The Prophecy - The Restoration Of The Nation Of Israel |
Old Testament Prophecy |
Ezekiel 37:1-281) The hand of the LORD was upon 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, "O 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 from the four winds, O breath, 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 whole house 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: O 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.'" 15) The word of the LORD came to me: 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, 'Ephraim's stick, belonging to Joseph and all the house of Israel associated with him.' 17) Join them together into one stick so that they will become one in your hand. 18) "When your countrymen 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, making them a single stick of wood, and they will become one in my hand.' 20) Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on 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." 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 fathers 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.'" |
New Testament Fulfillment |
| The fulfillment of this prophecy is ongoing. Israel became a nation again in 1948 and continues to re-gather. |
This is a promise from God to regather, revive, restore and save the Nation of Israel. In the end Israel will be ruled by the King of all Kings, Messiah. This prophecy is often referred to as The Valley Of Dry Bones.
The fulfillment of this prophecy is ongoing. National Israel is currently being regathered from the four corners of the world to begin the first half of this dry bones prophecy. Since 1948, Israel (the Dry Bones in this prophecy) has been in the process of being put back together (as a nation). Although the amount of Jews still being regathered to Israel is growing almost daily, this part of the prophecy is considered fulfilled (or at least partially fulfilled) due to United Nations recognition of Israel as it's own nation in it's own land.
Still to come: In Ezekiel's prophecy it is important to note that first Israel is regathered or put back together but yet still without life. Then God puts His Spirit in them and they become alive. There still is no (Spiritual) life in the nation, or in Ezekiel's words "there was no breath in them" (Ch. 37: Verse 8). For the most part this is Israel's current state of being. An exception to this would be the Messianic Jews. God has allowed this fast growing group (sometimes referred to as The Jewish Remnant) to know the truth about Messiah before the nation as a whole realizes this truth. The majority of Israel is currently considered secular in religious practice with those choosing to embrace Orthodox Judaism being a minority.
There are other events that play an important role in knowing when God will bring Israel back to spiritual life or "put His Spirit in them so they can live (eternal salvation)." Of course God's Spirit is Holy so this verse refers to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Some of these events are:
The dead will come back to life. For more on the talmudic perspective please read Talmud Dry Bones.
For a more in depth look at the meaning of this prophecy please read The Regathering Of Israel.
| Restoration Stages Of Israel in Ezekiel 37 (by Tim Lahaye) | |
Scattered bones |
Israel in dispersion |
Sinews connected to bones |
Pre-1948 gathering |
Flesh on bone |
Israel becomes a nation (present status) |
Skin covers the body |
Israel during the Tribulation |
Breath in body |
Israel after national conversion |
Shir Hashirim Rabbah (7:14) teaches that Ezekiel's vision and the three men getting thrown into the furnace from the book of Daniel occurred at the same time which was on Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement). (ArtScroll Ezekiel p.565).
V:1 There are two points of view in the Talmud as to whether this prophecy is a parable or whether the bones in the valley actually came to life (Sanhedrin 92b). In either case, it is understood by the commentators as a source of hope for Israel in its exile and as a reinforcement of the principle that the dead will come to life again in Messianic times:(1)
The Talmud recognizes that the bones may be the people who denied the doctrine of "the ultimate resurrection of the dead."
V:3 When we look through our own eyes we can only see the dry bones. When we look through eyes of faith, we can see these bones live.(2)
V:6 Then you will know that I am the LORD. (This is one of the passion verses behind Jews for Jesus and Jewish evangelism).
V:19 When Israel became a nation in 1948 they chose as a name Israel instead of Judah. When the Messianic era finally arrives, Israel will be a completely unified nation again. The Messiah will know who is from which tribe.
Other links of interest include:
John MacArthur Study Bible.
1). ArtScroll Stone Edition Tanach p.1295.
2). Jews for Jesus.
