July 18, 2010
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Ezekiel 37 – Dry Bones by Pastor Don Moore
This is a Bible study taught on June 11, 2010.
Ezekiel 37 is a vision of Israel through God’s eyes in the Last Days. Dry Bones.
I am putting verses 1-10 up for your reference, we were familiar with the Dry Bones, so we moved straight to verse 11 in our class discussion. I had missed a Friday Bible study because of driving my daughter to check out colleges so she could decide between the ones that chose her. She ultimately picked University of Richmond, but not until she had seen all of the benefits of each college. So there are a few weeks here and there where my notes skip – it was college tours.
Ezekiel 37:1-10 The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.” Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.”’” So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”’” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
Ezekiel 37:11 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’
The dry bones are the whole house of Israel. This is a prophetic window. Ezekiel is giving encouragement to the exiles, letting them know that they will be returning to their land, but things are bleak for the nation of Israel right now because of their disobedience. When Jesus comes there will be a gathering of all who have not heard the truth of Christ, that messed the total message. The dry bones are dry because of lack of water – and water is the Word. The Gentiles failed to share the love of Jesus with the Jews and allowed ostracism of the Jews to occur. There sadly was persecution of the Jews by Christians which did not help the spread of the love of Jesus.
Ezekiel 37:12-13 Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I amthe LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.
God will open graves. There is a future, a hope that will be fulfilled.
Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
Ezekiel 37:14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it,” says the LORD.’”
This verse has not been fulfilled yet, but will be, and we are seeing more and more Jews returning to the land.
Ezekiel 37:15-17 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.
Judah – the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and Ephraim are engrafted into one nation again. We are part of this for we are engrafted through the tribe of Judah because of Jesus. Judah means praise and in the last 50 years God has returned praise to the sanctuaries of the Gentiles.
Hosea 6:1 Come, and let us return to the LORD; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up.
In the last days there will be a return to God.
Hosea 6:2 After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight.
Two days revive us, on the third day he raises us up. Third day, going to Heaven or the Rapture.
Pastor Don did research on every scripture that mentions the third day, and says that it all relates to the Rapture, from Genesis to Revelation.
Pastor Don said that every Jew is not truly a Jew, for many do not have circumcised hearts.
Acts 10:35-39 But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all— that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree.
When we fear God (love Him with awe and respect) we will do right from love of God. Lots of people do not behave like you and me.
There will be 144,000 Jewish evangelists to go and evangelize the world. This will not come until we have done our job.
We tend to think in our definitions, but God does exactly what He says. When He told Adam and Eve that in the day they ate of the fruit they would die – it was not one day in an earthly clock, but rather to God a day is as 1000 years.
2 Peter 3:8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
Psalm 90:4 For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night.
God’s day is different. After the rebellion of the people on earth, God shortened lifespan to 70 or 80 years.
Ps 90:10 The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
The people in Adam’s day never lived beyond 1000 years, the oldest was Methuselah who lived 969 years, others died at younger ages.
First God reduced the age from less than 1000 years to 120 years. Genesis 6:3 And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
Pastor Don pointed out that 50 years is a Jubilee, and if you take 120 and multiply it by 50 you get 6,000 years, the period of man. We are now coming into the last days.
Hosea 6:2 After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight.
This is a rapture verse.
We are in the 7th day. There are seven angels, seven candlesticks, seven days of the week. Seven is God’s perfect number. After God finished creation on the seventh day He rested.
Day One: Noah & the Flood – End of Adam – Noah built the Ark – righteousness by work
Day Two: Abraham – Abraham achieved righteousness by faith, not by works.Enoch walked with God and was no more, there were no commandments at the time of Abraham. When Cain gave the bad offering, God told him to do well, and it would go well with him, but he chose to do evil. When asked about killing Abel, Cain answered, “Am I my brother’s keeper.” The earth was crying out with Abel’s blood. There needed to be a revival in the Land, that came from Abraham.
Day Three: MOSES – the law was given to the people. This gave man the chance to attain righteousness through the law, but we are not able to do that, for in our own power we are not able to attain righteousness. God was raising mankind, to begin to restore him to the place that was lost through Adam and Eve.
We have righteousness by Work, righteousness by faith, righteousness by obeying the law. Faith without works is dead. And we are unable to keep the Law in our own power or by our own work. The Law was given to us to show us our need for a Savior. Until that time Moses built the Ark and we met God at the Mercy seat, and the Mercy of God covers sin. But it cannot eradicate sin. Elijah came really close, but for the most part man made sacrifices to cover sin, but could not rid himself of sin.
We needed Day Four – JESUS, EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US. Who opened up the way of SALVATION BY THE GRACE OF GOD. – a new revival. We could not achieve salvation by works, by faith or by the Law. Jesus made the Law simple – LOVE GOD and LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.
Jesus made it possible to ONLY CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD AND YOU SHALL BE SAVED. We mess up, but God gave us a way to come to Him.
Day Five and Six are the Church age,
Sometime after that, in God’s Timing will be the rapture of the Church and the Tribulation.
Day 7 will be RESTING WITH GOD
We are in the sixth day, the 6000 years of mankind, but according to all that Jesus prophesied, we are coming closer to the End days.
Jesus gave the parable of the servants who were sleeping. Many in the Church today are asleep, unaware of the times, and only a handful are awake and aware. The Holy Spirit (since Pentecost in the Upper Room) has been with us 2000 years. We won’t have any more revivals. God has provided EVERY possible way to get to Him. If you have faith you can know God. If you are able to keep the Law you can know God. The Holy Spirit helps us to know God.
God promises that in the end days He will be in our hearts, and we won’t be able to say, “The God of the Bible.” For we will know Him. God is making Himself known to people in obscure places, where no one has been able to travel to share the Gospel. Sometimes missionaries have gone to these obscure places and the people recognize the Jesus they teach is the one who had already shown Himself to them.
God is concerned for every man, and wants all to have the opportunity to either accept or reject Him – He wants none to be lost, but if a person willingly chooses to reject God, He will honor that and not force Himself into their lives.
The salvation of the heart is truth, for we know Him in our hearts.
Hosea 6:3 Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth.
The latter and the former rain.
Hosea 6:4 O Ephraim, what shall I do to you? O Judah, what shall I do to you? For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, and like the early dew it goes away.
Jews and Gentiles – one new man.
Hosea 6:5-6 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of My mouth; and your judgments are like light that goes forth. For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
God wants mercy and not sacrifice, and wants knowledge of Him more than offerings.
Hosea 6:10-11 I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the harlotry of Ephraim; Israel is defiled. Also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed for you, when I return the captives of My people.
The Jews have returned back to Israel, the Gentiles and Jews are one new man. The former and the latter rain.
Ezekiel 37:16-17 “As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.
Judah and Israel (dry bones) and God will restore them. The Gentiles and Israel will be joined together as one new man. In the last days the Messianic Jews are in agreement with Christians. Revelation 5:11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, This is from many nations, tribes, cultures, etc.
Ezekiel 37:21-22 Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.
David will be king over us forever, he will rule and reign under Christ. Jesus is the King over the whole planet. Jesus will sit on David’s throne. There will be kings over areas, kings over kingdoms, but Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
We pray that all of scripture will be fulfilled.
Jerusalem is facing major challenges. Iran is rapidly approaching full nuclear power and would gladly destroy Israel. Five years ago our country prevented Israel from taking down Iranian nuclear plants, and because of that Iran is closer to nuclear power than ever before.
Israel is not yet the way God wants it to be, for much of Israel is secular, into idolatry and sex and drugs. They are not living the life that God desired for their best. God cannot intervene until the words of the prophet are fulfilled.
Psalm 118:25-25 Save now, I pray, O LORD; O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
Luke 13:3 5ee! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’”
When Jerusalem cries out to God in these End Times, God will come and deliver His Bride.
We keep praying, “Come, Lord Jesus.” But in order for that to happen things are going to get bad on the earth. There will be lawlessness, blood in the streets, and chaos all over the world.
We need to be asking God to give us the strength to deal with what is going on and for us to prosper so that we can help the kingdom.
Pastor Don pointed out that some people get upset with the idea of God’s Judgment, but he asked us to consider that if we had roaches or rats in our house, wouldn’t we seek an exterminator. God is judging to protect His children from enemies that would hurt and destroy them.
I pray your day is blessed.
Heather
