Resurrection of dry bones

Ezekiel 37

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

• God promises to give life to the very dry bones that are piled up in the valley.
  • A valley full of very dry bones.
  • “Can these bones live?”
  • God promises to cause life-giving breath to enter the bones.
  • God promises to connect the bones, bring muscle onto the bones, and cover with skin.
• Prophesy spoken and fulfilled concerning the revival of dry bones.
  • Bones rattle and come together bone to bone.
  • Bones are connected and given muscle and flesh.
  • Breath comes from the four wings to give life to the bones.
• House of Israel lost hope in the valley of dry bones but would see that God is Lord.
  • House of Israel lost hope in the valley of dry bones.
  • House of Israel is revived when brought to the land of Israel in 1948.
  • House of Israel knew that God was Lord when they were revived.
  • House of Israel was to receive God’s Spirit when they came to their own land.
• Parable of the two sticks becoming one.
  • A stick for Judah and a stick for Ephraim, and their companions, the children of Israel.
  • The sticks become one in the hand of the Prophet.
  • The parable of the sticks explained.
  • The sticks are in the hand of the Prophet for all to see.
• Children of God are one nation through Jesus Christ.
  • Children of God gathered together from every side and made one nation.
  • Children of God are cleansed, sanctified, purified.
  • Children of God are delivered from the residence of sin.
  • Jesus Christ is King, our one and only Shepherd, and we live in the Spirit.
• God makes an eternal promise with us through Jesus Christ.
  • Eternal New Jerusalem is for the children of God.
  • Eternal covenant is made with the children of God.
  • Whole sanctification comes in the eternal sanctuary of God.

God promises to give life to the very dry bones that are piled up in the valley.
A valley full of very dry bones. “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.” Ezekiel 37:1-2

God spoke to Ezekiel and showed him a valley of very many dry bones. Bones become very dry by being left out in the elements for a long time. These very dry bones represented each person of the Jewish nation that were left without a land of their own to occupy. In 70AD, the Jewish people were cast out of Jerusalem and cast into the “valley” where they became dry bones as a nation. 70AD is when the Roman general, Titus, desolated Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and the Jewish people were scattered and dispersed all across the globe. Titus became the Roman Emperor. It wasn’t until 1948 that the Jewish people picked up their bones and regathered to the land of Israel. For 1878 years [between 70Ad and 1948], the Jewish people laid in the valley of being stripped of their land. The very many bones of the people of the Jewish nation became very dry.

Today, the valley of very many dry bones includes every single person who are in their grave, or will die, or have died without being buried in a grave who were faithful to God, living for Jesus Christ, and embracing the Holy Spirit. This includes every single person, from the beginning of time to the return of Jesus Christ. There are very many dry bones that God is going to raise from the grave into eternal life to be with Him forever. “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.” John 11:25-26

“Can these bones live?” And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live? So I answered, ‘O Lord God, You know.'” Ezekiel 37:3

When God asks us, “Can these bones live?” Our answer must be, “Lord, you know they can live.” Since the coming of Jesus Christ, the question is, “Do you believe in the resurrection from the dead?” Our answer must be, “Lord, you raised Jesus Christ from the dead, and you will do the same for us.”  “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:11

“But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 1 Corinthians 15:12-19

God promises to cause life-giving breath to enter the bones. “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.” Ezekiel 37:4-5

God made a promise that he would cause the very many dry bones of the Jewish nation to live again by giving them the breath of life. He kept that promise. After the land of Israel laid dormant for 1878 years, from 70AD to 1948, God caused the breath of life to enter the Jewish people. In 1948, the very dry bones were raised up and the Jewish people regathered within the land of Israel. They are a nation again called the State of Israel. However, they are not a nation living through Jesus Christ.

Not only can God breathe life into very dry bones, but He created humanity from the dust of the ground, not even a bone to begin with, as quoted, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7 Whatever happens to our body after we die, God is able to breathe life into us to cause us to live again…bones, flesh, and the whole eternal body. Our body could be incinerated, cremated, dissolved in acid, whatever but God will still resurrect us from the dead.

Whatever condition our body ends up in upon and after our death, God is able and promises to raise us up from the dead for those who live for Him through Jesus Christ. “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:11

God promises to connect the bones, bring muscle onto the bones, and covers with skin. “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.”’” Ezekiel 37:6

When God regathered the very dry bones of the Jewish people to the State of Israel in 1948, He promised to give them the full body treatment. He promised to connect them together like muscle being connected to bone and bone being connected to bone. God promised to build them up like putting muscle on the bones and skin on the muscle. God brought life to the body of the Jewish nation like bringing life to skeletal bones in a grave. What God didn’t promise is that they would be willing to accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah, and He didn’t promise to withhold His judgment from them.

God promises that everyone who comes to Him through Jesus Christ will be resurrected from the dead and be given a brand-new eternal body. Every tissue, ligament, tendon, flesh, muscle, and skin of our body will be reconstructed and equipped for eternal life, as quoted below,

“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent [physical body], is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands [eternal body], eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven [eternal life], if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent [physical body] groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.” 2 Corinthians 5:1-5

The Holy Spirit in us is our guarantee of eternal life, “...you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession,” Ephesians 1:13-14 Our body is the purchased possession that belongs to Jesus Christ who will redeem us in the eternal New Jerusalem. We were purchased by the blood He shed on the Cross.

Prophesy spoken and fulfilled concerning the revival of dry bones.
Bones rattle and come together bone to bone. “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.” Ezekiel 37:7

It was after the Holocaust of WW2 that the Jewish people migrated to the land of Israel. It was a time of seeing the spoken prophecies being fulfilled in the eyes of the world. There was a noise, a sudden rattling, and the bones of the Jewish people came together. Ezekiel prophecies a lot about the Jewish people coming together and being regathered to the land of Israel, known today as the State of Israel. Those prophecies have happened in 1948. There has also been a lot of noise and rattling since the Jewish people were gathered together to the State of Israel. The Israelis have been involved in 17 wars since 1948, and even a war in 1948. Click for a list of those wars and scroll close to the bottom of the page. 

Two verses in Ezekiel summarizes the prophecy given to him from God about the noise and rattling of the Jewish people when they were gathered to the State of Israel, “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have all become dross, therefore behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the midst of a furnace, to blow fire on it, to melt it; so I will gather you in My anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there and melt you.” Ezekiel 22:19 The other verse is this, “I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out.” Ezekiel 20:34

Jesus Christ came to this earth as the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. He died on the Cross to atone for our sin and to give eternal life to whoever believes in Him. God raised Jesus from the dead and because He lives, we will live also. Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our inheritance of the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and earth. “Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.” 2 Corinthians 5:5  “…who is the guarantee of our inheritance…” Ephesians 1:13-14

When the word is spoken, there is going to be a noise of the shout of an archangel, Jesus Christ is going to descend from heaven, and there is going to be a sudden rattling of our bones as they all come together during our resurrection, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first…” 1 Thessalonians 4:16

Bones are connected and given flesh and muscle. “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.” Ezekiel 37:8

After the Jewish people migrated to the State of Israel in 1948, they were but a skeleton as far as being a nation. Even so, God fulfilled His word by holding them together as a people with social tendons, ligaments, and every other such types of societal glue. God continued to develop the newly formed State of Israel by adding flesh and muscle to make the body of the Jewish nation complete. God continued to cover them with skin to make them presentable to the world. To emphasize Israel going from a skeleton of a nation, to being a full body nation, the State of Israel was made a full member of the United Nations in 1949. Unfortunately, the State of Israel has never made it as a member of the body of Christ.

As God raises us from the dead through Jesus Christ, and our bones suddenly rattle as they literally come together, then He is going to literally add ligaments, tendons, flesh, muscle, and skin to us. We are going to be resurrected in our body, a redeemed and eternal body, like the body that Jesus Christ has and obtained after His resurrection. As described below,

“Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate in their presence.” Luke 24:36-43

Breath comes from the four winds to give life to the bones. “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 37:9-10

The prophecy was that the breath of life would come from the “four winds”, which refers to every direction from around the world. That prophecy was fulfilled when from all around the world, life was breathed into the Jewish people to motivate them to migrate to the newly established State of Israel in 1948. They lived as a nation, stood on their feet as an independent state in the world, and their numbers multiplied as a Jewish nation. They went from zero population as a Jewish nation between 70AD to 1948 to millions after they migrated to the State of Israel. However, they will not be gathered into the New Jerusalem from the “four winds”.

Since the coming of Jesus Christ, all of the prophecies of blessings meant for the Jewish people in the Old Testament have been transferred to those who live for God through Jesus Christ. There are no blessings for the Jewish people in the New Testament, unless they come to God through Jesus Christ and receive the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit speaks to us through the Old Testament of how Christians (the younger) receive the blessings of the Jewish people (the older). There is Jacob who received Esau’s blessing, Genesis 27. Before that, there was Able who received Cain’s blessing, Genesis 4:1-9. There was Zerah who received Perez’s blessing, Genesis 38:27-30. There was Ephraim who received Manasseh’s blessing, Genesis 48:8-20. And there was Moses who became God’s leader and not his older brother Aaron, Exodus 7:7. This is known as the “scarlet cord” that points to Jesus Christ as the Messiah, whom the first-born Jewish people rejected, but the younger Christianity receives.

We who live for God though Jesus Christ will receive the breath of life to resurrect us from everywhere around the world. We will enter into the eternal New Jerusalem like the numbers of an exceedingly great army. The “sons of the Kingdom”, referring to the Jewish people will be cast out into outer darkness, “And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 8:11-12

House of Israel lost hope in the valley of dry bones but would see that God is Lord.
House of Israel lost hope in the valley of dry bones. “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!’” Ezekiel 37:11

For 1878 years, the house of Israel was scattered and dispersed across the globe. That is the time between 70 AD and 1948. In 70AD, the Roman general, Titus, decimated Jerusalem and the Temple, and the Jewish people fled far and wide. Since that time, there was no Jewish occupation/rule in Jerusalem, and it remained that way until 1948. Down through the centuries, the Jewish people lost hope that they would ever be reunited again as a Jewish nation within Jerusalem, within the land of Israel. Their very many bones were very dry as they mourned, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!‘

As followers of Jesus Christ, we could grow weary in waiting for the return of Jesus Christ, and in that weariness, we could lose hope and mourn, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ We live in a world where a war has been declared upon belief in God, acknowledging our need for Jesus Christ, and living in the presence of the Holy Spirit, “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17 Click here for a post on the extinction of Christian births.

The culture of today has made war with those born-again through Jesus Christ. They live by the entity that replace their conscience and spirit to give them what to think, feel, do, and say as it enables the image of the beast to speak and live through them. The masses of the global culture are groomed to the mark of the beast by what they are given to say and do. The “he” in the following verse is the beast of the image and mark of the beast, “Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13:6-8

The Christians of the past, those persecuted for the testimony of Jesus Christ, look upon this earth and cry out, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” The reply is that His retribution will not come until the end of the global tribulation of this earth, “When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.” Revelation 6:9-11

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18

Jesus Christ spoke a parable in Luke 19:11-27 about people thinking the Kingdom of God would come immediately, and it begins with this verse, “Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. Therefore He said:…” Luke 19:11

House of Israel is revived when brought to the land of Israel in 1948. “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.” Ezekiel 37:12

The prophecy of the Bible was that after the Jewish people laid in their graves as a nation, God would raise them up and resurrect them as a Jewish nation and bring them into the State of Israel. Prophecy fulfilled! As of the year 1948. After laying dead in their graves for 1878 years, from 70AD to 1948, God brought them into the land of Israel. However, they will not be resurrected from their graves to inherit eternal life in the New Jerusalem of the new heaven and earth. They must believe in Jesus Christ for that to happen. The unbelieving Jewish people will be resurrected to be condemned to eternal hell.

“And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:40

Our physical body will die, lie in a grave, or ashes spread across the oceans, or dissolved in acid, or incinerated, or eaten by an animal, etc. But everyone who believes in Jesus Christ, our body will be raised up from whatever our grave may be, and we will have eternal life. We will be raised up and brought into the eternal Garden of God.

Jesus Christ gave up His life on the Cross to atone for our sin and to remove the veil that separated us from fellowship with God. As a result, we are filled with the Holy Spirit and resurrected to new life in spirit and soul. The Holy Spirit in us is our guarantee of inheriting eternal life. After death, which Jesus Christ calls sleep, we will come out from our graves and enter into the eternal Holy City. “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city….” Matthew 27:50-53

House of Israel knew that God was Lord when they were revived. “Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.” Ezekiel 37:13

The Jewish people live by the Old Testament, and there are plenty of scripture referring to them being brought into the land of Israel, as their own nation. Those same scriptures speak about how they were scattered and dispersed across the globe before 1948. When the State of Israel was established in 1948, it was the fulfillment of prophecy, and no doubt they rejoiced. They went from being in their grave as a Jewish nation, to being revived as a nation in the land of Israel. They surely had a revival in their heart to know once again that God is their Lord. While God refers to them as His people, because they rejected His Son Jesus Christ [God’s word made flesh] they are referred to as the lost sheep of Israel.

The Jewish people do not believe Jesus Christ and because of that they are not among the flock of God’s people. As our Lord Jesus said, “But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” John 10:26-28 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13

When we are resurrected from our graves, we will be standing in the eternal New Jerusalem, and we will know that He is Lord and He will call us His people. This following verse is speaking of the time after the resurrection and while in the Kingdom of God, “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.” Revelation 21:3

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His grace;
In the mansions bright and blessed
He’ll prepare for us a place.
When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!
[Church Hymn]

House of Israel was to receive God’s Spirit when they came to their own land. “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.’” Ezekiel 37:14

The Spirit of God was working within the Jewish people when they felt excited, hopeful, and revived upon hearing about the establishment of the State of Irael in 1948. They believed that they would live again, as spoken by the word of God. God motivated them, led them by His Spirit to migrate to their newly formed Jewish state. They had no question that God spoke it and it happened.

Unfortunately, the Jewish people have never been able to transition from the Old Testament promises to the New Testament promises made through Jesus Christ. By rejecting Christ Jesus, they oppress the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of the inheritance of eternal life, “...the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession…” Ephesians 1:14 Believers are the purchased possession, purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the Cross. We belong to Him; we are His possession, and He will redeem us with a new eternal body.

For us who believe in Jesus Christ, God puts His Spirit in us, this is the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. In His Spirit, He will bring us to the promised land of the eternal New Jerusalem, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.“ Romans 8:11

God has created us to be the Temple of the Holy Spirit, by the forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.: Romans 8:2

We trust in Jesus Christ after believing His Gospel and we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of possessing the promised land of the New Jerusalem, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance…” Ephesians 1:13-14

Parable of the two sticks becoming one.
A stick for Judah and a stick for Ephraim, and their companions, the children of Israel. “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.’” Ezekiel 37:15-16

As seen on the map below, during the time of Ezekiel, the house of Israel was divided into two “sticks”, the northern territory of Israel [blue area], and the southern territory of Judah [orange area]. Ezekiel had one stick for Judah, and the other stick for Joseph [the stick of Ephraim]. What Ezekiel was about to do with the two sticks would be for the benefit of all the children of Israel, the entire house of Israel. This is described in the next verse.

The two sticks also represent the two “countries” of Christianity and the Jewish people. The stick of Judah represents everyone who are born as the children of God through Jesus Christ. That’s because Jesus is of the Jewish tribe of Judah. Jesus Christ, the stick of Judah, also benefits the children of Israel as they acknowledge Him as their Messiah.

The other stick is for Joseph, through Ephraim. Ephraim is the younger son of the two sons of Joseph, and the older son was Manasseh. The tribe of Joseph was divided between his two sons, but the younger son received the blessings of the older son. This is described in (Genesis 48:12-22). This represents the younger child of Christianity receiving the blessings of the older child of the Jewish culture. Christianity was to benefit the children of Israel by expanding the family of God through Jesus Christ. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13

Although the Jewish culture, as a whole, has fallen away from God and rejected Jesus Christ, God has not given up on them, they can still come to Him through Jesus. As the Apostle Paul said through the Holy Spirit, “I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. 11:1-2 The hope is that they will see the freedom in the Spirit of the followers of Jesus Christ and realize that Salvation is in the Spirit and not through Jewish customs. “I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!” Romans 11:11-12

The sticks become one in the hand of the Prophet. “Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.” Ezekiel 37:17

In the hand of the Prophet Ezekiel, the two sticks became one. The prophecies of the Bible are that the Jewish people would be regathered to the land of Israel and be one people. The northern kingdom of Israel would be joined with the Southern kingdom Judah, which has happened within the State of Israel in 1948. Just like Ezekiel joined the two sticks together in his hand, the land of Israel became one territory.

Since the day God made the promise to Abraham to multiply his descendants [Genesis 22:17-18], He intended for the “stick” of Judah and the “stick” of Joseph [through Ephraim] to be adopted as the children of God. This refers to those who are born into the family of God through Jesus Christ being adopted into the house of Israel, “For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.” Romans 9:6-8

The parable of the sticks explained. “And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, ‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’—say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.'” Ezekiel 37:18-19

The leaders of the Jewish people never understood the promise that God made to Abraham, to multiply the descendants of Israel through those who serve God through faith and belief in Jesus Christ. They couldn’t understand that Gentiles could have their sin forgiven and be adopted into the house of Israel through Jesus Christ. They kept questioning Jesus, ‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’ Jesus replied, “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.” They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father.” John 8:37-41

God makes His intention clear to join the Jewish people with non-Jewish people through Jesus Christ, which is to join the “stick” of Judah and Ephraim with the house of Israel. As quoted, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13

“For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.” Romans 9:6-9 God intends for the Jewish people to be made one with the non-Jewish people through Jesus Christ and to be one in the hand of God. “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.” Galatians 3:16

The sticks are in the hand of the Prophet for all to see. “And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.” Ezekiel 37:20

The writings of the Holy Scriptures are before the eyes of the Jewish people in the hand of the Prophets of the Old Testament [such as in this chapter of Ezekiel]. The word of God clearly says that the non-Jewish people will be made part of the house of Israel through Jesus Christ. “For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Romans 4:3

“For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect…we will be accepted because of our faith in God, who raised our Lord Jesus to life. God gave Jesus to die for our sins, and he raised him to life, so that we would be made acceptable to God.” Romans 4:13-14, 24-25

In the time of Ezekiel, the house of Israel was split into the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. This division was seen by the Jewish people both then and now. Now, the land is one under the State of Israel, seen by all the world.

Children of God are one nation through Jesus Christ.
Children of God gathered together from every side and made one nation. “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” Ezekiel 37:21-22

The Israelites asked Ezekiel what he meant by joining the two sticks together as one in his hand. So, Ezekiel explains; God would regather the Jewish people into the land of Israel from wherever they were, whatever nation they were in, from every direction. That happened in 1948 when the Jewish people migrated to the newly established State of Israel. They became one nation. In the time of Ezekiel, the land was divided in two parts, with Israel in the north and Judah in the south, but the State of Israel joined the two together as one territory. Now, they have one king, or prime minister over them.

All of the promised blessings made to the Israelites in the Old Testament have been transferred to everyone who lives for God through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. There are no blessings for the Jewish people mentioned in the New Testament. The promise that Israel will never be divided again refers to the body of Christ who will forever be united with God in the New Jerusalem. Jesus speaks these words to the Jewish people, “See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ” Matthew 23:38-39

Unfortunately for the Jewish people, they will not be gathered into the eternal New Jerusalem as one nation among the children of God. To be there, it’s necessary to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Messiah, and He is the one King over all believers. “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 10:32-33

Those who are gathered from every direction are we who live for God through Jesus Christ. We will be resurrected from the dead and have a home in the eternal New Jerusalem where Jesus Christ is the one King over us. The “sons of the kingdom” are the unbelieving Jewish people, and they will be cast out into outer darkness, “And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 8:11-12

Jesus Christ came to bring the Jewish people and the non-Jewish people together by believing in Him. All of the Jewish people who believe in Jesus Christ will be made one with all of the non-Jewish people who believe in Jesus Christ. Obviously, there is no nation on this earth where the two will be gathered together and made one. As Christians, we do not have a nation on this earth to call our own, our nation is the eternal New Jerusalem in the new heaven and earth. All believers, Jewish or non-Jewish, will be resurrected and gathered from every direction of this earth and made one nation in the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ is the one King who is over us all.

In the day of Ezekiel, the Jewish people were divided into two nations, as seen in the picture to the left. The kingdom of Israel is to the north in the blue, and the kingdom of Judah is to the south in the orange. In 1948, the Jewish people were gathered from all across the globe and migrated to the newly established State of Israel. At that time, the territory of Israel and Judah became one territory within the State of Israel, as seen in the picture to the right. They now have one king, or prime minister.

As far as the West Bank and Gaza Strip eating away a big chunk of the State of Israel, that is prophesied about in the following verse. Israel will have no peace or rest, “‘Thus says the Lord God to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the land of Israel: “They shall eat their bread with anxiety, and drink their water with dread…”Ezkiel 12:17-19

Children of God are cleansed, sanctified, purified. “They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions;” Ezekiel 37:23a.

As we learned in the previous verses of this chapter, the children of God are those who believe in Jesus Christ and embrace the presence of the Holy Spirit. This following verse sums it up, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13

Jesus Christ washes us of sin by the renewing of the Holy Spirit so that we put aside the false god of this world, put away things that are detestable to God, and by putting to rest willful transgressions against Him. “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:4-7

The idol that the culture of today defiles themselves with is the entity that has power over physiology and gives them what to think, feel, say, and do. As followers of Jesus Christ, we do not extend a welcome to its intrusion upon our physiology. This entity enables the image of the beast to speak and live through people in every city around the world. The masses of today’s culture (global culture) are groomed to the mark of the beast by what they are given to say and do.

Today’s culture defile themselves with detestable things, which we followers of Jesus Christ want no part of. Detestable things are a result of people declaring their unbelief of God, which is a ritualistic practice nowadays. Detestable things arise because people scoff at the idea that people are sinners in need of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Detestable things occur because people oppress the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Transgressions are words, behaviors, feelings, and thoughts that are hostile to God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. If our thoughts are hostile to the Trinity, then we have to be sure not to act on or express those thoughts in any way. We want our mind to be focused on Jesus Christ. If we have feelings against the Trinity, then we have to work them out, somehow, to be cleansed and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. If our behaviors and words are hostile to the Trinity, then we want to repent of those actions and continue in the testimony of Jesus. The most important thing is to keep believing in God through all of our shortfalls. Keep acknowledging that we are sinners in need of Jesus Christ. And keep embracing the Holy Spirit in our life. By the mercy and grace of God we are saved, not by our own righteousness.

Whoever believes in God through Jesus Christ will be saved and we will enter into eternal life. Only believe. God sees us as righteous and undefiled when He sees Jesus in us. In the eternal New Jerusalem, nothing that defiles will enter through the gates of pearl. Those who reject Christ Jesus will not enter through the gates of Heaven. “The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl… there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” Revelation 21:21, 27

Children of God are delivered from the residence of sin. “…but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 37:23b.

This is the promise made to the Jewish people if they keep the covenant made with God, “This is the covenant created by God, “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ ” Exodus 19:5-8 Unfortunately, the Jewish people have rejected Jesus Christ, the New Covenant, and are no longer considered His special treasure. Jesus Christ said, “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Matthew 26:28

In this life, our place of residence is on this sin-plagued earth. This is the place where we have inherited sin as we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. God promised, and has fulfilled His promise, to deliver us from the residences of sin in this world and to cleanse us through Jesus Christ “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 Through Jesus Christ, we are His people and He is our God, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name…” John 1:12

While living in the sin-plagued dwelling places of this world, Jesus prays that we will be sanctified while on this earth, but not that we be taken from this world, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.” John 17:15-19

A day is coming when God is going to literally remove us from the dwelling places of this earth to bring us to be with Him forever. Our earthly body will be thoroughly and 100% cleansed from all sin as God clothes us with a resurrected, redeemed, and eternal body. We will enter the eternal New Jerusalem where we will forever be His people, and He will forever be our God.

“For we know that when this tent we live in now is taken down—when we die and leave these bodies—we will have wonderful new bodies in heaven, homes that will be ours forevermore, made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 

How weary we grow of our present bodies. That is why we look forward eagerly to the day when we shall have heavenly bodies that we shall put on like new clothes. For we shall not be merely spirits without bodies. These earthly bodies make us groan and sigh, but we wouldn’t like to think of dying and having no bodies at all. We want to slip into our new bodies so that these dying bodies will, as it were, be swallowed up by everlasting life. This is what God has prepared for us, and as a guarantee He has given us His Holy Spirit.

Now we look forward with confidence to our heavenly bodies, realizing that every moment we spend in these earthly bodies is time spent away from our eternal home in heaven with Jesus. We know these things are true by believing, not by seeing. And we are not afraid but are quite content to die, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So our aim is to please Him always in everything we do, whether we are here in this body or away from this body and with Him in heaven.”
2 Corinthians 5:1-9

Jesus Christ is King, our one and only Shepherd, and we live in the Spirit. “David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them.” Ezekiel 37:24

God speaks through Ezekiel saying, “David My servant shall be king over them…”, and David is a prophetic symbolism for Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As we will see in the next paragraph, the Pharisees and Jesus Christ had that conversation. Jesus Christ is the one and only King over the children of God, and this following verse describes who the children of God are, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13. As followers of Jesus Christ, we walk with God by the Holy Spirit in us, and we keep the testimony of Jesus. “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16

Jesus Christ pointed out the obvious, which the Pharisees had a hard time accepting. They had such a hard time that they began to quit asking Jesus any questions and began to conspire to have Him put to death. The conversation the Pharisees and Jesus had about king David is an example, as described below.

Jesus asked the Pharisees whose Son is the Christ. The Pharisees replied that He was the son of David. Jesus pointed out the obvious that David called the Christ his Lord, not his son. Jesus made them realize the obvious, that the Christ could not be the son of David because David calls Him Lord. In those days, a son was never ever exalted above the father. Jesus was making them confront some very simple truth. Christ Jesus is indeed the Son of God, not the son of David, and king David himself calls Christ his Lord.

“While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “The Son of David.” He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying:

 ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
till I make Your enemies Your footstool”’?

If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?” And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.”
Matthew 22:41-46

For all practical purposes, Jesus Christ is indeed in the family tree of king David, both being from the tribe of Judah. The genealogy of Christ mentions king David as well as the fact that Jesus is the Christ, “…and Jesse begot David the king…And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.” Matthew 1:6,16 Jesus met every qualification of the Christ, as prophesied about in the scriptures, and the Jewish leaders were blind and deaf to the truth.

We walk in the judgments and statutes of God through Jesus Christ in the presence of the Holy Spirit, He is our one Shepherd, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son…” Romans 8:1-3 “The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.” Luke 16:15

God makes an eternal promise with us through Jesus Christ.
Eternal New Jerusalem is for the children of God. “Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever.” Ezekiel 37:25

The land given to Jacob is known as the promised land, the land of Israel. We also know that the Jewish people were regathered to the earthly promised land of Israel in 1948, and that is known as the State of Israel. We also certainly know that the State of Israel is not the forever promised land, and David is not the forever prince.

Today, the promise of living in the eternal promised land of the New Jerusalem is given to everyone who lives for God through Jesus Christ and receives the Holy Spirit. We will be there, and every person who believed in God from generation to generation, down through the centuries, will be there. In the Old Testament, to believe in God meant to live by faith in His word and to believe the promises He made. That was counted as righteousness, the same as faith in Jesus Christ is counted as righteousness. Everyone who has ever had faith in God and believed His promises will live in the eternal promised land. Today, to believe the word of God is to put our faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ lives eternally, and He is the one King over all people who live for God through Him. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17

Hebrews chapter 11 is an excellent example of faith and belief found within the Jewish people.

Christ has redeemed us by the atonement He made on the Cross for our sin “…that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” Galatians 3:13-14 When we believe in Jesus Christ by faith, we receive the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is our guarantee of our inheritance in the eternal New Jerusalem, “…you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14 We are the purchased possession bought by the blood of Jesus Christ, and we will be redeemed with a new eternal body.

Eternal covenant is made with the children of God. “Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Ezekiel 37:26-27

We know by what we see in the State of Israel today that they are not living in the covenant of peace that God made with them and is certainly not the everlasting covenant. The sanctuary of God is not in Jerusalem or anywhere in Israel but is within us as the sanctuary of the Holy Spirit, as our Lord Jesus Christ says, “…believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father…But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” John 4:21-23

The eternal covenant of peace is made through Jesus Christ, that is the covenant of the New Testament. This covenant is more excellent than the Old Testament covenant and is in fact the fulfillment of Old Testament promises, “But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second…In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Hebrews 8:6-7, 13

The New Covenant is summarized in this way, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

The children of God have been multiplied by being adopted as His people who believe His promises and live by faith in Jesus Christ. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13 God has made our body His sanctuary through Jesus Christ who atones for our sin, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price.” 1 Corinthians 6:19

The New Covenant clearly says that we will inherit eternal life in the New Jerusalem by living for God through Jesus Christ. We are established by believing God, acknowledging Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin, and receiving the Holy Spirit. His Tabernacle will be in our midst forever. “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:1-4

Whole sanctification comes in the eternal sanctuary of God. “The nations also will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.”’ Ezekiel 37:28

We know that there are no blessings promised for the Jewish people in the New Testament, unless they reconcile to God through Jesus Christ, “See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” Matthew 23:38-39

We also know that since the coming of Jesus Christ, the house of Israel is not those with Jewish genes, but those born again through Jesus Christ, “For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed...Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.” Romans 9:6-8, Galatians 3:16

We also know that the State of Israel is not the eternal promised land where the sanctuary of God is forever, we are the sanctuary of God through the Holy Spirit, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16 The Holy Spirit in us is the guarantee of our inheritance of the eternal New Jerusalem, Ephesians 1:13-14. The New Jerusalem is where the eternal Tabernacle of God exists, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.” Revelation 21:3

Sanctification comes when the Holy Spirit lives within us. We are the eternal sanctuary of God by our belief in Jesus Christ. Then we will be completely transformed, free of this sinful human body, and given a new eternal body redeemed in perfect Holiness.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1