Author:
Hillbilly
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Date Posted: 18:28:57 05/16/10 Sun
Although we have concluded the seven resurrections of the dead we still have one more resurrection in type to look at. In the Book of Ezekiel we have a remarkable prophecy which many have taken to be a literal resurrection of dead Israelites. As we examine this chapter I think we will see something entirely different.
Ezekiel 37:1-28 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, 2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. 3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. 4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. 8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. 9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. 11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. 12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, 14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD. 15 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: 17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. 18 And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these? 19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. 20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. 21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: 22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: 23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. 24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. 25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. 26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. 27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 28 And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.
The chapter is divided into two parts. The first part is a vision which God gives to Ezekiel of a valley full of dead and dried bones . This first part runs through verse 14. The second part starts with verse 15 and is a prophecy of the restoration of Israel into their own land as a single nation with David as their King. Essentially the vision is of a 2 part event in the history of Israel. The event is future to Ezekiel and is in progress today.
Taking the first 10 verses without the rest of the chapter we could surely say that yes this is a physical resurrection of Israel's slain but when God explains to Ezekiel what he is witnessing we see something entirely different. Beginning in verse 11 we see that the dead are not in the land of Israel but they will be brought into the land. How is it that none are in the land of Israel?
Notice the wording of verses 11 and 12 carefully: Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. 12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. These "dried bones" are outside the land of Israel and "they say" their hope is lost. We must realize we are being treated to a vision in which Israel is being portrayed as being dead and in a valley. Their flesh is consumed away and nothing but bones is left of Israel. This shows they have been in this state for a while. There is no putrefying flesh. It has disappeared a long time ago leaving only the skeletal remains. God had destroyed Israel as a nation when first Syraia carried the ten norther tribes and then Babylon carried Judah into captivity. Under Cryus Israel was allowed to return and rebuild. From the Babylonian captivity to the era of the Roman conquest Israel had not been in control of their own nation. In 70 A.D. the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and Israel was cut off and scattered until they started regathering in the 20th century. For nearly 2,000 years Israel was scattered throughout the world and as a nation and unified people did not exist. Another clue as to this being a allegorical resurrection is verse 12 twher the bones are said to be in graves and not in an open valley as was the case in verses 1 and 2. This is clearly a vision using metaphor to show that God has buried Israel as a nation outside the land of Israel but will resurrect them as a nation at the appointed time. The Jews or chosen people were visible throughout the world but did not exist as a nation or unified people.
What Ezekiel then is being shown is the revival of Israel as a nation and God's Word to them is in verse 14: "And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD."
Israel as a nation had no national hope. They were so scattered and beaten down through the ages that no one apart from a Bible believer could have imagined the resurrection of the nation of Israel. The Zionist movement, which started in the late 19th century was the first breath of God across the "dried bones of Israel" to fulfill His promise to Israel and Abraham. While the Jews might have been "dried and our hope is lost" (vs. 11) God had not forgotten His promise to them. As the glory of God departed from the Temple and all of Israel in Ezekiel chapters 10 and 11 He gave this promise to Ezekiel: Ezekiel 11:16-17 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. 17 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. The promise to them in Eze. 11:13 is that God will not make a full end to them.
The 2nd part of Chapter 37 in Ezekiel concerning their "resurrection" as a nation is that when they come back into their own land they will come back as one nation and not two. The nation of Israel was divided into two parts because of their sin. Ten tribes comprised Israel and two, Judah and Benjamine, comprised Judah. When the ten northern tribes of Israel went into captivity Judah and Benjamine remained until God gave them into captivity to Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon for 70 years.
All twelve tribes are to be brought back into the land of Israel and are to be one nation from then on. This is the thrust of verse 16 and 17: " Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: 17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand."
The prophecies of Ezekiel 37 have been partially fulfilled this day. In 1948 the Nation of Israel was reborn and it is made up of Jews of all tribes. It is one nation. It will never more be divided, as far as it's people, into two nations. (vs. 22) Verses 23 through verse 28 show that the prophecy is still yet to be fulfilled in it's entirety. Israel is still full of sin and "David" is not at present their king. (vss. 24-25). This will take place in the millennium and finalize the "resurrection" of a nation that had "died" to God through disobedience and idol worship.
Because of God's promise to Abraham so long ago God could never completely do away with this nation nor it's people. God always keeps His promises. Israel may have died to God but just as all people are resurrected this little nation has also come back to life. They have the flesh upon their bones but they are waiting for the "wind" to blow upon them. Then they truly will be alive and in perfect favor and harmony with God.
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