Ezek. 37:1-14 -- 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. 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.
He asked me, "Son of man, can these dry bones
live?"
I said, "O Sovereign Lord, you alone know."
Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and
say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord
says to these bones:
I will make breath enter you, and you will come to
life. 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.' "
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. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but
there was no breath in them.
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.'
So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath
entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet -- a vast army.
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.'
Therefore prophesy and say to them: '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. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your
graves and bring you up from them.
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.' "
Vss. 4-6 -- Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say
to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!... I will make breath enter you, and
you will come to life. 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.
I believe the emphasis on these bones being dry is to stress that no living cells from
these bodies are used in their new recreated bodies. Their newly recreated bodies
will be perfect. No bodily deformities or missing parts. You will see why when
you see what happens to them.
Vss. 9,10 -- 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.'
"
So I prophesied as he commanded
me, and breath entered them. They came to life and stood up on their feet --
a vast army.
These bones represent a vast army that represented "the whole house of
Israel." That means the twelve tribes, not just Judah and Benjamin which
represents the Israelites in the land of Israel at this time.
When could such a vast army that represented all twelve tribes have been slaughtered at
one time and important enough to merit an entire chapter of this prophetic book and not be
mentioned anywhere else in Scripture? Consider the following:
Rev. 7:1-8 -- After this I saw four angels standing
at the four corners of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the
sea or on any tree.
Then I saw another angel coming up from the
east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four
angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: "Do
not harm the land or
the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our
God."
Then I heard the number of those who had been sealed:
144,000 from all the tribes of Israel. [The whole house of Israel]
Vss. 5-8 -- From the
tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, --
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000
from the tribe of Gad 12,000
from the tribe of Asher 12,000
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000
from the tribe of Manassah 12,000
from the tribe of Simeon 12,000
from the tribe of Levi 12,000
from the tribe of Issacher 12,000
from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000
from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000
No question about it, this could represent a vast army that precisely represents the
twelve tribes of Israel. This army that is to be selected and sealed is to originate
by God's selective process immediately prior to loosening the four winds of strife that
introduces the Great Tribulation which is still future.
Ezek. 37:10 -- So I prophesied as he commanded me, And
breath entered them, they came to life and stood up on their feet -- a vast army.
[Notice the witnesses in the Book of Revelation:]
Rev. 11:7 -- Now when they have finished their testimony,
[1260 days of prophesying] the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and
overpower and kill them...
This is where this vast army is killed in one battle and it is still awaiting
fulfillment.
Rev. 11:11 -- But after the three and a half days a breath
of life from God entered them and they stood on their feet, and terror struck thosewho saw
them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them,"Come up
here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud while their enemies looked on.
This is the only place where members of all Israel's tribes are represented as being
slain in one battle and to be resurrected as a vast army -- 144,000 to be exact;
and the battle, death and resurrection is clearly described; but is still future.
The second half of this chapter 37 of Ezekiel is a continuing prophecy which is
intimately associated with the resurrection of the dry bones of the first half.
Ezek. 37:15-17 -- The word of the Lord came to me:
"Son of man, take a stick of wood and write on it, 'Belonging to Judah and the
Israelites
associated with him.' [Benjamin and Judah]
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.'
Join them together into one stick so that they will
become one in your hand. [This applies to the ten lost tribes]
Vss. 18,19 -- "When your
countrymen ask you, 'won't you tell us what you mean by this?' 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.'
"
This is a prophecy from God through His servant Ezekiel about 600 years before Christ
and is referring to an event in the far distant future. How distant in the future
and just how God would accomplish this Ezekiel did not inform us.
John, in his prophetic book of Revelation reveals Christ holding these same
representatives that would unite all the tribes of Israel, all twelve of them; in His
hand. This would be revealed to John about 60 years after the Crucifixion, but still
pointing forward to the same far distant event.
Rev. 1:12 -- I turned around to see the voice that was
speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,
Vs. 13 -- And among the lamp-
stands was someone like a son of man...
Vs. 16 -- In his right hand he
held seven stars, and out of his mouth, came a sharp double-edged sword...
Vss. 19,20 -- "Write
therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. The
mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden
lampstands is this:
The seven stars are the angels (footnote: or
messengers) of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."
Just as God holds two sticks in his hand to illustrate Him bringing together the twelve
tribes of Israel to be reunited, and a nation that will forever remain one
nation; just as surely, the seven stars in His hand is revealing the same messengers
which will represent a reconstruction of "the whole house of Israel."
These are the 144,000Israelites from a Gentile background and who are committed followers
of Christ.
The discussion of the time and circumstances of this event actually taking place is
also revealed to us in John's book of Revelation: Rev.7:1-8 which we have pointed out
earlier in the study, but worth going back and re-reading it because it represents the
culmination of this prophecy being enacted by God and that it is to take place at the
beginning of the Great Tribulation. It occurs immediately before the four winds are
released to initiate this catastrophic event.
This is exactly what God is doing when He has the angel place His seal on the foreheads
of His chosen to represent these twelve tribes of the house of Israel. These 144,000
positions are, by default, selected from the pool of born again Christians without regard
to nationality. They were to be chosen from the literal Israelites but the time
these will be chosen, the Israelites as a nation will be strongly anti-Christian.
They will consider it an insult to suggest otherwise.
Vss. 21,22 -- 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.
"I will make them one nation in the land, on the
mountains of Israel. There will be one king over them and they will never again be
two nations or divided into two kingdoms...
Vss. 25-28 -- "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.
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. My dwelling place will be with them; I
will be their God, and they will be my people.
Then the nations will know that I the Lord make
Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever."
Now we can see more easily that all these events in this chapter are written about the
events that immediately precede Christ's second coming and the Millennial Kingdom that He
ushers in.
God has promised to raise up David to be their Prince during this Millennial Kingdom.
Jeremiah describes the Israelites being trampled and brutalized during their 42
months of punishment in Jerusalem -- the punishment that comes to an end at
Christ's second coming when He destroys their oppressors.
Jer. 30:9 -- "In that day," declares the Lord
Almighty, "I will break the yoke off their necks and will tear off their bonds; no
longer will foreigners enslave them. Instead, they will serve the Lord their God and
David their king, whom I will raise up for them."
This vast army that is resurrected from the dead is clearly identified further in
Revelation 20.
Rev. 20:4-6 -- ...and I saw the souls of those who had been
beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the Word of God. [They
had been slain after they had finished their testimony]
They had not worshipped the beast or his image and
had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands.
They came to life [when a breath of life from God
entered them] and reigned with Christ a thousand years."
Vs. 5 -- The rest of the dead
did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first
resurrection.
Vs. 6 -- Blessed and holy are
those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over
them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand
years.
What we were witnessing taking place with the valley of dry bones, which represented
the whole house of Israel, was the first resurrection.
This vast army that was resurrected in Ezekiel's description could not have happened
prior to the resurrection presented here in Revelation, because then the beheaded souls
listed that had survived the Great Tribulation would have to be called the second
resurrection.
We know that is impossible because after this resurrection in Revelation it
emphatically states that the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years
were ended.
This brings us to the only possible conclusion-that these two descriptions of this vast
army being resurrected are speaking of the same event. [All material enclosed within
brackets is supplied]
When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead he had been dead for three days and had already
begun to show signs of decomposing -- he was smelling of death. When Jesus
raised him from the dead, Lazarus was raised in the same body in which he died though he
must have been healed from whatever ailment that caused his demise.
These martyrs that will be slain, which represent the whole house of Israel, --
all twelve tribes, will be also dead for approximately the same amount of time --
three and a half days.
The reason their bones will be very dry is because their bodies will be reconstructed
with immortal bodies. Their bodies will be made "heaven safe" to associate
with the Godhead, and the holy angels. It also reveals that they will not just be a
spirit body but one with bones, tendons, flesh and skin.
Ezek. 37:5,6 -- This is what the Sovereign Lord says to
these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will
attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin.
Rev. 20:5,6 -- ..."And I saw the souls of those who
had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the Word of God.
They had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on
their foreheads or their hands. [They have lived and witnessed for God during the
rule of the Antichrist.]
They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. The rest of the dead
did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first
resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first
resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of
God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years."
If the second death, which is the permanent death, has no power over them --
then this is the time that their mortal bodies give way to immortal bodies.
1 Cor. 15:42,43 -- So will it
be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is
raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in
weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
Vss. 52,53 -- ... For
the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
For the perishable must clothe itself with the
imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
Is it not easier now to see how that vast army of slain prophet witnesses, that
represented the whole house of Israel, had to be reconstructed from the very dry bone
stage in order to replace the sin damaged tissues that they were martyred in? This
being necessary to prepare them for their vacation in heaven which is scheduled for the
time the seven last plagues will be poured out on the earth, and for the eternal life that
follows.
I believe a second reason that these bodies will be reduced to the very dry bone stage
before their recreation and resurrection is the following: These dry bones are
probably symbolic as God could just as easily create a normal person into an immortal one,
with a total exchange of weakened, sin damaged flesh for the perfect immortal flesh,
instantly. The dry bones were to let us know that all previous living tissue in
these bodies had ceased to exist and the remaining lifeless bones were to tie these newly
recreated, represented in each case to the one who had previously been martyred.
Let us see how these dry bones are further identified with the 144,000. The first
point we need to realize is that Israel is another name given to Christ by His
Father. Remember Daniel in his prayer to God, to petition Him to restore His exiles
in Babylon to their homeland.
Daniel 9:19 -- "O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord,
hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: For thy city and thy people are
called by thy name."
The people that Daniel was praying for were the Israelites; followers of Israel.
The God whose name they were called by.
Hosea 11:1 -- "When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son." [Jacob was given the name of Israel after he
wrestled with God.]
Gen. 32:26-28 -- "Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is
daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless
me."
The man asked him, "What is your name?"
"Jacob, " he answered.
Vs. 28 -- Then the man said,
"Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God
and with men and have overcome."
But Jacob can not be the Israel that Hosea is speaking of because he wasnever in Egypt
as a child. He went there as an old man and died there.
Matt. 2:14,15 -- "So he got up, took the child (Jesus)
and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of
Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet:
"Out of Egypt I called my son."
This should leave no doubt that "when Israel was a child" can only be
speaking of Christ when a child.
Now back to the 144,000. Remember that they were martyred by the beastfrom the
abyss and after three and a half days were resurrected and called up to heaven.
(Rev. 11:7-12) Then we have their family description standing by the Lamb on Mt.
Zion in heaven.
Rev. 14:1 -- Then I looked, and there before me was the
Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name
written on their foreheads. [Would it be any stretch to state that this name would
be Israel? I believe not.]
God gives us a strong clue by reinforcing this with a prophecy He gave Isaiah in
describing the inhabitants of the Millennial Kingdom immediately following Christ's second
coming. We know that all will be composed of born again Christians, but He places
them in three different background classifications.
Isaiah 44:1-5 -- But now listen, O Jacob, my servant,
Israel, whom I have chosen. Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I
have chosen.
[Israel -- His name that His people are called by -- The
Israelites. Jeshurun -- His name that His city is called by --
Jerusalem.]
Vss. 3,4 -- "For
I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my
Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They will spring up
like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams."
Vs. 5 -- "One will say, 'I
belong to the Lord;' another will call himself by the name of Jacob; still another will
write on his hand, 'The Lord's,' and will take the name of Israel."
(1.) One will say, 'I belong to the Lord.'
Since these three categories cover all of the redeemed in the Millennial Kingdom this
has to be referring to the Gentile Christians. To be "born again
Christians" is a requirement for all these three categories.
(2.) another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
These represent the surviving Israelites in Jerusalem, and the exiled remnant who are
being brutalized in the nations of the evil One World Order. These are all set free
by Christ at His second coming at the Battle of Armageddon. This also could apply to
any born again Christian of literal Israelite lineage.
(3.) still another will write on his hand,
'The Lord's,' and will take the name Israel.
He receives the name Israel when he is selected and sealed immediately prior to the
Great Tribulation. This is because he is not an Israelite by birth or he would
already have the name of Israel. He receives the name of Israel on his forehead when
he is created as a literal Israelite by God at the time of his resurrection. This is
Christ's name that John saw on his forehead in this heavenly family portrait. (Rev.
14:1)
Remember that the 144,000 represent the firstfruits of this earth's harvest. At
the time of their selection by God, Israelite descendants of Jacob will be in a deep state
of apostasy, as a nation, in their relationship to Christ. To fulfill the promise
God made to Abraham, his descendants will receive salvation and inheritance to their
homeland as a group. This group is the remnant survivors of the Israelites in the
land of Israel where their country is attacked and destroyed by the Antichrist and his
multinational armies.
If Israel's population at the present time is approximately 5,400,000 people, then
3,600,000 will be struck down and perish, and 1,800,000 will survive and undergo
unspeakable abuse (trampling, raping etc.) for 1260 days. Fifty percent of these, or
900,000 will remain in Jerusalem in dungeons, concentration camps etc. and the other fifty
percent will be exiled into the nations of their enemies where they will be subject
to the same abuse.
The major time the 144,000 will be witnessing the gospel to the whole earth will
be during this period of trampling (punishment) that has been prophesied for them in all
these prophetic books.
Luke 21:20-22 -- "When you see Jerusalem being
surrounded by armies, (the multinational armies of the Antichrist) you will know that its
destruction is near.
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.
For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of
all that has been written."...
Vs. 24 -- Jerusalem will be
trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. [a time,
times and half a time -- 1260 days -- 42 months -- 3 1/2 years]
Why would God choose 144,000 "choice grain" of His harvest, from the
Israelites, to preach the everlasting gospel to every inhabitant on the earth when these
remnant surviving descendants of Jacob will be enemies of the gospel? The simple
answer is, He doesn't. To each of these chosen ones He gives His name and places it
on their forehead, and the name He gives them is Israel; just as He gave that name to
Jacob.
This great harvest that culminates in Christ's second Coming will be 99+% gathered from
Gentile background all into one body. They will all be Israelites, not only as
descendants of Jacob, but those who are in Christ are heirs according to the promise.
Gal. 3:29 -- If you belong to Christ, then you are
Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
[Spiritual Israelites -- grafted in]
Also, all those who have been selected as firstfruits to represent Christ
throughout eternity will have His name "branded" on their foreheads; and
that name is Israel. It will all be one happy family unified and located in the land
of Israel where Christ will be their King and David will be their Prince, during the
Millennial Kingdom which Christ will usher in at His Second Coming.
It is of interest to note the book of Ezekiel which so well describes the events that
are to take place during this final day of the Lord.
From chapters 25-35 are presented all those nations that were neighbors of Israel and
how they were so malicious in their behavior with the Israelites, and God's plans to
settle accounts with them at the time of His second coming.
Chapter 36 is undoubtedly the best chapter in the Bible to give the picture of how God
plans to bring conversion to the remnant Israelites and to restore them to their previous
favored nation status. It will not be on the basis of their worthiness but due to
His promise that He made to Abraham. We know this can't take place until the last
Gentile has been called in, which can only be when the 144,000 are martyred and their
witnessing to the Gentile world has come to an end.
The 37th chapter takes up how God is going to bring about this unification of the
Israelites into one nation with one King (Christ) and one Prince (David). This is
brought out through the martyrdom of the 144,000 and their resurrection and rapturing to
heaven three and a half days later. This "dry bones" prophecy is the
fulfillment of this unification process.
The 38th and 39th chapters are by far the best single description of the Battle of
Armageddon with description of the participants and the events that follow. This all
happens at the time of Christ's second coming, which is followed by Christ's Millennial
Kingdom which He sets up immediately thereafter.
Chapters 40-44 give minute descriptions of the Temple that is to be built for Christ to
reign from and how it is all set up.
Chapters 45 and 46 describe the division of the land among the twelve tribes and the
services to be performed in the temple.
Chapter 47 describes the river of life which flows from this temple -- several
miles in width with trees of life on each bank of the river.
Ezek. 47:12 -- Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks
of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every
month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their
fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.
Chapter 48 goes into more details of the division of the land and the second half of
this chapter deals with the gates of the city of Jerusalem.
All these chapters fit very tight and sequentially in this time frame during this 1335
days of the time of the end. Isn't this evident that these dry bones can only fit
this time frame, and meets the requirements for the fulfillment of this prophecy --
the martyrdom and resurrection of the 144,000 servant prophets and their being raptured to
heaven on day 1260 of this 1335 day time frame?