Read Amos 8.
Philosopher George Santayana is credited with this statement: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
In the fourth vision of Israel's impending doom, God showed Amos a basket of summer fruit. The interpretation is simple. Israel was ripe for judgment. The time had come for the LORD to respond to the unbridled sin of the nation. In particular, the business community was singled out for their greed and dishonesty. They even complained at having to stop their commerce for the scheduled times of worshiping the LORD. They "trample on the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end" (v.4).
The scene of what was about to take place is graphically described by God. When the Assyrian army invades the land, the dead bodies will be "thrown everywhere" (v.3). Their songs will be turned into sobbing and their feasts into famine. They will cry out to God, but He will not listen. They will seek Him, but He will not be found. Since they rejected His messages delivered by the prophets when He urged them to repent, so He will withhold His word when this judgment falls (v.11).
Even the youngest and strongest will not be able to endure (v.13). Where are the false gods and false teachings in which they trusted (v.14) instead of the God of heaven? All those alternative beliefs proved powerless in the day that the all-powerful One meted out what He promised.
Here was God's question: "Shall not the land tremble on this account and everyone mourn who dwells in it?" (v.8). Hebrews 13:8 reminds us that Jesus Christ is "the same yesterday, today and forever." If a nation (a people, an individual) does not listen and take heed regarding the judgment to come, how do they think they shall escape? The reason there is no trembling and mourning over their sin is because they do not believe their is an accountability. The message in the middle of Amos is "prepare to meet your God" (4:12).
The solution? Jesus said, "Come to me..." (Matthew 11:28)
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