A2 K1 1-14. Dry Bones.
K2 15-28. The Two Sticks.
K1 L N 1,2. The Vision shown.
O 3. The Question. Answer of prophet.
M l 4. Command to prophecy over.
m 5,6. Words of the prophecy.
n 7-. Obedience of the prophet.
o -7,8. Result.
M l 9-. Command to prophecy to.
m -9. Words of the prophecy.
n 10-. Obedience of the prophet.
o -10. Result.
L N 11. The Vision explained.
O 12-14. The Question. Answer of Yahaveh.
477 B.C.
Ezekiel 37)
1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out by the spirit of the LORD (this expression show the meaning of Rev. 1:10), and set me down in the midst of the plain which was full of bones (i.e the spiritually dead),
2 And caused me to pass by them on every side: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.
3 And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know."
4 Again he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, 'O you dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones; 'Behold, I will cause spirit to enter into you, and you shall live:
6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put spirit in you (cp. Gen. 2:7), and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD.' ' "
7 So I prophesied according as I was commanded:
and as I prophesied, there was a voice, and behold a commotion, 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 to me, "Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit,
'Thus says the Lord GOD; 'Come from the four spirits, O breath, and blow upon these dead (refers to the dead as having been once alive. Cp. Matt. 22:31. Luke 24:5. 1 Cor. 15:29), that they may live.' ' " ("Prophecy" means "teach". What was he to teach? Verse 4 tells us "the word of the Lord". Students of the Word know that the 4winds of Daniel 7 and Revelation 7 relate to the very last days. When the 4 winds blow, it is the 7th trump and Christ's return.)
10 So I prophesied as He commanded me,
and the spirit came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
11 Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones [they] are the whole house (as distinct from "the house") of Israel: behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: as for us, we are quite cut off.' (If you don't have God as part of your life, if all you know is the world, living from paycheck to paycheck, you are missing out. You have lost all hope. You need help. That is the reason God sends teachers. His Word brings life. His Word brings hope.)
O P 12-. "Thus says Yahaveh".
Q p -12-. "I will open your graves".
q -12. "And bring you into the land".
r 13-. "And you shall know", &c.
Q p -13. "I will open your graves".
q 14-. "And I shall pace you in your own land".
r -14-. "And you shall know", &c.
P -14. "Says Yahaveh".
12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus saith the Lord GOD;
'Behold, O My People, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your sepulchers (or, buying-places, not Sheol. The repetition of this must include resurrection as well as restoration),
and bring you upon the soil of Israel. (When people hear the Word of God, they are no longer spiritually dead. Their lack of hope melts away.)
13 And you shall know that I am the LORD,
by my opening your sepulchers, O My People, by My causing you to come up out of your graves,
14 And shall put My spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall settle you upon your own soil:
then shall you know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it,
says the LORD.' " (The Lord accomplishes this through His peculiar people. Father wants His children to live. He wants you to have a good quality of life and to be happy. Do you know why? You are an ambassador for Christ, if you call yourself a Christian. Unbelievers look to you as an example of what it means to be a happy Christian with hope for eternal life.)
K2 R1 15-19. The Sign.
R2 20-28. The Signification.
R1 S s 15,16. The stick of Judah.
t -16. The stick of Ephraim.
T 17. Union.
S t 18,19- The stick of Ephraim.
s -19-. The stick of Judah.
T -19. Union.
15 The word of the LORD came again to me, saying,
16 "Moreover, you son of man, take you one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the sons of Israel his companions: (I.e. Benjamin and Levi)
then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph (who held primogeniture of the other tribes [1 Chron. 5:1], forfeited by Reuben; and was represented by Ephraim, the head of the 10 tribes. Cp. 1 Kings 11:26. Isa. 11;13. Jer. 31:6. Hos. 5:3:5), the stick of Ephraim and for all the house of Israel his companions: (I.e. the other tribes. At this time the house of Judah, and the house of Joseph, meaning the ten tribes of Israel, are split. They will be rejoined as one peculiar people unto God.)
17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in your hand.
18 And when the children of your people shall speak to you, saying, 'Will you not show us what you mean by these?' (This happens in the future, but I believe it will happen in this the generation of the fig tree.)
19 Say to them, 'Thus says 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 My hand.' '
R2 U1 u1 20,21. Restoration.
v1 22. One Nation.
w1 23-. Conversion.
U2 u22 -23. Restoration.
v2 24-. One King.
w2 -24. Conversion.
U3 u3 25-. Restoration.
v3 -25. One King.
w3 26-28. Sanctification.
20 And the sticks whereon you write shall be in your hand before their eyes. (We are talking about the tribes of Israel being joined again into one kingdom. When does that happen? A kingdom needs a King. The sticks will be joined, when Jesus Christ returns as King of kings and Lord of lords.)
21 And say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD; 'Behold, I even I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations, where 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 among the mountains (or cities) 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. (How much of the earth is God’s to give? We just learned earlier, all of it. It is difficult for many to understand this Scripture, because they don’t know that Judah and Israel are split at this time. But they will be joined back together as one peculiar people)
23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their dirty gods, nor with their abominable things, nor with any of their transgressions:
but I will save them out of all their dwelling-places (or, lawlessness), whereby they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be to Me a People, and I will be to them a God.
24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one ruler:
they shall also walk in My judgments, and observe My statutes (see Deut. 4:1), and do them.
25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob (and not any other land) 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 (see Rev. 14:6. Gen. 9:16. Isa. 44:7) 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 (cp. Lev. 26:11,12): yes, I will be their God, and they shall be My People.
28 And the nations shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, by the existence of My sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.' ' " (Therefore this prophecy yet awaits its fulfillment.)