(6/16) Welcome all of you. We are continuing in part two of our series "From Death to Life" looking at the prophecy of Ezekiel in chapter 37. Rabbi Neal shared with us last week, and there were a lot of things left unanswered. And so, if you would open your Bibles to Ezekiel chapter 37, I’m going to teach a little bit, putting the text in context, and then I’m going to make some applications.

When Ezekiel received this vision, it was so shocking, so unnerving, that he was left speechless, because the bones of a nation’s past always tell a greater story than what they are celebrating today. This is the word of the Lord, verse one, Ezekiel writes,

"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" (Ezekiel 37:1-2).

Now, I’m not sure that Ezekiel himself fully understood what he saw, because it’s almost unthinkable to imagine that God would allow their enemies to triumph over the children of Israel, but that’s exactly what had happened. First the Assyrians had scattered the northern kingdom of Israel and now Nebuchadnezzar had invaded the southern kingdom, and Judea and Jerusalem had been captured. Ezekiel was looking at the results of this scattering of the Jewish people, many of them yanked from their homes, never to see their loved ones again, and others fleeing, scattering in the night, running any way they could. And so, the Jewish people were scattered all over Judea, in Egypt, in Babylon and other parts of the Middle East.

Of even greater magnitude I believe Ezekiel was given insight into the most horrific event in the history of the world, when from 1933 to 1945 approximately six million Jews were dehumanized, loaded in railroad cattle cars and slaughtered. At that time, millions of Jews were mocked, stripped naked, executed in various ways, and their bodies tossed in mass graves. And so, Ezekiel is trembling trying to understand this vision, he couldn’t even fully articulate the magnitude of the atrocities that had occurred against the children of Israel. They were scattered across Europe, America, South America, Australia, wherever they could find safety. Anywhere they could go to avoid the racist rhetoric of Hitler, but many of them didn’t escape and their bones were dry, very dry.

God had taken Ezekiel on a field trip out to this valley, on to this battlefield, to see a future conflict that was so bad and so overwhelming that when God asked him,

"Son of man, can these bones live?" Ezekiel said, "O Sovereign Lord, you alone know" (Ezekiel 37:3).

Even the prophet of God didn’t know whether these bones could live again. Ezekiel really wasn’t sure if they could come back from this because the dry bones were scattered all across the valley.

God gave Ezekiel this vision so that we might understand that there is a struggle that happens within each one of us. And so, we must acknowledge the condition of our own hearts as the Spirit of God said to the prophet Jeremiah,

"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure" (Jeremiah 17:9).

You see, the truth of the matter is that the heart of man is continually wicked. It doesn’t matter who it is or what color their skin is, any one of us has the ability to do horrendous things to other people and justify it by calling them names as if they were less than human.

Ezekiel’s vision is of great prophetic relevance not just for the Babylonian captivity, not just the next few centuries, but thousands of years into the future. And so, Ezekiel is standing there, looking over something that he is not sure that it could ever be resurrected, not sure it could ever be restored, not sure that it could get any better, when the word of the Lord came to him.

"Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!" (Ezekiel 37:4).

"This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life" (Ezekiel 37:5).

"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" (Ezekiel 37:6).

Now, remember, Ezekiel couldn’t understand this, but regardless he prophesied as he was commanded. And that’s important because it is not his business whether they hear him or not, whether they agree with him or not, or whether they like him or not. But the Lord said, "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season" (2 Timothy 4:2).

And so, Ezekiel did what God told him to do. He preached the word standing over the remains of what could be, what used to be, and what is supposed to be. He prophesied as he was commanded, he declared the word of the Lord, and suddenly,

"There was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone" (Ezekiel 37:7).

In other words, God was bringing things together that have fallen apart in places where restoration and reconciliation seemed doubtful. He was putting the right bone in the right place, bringing things together that fit together, with everything moving toward what it was supposed to be connected to. And then as Ezekiel was watching,

"Tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them" (Ezekiel 37:8).

Now, their neighbors thought the Jews were finished, that they were just history, yesterday’s news, not believing they would ever get back up on their feet again, but as they begin stirring, moving, and shaking the Lord declared,

"I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord" (Ezekiel 37:6).

And so, they began forming, "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead" (Philippians 3:13-14).

And we have seen this in hindsight, we see this historically, that Cyrus the Great conquered the Babylonian empire and set the captives free. Not only that, but he empowered them to rebuild the temple and it is estimated that about fifty thousand Jews made the pilgrimage from Babylon to Israel to begin rebuilding.

Later, Nehemiah began the task of rebuilding the walls putting together the fragments, moments, and memories that seemed impossible, but little by little God brought them together.

Those dry bones started to come together, there was a great shaking down in the valley, because God wasn’t through with them, there was still more to come,

"A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over" (Luke 6:38).

I want you to note is that they are not shaken apart, they are shaken together. In other words, he shakes it together so that it may remain. And so, the bones are coming together, settling in the right place, making the right connections, but still the Lord warns us saying,

"Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about" (Zechariah 12:2, KJV).

And again, we see in 332 BC another great shaking as Alexander the Great conquered Judea and the capital city of Jerusalem. We see this trembling today and there has always been a struggle, this trembling, a wrestling for control of Jerusalem. We see later, in 63 BC the Romans captured Jerusalem, Herod was appointed King by the Emperor of Rome. And yet still the bones were coming together, taking form, bone to bone, they were developing the infrastructure, and yet there was no breath in them.

Later, the gospel of Matthew tells us, "When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?" (Matthew 21:10).

And the religious leaders took offense at Jesus, because he was the stone the builders rejected. In fact, they had lifted him up, examined him like a Passover lamb, and judged him unworthy. They crucified him, but not before he declared to them,

"You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones" (Matthew 23:27).

In other words, they are dry bones, very dry bones, there was still going to be some shaking as the bones came together.

Jesus told the disciples, when you hear of wars and rumors of wars don’t be frightened because these things must happen first. Then he said to them,

"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven" (Luke 21:10-11).

And sure enough, within five years of Jesus crucifixion there was an outbreak of violence between the Jews and Romans. Shortly thereafter there was a great famine in Judea causing Paul and Barnabas to bring provision to the church in Jerusalem from Antioch. Following that, the Roman Emperor Nero began persecuting Jews and Christians throughout the whole Roman Empire. And a few years later a major war broke out between the Jews and Rome which resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in 70 A.D.

Those dry bones were shaking, they were very dry, but God was shaking it together. And so, he said to Ezekiel a second time,

"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" (Ezekiel 37:9).

This was a concerted effort, a partnership between God and man, a fellowship of faith and works, and God was about to blow his breath into those who were slain. And so, when the breath of God begins blowing there is nothing that can stop these dry bones from coming to life. No power on earth could stop the breath of God from doing its work, not the Assyrians, not the Babylonians, not Alexander the Great, not the entire Roman Empire, and not even Hitler’s Germany could stop Israel from becoming a nation again.

Ezekiel prophesied as God had commanded him, "And breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet — a vast army" (Ezekiel 37:10).

I want you to notice it doesn’t say that they stood up on their feet naked like Adam, a great multitude, but it says they stood up on their feet, a vast army, a great army. And so, God didn’t just put tendons and flesh on their bodies, but he gave them their fight back, he gave them their armor back, and so they stood on their feet, a vast army clothed in the full armor of God. Now they are able to stand firm, able to stand their ground.

Then the Lord said to Ezekiel, "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: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: 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" (Ezekiel 37:11-12).

Can you imagine how shocking it would be to the world when God brings those dead bones back together? Because they had been scattered around the world, running, hiding, and blending into different cultures. Learning how to adapt, how to survive in different environments, and now they’ve came back to Israel as a nation, because the breath of God had given them life. Those dry bones scattered by the Assyrians, scattered by the Babylonians, scattered by the Greeks and the Romans, scattered by Hitler’s army, are now coming together, reassembled bone to bone, and they regained national status on May 14, 1948.

There are those of you here today whom I believe God wants to breathe on you so that you can get your life back, so that you can get your hope back, and he is breathing on that area where you failed, the area of your deepest pain. And we have seen this from Genesis to Revelation, the breath of God has given us life, and as the wind begins to blow, tendons and flesh came upon those bones.

"Breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet — a vast army" (Ezekiel 37:10).

I know some of you have been knocked down, you have lost a lot of stuff, you have lost your dignity, you may feel like you have never been lower in your life, but I am here to tell you that you are going to get it all back. You are going to get your life back, everything will be restored, but you’re going to need to let the Word of God and the breath of God do its work.

Some of you are under construction, as the Word of God builds the structure, the breath of God brings life, but it is your faith that activates the mighty power of God. In other words, the bones, the tendons and flesh, and the skin covering them, that all gives you the structure, that helps you to get back up on your feet, but the Bible says,

"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (Isaiah 40:31).

And I believe God sent this word today to strengthen you, to encourage you to stand up, to stand firm, because this wasn’t just a word for back then, this isn’t just a word for today, but this is a word for tomorrow and every day to come.

I want to encourage you to stand up because your strength is coming back, your armor is coming back, your weapons are coming back, and you are going to rise up out of this valley more than a conqueror. And so, stand firm, because wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather, but the Lord tells us,

"Whoever stands firm to the end will be saved" (Matthew 24:13).

Ezekiel was looking across the vast expanse of eternity, identifying the mountain peaks of prophetic events, encourages us to hold onto hope, to keep believing, to keep pressing ahead.

Like Jesus warned the Jewish people in his time, telling those that refused to believe in him, that there is more to come. He said, immediately after the distress of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. And so, in the future, there will still be some shaking and at that time,

"The Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other" (Matthew 24:30-31).

In other words, there is coming a day when Jesus will appear, this is not to be confused with the rapture of the church, this is seven years later as the Lord sends his angels to glean the harvest of the tribulation. To sort out the weeds from the wheat or as the Spirit of God says through Daniel,

"Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt" (Daniel 12:2).

And so, the children of captivity, those in exile, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel are warning the children of Israel, warning those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Messiah, those who rejected the Savior and brought judgment upon the Jewish nation. This shaking will continue upon those who are hardened in unbelief until the time when the full number of Gentiles (non-Jewish people) has entered into the kingdom of God.

It is only then, in the fullness of time, that the Spirit of God tells us through the prophet Zechariah, on that day,

"I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be great" (Zechariah 12:10-11).

And so, those dry bones will come together, the children of Israel will come together, but they won’t have spiritual life until they look upon the one whom they have pierced. And they won’t come to life until they see their Messiah and believe in him, putting their trust in him.

And so, if the children of Israel could survive slavery, oppression, exile, and genocide; if they could withstand hundreds of years of being beaten, abused, and humiliated; if they could survive the Holocaust and march back into Israel, setting up a government while surrounded by nations that hate them; if they could do all that and still stand strong and still survive, I think I’m going to be okay with whatever comes my way today.

In fact, if that’s what you’ve got to do, if that’s how you do it, if that’s how you rise up as more than a conqueror when they roll a stone in front of you and try to get rid of you; then what the Spirit of God says through Ezekiel makes perfect sense. After all of that the Holy Spirit says,

"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" (Ezekiel 37:13-14).

I believe that God sent this word for some of you today, and so if this was your word today, your word to encourage you, to strengthen you, and to give you the confidence to stand up and stand firm, I want you to raise your hand right now. Acknowledge that you have heard what the Spirit is saying to the church, that you receive what he has said, and that you believe that your strength is coming back, and he’s going to raise you up out of this valley as more than conquerors.

Read Part 3

Read past sermons by Pastor John Talcott