Mvskoke. Full credit to @thebountyluca for telling me about this one.

The Mvskoke Nation website

...this is what I can think of off the top of my head for the tribes I am affiliated with. Again, sorry for no links, but I am exhausted.

With any other tribes, once again, please look into their official websites and see what resources they mention. If you are able to visit physical locations, find out if the tribe you are attempting to reconnect to has a Cultural Center that you can visit. (Personally I can't recommend the Chickasaw Cultural Heritage Center in Sulphur, OK enough—it's absolutely incredible).

And of course, the best resources are elders in your community, but if you are disenfranchised, it's understandable that you are not going to know who they are.

#ndn #ask #anon

[s-g-i-h]

Wiské

12x24

Acrylic on canvas

Title of the work is Wiské, its for an art competition for Citizen Potawatomi Nation graduates, and my focus for this work is characters and themes from Potawatomi winter time stories. The number three is also a big theme because of Potawatomi being the youngest of the Three Fires, the others being the Ojibwe and the Odawa. I know its a bit taboo in some circles to talk about winter time stories while its not winter, but I've been told this is because the spirits will show up and I think that they'll be good guides for graduates who may be uncertain about the future!

The top of the painting has three lights in the sky and a bald eagle. Bald eagles are important because, as I learnt from our avairy, they carry messages from the Creator. Ive also been taught that unexplained lights in the sky are also messages from the Creator. These represent the Creator watching over the graduates as they enter their new life. The main figure in red is Wiské and I wanted her to reflect the graduates entry into a new life. Wiské is holding a red letter because graduation is a red letter day for many people. She is exiting a door while walking on watermelons, referencing other tribes' name for the Potawatomi being "the water melon people" due to our ancestors growing lots of watermelons. I chose this because my brother in law is Muskogee and that's what they call us. It also is a cool juxtaposition with Potawatomi meaning "people of the place of fire". The 7 seeds in the watermelon represent the 7 Grandfather Teachings. Wiské is stepping into a ring that I wanted to be a mix of a pow wow arena, a blueberry pie and finger weavings. These are to represent tradition, home, and crafts. To the right of Wiské is trailing arbetus, very important to some Potawatomi. To the left is a spider and a web of telephone wires, these make a spider web pattern. Spiders I've heard have important places in Potawatomi people's dreams, hopefully the spider will protect the graduate's dreams. Below the web is three paisek or Little People. I chose these because Native stories about the Little People are some my favorite stories. Flanking the circle is three spirit dogs. These represent Jibayaabooz, Wiské's dead brother watching over and protecting Wiské as she starts her journey. They also symbolize the graduates own ancestors watching over them. Also the dogs and the circle together make an outline of a turtle, like how in some stories our world is carried on the back of a turtle. At the bottom is a Zagma, an under water panther. I wanted this to represent things that will distract and beffudle the graduate on their journey, serving as a warning to the graduates. 

#potawatomi #native #nativeamerican #nativeamericanart #nativeart #potawatomiart #nanabozho #wiské #woodlandstyle #abstract #baldeagle #underwaterpanther #medicinewheel

[tvstvnvkke]

Estonkon cukhayvtikv!

The Mvskoke language doesn't have a word for good morning, but there is the phrase "did you make it through the night?". I really like that greeting. So hensci! Hello! And welcome to my blog. I will post information about the Muscogee tribe, information about North American tribes, the Mvskoke language, and some art I make! If you have questions, feel free to ask. I am far from an expert, but I can always ask elders who know more than me!

Some basic information about me. I was born and raised in Muskogee, a city within the Muscogee reservation. I now live near Oklahoma City. My grandfather is from the Bear clan, and his tribal town is Eufaula. Since Muscogee tracks clan through the mother, I'm technically not a member of the bear clan. I am mixed, white passing, but I don't intend on going into my blood quantity. However, I want to be transparent that it's not high for a number of reasons. I am a card-carrying citizen of the Muscogee nation and enjoy learning what I can.

Some information about the blog:

I plan on posting a lot about the Mvskoke language since I am learning it. It is NOT a closed language. Actually, the tribe highly encourages anyone interested in learning to learn since not many speak it anymore. So please learn with me!

I can not speak for all native tribes or even my own tribe. I just have an interest in my tribe's history. I try to follow as much official information released by the Muscogee government or elders I learn from. If you feel I have made a mistake please let me know, I'm still young and will do that from time to time.

Some practices may be closed practices, and I will try to specify which ones are and which are not. I will also try to site my sources, but sometimes that gets a little weird when learning old practices.

The blogs title is Tvstvnvkke which is Mvskoke for "warrior". This is also a title for one of the governmental branches within the tribe.

I hope you enjoy learning with me and I hope to learn from other tribal members that may be on this website!

Hvtvm cehecares! I'll see you later!

#muscogee #mvskoke #muskogee #native american #native girls #native women #native artist #native art #north american tribes #tribal art #native blogs #tribal blogs #idk what other tags to add

[petervintonjr]

Lesson #105

(Yes, I was away for a while. Longer than I had anticipated. Dealing with some stuff. Thanks for being so indulgent, everyone. Means everything.)

Think of the most stereotypical 'Wild West Badass' trope you can come up with. As over-the-top and as improbable as you like. A fusion of The Lone Ranger, every character Eastwood ever played, and the entire cast of the movie "Tombstone" thrown in for good measure. Now tack on an imposing 6'2" stature, deadly marksmanship, and a razor-sharp memory and you pretty much have Bass Reeves, the most famous Western Lawman you've never heard of.

Born enslaved in 1838 Arkansas, Reeves broke away from his owner, George Reeves, who had joined the Confederate Army. Details are apocryphal, but one version of the story describes Bass as beating his erstwhile owner to within an inch of his life during a card game and then fleeing into the Indian territories in 1863. He lived amongst many tribes, including the Creek and Seminole nations, and learned many native languages, which is why he was eventually selected to join the ranks of the U.S. Marshals --one of the first Black person to do so after ratification of the 13th Amendment. A lifelong illiterate, Reeves had an almost supernatural talent for memorizing the details of arrest warrants and other court documents verbatim.

Over the years he became one of the most feared lawmen in the West --as the first Black Deputy U.S. Marshal assigned to regions west of the Mississippi, Reeves reportedly arrested 3,000 outlaws (and killed 14) over the course of a 32-year career. He even confronted the unthinkable --arresting his own son for killing his wife, and ensuring he was tried, convicted and jailed. His son served 11 years in prison and was reportedly a model citizen ever afterwards. Reeves even arrested (again, somewhat apocryphally) his own church minister for selling illegal alcohol. When Oklahoma became a state in 1907, Reeves settled into the less exciting career of a Muskogee city police officer. He retired 2 years later at the age of 71, and died less than a year later in January of 1910.

Ever played "Red Dead Redemption 2?" Reeves is the template for the character of Sheriff Sam Freeman. Yeah, the guy who assigns you two bounty hunting missions and then decides to take the rest for himself. Seriously, Reeves would appear to have done pretty much everything except growl, "This Is The Way" at passers-by.

By a totally staggering coincidence, a documentary DVD is just days away from being released on Amazon: "In Search of Bass Reeves" directed by Dana Celeste Robinson.

Lesson #105

#bass reeves #us marshals service #wild west #black lives matter #teachtruth #dothework

[shadeslayer]

chokma !!!!!!!!! oh my gosh i hope this isnt weird to send but im losing my mind finding another fat 2spirit native, especially another chickasaw 🥺

CHOKMAAAAA!!!! gd theres like a double take moment cuz i swear ive sent like this exact message to people before 😭 😭 literally dmed a guy on LinkedIn once bc thats the only place i could find to contact him and he was a fat older chickasaw 2spirit and im like i love you...... i see 2spirit people around kinda rarely but when i do theyre usually canadian or from one of the northern coastal tribes, it feels. i have seen some SW and SE 2s, but even SE theyre usually muskogee or cherokee. its hard when chickasaw is like... 1) soooo christianized as a nation 2) relative to the other big SE tribes, pretty small.

fr fr tho its sooo like. ive started being more involved with tribal stuff irl with varying success. but it is so healing in general just to hang out in a casual native space thats not like, activism or a certain age group or smth - like my uni group is okay but going to the powwows im like ohhhhhhh i get it now 🥺 cuz its just like. a lot of features that growing up i was like oh thats bc im white/thats just me, i see a LOT of those features reflected back to me in middle aged and older chickasaw men. my chin, my nose, my eyes, my lack of facial hair, and my fatness. theres just so many native dudes who are just fat and chilling when u actly go to stuff irl instead of look at the hot ndn men who get lots of followers for looking like a stoic chief or AIM rebel lol

im sooo hungry & aching for chickasaw 2s info but theres just so little and what there is is so like, be in the right place talking to the right person. but ive scraped together a tiny bit. and i have a project that im considering (once i graduate next year) making my thesis project for NAS, which is a survey of chickasaw historical literature analysed for 2spirit possibilities (a la Asegi Stories by Driskill, which does that for cherokee)

but fr feel free to hmu 🥺 🥺 🥺 my dms r open... my discords on my carrd...

#anompolili #and dont be fooled by my tagging etc i know so little chickasaw jskdfnkjsdf........

[jeanhm]

Tulsa and Route 66

Today we travelled from Dallas to Tulsa to meet up with our friend Bob and his wife, though today it was just Bob as Sally already had commitments. Our route north from Dallas took us through a lot of the Native Indian lands where there are still huge tracts of land owned and occupied by the 5 native tribes in the region, who both run the local casinos and farm and run ranches. We travelled mainly through the Choctaw and Muskogee nations lands heading north and across Lake Eufaula and eventually reached Tulsa about 1230.

We met up with Bob after lunch and he took us to various places along the former route 66 although the route itself is no longer fully driveable given a lot of the route has been replaced by the interstate. We went to Catoosa to the Blue Whale and to various art deco locations in and around Tulsa itself.

We also visited the new Urban Park called the Gathering Place to the south of Tulsa which is an amazing facility where we even got to play on the children's play area (designed for under 12's!) WE saw a number of the amazing art deco sights in the city centre and eventually ended up at the Summit Club where we had drinks whilst the sun went down over the Arkansas River and then to dinner which was lovely.

We got back to the hotel about 8pm where Andy fell asleep imme

#tulsa oklahoma #Blue whale

[honoringthor]

Animal allies 🐸 toad

🐸Aka. Sapaktalgi/Sopakvlke(Muskogee), Tak'ya-kwe(zuni), Oma'K'aki (Timahami), Bramble frog, Phryhli, le crapaud, sapo, ropucha, tudse, pad, kröte,

🐸They're probably Eastern American toads (Anaxyrus americanus) of which there are 3 subspecies, Eastern American toad(shown?), Dwarf American toad, and the rare Hudson Bay toad. American toads are native to the Eastern US and Canada. They were once part of the genus "Bufo" before they were Anaxyrus. They look similar to Fowler's and Wood house's toads whose territories overlap with the American toad. They can live up to 30yrs.

Some native American tribes associate toads with witchcraft and disease. For others they may represent a clan. In Haudenosaunee lore toad was one of the animals that tried to bring up earth during the creation myth. The Objibwe hero Iyash became the 1st toad in their lore. In Timahami lore a toad singing in the dark means rain. 🌧️

In parts of Europe, toad also represents witchcraft and disease. Familiars would sometimes take the form of toads who were fed blood by the witch's they serve. Europeans had a charm called a toad stone which said to be in the head above the eyes. The stones were used to protect against poison and healing. They were actually fossilized lepidotes. There was also the "toad bone". This bone was used to control horses and people.

The Han Chinese have a toad or frog called Jin Chan/Chan Chuy or "wealth beckoning frog/money toad/frog". Figurines of them are used in Feng Shui.

In Japan toad is seen as bringing luck, prosperity, transformation, and adaptability. They're associated with Benzaiten and the sage, Gama Sennin rode a giant toad and had them as allies.

Toad venom was used by various cultures as a hallucinagin.

Toads are associated with Hecate.

Sources

Wikipedia Anaxyrus americanus

Native-languages.org

Conservewildlife.org

The Natterjack at the edges of occult history

Toads in Japanese folklore

Toads in Mythology

#animal allies #genus loci #toads #amercan toad #toad #hecate #folklore #mythology #my photos

[lesfeldickbiblestudy]

  Through the Bible with Les Feldick LESSON 2 * PART 2 * BOOK 70 ADULTEROUS ISRAEL TO BE RESTORED – PART 2 Hosea 2:14 – 4:14 This is our 16th anniversary of tapings.  We started in October of 1990, so it’s been sixteen full years of tremendous blessings.  Who would have ever dreamed?  I just shared with my brother on the way up this morning; we can remember almost the place on the Muskogee Turnpike when Iris and I said, well, surely this won’t last more than six months.  That’s what we really thought it would be, about six months and it would die a natural death, and then our television experience would be over.  But here it is – sixteen years and the Lord just keeps on blessing. Again, for all of you out in television, we want to welcome you to a simple Bible study.  We try to keep it simple and yet hit some of the things that you normally don’t see and hear in Sunday school.  Now, back to our study in Hosea; we’ll start in verse 1. Hosea 3:1a “Then said the LORD unto me,…” Now remember, when the word LORD is capitalized like this, it’s really Jehovah.  I read a good article again the other day by a gentleman that I respect highly. He had all the reasons why the word LORD is Jehovah and Jehovah is Jesus Christ.  He’s God the Son.   All right, back to the text. Hosea 3:1a “Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend,…”  Now you remember back in chapter 1, He said to go and get a woman.  So, what we have here are two different attitudes.  Instead of just simply claiming a girl for his wife, now he’s going to go back and win the wife that had left him to go back to her lovers.  All right, so He says: Hosea 3:1b “…Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.”  Now, I want you to go back to Jeremiah 44. You’ll see what I’m talking about.  I might come back here again even later, before we get through Hosea.  But Jeremiah 44 and let’s use verse 19, because I’m going to use some of the other verses later on.  Now, this again is the response of idolatrous Israel. Jeremiah 44:19a “And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, (Now, that’s the female goddess, usually Astarte.) and poured out drink-offerings unto her, did we make her (What?) cakes…” Now, the better translation for flagons of wine would have been grape cakes.  In other words, they actually took a grape-flavored cake and offered it on their altars to this female goddess.  So, here’s where we get the comparison of Scripture, “did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink-offerings unto her,…” All right, back to Hosea once again, chapter 3. These Israelites – now you’ve got to remember that when we speak of Israel, it’s the Ten Tribes to the North, but the prophet also includes Judah and Benjamin, so the whole Twelve Tribes come under these prophecies.  All right, back to chapter 3 verse 1, again. Hosea 3:1b “…according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.”  Grape cakes that were made of wine to be offered to these goddesses - verse 2. Hosea 3:2-3 “So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley: 3. And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; (Now remember, he’s talking to that who had once been his and had been lost, and he’s bringing her back.) thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I be also for thee.’” Now of course, I think what’s implied here is that Israel was so steeped in idolatry all the way up until the Babylonian captivity.  That cured her.  I don’t think there’s any evidence that the Jews practiced idolatry after the Babylonian captivity.  Now, they had a lot of other wicked acts and so forth, but not idolatry.  For some reason or other, it cured them of idolatry! All right, this is what he’s referring to. 

That she would come back for a time, and she’s going to completely be removed from idolatry, because that’s her return after she’s been out in that Babylonian captivity of 70 years.  Now she comes back and is at least cured of the adulterous, spiritual adultery.  Now God says, “And I will be also for thee.”   All right, now here we come to verse 4, and this is prophecy in a veiled form. Hosea 3:4 “For the children of Israel (the Nation) shall abide many days (Now watch this carefully or you’re going to miss it.) the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim:”  The casual reader is going to miss all that.  What are we talking about?  They’re going to be bereft of all their Temple worship.  They’re going to be out of the land.  They’re going to have no formal ritual to keep them in touch with the God of Abraham. All right, when did that all come about?  In 70 AD, because what happened in 70 AD?  The Romans came in and again they destroyed the Temple, but so much differently than when Nebuchadnezzar did it. When Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple, 70 years later the Jews came back and rebuilt the second Temple.  And they went on again with their Temple worship, with their Priesthood, and their sacrifices; all the way up until the time of Christ’s first advent. But, when Titus came in and destroyed the Temple and destroyed Jerusalem, and the Jews were scattered out into every nation under heaven, it’s been that way now for 1,900 and some years.  They’re without a Temple.  They’re without a priesthood.  They’re without a prince.  They’re without a sacrifice.  They are destitute of any kind of a religious practice that will keep them in touch with the God of Abraham.  All right, that’s what that one verse is telling you.  All right, now what’s the first word of verse 5? Hosea 3:5 “Afterward…”   Okay, now I’ve got my timeline on the board, coming out of the call of Abraham at 2000 BC, from Christ back to Abraham is about 2,000 years.  All right, about 500 years after Abraham, we’ve got Moses, who brings the children of Israel out of Egypt down to Mount Sinai where they receive the Law. Then another 500 years between Moses (and the appearance of the Priesthood and the Tabernacle) until we come to King David.  Now, when King David appears, the Kingdom begins to expand and prosper. They start defeating all their enemies, and Israel reaches the glory that they had never had before.  And even though Solomon increased it a little bit, that was the time of Israel’s glory.  They still refer back to it. Now, this is the way I teach.  I can’t help it.  Come back up with me to Acts.  Then I’ll go back to my timeline.  Acts chapter 1, the Lord has just completed His forty days after His resurrection.  He’s been with the Eleven in that resurrected body.  Now they are meeting on the Mount of Olives, and in a short order He’ll be ascending back to Glory.  But now, in Acts chapter 1 verse 6--this is why I happened to think of it when I spoke of Israel’s glory. Acts 1:6 “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, (In other words, the Eleven are asking the Lord Jesus a question up there on the Mount of Olives just before He ascends.) Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the (What?) the kingdom to Israel?”  See, that’s Israel’s hope even today.  If they have any knowledge of Scripture at all, they know the Messiah will still come and bring in this glorious kingdom promised to Israel. Now, of course, the Eleven did not have the view of it as we can construct from Scripture. They merely knew that it would be a kingdom likened unto David’s and Solomon’s when Israel was the most glorious kingdom on earth.  Now, have you got that? Okay, now when you come back here to Hosea chapter 3, when we talk about “afterward” in verse 5, I want to come back to my timeline for a little bit.  After King David and Solomon--like I said, Hosea and Isaiah are prophesying at about 700 BC.

   By 600 BC Nebuchadnezzar comes in and destroys the city and the Temple.  He takes the Jews into exile for 70 years. All right, after that they come back and once again restore Temple worship at about 400 BC.  The Ezra Temple is rebuilt, and they continue on.   I guess I’m jumping ahead of my timeline here, but after the Minor Prophets are finished, which will be from Hosea to Malachi; there are 400 years where Israel has not a word from God.  Not through a prophet.  Through nothing – until the angel appears first to Elizabeth on the birth of John the Baptist and then to Mary regarding the appearance of Christ. All right, we call that His first advent, and the whole thrust of His ministry was what?  To prove to Israel that He was that promised Messiah and King!  My, I’m stressing it constantly.  That was the purpose of all His miracles, to prove that He was this promised Messiah.  All right, now let’s back up where, again, in Hosea chapter 3 verse 4, I’m going to read it again.  “For the children of Israel…” The whole nation, not just the Two Tribes to the south, we’ve got all Twelve Tribes involved. Hosea 3:4-5a “For the children of Israel shall abide many days (Which we now know is over 1900 years.) without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, (Now see, that was all associated, I trust you know the language here, with the priesthood.) and without a teraphim.  5. Afterward shall the children of Israel return,…” All right, now let’s go pick up some prophecy.  Go back to Deuteronomy chapter 30.  In all my teachings around the country for the last month in different cities, the first thing people were asking was, well, you know what’s happening in the Middle East?  Where are we with regard to the end time?   So, over and over, I would just say, “Well, let’s go back and see what Jesus meant when He said you can discern the signs of the weather--when the sky is red and so forth.”   But what was the last part of that statement?  “But you cannot decipher the signs of the times.” All right, so what are our signs of the times?  Prophecy.  All right, here is the clearest one. I think it’s the one that is referred to back there in Hosea that we just read.  Deuteronomy chapter 30 verse 1: Deuteronomy 30:1 “And it shall come to pass, (Now remember, this is Moses 1,500 years before Christ.  That’s 3,500 years back from our day.) when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind (Now, here’s the key, when they are where?) among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee,” This would be when the Jews would find themselves scattered into every nation under heaven, none excepted.  Even the Arab world had Jews in their midst.  It wasn’t until about the turn of the century that they started getting forced out and back to their homeland. But, at the time that verse 1 is speaking of, they were in every nation under heaven, none excepted.  So, this is fulfilled to the last jot and tittle.  But now look at the next verse.  When Jews find themselves in every nation under heaven, then it wouldn’t be long until: Deuteronomy 30:2a “And shalt return….”  You see that?  That’s exactly what Hosea says.  After they’ve gone that long time without a Temple, without a priesthood, and without a sacrifice; afterward they’re going to come back.  That’s the beauty of prophecy.  And that’s the number one reason that we can rest that this is the Word of God, because Israel is back where prophecy intended them to be!  No other book on earth can do that. I was dealing with a Muslim young lady again the other day, and that was my number one point.  I said, “Don’t you realize that our Bible foretold the Jews would be scattered all around the planet and then the day would come when they would be back in their homeland?”  Against all the odds.  But there they are!  The Koran can’t do that.  The book of Mormon can’t do that.

  Any other book of religion that you know of on the face of the earth can’t do that.  This is the only one!  But here it is.  This was all in God’s providential design that that’s the way it would happen.  And now here they are.  They’re back in the land. All right, let’s look at a few other verses that we use quite often.  Jump up to Ezekiel, chapter 36 and my goodness it’s plain English.  Even in the translation.  It’s as plain as it can get.  Ezekiel 36 verse 24, and I’ve got to wait until you find it.  Otherwise my listeners will write and say, “Les you go to fast.  I can’t find the Scriptures, I can’t write my notes.”  Ezekiel 36 verse 24, where God again, the LORD God up in verse 23, The LORD God says: Ezekiel 36:24 “For I will take you (That’s Israel.  That’s why I’m always emphasizing – to whom is this written?  Well, it’s written to Israel, not to the Gentile world.  So He says to Israel.) from among the heathen, and(Watch, the same language that Moses  used in Deuteronomy.) gather you out of  all countries, and will bring you into your own land.” My goodness, there were Jews in Persia.  There were Jews in Iran. There were Jews in Iraq.  Not any more because they’ve all been pushed out.  But before all this happened, there they were.  My, I read again the other day that they found a Jewish Synagogue clear up in Northern Siberia where they had no idea a community of Jews had ever existed.  In fact, a few of them were still there.  They were scattered to the ends of the earth.  Now, read on in verse 24. Ezekiel 36:24b “…and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.”  Now, isn’t that plain?  Why can’t our government people see that?  Why can’t the United Nations see that?  Instead of trying to oppose, they should be working with God.  But, you see, that would never happen.  Things just wouldn’t work right, but nevertheless, here it is.  God has spoken it, and we’re seeing it happen right before our very eyes. Now, I think I’ve got time enough.  I’m going to slip over into chapter 37.  It’s been a long time since we’ve done this.  I think way back when we first taught Genesis or someplace back there.  We’ll just start at verse one.  This is all prophetic; that we are seeing happen right before our eyes. Ezekiel 37:1 “The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,” Now remember, this is symbolism, just like we’ve been talking in Hosea.   Ezekiel’s the same way.  This is not a literal valley full of bones.  It’s a symbolic valley.  Verse 2 Ezekiel 37:2 “And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many (bones) in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.”  What does that mean?  They’d been there a long time. You know, if you drive across West Texas, and you look out over the prairie, you’ll see an old skull of a steer or something laying there.  It is chalk white, and you know it’s been out in that old West Texas sun for years and years.  The longer it lies there the whiter it gets.  Well, that’s the bones in this valley.  They’ve been there a long time.  Now, in actuality, it has been over 1,900 years. The bones are representative of Israel out in the Gentile world without any of her homeland advantages. Ezekiel 37:3-5a “And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? (They’re chalk dry.  They’re white as snow, because they’ve been out there for so long.) And I answered, O LORD GOD, thou knowest. 4. Again he said unto me, Prophesy (or speak) upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones;…”  Now remember, they are representative of the Nation of Israel. Ezekiel 37:5b-8a “…Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: 6. And I will lay sinews upon you, (That is upon these dry bones.)  and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you,

and ye shall live; and ye shall know (when they’ve been brought back to life) that I am the LORD. 7.  So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, (Now remember, this is all in symbolism.) and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. 8. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them,…” In other words, it’s a slow process, but the Nation is going to be reappearing, because that’s what we’re talking about now -- the Nation of Israel coming back to life. Ezekiel 37:8-10 “And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.  (No spiritual life.)  9. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, (In other words, from every corner of the planet.) O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. 10. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.”  Now, that’s all symbolism. Bones that have been out there, symbolic of the Nation of Israel out amongst all the nations of the world, and God’s going to bring them nationally back to life by returning to the homeland.  And we’ve seen it now for the last hundred years.  Not that you’ve lived a hundred years, some of us almost.  But nevertheless, we’ve been seeing it happen.  Here they’re coming back home, and nothing can stop them. My, I had an interesting phone call the other day.  I said, “Man, I could talk to you for twenty-four hours.”  He had been designated--he was fairly high Navel officer. After World War II he was given command to take his Navy cruiser and two troop ships. He was to go to a port in Greece, I think Thessalonica, and he was to load those two troop ships with escaping Jews and escort them back to Israel.  And he was telling me this on the phone.  My, I’ve only got a minute left.  So anyway, he got it all done.  Got those ships loaded with hundreds and hundreds of Jews on each one and escorted them down the Aegean and across the Mediterranean. And as he was approaching Israel from the West, the British Navy attempted to intercept him, which of course they’d been doing. So, he fired a couple of shots across their bow and radioed them that if they wanted a fight try and stop him, because he’s going on.  So, he sailed on into the Port of Haifa with his two shiploads of Jews. He said, “That was the biggest thrill I ever had in my life, to see those Jews embarking into their homeland.” But see, it was against all odds that the Jews got back to their homeland.  But they did!  And you and I know every day’s news is a guarantee that God kept His Word.  They’re back home.  Oh, there are still two-thirds of them out in the rest of the world, mostly in America and Canada and so forth, but the prophecy has been fulfilled; that after being scattered into every nation under heaven, they’re back in their homeland.  So, don’t ever buy the propaganda that they don’t belong there.  They should never give up one foot of land.  It’s theirs!