Hosea 7:1-8, “When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers spoileth without. And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face. They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies. They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising after he hath kneeded the dough, until it be leavened. In the day of our king the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine; he stretched out his hand with scorners. For they have made ready their heart like an oven, whiles they lie in wait: their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire. They are all hot as an oven, and have devoured their judges; all their kings are fallen: there is none among them that calleth unto me. Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned.”
In the context of Hosea, “Ephraim” (a city in Palestine) is often used to represent the northern kingdom of Israel. Theologically, Ephraim's actions are a reflection of Israel's spiritual state. The imagery of an “cake unturned” is illustrative of the Jew's hypocrisy. In ancient times, bread or cakes were cooked on hot stones, requiring turning frequently to prevent burning the food. An unturned cake would be burned on one side and raw on the other, which God uses here to symbolize a spiritual imbalance in the lives of His people.
This metaphor reflects Ephraim's dire spiritual condition—externally, they may appeared to be religious; but internally, they were spiritually immature and corrupt. They had a superficial faith that lacked a genuine walk with God (Matthew 15:8). Ephraim was consumed by the strange fire of Baal worship. Israel's idolatry and sinful relationship with pagan countries, and their unfaithfulness to God, brought God's judgment upon Israel.
Having shared these truths with you, I cannot help but apply them to Christians today. We've got a bunch of one-sided churchgoers today who are half-baked. The churches are filled with do-gooders who refuse to contend for the Christian faith. They honor themselves for preparing Christmas boxes for infidel Franklin Graham's Operation Christmas Child (OCC), but those churches won't lift a finger to go door to door soulwinning (Acts 20:20), earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints (Jude 1:3), expose false teachers by name (Titus 1:9-14), or reach out to welcome back hurting people who have left the church (Jude 1:22; Galatians 6:1).
Tragically, our Baptist churches today are full of self-righteous hypocrites! I am thinking about a hurting man who lives right across the street from a Baptist church not too far from me. The man made a rude comment to another church member in a moment of foolishness. The pastor not once, but twice, sharply rebuked the man, so he left the church and hasn't been back since. That was months ago! I cannot help but wonder why his pastor doesn't care about that hurting man. Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) was so right when he said: “The Christian army is the only army in the world that kills its wounded.”
Hosea 7:2, “And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face.” Oh how foolish are the American people! We think that our holy and omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient Creator has forgotten about our nation's wickedness. But I assure you dear friend that God has not forgotten all the 63,000,000 murderous abortions (Hebrews 4:13). Nor has God forgotten the millions of abominations which our government wickedly calls, "Same Sex Marriage" (Ecclesiastes 12:14). It is evil, unnatural and perversion! God sees the filth and He hears the cry of the victims!!!
Many Christians today lack hatred for sin. Others hate sin vehemently, but woefully lack love for sinners, who are people created in the image of God. Sadly, the New Independent Fundamental Baptist (New IFB) movement is notorious for hating sinners. That is unscriptural and wrong! We ought to never reject the sinner with the sin, nor accept the sin with the sinner. There is a balance! Most churchgoers these days are a cake unturned. They are burned on one side and raw on the other. If the shoe fits, wear it!
By God's grace, may we be more balanced as believers. It saddens me to see a group of professed Christians going through all the motions of playing church, Sunday after Sunday, month after month, years after year; but there is a disturbing woeful lack of genuine love and compassion for people. When I attended Campus Church at Pensacola Christian College for several months in 2021, there was a vacuum of love and compassion for people there. RUN from the religious cult at PCC, where the system always comes first, but individual people do not matter. I was there personally and experienced firsthand the abuse and lack of sympathy by their ungodly pastors, especially Jeff Redlin (their incompetent senior pastor). SHAME on PCC for hiring fools and sanctioning such shameful heathen behavior. At PCC, they are going through all the motions, but their hearts are far from God (Matthew 15:7-8).
By God's grace, I don't want to be a one-sided believer. I want to be a well-rounded Christian. If you will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading, then He will direct your heart into the truth, to hate every false way, to unconditionally love everyone with Christ's love, and to stand for the faith. Your average Baptist pastor today is a religious clown, who is only concerned about his next paycheck. God deliver us from corrupt clergy!
The Jews were not seeking the Lord in their problems for help...
Hosea 7:9-16, “Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not. And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek him for all this.”
Israel, depicted as a crazy dove, asks for help from Egypt and Assyria instead of turning to God. The Jews do not realize that they're preparing for their own destruction, as a bird caught in a net to entrap them. ...
Hosea 7:11-13, “Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria. When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard. Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me.”
In their hour of need, the Jews sulked upon their beds, but didn't cry unto the Lord for mercy...
Hosea 7:14-16, “And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me. Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me. They return, but not to the most High: they are like a deceitful bow: their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue: this shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.”
It offends the Lord when we seek help from man, but not Him. This is why King Asa died from his foot disease. 2nd Chronicles 16:12-13, “And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians. And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.” There is an important truth to be learned here from the inspired Word of God! We should always pray for God's healing before we do anything! You may pray in your soul while on the way to dial 911, but you should pray, even of very briefly. As saints, we should all get into the good habit of immediately running to our heavenly Father. Having said that, we don't want to be foolish like the religious cult of Jehovah's Witnesses, who don't believe in going to the doctor when ill. We should always go to our doctor when sick or diseased, but not before going to the Lord in prayer.
Is your spiritual life balanced dear reader? Are your eating habits balanced? Much of our troubles as Christians is caused by our lack of discipline and character. Israel were one-sided! The prophet Hosea called them a burned cake which hadn't been turned. I see so many Baptist churches today who are merely playing church, going through the motions, not making much of an impact (if any) for God. God pity the local church that is nothing more than a spiritualized social club.
Sadly, I am not aware of even one church in Pensacola that weekly goes out door to door soulwinning. They don't care about soulwinning. That is why their churches are 85% empty, like the Smyrna Baptist Church at 7000 N. Pensacola Avenue is always empty. Their senior pastor, Bill Adams, is a cake unturned. Pastor Adams is all strength without beauty, denim without lace, a hardened fighter without any genuine love or compassion for hurting people. I learned that sad truth firsthand when I attended his church for several months in 2024.
The adage is very true: People don't care what you know, until they know that you care. Pastor Adams couldn't have cared less about me as a hurting human being, when I sincerely reached out to him and shared my broken life. The man is heartless and has no business being a pastor. He's living large parasiting off the church, compliments of Pensacola Christian College who help financially support the church. There is no love in the PCC cult. I have never met such an arrogant, holier than thou, snobby, group as the PCC cult. Shame on all of them! PCC is a cake unturned, burned to a cinder on one side, and raw as can be on the other. And don't even get me started about the Satanic counterfeit plan of salvation which is sadly being preached at PCC today. RUN from this place!!!
May we all strive by God's grace and mercy to be balanced Christians, and not go off halfcocked into politics, or becoming a one issue person (like fighting abortion all the time), or get so caught up in Operation Christmas Child (OCC) that we don't ever bother to contend for the Christian faith, or focus on church dinners more than going soulwinning, et cetera.
I am one of the most hated Bible preachers in America, because I don't bite my tongue. I SPEAK THE TRUTH without apology or compromise. My enemies have combed over social media looking for all the scuttlebutt they could find to slander me. They have contacted churches I've attended and turned the pastors against me, which is what happened at Campus Church at Pensacola Christian College in 2021. My enemies hate my guts, and many of them are neo-evangelicals from the Bob Jones University cult. God pity the preacher that the world don't hate!
My enemies are many, but my friends are few. The fastest way to make enemies is to simply TELL THE TRUTH. Your average Baptist church today is a cesspool of demonic Lordship Salvation, misunderstood repentance (a false gospel), and Satan's corrupt Bible revisions. When I attended the shameful Harvest Baptist Church on Guam, their Satanic senior pastor Marty Herron forced me out of the church and then banned me from returning, telling me to go find a church that believes like I do. WOE BE UNTO MARTY HERRON WHEN THAT INFIDEL FALSE PROPHET STANDS BEFORE GOD!!!
I handed him THE TRUTH, but Mr. Herron wickedly rejected it in his arrogance and pride (Hosea 4:6). Pastor Herron idolizes Dr. John MacArthur, the Godfather of Lordship Salvation, whom Mormons love. Did you know that Pastor MacArthur's book on Lordship Salvation titled, 'Faith Works,' is required reading at the Mormon Brigham Young University!
Dr. John MacArthur is a confusing liar to accuse Mormons of preaching another gospel, when IN FACT MacArthur AGREES 100% with the Mormon view on repentance. Remember, Mormons agree so much with MacArthur perverse Lordship Salvation that they've made his book REQUIRED READING for all their students! That speaks 1,000 words as to the perversion of Mr. MacArthur's theology!!! Birds of a feather flock together!
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