Ezekiel gives a chronological order of events from the rebirth of Israel to the construction of the third temple (which is the end of Ezekiel prophecies).
Israel restoration prophesied by Ezekiel was to be physical then followed by spiritual. Israel was to be re-gathered and given her land before being reborn spiritually.
Ezek 36:24: For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
Ezek 36:25-27: Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Israel physical restoration happened but the spiritual restoration takes place when Jesus Christ comes and rules from Jerusalem.
Let us look at the physical restoration of Israel, which is the rebirth of Israel as prophesied by Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 36-37: – Ezekiel prophecy of Rebirth of Israel
Israel has had three captivities.
1. The First Captivity – (Egyptian) – 430 years
God prophesied to Abraham the first captivity of the Israelites in Egypt which lasted 430 years.
Gen 15:13: And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years
Ex 12:40-41: Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.
2. The Second Captivity (Babylonian) – 70 years
The second captivity of Israelites was 70 years in Babylon as prophesied by Jeremiah.
Jer 25:11: And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
3. The Third Captivity (Worldwide) – 2520 years
Severally in the Bible, God has revealed the final return of Jews to their promised land in the last days.
Ezekiel was a captive in Babylon (the 70 years Jews Babylon captivity) when God revealed the rebirth of Israel.
Israel was made desolate and seized to be a sovereign nation in 70 AD when the Romans came down and annihilated Israel has prophesied by Daniel in the fulfilled weeks of 70 weeks.
It is the time when the Jews were scattered all over the nations.
Ezek 36:17-19: Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman. Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it. And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.
All Israel enemies were happy when Israel seized to be a sovereign nation for over 2,000 years.
Ezek 36:1: Also, you son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD; Because the enemy has said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession. Therefore prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord GOD; Because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that you might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and you are taken up in the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people.
And Israel was a plunder and a mockery to the rest of nations
Ezek 36:4: Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a plunder and mockery to the residue of the nations that are round about.
God is a jealousy God.
…for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God (Ex 20:5)
Thus He burned in Jealousy and spoke against the rest of the nations; Edom and all nations around Israel.
Ezek 36:5: Therefore thus says the Lord GOD; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Edom, which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.
Ezek 36:6-7: Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus says the Lord GOD; Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because you have borne the shame of the nations. Therefore thus says the Lord GOD; I have lifted up mine hand, surely the nations that are about you, they shall bear their shame.
All nations surrounding Israel; Egypt, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey are all bearing their shame reason they are always in headline news for the wrong reasons.
God had concern for His Holy name and He determined to sanctify it.
Ezek 36:21-22: But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD; I do not do this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the heathen, whither you went.
Ezek 36:23: And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which you have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, says the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.
Not for Israel’s sake but for His name sake
Ezek 36:32: Not for your sakes do I do this, says the Lord GOD,
He was to sanctify His Holy name by gathering Israel from among the nations and bringing them back to their own land.
Ezek 36:24: For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
Ezek 36:33-34: Thus says the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be built. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by.
This is the same prophecy as the prophecy of dry bones (Ezek 37).
Ezekiel 37 is as follows;
- Verse 1-10 is the prophecy of dry bones
- Verse 11-14 is the interpretation of the prophecy
- Verse 15-23 is Israel to be one nation
- Verse 24-25 is the ruling by King David
- Verse 26-28 is Jesus Christ’s millennial reign over the world
Ezekiel Prophecy of Dry Bones
Ezekiel prophesied to the dry bones;
Ezek 37:4-6: Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD.
And breath come into them, they lived and stood upon their feet.
Ezek 37:10: So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
The dry bones represent the entire house of Israel who lay hopeless and cut off from the world.
Ezek 37:11: Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.
The dry bones prophesied Israel restoration and placing in their own land
Ezek 37:14: And shall put my spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall you know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, says the LORD.
Their own land is the land of their fathers; land of Abraham
Ezek 36:28: And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers
Ezekiel prophecy of sticks
Ezek 37:16-17: Moreover, you son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions. And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.
The joining of sticks is the making of Israel to be one nation
Ezek 37:21-22: And say unto them, Thus says the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land. And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains 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.
Since the early history of Israel during the age of kings, Israel became divided after the death of their third king, Solomon. Ever since then, they were divided nation with two kings until they were no longer a sovereign nation (in 70 AD).
Ezekiel prophecy of rebirth of Israel was fulfilled in May 15 1948 when Israel miraculously became a sovereign state.
Ezekiel prophesied Israel multiplying and prospering after her rebirth.
Ezek 36:8, 10-11: But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come. And I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be built. And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
Ezek 36:30, 37: And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen. Thus says the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock.
We are the generation seeing how God has fulfilled His words through prophet Ezekiel of Israel rebirth, multiplying and prosperity. Israel is exceedingly blessed.
As I write this now, Israel has the best security, technology, agriculture she is the number one exporter of Agricultural products, millions of tourists are in Israel each year, Jews have multiplied and increased like the flock; Israel is rely blessed and God has fulfilled His words.
Similar to the prophecy of the dry bones, prophet Hosea writes to the people of Israel that after two days (2,000 years) since their worldwide dispersion, that the Lord will revive them.
Hosea 6:1-2: Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
The reviving of Israel is the physical restoration, the dry bones coming to life, Israel becoming a sovereign state, Israel given their own land (their fathers land). The raising up is the spiritual restoration of Israel which is about to happen.
In the last days, after many days when Israel has multiplied and prospered, trouble is prophesied by Ezekiel to come to Israel.
Ezek 38:8: After many days you shall be visited: in the latter years thou shall come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
Who is about to visit Israel?
Ezek 38:2: Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him
Ezek 38:5-6: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet. Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.
This is the looming war coming to Israel now. This is about to happen.
See Ezekiel prophecy of Russia and a great multitude coming to annihilate Israel
Rapture is at hand
Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand
