In my writing I often mention Hosea’s Lo-Ammi Prophecy in relation to Post-Acts dispensational theology, but I’m sure it hasn’t been made clear enough as to what is meant by the term, ‘LoAmmi.’ This writing is to addressing the lo-ammi metaphor as it applies to the status of the Nation Israel today.

God’s presence left the Jerusalem Temple about 400 years before Jesus came on the scene. Ezekiel 10 details how God's glory moved away from the Temple, indicating a severe judgment against Israel’s unbelief, idolatry, and disobedience. Over time Israel had 1) rejected and killed all God’s prophets of the OT, 2) they killed Jesus, 3) a few years later they killed Stephen who bore the presence of the Holy Spirit to Israel (Acts 7:58).

Then in Acts 28:26-28 (below) we see how Paul was used to seal ‘the fall of Israel’ for a time, as he quoted Isaiah 6:9-10, proclaiming this most important change of the dispensational age. With that God’s focus was turned from Israel … to the Post-Acts Gentile “church, which is His body” that Paul received and revealed.

²⁶ [God] Saying, Go unto this people [Israel], and say, Hearing ye [Israel], shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: ²⁷ For the heart of this people [Israel] is waxed gross [Gk. pachynō, dull, stupid, hardened, and calloused], and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and [lest they] should be converted, and I should heal them. ²⁸ Be it known therefore unto YOU [ISRAEL], that The Salvation Of God Is Sent Unto The GENTILES, and that they will hear [heed] it. Acts 28:26-28 (KJV)

¹ For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you GENTILES, ²  If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: ³  How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery [Gk. musterion, the God-planned Secret]; (as I wrote afore in few words, ⁴ Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Ephesians 3:1-4 (KJV)

²⁵Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my [Paul’s] gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the REVELATION OF THE MYSTERY, which Was Kept Secret Since The World Began, Rom. 16:25

Israel has since continued in her fallen ‘LoAmmi,’ impounded, status for over the last 2,000 years.  “Then Said God, … Loammi: for ye are NOT my people, and I will NOT be your God.” Hos. 1:9 (KJV) Hosea had made clear that At Some Time In Israel’s History they would go into this fallen, set-aside, impounded, status as indicated by the very name, “Loammi,” which means “ye are NOT my people.” Israel will remain ‘set aside’ until the Lord’s 2^nd coming to save and restore a ‘believing Israel’ to her long-promised “kingdom come on earth.”  

After His resurrection, Jesus’ disciples asked Him; “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” Acts 1:6. Jesus gave no clear answer but we learn from Zechariah 10 that the Restoration of Israel as His Believing Kingdom Nation will occur at His return and ‘appearing’; when they, the believing remnant of Israel of that day, “shall look upon Him [Jesus] whom they have pierced” (see below).

¹⁰ And I will pour upon the house of [King] David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they Shall Look Upon Me [Jesus] whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. Zech 12:10

Realizing of the importance of the dispensational change as of Acts 28:26-28 prompts us to consider more detail of Hosea’s LoAmmi prophecy. We need to note that 1) There is no other point of time before Acts 28:28 that fits all the requirements of the prophecy. 2) Per Point 6 below, no time after AD70 and during today’s GENTILE church age (cf. Eph. 3:1-11), can Israel fulfil Scriptural the requirements of Hosea’s Lo-Ammi prophecy for the restoration of Israel’s “Kingdom come on earth.” Let’s look at some Lo-Ammi detail.

1. The Hebrew words ‘lo-ammi’ means “ye are not My people.” ‘Loammi’ is the symbolic name given to one of the Hosea’s children. The purpose of this is stated in the name ‘Loammi,’ meaning “For ye are not My People and I will not be your God” (Hosea. 1:9). But verse 10 (below) makes it clear that however long the rejection of Israel may last, it will NOT be forever, as it looks forward to the day of Israel’s restoration and fulfilment of the ‘promises’ made to Abraham.

¹⁰ Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it WAS said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it SHALL be said unto them, YE ARE the sons of the living God. Hosea 1:10 (KJV)

2.  Hosea chapter 2 ends on the hoped for high note of Israel’s restoration, to ultimately be ‘betrothed in righteousness’ (cf. Hos. 2:19) forever; her Lo-ammi condition will be reversed. The Lord will say;

“Thou art My people,” and they will say, “Thou art my God” (cf. Hosea 2.18-23).

3. From the days of Hosea, until the scattering of Israel at the end of the Acts, no such recovered condition that fulfils all what Hosea has predicted has occurred. Yet, Jeremiah wrote:

“Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I sow.” See the name, “Jezreel” in Hos. 2:18 indicates this sowing and “new covenant” concern both Israel and the beast, He “will make them to lie down safely.” ... “I will make a NEW COVENANT With The House Of Israel, and With The House Of Judah.” (Jer. 31:27-37)

4. Then in Hosea chapter 3 the prophet throws further light on Israel’s present Lo-ammi, fallen, impounded, set-aside, condition, where all is lost … for an extended time.

⁴ The children of Israel shall abide many days without a KING, and without a PRINCE and without a SACRIFICE, and without an IMAGE [the Pillar], and without an EPHOD, and without TERAPHIM.” (Hos 3:4)

5. So, during the 2,000 years since the Nation Israel rejected their true KING and God set Israel aside in Acts 28:28. God has suspended Israel’s kingdom “calling” … UNTIL this below occurs.

²⁵ … that ye [Israel] should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that Blindness In Part Is Happened To Israel, UNTIL The Fulness Of The Gentiles Be Come In. Rom. 11:25 KJV

Note that …the fall of Israel in blindness and… the building up of the Gentile “body of Christ” to its completion are run parallel, both occurring during the same time after Acts 28:28, till Jesus comes again.

6. Now consider how it was not many years after Acts 28 that the Roman General Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in A.D.70. With that the Priestly Office In Israel Became Nothing. Being “without an EPHOD, and without TERAPHIM” in Hos 3:4 (see above in Point 4) supports the idea that these were items without which no one would be allowed to officiate as a Priest in Israel, for that they would have to produce their family genealogy (cf. Neh. 7:64). These genealogical records had been stored in the Temple and perished in the destruction of the Temple and the city. So after Acts 28, without the Temple and records, the Priesthood in Israel lost all significance, as we see today. A Rabbi is a ‘teacher,’ not a Priest.

Now consider this below as Paul’s summary of the current fallen, blinded, position of Israel.

²⁵ For I would not, brethren, that ye [Israel] should be ignorant of this mystery [Gk. musterion, secret], lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that BLINDNESS in part [i.e., temporarily] is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. Rom. 11:25 KJV

The length of Israel’s time of being sequestered in ‘blindness’ (Rom. 11:25) is not recorded. Paul writes of this period of “the mystery” of Israel’s “blindness” as being parallel with the time of “the mystery [secret]” of “the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:4, cf. Col 3:1-4) relating to the Gentile “body of Christ.”  So we know why today’s secular Israel has only a little of piece of “the promised land,” and is “without a King.”  

Today, after Acts 28, we note that in Paul’s Post-Acts epistles (i.e., Eph., Col., Philippians), he tells reveals how “the Heavenly places” (cf. Eph. 2:6) are to be eternally inhabited by “the faithful” of the Gentile “church, which is His body.” Paul below describes the ultimate eternal destiny of “the faithful” believers of “His body.”

⁶ And [God] Hath Raised Us Up Together, and Made Us Sit Together In Heavenly Places In Christ Jesus: Eph. 2:6

⁴ When Christ, Who Is Our Life, Shall Appear, Then Shall Ye [the members of His body] also Appear With Him In [Heaven’s] Glory. Col 3:4 KJV

Christ as “the head” of His Gentile Post-Acts “church, which is His body” (Eph. 1:22b-23a) is to ‘appear’ with His body members in heaven. This occurs only a short number of years before … Christ later appears to Israel to save them and restore the Kingdom on earth in Jesus’ Post-Tribulation Millennial kingdom. Hosea 3:5 tells us that after the period of Israel’s sequestration is reversed, Israel shall seek the Lord “in the latter days” and be “saved” (Rom. 11:26 KJV). So by all the signs around us the latter days are drawing near. We see a yet secular Israel in part of the Land. So, the stage is being set; first for us to “appear with Him,” and soon after that He will appear again to restore Israel’s promised “Kingdom Come On Earth.”

In the end, Lucifer, who corrupted the heavenly government over “the heaven and the earth,” will be cast into “the lake of fire,” and God will have His Re-established government “in heaven and on earth.”

1. Christ’s Post-Acts Gentile church of the “One Body” (Eph. 4:4) will “appear with Him” to forever reign with Him “In The Heavenly Places” (Col. 2Tim. 2:12, Col. 3:4).
2. Believing Israel, will later receive Christ at His 2^nd coming and reign forever with Him in the long-promised eternal Kingdom as His agent “On Earth” (Rev, 20:6; 5:10).