Ezek 37

EZEKIEL 37 - Valley of Dry Bones; one nation

OVERVIEW

• Twenty-six hundred years ago, Ezekiel prophesied a national resurrection for Israel (Ezek 37:1–14)

• The Spirit of the Lord set the prophet in a valley filled with dried human bones that He told Ezekiel were 'the whole house of Israel' (Ezek 37:1,11)

• Then He commanded the prophet to prophesy over them (Ezek 37:4)

• When the prophet spoke, a mighty miracle took place: immediately the bones came together, forming a body of people (Ezek 37:7)

• This coalescing represents Israel’s resurrection as an entity in its own land in the last days

• The lack of breath in the bones indicates the absence of spiritual life at the time of this resurrection (Ezek 37:8)

• Spiritual life will come when reconciliation comes -- at the Second Coming of Jesus the Messiah <L1300>

DRY BONES PROPHECY

• God revealed through the prophet Ezekiel that He would regather Israel to its land in two stages:

1. A political renewal, without a national indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Ezek 37:1–7)

2. A spiritual renewal of a completely regathered Israel (Ezek 37:8–10)

• The first half of Ezekiel’s vision was fulfilled in the 20th century, while the second half is yet to come <J1101>

• God made it clear the valley of dry bones is a two stage prophecy representing the revived of the nation of Israel

First, God will bring back Israel from the four corners of the earth

• This occurred when Israel became a nation in 1948 in unbelief

Second, God will put His Spirit of life in them, at which point they will believe in Him

• Modern day Israelis practice traditions and prayers, but do they really believe in God?

• God has reserved the Tribulation for such an event <H84>

STEP ONE

• Some attribute the existence of Israel as a result of the Holocaust from WWII and the world feeling bad about it

• But the Holocaust, as horrific as it was, was not the cause of Israel’s rebirth -- it was PART OF God’s prophetic timeline but not the reason for it!

• God had already begun preparing the ground decades earlier through the first Aliyah, the wave of Jewish immigration to the land of Israel

• The survivors of the Holocaust, these dry bones, were brought from the graves of Europe to the land of Israel -- not to Uganda, Argentina, or Madagascar, as some had proposed for Jewish settlement, but specifically to the land of Israel, just as God promised <T203>

Ezekiel 37:11-12 NIV

STEP TWO

• Others will argue that the current state of Israel cannot be the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies because of its unbelief and waywardness

• However, they fail to recognize that this is precisely how the book of Ezekiel pictured the initial reemergence of the nation (Ezek 37:1-14)

• The Lord took the prophet to a valley that was full of dry bones and later told Ezekiel, “These bones are the whole house of Israel”

• Throughout the passage, there’s a progression from dry skeletal remains to that of resurrected people filled with the Holy Spirit

• What the prophet witnessed in that brief time was the full restoration of Israel, which would take place over many years

• What we see today is Israel standing on its feet, but not yet a fully restored nation such as will happen at Jesus’ return to the earth

• We see modern-day Israel, even in its current wayward state, as the fulfillment of Bible prophecy <B26> (Aug 2024)

Romans 11:26 NIV

[26] and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.

• God will bring a remnant of Israel to the point where they recognize Him after having gone through the Tribulation

• As devastating as the Tribulation will be, it is the mercy of God allowing one more opportunity for anyone to come to Him -- Jew or Gentile <R178>

• There will be more people saved during the seven year Tribulation than in all of Church Age history <G70>

• Saints in the Tribulation will be able to rely on the same promises of God believers clung to before the Tribulation <B23>

Luke 21:20-22 NIV

[20] “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. [21] Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. [22] For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written.

NEEDED FOR EZEK 38/39 WAR

• Ezekiel 37 predicts Israel’s amazing return in the latter days (Ezek 38:8a) to her God-given homeland after being dispersed for some 2000 years (Hos 6:1-2)

• It also mentions Israel will have a strong army (Ezek 37:10b)

• Ezekiel 38 says that Israel will be living securely (Ezek 38:8d); currently Israel is not living securely in her land but comes with the post-Rapture covenant with the New World Leader (Jun 2025)

• Ezekiel 38 discusses several nations led by Russia who will invade Israel to gain her gold and silver riches (Ezek 38:11-13)

• Ezekiel 39 describes what the land is like after what appears to be some type of nuclear event (Ezek 39:12,14-16; Zech 14:12)

• Despite Russia and Iran recently signing agreements to work together, it's clear the Ezekiel 38 nations don’t invade Israel until after the Rapture, at the earthquake that happens during the 6th Seal

• And today, Israel has gold and silver treasures to capture (such as Solomon's $100 trillion treasure trove), they just don’t know where it is

• But Israel WILL locate those long lost treasures eventually because this will be a hook for Russia to invade; archaeological digs will commence in Oct 2025 <P168> (Jun 2025)

NOTES BY VERSE

Note: each ** comment in this document is listed in numerical order according to the verse(s) from this chapter

** Ezekiel offers two prophecies: one regarding the valley of dry bones and another regarding breath giving life to the dry bones <W213>

• Israel will be brought back in two phases

• We see the existence of the pagan nation of Israel today, fulfilling the first prophecy (Jan 2025)

• Therefore, the 'Israel is pagan' argument does not hold water when those in the Replacement camp argue 'Israel is not the Jews of the Bible' and the Church has replaced Israel

• God said the Israelites would come back in unbelief in phase one

• We look forward to the day when the Holy Spirit will come upon the nation to give it breath in phase two

Ezekiel 37:1-5 NIV

I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know. ” [4] Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! [5] This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.

** God continues to give His servants strength to accomplish His tasks; the picture of the Holy Spirit helping Ezekiel to his feet is a beautiful visual reminder how God understands and will provide exactly what we need! <M130>

Ezekiel 2:1-2 NIV

[1] He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you. ” [2] As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.

Ezekiel 11:5 NIV

[5] Then the Spirit of the Lord came on me, and he told me to say: “This is what the Lord says: That is what you are saying, you leaders in Israel, but I know what is going through your mind.

Ezekiel 37:1 NIV

[1] The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.

Numbers 24:2 NIV

[2] When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him

Judges 6:34 NIV

[34] Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him.

Luke 4:16-19 NIV

[16] He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, [17] and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: [18] “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, [19] to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

** When Paul says Israel will be “saved” in Romans 11:26, he refers to their deliverance from sin (verse 27) as they accept the Savior, their Messiah, in the end times during the Tribulation period. Moses said, “The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live” (Deuteronomy 30:6). Israel’s physical inheritance of the land promised to Abraham will be an integral part of God’s ultimate plan (Deut 30:3–5).

So how will “all Israel be saved”? The details of this deliverance are filled out in passages such as Zech 8-14 and Rev 7-19, which speak of end-times Israel at Christ’s return. The key verse describing the coming to faith of the future remnant of Israel is Zech 12:10, “I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.” This occurs at the end of the tribulation prophesied in Daniel 9:24–27. The apostle John references this event in Revelation 1:7. The faithful remnant of Israel is epitomized in Revelation 7:1–8. These faithful ones the Lord will save and bring back to Jerusalem “in truth and righteousness” (Zech 8:7–8, NASB).

After Israel is spiritually restored, Christ will establish His millennial kingdom on earth. Israel will be regathered from the ends of the earth (Isaiah 11:12; 62:10). The symbolic “dry bones” of Ezekiel’s vision will be brought together, covered with flesh, and miraculously resuscitated (Ezekiel 37:1–14). As God promised, the salvation of Israel will involve both a spiritual awakening and a geographical home: “I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land” (Ezek 37:14).

In the Day of the Lord, God will “reclaim the surviving remnant of his people” (Isaiah 11:11). Jesus Christ will return and destroy the armies gathered against Him in rebellion (Rev 19). Sinners will be judged, and the faithful remnant of Israel will be set apart forever as God’s holy people (Zech 13:8-14:21). Isaiah 12 is their song of deliverance; Zion will rule over all the nations under the banner of Messiah the King. <G72>

Ezekiel 37:1-14 NIV

[1] The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. [2] He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. [3] He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know. ” [4] Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! [5] This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. [6] I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ' ” [7] So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. [8] I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. [9] Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.' ” [10] So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet---a vast army. [11] Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' [12] Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. [13] Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. [14] I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord. ' ”

Deuteronomy 30:3-6 NIV

[3] then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. [4] Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back. [5] He will bring you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors. [6] The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.

Zechariah 13:8-9 NIV

[8] In the whole land,” declares the Lord, “two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. [9] This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The Lord is our God. ' ”

Zechariah 14:1-21 NIV

[1] A day of the Lord is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls...

Zechariah 12:10 NIV

[10] “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

Romans 11:25-27 NIV

[25] I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, [26] and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. [27] And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”

** Isaiah talks about the birth of a nation; this prophecy was fulfilled in one day, on May 14 1948; once Israel was reborn and the Jews started returning to their land, the Prophetic time clock began ticking <F60>

Ezekiel 37:1-3 NIV

Ezekiel 37:11-12,21 NIV

[11] Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' [12] Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. [21] and say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land.

Isaiah 66:8 NIV

[8] Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.

** God revealed a fascinating “dry bones” prediction of the Jewish return to their motherland; right on schedule, slowly a few Jews began returning home in the late 1800s <P168>

Ezekiel 37:3-5 NIV

[3] He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know. ” [4] Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! [5] This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.

** God told Ezekiel He was going to do the impossible; while everyone had given up on Israel, God miraculously brought the nation to life again! <S195>

Ezekiel 37:3 NIV

[3] He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know. ”

** Ezekiel’s dry bones prophecy speaks of resurrection – not only of the great nation of Israel, but of a people returning to close fellowship with their one and only Saviour and Lord; such a relationship is a greater hope than anything this world can offer <G796>

Ezekiel 37:4-5,8 NIV

[4] Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! [5] This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. [8] I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

** God knows that Israel will come back to Him AFTER He regathers them in their land and gives them life; the Tribulation, ultimately, is for the purpose of saving the Jewish nation that has already gathered

This is the Old Testament version of God’s grace; He knows that Israel cannot keep the law of Moses yet blesses them and gives them their land after He disciplined them, revealing God’s love and glory <R176>

Ezekiel 37:1-7 NIV

Ezekiel 37:11-14 NIV

[11] Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' [12] Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. [13] Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. [14] I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord. ' ”

Jeremiah 29:10-14 NIV

[10] This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. [11] For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. [12] Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. [13] You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. [14] I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

Ezekiel 20:41-44 NIV

[41] I will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will be proved holy through you in the sight of the nations. [42] Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your ancestors. [43] There you will remember your conduct and all the actions by which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evil you have done. [44] You will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name's sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, you people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord. ' ”

Ezekiel 36:16-23 NIV

[16] Again the word of the Lord came to me: [17] “Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by their conduct and their actions. Their conduct was like a woman's monthly uncleanness in my sight. [18] So I poured out my wrath on them because they had shed blood in the land and because they had defiled it with their idols. [19] I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered through the countries; I judged them according to their conduct and their actions. [20] And wherever they went among the nations they profaned my holy name, for it was said of them, 'These are the Lord's people, and yet they had to leave his land.' [21] I had concern for my holy name, which the people of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone. [22] “Therefore say to the Israelites, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. [23] I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.

** God is the author of all life and knows the number of our days before we even take our first breath

Psalm 139:14-16 NIV

[14] I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. [15] My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. [16] Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Ezekiel 37:3-7 NIV

[3] He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know. ” [4] Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! [5] This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. [6] I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ’ ” [7] So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.

** As foreseen by Ezekiel, the dry bones made a great rattling sound as the Jews gathered back together beginning at the turn of the 20th century. As muscle and flesh were added to the skeletal frames, they finally stood up and claimed their ancient homeland of Israel. <M139>

Ezekiel 37:4-6 NIV

[4] Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! [5] This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. [6] I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ' ”

** God is the author of life and gives breath so every living creature can live, as was shown when He breathed life into the newly created beings that came from dry bones

Ezekiel 37:9 NIV

[9] Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'”

** The prophet Ezekiel referred to the revival of Israel in the last days as producing an exceedingly great military force <R173>

• Zechariah was more specific, prophesying that God would make the clans of Judah like a firepot among pieces of wood and a flaming torch among sheaves and enable them to consume on the right hand and on the left all their enemies (Zech 12:6)

• He proceeded to state that, in the end times, the nation will be so strong that the one who stumbles among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of Yahweh before them (Zech 12:8)

Ezekiel 37:10 NIV

[10] So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet---a vast army.

Zechariah 12:6,8 NIV

[6] “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume all the surrounding peoples right and left, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place. [8] On that day the Lord will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord going before them.

** Was Israel’s current military prowess predicted to happen in the Bible? The answer to this question is YES, and that an even more powerful, “exceedingly great,” IDF is soon forthcoming. What we witness today with the IDF, which is presently the #1 ranked army in the Middle East, is the development of what the Bible foretells will become an “Exceedingly Great Army.”

Ezekiel 37:10 NIV

[10] So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet---a vast army.

The ongoing Arab – Israeli conflict has forced Israel to form a great army. The IDF has had to become the superior military in the Middle East as a matter of national survival.

In addition to Ezekiel 37:10, prophecies written in Psalm 83, Isaiah 11, Jeremiah 49, Obadiah, Ezekiel 25, Zechariah 12, there are several more verses that identify today’s IDF. <S198> (Jul 2021)

** One of the prophesied characteristics of Israel returning to her promised land is that she would have an 'exceedingly great army'

• Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, stated, “From a helpless people, we have turned into a robust nation. From a defenseless nation, we have turned into a powerful country that can defend itself with one of the strongest armies." <M131> (2024)

• God knew Israel, a tiny nation of about 8 million Jews, would be surrounded by some 550 million Muslim enemies <P168> (2025)

Ezekiel 37:10 NIV

[10] So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet---a vast army.

** It was prophesied that Israel would become a great army at the end of the age <D41>

• One example of Israel’s military might includes its development of the Rafael Advanced Delivery System (Dec 2024)

• It develops solution for atmospheric disturbances and concentrates energy into a laser beam capable of striking a target the size of a coin

• It can neutralize an object by unifying multiple beams into one beam before impact

Ezekiel 37:10 NIV

[10] So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet---a vast army.

** Israel is at the center of Bible prophecy, and Scripture details specific characteristics of this revived nation in the last days <R173>

• The prophet Ezekiel referred to the revival of an exceedingly great military force (Ezek 37:10)

Ezekiel 37:10 NIV

[10] So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet---a vast army.

• Zechariah was more specific, prophesying that God would enable them to consume all their enemies (Zech 12:6)

Zechariah 12:6 NIV

• Zechariah proceeded to state that in the end times, the nation will be so strong (Zech 12:8)

Zechariah 12:8 NIV

[8] On that day the Lord will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord going before them.

** God has a hope-filled message for Israel that they will experience restoration of a united nation in their own land and God will be glorified as a result!

Here Ezekiel writes of the regathering of Israel to her own land in the last days. In Ezekiel 37, the prophet is shown a valley full of dry bones. God prophesied to Ezekiel that these dry bones would be restored to their ancient land in the last days. At the time of this writing, it would be six hundred years before the remaining Jews were scattered again by the Romans, but the Lord said Israel would be restored.

Ezekiel 37:11-14 NIV

[11] Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ [12] Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. [13] Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. [14] I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord. ’ ”

Ezekiel 37:22-23 NIV

** Isaiah foreshadowed a ‘universal resurrection’ of believers when the dead in Christ will rise from the earth, assuring all believers they will have a part in this great day <B20>

• These prophecies are seen by Christians as foreshadowing Jesus' resurrection, which validated his claims and message

• The idea of a 'universal resurrection' and gathering connects to the belief that God's plan of salvation is for all nations, not just one group of people

• These Old Testament prophecies are considered important because they show the continuity of the biblical message of God's redemptive plan that carries into the New Testament <W2201>

Ezekiel 37:12 NIV

[12] Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.

Isaiah 26:19 NIV

[19] But your dead will live, Lord; their bodies will rise---let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy---your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.

Isaiah 25:8 NIV

[8] he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people's disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.

Ephesians 5:14 NIV

[14] This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Daniel 12:2 NIV

[2] Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

Hosea 13:14 NIV

[14] “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction? “I will have no compassion

** Ezekiel revealed God's plan of a needed spiritual rebirth, when He gives those who call on Him the Holy Spirit <B23> <G70>

• This is the first time God's Spirit is mentioned in the Old Testament

• God's plan for the Holy Spirit will be available after Christ lives, dies, rises, and ascends from the earth

• The Holy Spirit did not just arrive in Acts 2 but has been used for specific tasks throughout Scripture

Ezekiel 37:14a NIV

[14] I will put my Spirit in you and you will live

** Ezekiel's mention of two sticks may refer to division within Israel, that is evident in the political landscape of Israel today <H88> (Aug 2023)

Ezekiel 37:16-20 NIV

[16] “Son of man, take a stick of wood and write on it, 'Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him. ' Then take another stick of wood, and write on it, 'Belonging to Joseph (that is, to Ephraim) and all the Israelites associated with him.' [17] Join them together into one stick so that they will become one in your hand. [18] “When your people ask you, 'Won't you tell us what you mean by this?' [19] say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph---which is in Ephraim's hand---and of the Israelite tribes associated with him, and join it to Judah's stick. I will make them into a single stick of wood, and they will become one in my hand.' [20] Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on

** In 70 AD, Jerusalem was conquered by the armies of Rome led by Titus in a brutal five-month battle.

In 132 AD, the Jews bravely took back Jerusalem. But in 135 AD, the Jews were defeated again and Abraham's offspring were scattered around the world for some 1800 years.

In 1948, motivated by the Jewish deaths in the German gas chambers during World War II, the Jews took back the land that God had promised them...except the most important piece of land, the Temple Mount on Mount Moriah, which would not be regained until 1967. <P168>

Ezekiel 37:21 NIV

** Israel’s rebirth in 1948 is a remarkable demonstration of the veracity of God’s promises to the Jewish people regarding their homeland <H90>

• Through its reestablishment, the world witnessed the first of several prophetic promises beginning to be fulfilled

• Among these were God’s declaration to regather His people back into their own land to create a single unified nation (Ezek 37:21-22)

• Israel's rebirth occurring in a single day (Isah 66:8), and

• Israel’s regathering in a state of unbelief (Zeph 2:1-2, Ezek 22:17-22)

• True to His word, the restoration of the geographic land to the people of Israel demonstrates a divine work that only God could accomplish

Ezekiel 37:21-22 NIV

** The current corruption in Israel should be no surprise because the entire world is under the influence of Satan; yet God will gather His people in unbelief, revealing and cleansing them of their sin in the final days <K110>

Ezekiel 37:21-23 NIV

[21] and say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. [22] I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms. [23] They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.

** God has preserved the Jewish people for these thousands of years for end times purposes — what other people have been scattered over the earth for millennia and kept their culture?

The Jewish temple has been at the center of history throughout the Old & New Testaments; building the 3rd temple is top of the priority list in Israel and will be needed to fulfill events in end time prophecy

Currently, Jews do not control the Temple Mount and many pray ‘toward it’ but not at it; no doubt, allowing the Jews to regain control of the Temple Mount will be part of the enticing deal the Antichrist will include in the final ‘peace deal’ <P1692>

Ezekiel 37:22-23,26-28 NIV

[22] I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms. [23] They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God. [26] I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. [27] My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. [28] Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever. ' ”

Ezekiel 43:4-7 NIV

[4] The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east. [5] Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. [6] While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple. [7] He said: “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever. The people of Israel will never again defile my holy name---neither they nor their kings---by their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings at their death.

** Ezekiel prophesied for about 22 years, between 593 to 571 BC. He was making those prophecies about 565 years or so before Christ was born. (Historical calculations indicate that Jesus was born about the year 6 BC) It was when Babylon took them captive and they were a long time in bondage to them, going from Babylon to Roman control.

Ezekiel speaks in the past tense, but he is writing these things prior to their happening. It was in 70 A.D. that the Romans destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the temple, “not leaving one stone upon another,” as Jesus said in Matthew 24:1-2.

It took the Romans 65 years to empty the city of the Jewish people. Then, the land lay in desolation for 1,800 years until about 1870, when nomadic Jews began to drift back into the area. Thus, God saved the land for Israel’s restoration, which was finally legalized on May 14, 1948.

From 70 A.D. to 1870 A.D., about 1,800 years, the land was empty of any permanent habitation. The Turks, when the land was under the control of the Ottoman Empire, tried to homestead it for 300 years, then gave up and went home. Why? Very little annual rainfall.

When Mark Twain visited that area in 1853, he wrote that it was “the most desolate place on earth.” So God was saving that land for the return of the Jews, as He had promised centuries earlier.

Nomadic Jews began to drift back into the land in about 1870, and surprisingly—yes—the annual rainfall began to increase! During the First World War, when fighting was going on in the Middle East, Jews gave the British valuable assistance, and they, in turn, responded with the Balfour Declaration that set aside the land of Palestine as the homeland of the Jews. It had come under British control, away from the Ottoman Empire during the war. <L127>

Ezekiel 37:24-28 NIV

[24] “ 'My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees. [25] They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their children's children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever. [26] I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. [27] My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. [28] Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever. ' ”

** David was a shepherd and the son of a shepherd; the Bible refers to him as the shepherd king of Israel <L120>

2 Samuel 5:1-2 NIV

[1] All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. [2] In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler. ' ”

1 Chronicles 11:1-2 NIV

[1] All Israel came together to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. [2] In the past, even while Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord your God said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler. ' ”

Ezekiel 37:24 NIV

[24] “ 'My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees.

** God promised through the prophet Ezekiel that David will be resurrected (along with other Old Testament saints) and co-heir with Christ in the Millennial kingdom

God ensured the Jews

• Would return to their land

• The yoke of slavery would be removed, and

• Their fellowship with God would be restored <G72>

Ezekiel 37:24 NIV

[24] “ 'My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees.

** “Branch” is a name for the Messiah

Ezekiel 17:22-23 NIV

[22] “ 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. [23] On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.

Ezekiel 34:23-24 NIV

[23] I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. [24] I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.

Ezekiel 37:24-25 NIV

Isaiah 4:2 NIV

[2] In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel.

Jeremiah 23:5 NIV

[5] “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.

Zechariah 3:8 NIV

[8] “ 'Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch.

Zechariah 6:12 NIV

[12] Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord.

** God said that the Israelites would return to their Promised Land and they would never be put off again; this is happening at an increasing rate after their diaspora for over 1900 years <D41> (Jun 2024)

Amos 9:15 NIV

[15] I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God.

Jeremiah 30:11 NIV

[11] I am with you and will save you,' declares the Lord. 'Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.'

Jeremiah 46:28 NIV

[28] Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant, for I am with you,” declares the Lord. “Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.”

Ezekiel 37:25 NIV

[25] They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their children's children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever.

Psalm 89:29-37 NIV

[29] I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure. [30] “If his sons forsake my law and do not follow my statutes, [31] if they violate my decrees and fail to keep my commands, [32] I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging; [33] but I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness. [34] I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered. [35] Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness---and I will not lie to David--- [36] that his line will continue forever and his throne endure before me like the sun; [37] it will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky.”

** God’s ultimate purpose as He moves among us is that we shift our focus and bring glory to Him alone; we also benefit, experiencing peace that passes understanding and sanctuary in God

Ezekiel 37:26-28 NIV

[26] I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. [27] My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. [28] Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever. ’ ”

Ezek 37.

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