There can be little doubt that we are living in “the latter days”. Many scriptures warn about those days. Daniel told the King, “there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days” (2:28), and we also read how Daniel was told of “a time of trouble, such as never has been … But at that time your people shall be delivered” (12:2).

We have another remarkable prophecy today in Hosea 3. God says that “the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod” (verse 4) – and how true this has been since the Temple was destroyed and the Jews scattered. We then read in the next verse; “Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the LORD and to his goodness in the latter days”. That ‘seeking’ will find its completion when David is raised to life again (see his expectation expressed in Psalm 17:15). At that time those counted as righteous (through their faith) will see both him and Jesus, “the son of David”.

What a wonderfully succinct prophecy Hosea brings to us – and we await its wonderful fulfilment. Let us make sure we are already seeking the Lord – and finding Him, as Paul told the Athenians to do. And let us not become self-confident in doing so, noting the lesson in 2 Chronicles 35 about the later folly of good king Josiah who had inspired the people with a great Passover gathering. Indeed we read in verse 18 that “No Passover like it had been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as was kept by Josiah …”. Then he became over-confident – and was killed in a battle in which Israel did not need to get involved (verse 20 onwards).

The scriptures are so full of lessons for us – let us read them every day – and heed those lessons so that we can live (or be raised) to see the completion of “his goodness in the latter days” in which we surely live.