There is now a discussion between Amos and God. Several times in the Bible we read of discussions between God and His prophets, examples include with Abraham, Habakkuk, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Jonah.
When God speaks He is looking for a response.
So what is He doing here? Why doesn't God just get straight to the point? He wants Amos to understand. He first shows Amos two pictures of judgement, first by locusts, then by fire. Amos reacts by calling on God to stop for Israel will not be able to withstand it.
Then God shows Israel a plumbline. Now Amos can see what is really happening. Israel is going to be judged, she is going to receive what she deserves. The events that would happen would be terrible, but they would be a results of judgement, they would be the consequence of Israel's actions, her repeated actions.
When we think of hell a common reaction is "how can a God of love send people to hell?" We ask this because we are focusing only on the events that are happening, just as Amos would have focused only on the locusts and the fire, and think "this is too terrible". We forget about the judgement, we forget about what we deserve. When the end comes there will be judgement. Judgement will be seen, there will be an open court, and all actions and thoughts will be laid bare. The verdict will be guilty and hell will be the sentence. At that point all mankind will see that the verdict is right, and the sentence fully deserved. There will be no shock about how can a God of love send people to hell, the only shock will be how could God have been patient for so long.
When Jesus speaks about hell He is giving a warning, a warning that that is where we are heading. And God is looking for a response, for us to repent and turn to Jesus so that we do not go to hell, but receive eternal life instead.
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