Ezekiel 37

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

Israel – From Dry Bones to Restored Kingdom

The 6 messages of hope and encouragement in Ezekiel chapters 33-39 are not addressed to the __________. From the context we can see they are addressed to the __________ people. The specific purpose of the messages was to give them hope and encouragement about the future of their __________ including the _____.
The vision of the dry bones was a fitting description of ________ after the Babylonians had defeated and slaughtered the Jewish people, conquered Jerusalem, and destroyed the _________.
The fulfillment of the prophecy of the dry bones is in 3 stages. List them. What was the Lord’s interpretation of the prophecy?
Was this prophecy fulfilled in the past when the Jews came back from their captivity in Babylon?
From the prophecy of the sign of the 2 sticks, explain what the 2 sticks represent. When will this prophecy be fulfilled?

The 6 messages of hope and encouragement are not addressed to the Church, but are addressed to the Jewish people. The specific purpose of the messages was to give them hope and encouragement about the future of their nation including the land.
The vision of the dry bones was a fitting description of Judah after the Babylonian armies under Nebuchadnezzar had conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the temple.
The 3 stages of the fulfillment of the prophecy of the dry bones are the skeleton stage, the body stage and the life stage. In verses 11-14 the Lord gives the interpretation of the prophecy: The bones are the whole house of Israel, that is, the scattered Jewish people from all 12 tribes who will be brought back into the land of Israel and be spiritually restored to the Lord.
This prophecy was not fulfilled in the past when the Jews came back from their captivity in Babylon. That event only foreshadowed the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy when the Jewish people will not only be back in the land but will also experience a spiritual revival. A remnant will turn to their Messiah whom they once rejected.
In the prophecy of the 2 sticks, the sticks represent the 2 kingdoms of Israel; Judah, the Southern Kingdom and Ephraim, the Northern Kingdom. Judah was the primary tribe of the Southern Kingdom and Ephraim of the House of Joseph was the primary tribe of the Northern Kingdom.

Consider which stage of the dry bones prophecy we may be experiencing in our day. Discuss what we might expect to happen during the future stage of the prophecy. Also, consult your Bible maps in regard to boundaries of the land that God promised, described in verse 25. Discuss these boundaries in relation to the current boundaries of the State of Israel.

Is there any life in your “dry” bones today? If you have not put your trust in the Savior, Jesus Christ, would you take that step right now, and experience abundant and eternal life in Him? God will keep his promise of a new life for you just as He will keep the promise of a restored land and restored spirit for the Jewish people.

“Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the land 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 . . . and I will make them one nation . . . 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.” From Ezekiel 37:19-22