General Articles

Bringing Life to Dead Bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14) :: By Dr. Donald Whitchard

Published on: by RR10

The thirty-seventh chapter of Ezekiel presents what, on the surface, seems to be a story of desolation and ruin that is beyond any hope of restoration by human standards. This chapter describes a tragic episode in the history of Israel as a nation. It paints a bleak picture of its past but also shows that God, although He had punished them for their idolatrous and wicked ways, He was not and is not finished with them. The Jews are the proof of God’s existence and the fact that He has kept a covenant with them that has not been broken, even in the worst of times.

When I say that the Jews are proof that God is real, what is meant by that statement?

Historians and sociologists will tell you that whenever a nation is destroyed, either by war or interior factors and the citizens of that nation are scattered elsewhere, it does not take but two to three generations whereby the language and the culture of that nation will gradually cease to exist as new generations assimilate to the culture in which they now live.

By that reasoning — after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and Judea in AD 70 by the hands of the Romans — those Jews that survived and scattered to other parts of the Roman Empire should begin to lose their national identity, history, language, culture, and religion because their original country no longer existed and they were expected to adapt to the ways of Rome. It did not happen, as the Jews were forced to wander from country to country for the next two thousand years, each generation experiencing prejudice and ostracism. The ultimate persecution occurred under the devil-possessed Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler, who had developed the idea of a “Final Solution” to get rid of the Jews, whom he saw as the main culprit in tearing apart the German Empire after World War I.

World history has not been kind to the Jewish people, but God has always protected and preserved them in terms of culture, language, history, and faith. The Jews have not changed as a people or nationality, but He has dealt severely with those nations and governments that would try to rid the world of His chosen people, and the results are frightening.

In the opening verses of Chapter 37, the prophet Ezekiel is taken by “the Spirit of the LORD” to a valley full of bones, symbolizing the apparent end of the Jewish nation at the hands of its enemies. God shows that He is the Final Authority not only concerning Israel but of both history and creation. Everything begins and ends by His Sovereign will (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1-4; Colossians 1:16-18).

Starting with verses 1-14, we read the following:

“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. He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ So, I answered, ‘O LORD God, you know.’ Again He said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the Word of the LORD! Thus says the LORD God to these bones, ‘Surely, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you, and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you, and you shall live. Then you shall know that I AM THE LORD.’

“So, I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. Also, He said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the LORD GOD, ‘Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they might 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.’

“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!’ Therefore, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD God: ‘Behold, O My People, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. 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 am the LORD, have spoken it and performed it’, says the LORD” (NKJV).

When Ezekiel wrote down these words, the land of Israel had become a barren wasteland. The people had either been killed or exiled to Babylon by this time. The kingdom of Israel was gone for good in their eyes. They would not know what it would be like to be back in the land for another seventy years. Israel’s hopes for the future were dead and buried forever, or so it seemed.

Let this be a lesson to every one of us that what looks impossible on the surface is no match for the power of God. The dry bones and their supernatural assembly by the creative Word of the LORD show that the powers of death and despair vanish in His presence. God’s demonstration of His power contains assurance beyond the revival of Israel as a nation. Ezekiel’s vision shows that Israel is an earthly clay out of which God will call into being the people of His eternal kingdom.

He brings life to the dead soul and salvation not only to Israel but to a world deserving nothing but judgment and eternal wrath (Romans 5:6-11). He takes our seemingly dead and dry existence and transforms us into new creations through the power and work of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). God offers life, purpose, mercy, and grace to all who come to Him in faith. He can take your life and make it into something wonderful, both here and in terms of eternity. Turn from your sins and allow your dry bones to be revived by the power, mercy, and saving grace today. Come to Him – and live.

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Prophecy Portrays God’s Incomprehensible Character :: By Terry James

Published on: by RR10

The earth is fallen and in raging rebellion. Those whom God’s Word, in KJV, terms “the earth dwellers” acknowledge His existence only to mock and blame Him for the consequences of their own sinful inclination to destroy all they touch. Humankind, made in the image of Almighty God, their Creator, was given an immense ability to create. Yet the ultimate result of that creativity since the Fall in Eden has wrought the ability to decimate. The proof is the discovery and unleashing of the atom.

We don’t have to think about the great nuclear powers with their arsenals of mega tonnage and pinpoint-missile capabilities to wage humanity’s final war. The world now hunkers under the fearful threat of the nuclear sword that might be swung by a half-crazed dictator in North Korea or in scimitar fashion by rogue terrorists everywhere we look within the Islamic world.

What truly astonishes me is that the God of Heaven obviously has His mighty hand upon that potentially planet-ending sword–even with the hatred heaped on Him daily. As I often hear it expressed, if one of us who are sorely vexed in this increasingly wicked generation had our way, we would have already swung that proverbial sword ourselves.

That sort of swashbuckling shortsightedness shows our fallen foolishness. It certainly doesn’t display the divine character of the Living God that indwells each of us who call Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. We can only thank Him for being in complete charge. Our God’s divine character is indeed an awesome, majestic wonder to think upon. So, let’s do just that. We see His character at the very beginning of His love letter to humanity:

“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day” (Genesis 1:31).

The Creator said everything was “perfect”–God’s only definition for “good” in His holy lexicon. Soon, the serpent entered the garden, and that perfection was disrupted when Eve fell under Lucifer’s seduction and Adam ate the forbidden fruit, bringing sin and death. Now there was only God who was “good”:

“And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God” (Mark 10:18).

Jesus is God, and He was speaking of the Triune Godhead.

Humans, who were made in perfection, in God’s image, changed from the perfect creatures that walked in harmony with their Maker to fallen creatures that would soon shrivel, die, and return to the dust from which Adam was made. God’s holy character is unchanged all these millennia later. That character is clearly seen throughout His Word. Nothing shows just how unassailable the changeless personality of the Creator is more clearly than His prophetic promises. Bible prophecy thus takes on ever-deepening significance as we move toward the consummation of this age and the ultimate destiny of His creation. His character is all-important in every respect imaginable.

God’s divine character is inextricably tied to His prophetic promises. The ultimate promise relevant to sin-infected humankind is that God would send a Savior to redeem us. Prophecy goes on to say that human life–as well as all of God’s creation—will be returned to its pristine, pre-Fall condition–that is, all but the fallen ones, both human and angelic who do not have Christ as Redeemer. The human unrepentant rebels have rejected God’s grace offer of salvation, and the angels who fell in the original rebellion gave up all rights to the presence of Almighty God and thus are unredeemable—lost forever.

I propose that no prophetic issue more profoundly points to God’s character and prophecy being inalterably linked than the Rapture. This great event, scheduled next on God’s calendar of prophetic promises, is a salvation matter at its very core. The Rapture promises to keep us–saints of the Church Age, or Age of Grace—out of God’s wrath and judgment against the rebels who have rejected His Son, Jesus Christ (read Revelation 3:10).

There is no greater point of faith in this regard, in my view, than to consider God’s embrace of children below the age of accountability. This age is known only to God. It is the age, or level of spiritual understanding, reached when people realize they must accept or reject Christ for redemption from sin.

Until that point–with each individual, it is different—each person’s name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. When the person understands and decides to accept Jesus for salvation, his or her name is written in permanently. If the decision is to reject, the name is blotted out, the Scripture says (Revelation 3:5), until he or she accepts Christ as Savior at some future time. When the person does this, his or her name will then be written in the Book of Life forever.

This is all part of the divine character of God. He will let no person go into Hell, into judgment and wrath, separated from Him forever, without giving the opportunity to be saved from sin’s deadly ruin. Thus, the Rapture of children below the age of accountability is all-important in considering God’s prophetic promises. Each and every such child, even those just conceived and those growing in the womb, will instantly be in the presence of Jesus Christ at the moment of Rapture–just as they are if they die before reaching that age.

I believe, with all that is within me, that when the Rapture happens, God is going to make a thunderous statement about when life begins. He will let this rebellious world know in that instant His holy opinion about the murder of the unborn that has been conveniently termed “pro-choice.”

Our individual walk with the Lord should reflect that godly character. He has restored us to be conformed to His image, to strive to be more like Jesus moment by moment.

“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8).

Our Heavenly Father expects our own character to reflect the glorious character of His Son. When we do our best to be guided by the Holy Spirit toward accomplishing this, on one eternal day, we will hear the words, “Well done, good, faithful servant.”