37:1 The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and placed me in the midst of the valley, and it was full of bones.
The Holy Spirit of God transported Ezekiel out of his physical body and placed him into a valley full of dead human bones.
37:2 He made me walk all around among them. I realized there were a great many bones in the valley and they were very dry.
Jehovah commanded Ezekiel to walk around this valley of dead bones. Ezekiel realized that there were many bones and they were all very dry.
37:3 He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said to him, “Sovereign Lord, you know.”
God asked Ezekiel if these bones could live again. Ezekiel is not omniscient or omnipotent so he does not know the answer to this question.
37:4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and tell them: ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.
These bones did not have live ears, but Jehovah commanded Ezekiel to speak to them so that they could hear the word of the Lord.
37:5 This is what the sovereign Lord says to these bones: Look, I am about to infuse breath into you and you will live.
Jehovah was going to breathe life into these bones so that they could live again.
37:6 I will put tendons on you and muscles over you and will cover you with skin; I will put breath in you and you will live. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ”
At the time of Ezekiel, Israel was a dead nation. Her people had been taken captive by Assyria and Babylon. However, Israel would live again. The valley of dry bones is a metaphor for the nation of Israel.
There will be four stages of Israel’s restoration. First, Israel will receive tendons and muscles. Second, Israel will receive flesh. Third, Jehovah will cover the skin of Israel. Fourth, God will breathe life into Israel. After God completes these four stages of restoration, then Israel will know that Jehovah is God. The first three stages occurred when Israel became a nation in 1948. The fourth stage will take place on the last day of the Great Tribulation
37:7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. There was a sound when I prophesied—I heard a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to bone.
Ezekiel prophesied to the bones as commanded. He heard a sound and a ratting.
The sound could have been the Zionist movement of World War I. The United Nations, encouraged by communist nations, has called the Zionist movement an ideology of racism. Zionism is not racism. Instead, Zionism is the belief that the Jewish people have a right to a state of their own inside of the literal land of Israel.
The rattling could have been World War II. After World War II, the United Nations gave the land to Israel. However, Israel was a nation of unbelief.
37:8 As I watched, I saw tendons on them, then muscles appeared, and skin covered over them from above, but there was no breath in them.
The physical body of Israel began to form in 1948, but there was no breath of life inside of her. She was and still is an unregenerate nation who does not know God. She is now a nation of atheists and liberals. She does not believe that Jesus is her Messiah.
37:9 He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath,—prophesy, son of man—and say to the breath: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these corpses so that they may live.’ ”
Ezekiel was to prophesy to the breath. The breath is the Holy Spirit. At the end of the Great Tribulation, there will be a second worldwide return of Israel into her land. However, this time the entire nation will return with the Holy Spirit. She will return as a nation of believers.
37:10 So I prophesied as I was commanded, and the breath came into them; they lived and stood on their feet, an extremely great army.
At the end of the Great Tribulation, Israel will stand on her own two feet and return to her land as a mighty army who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ.
37:11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are all the house of Israel. Look, they are saying, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope has perished; we are cut off.’
There is no reason to speculate at the meaning of this chapter. The symbolism is explained. The bones are “all” of the house of Israel. Their bones are dried, because they have returned to Israel in unbelief. Their hope has perished, because they are no longer looking for a Messiah. They are cut off, because after the first two world wars, there was a massive exodus of Jews away from Orthodox Judaism and towards liberal Judaism. Liberal Judaism is not looking for a Messiah. Most of the Jews lost their Messianic hope after the holocaust.
37:12 Therefore prophesy, and tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to open your graves and will raise you from your graves, my people. I will bring you to the land of Israel.
Israel has complained that she has lost her hope in her Messiah. Jehovah answered that He will restore her back into their land.
37:13 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and raise you from your graves, my people.
Israel will come to know Jehovah after she has been returned to her land. She will recognize Jesus as her Messiah.
37:14 I will place my breath in you and you will live; I will give you rest in your own land. Then you will know that I am the Lord—I have spoken and I will act, declares the Lord.’ ”
The Jews who survive the Great Tribulation will enter into the Millennial Kingdom as a nation of believers. The Holy Spirit will enter into each one of them. They will live spiritually as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. During the Millennial Kingdom, Israel will get her rest, because she will be living in peace. Jehovah spoke this prophecy, so it will take place. Neither the United Nations, the Arabs, nor the Antichrist will be able to stop this mass exodus of believing Jews into the kingdom.
The Valley of Dry Bones vision gave Israel four important prophecies of her future. First, Israel is to be regathered in a state of unbelief. Second, Israel will eventually come to recognize Jesus as her Messiah. Third, all of Israel who survives the Great Tribulation will be regenerated and receive national salvation. Fourth, Israel will be brought into her Land to enjoy her millennial blessings.
37:15 The word of the Lord came to me:
This next prophecy was not Ezekiel’s human speculation or his opinion.
37:16 “As for you, son of man, take one branch, and write on it, ‘For Judah, and for the Israelites associated with him.’ Then take another branch and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the branch of Ephraim and all the house of Israel associated with him.’
Ezekiel was commanded to take two sticks, representing the two divided Kingdoms of Israel. Israel was divided after the death of Solomon. The first stick represented Judah. The second stick represented Israel. Ephraim was often used in Scripture as an alternate name for the ten northern tribes of Israel.
37:17 Join them as one stick; they will be as one in your hand.
The Hebrew word for “one” is אֶחָ֧ד (echod), meaning a composite one. Adam and Eve were joined in אֶחָ֧ד (echod) flesh. The ten spies brought back אֶחָ֧ד (echod) grapes. In Deuteronomy 6:4, it states that “The Lord our God is one God,” where אֶחָ֧ד (echod) was used once again. The point of Deuteronomy 6:4 is that God is a composite God, or a triunity. When Ezekiel joins the two stick together as אֶחָ֧ד (echod), it is an object lesson, meaning that Judah and Israel will once again be rejoined as an אֶחָ֧ד (echod) nation.
37:18 When your people say to you, ‘Will you not tell us what these things mean?’
The people were no longer poking fun at Ezekiel. He had proved that he was a true prophet of God. Now, they wanted to know the meanings of his prophecies.
37:19 tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to take the branch of Joseph which is in the hand of Ephraim and the tribes of Israel associated with him, and I will place them on the stick of Judah, and make them into one stick—they will be one in my hand.’
God will restore the divided nation of Israel back into one composite nation. Since the north was scattered into Assyria and the south was scattered into Babylon, then this would take a miracle of God.
37:20 The sticks you write on will be in your hand in front of them.
Ezekiel was holding both sticks together, but the people could not see the break in the stick. Ultimately, God will cause the sticks to merge together as one unified אֶחָ֧ד (echod) composite stick.
37:21 Then tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to take the Israelites from among the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from round about and bring them to their land.
Jehovah will gather the Jews from all of the nations in the world and bring them back into the land of Israel.
37:22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over them all. They will never again be two nations and never again be divided into two kingdoms.
Israel will no longer be a divided nation living out of the land. At the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom, Jehovah will bring all of the Jews back into their own land. Jesus will rule over Israel. King David will be resurrected from the dead to co-rule over Israel as well. Israel will never become a divided nation again.
37:23 They will not defile themselves with their idols, their detestable things, and all their rebellious deeds. I will save them from all their unfaithfulness by which they sinned. I will purify them; they will become my people and I will become their God.
During the Millennial Kingdom, Israel will never worship idols again. They will not be continually breaking the Mosaic Law. They will no longer continue in their past transgressions. God will cleanse them by the regeneration of the Holy Spirit.
37:24 “ ‘My servant David will be king over them; there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow my regulations and carefully observe my statutes.
David will be raised from the dead to hold two offices during the Millennial Kingdom. First, he will be the King of Israel. Jesus will rule as King over the whole world. There will be two branches of government underneath Jesus. David will rule over the Jewish branch. The Church saints and Tribulation saints will rule over the Gentile branch.
The second office of David is that of a shepherd. He will guide and feed Israel, possibly as a statesmen, a music leader, and a teacher. Israel will never again possess a leader who will lead them astray.
37:25 They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, in which your fathers lived; they will live in it—they and their children and their grandchildren forever. David my servant will be prince over them forever.
The Hebrew word for “forever” is עוֹלָ֔ם (olam), meaning a very long time. The actual length of the Millennial Kingdom was given six times in Revelation 20 as 1,000 literal years. Jesus will be the King of the world. David will be the Prince of Israel. The Gentile Christians will co-reign with the Lord Jesus Christ over the Gentile nations.
37:26 I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be a perpetual covenant with them. I will establish them, increase their numbers, and place my sanctuary among them forever.
The “covenant of peace” is the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31:31-34. The duration of this covenant will be the literal 1,000 years of the Millennial Kingdom. God will establish Israel in the land. He will increase their population. He will place his sanctuary in the kingdom.
The sanctuary is the Millennial Temple. This will be the fourth and final temple which is mentioned in Scripture. The details of the Millennial Kingdom are give in chapters 40-48.
37:27 My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.
The Hebrew word for “dwelling place” is מִשְׁכָּן (mishkan), meaning tabernacle. This is another name for the Shechinah Glory. The Shechinah Glory is the visible representation of God. The Shechinah Glory will be living among Israel during the Millennial Kingdom. All of Israel will be saved. All of Israel will become the people of God.
37:28 Then, when my sanctuary is among them forever, the nations will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel.’ ”
The Hebrew word for “sanctifies” is קָדַשׁ (kodesh), meaning holy, or set apart for God’s service. When the Shechinah Glory dwells in Jerusalem, then all of the Gentiles will know that Jehovah is the one who set Israel apart for God’s service.