The valley of dry bones

“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. He asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ I said, ‘O Sovereign Lord, You alone know.’” Ezekiel 37:1-3
Ezekiel 37 gives us the famous ‘valley of dry bones’ vision. It speaks of a time when the nation Israel would be regathered, rebuilt, restored, and reborn. This occurs in two stages: first the coming together of the bodies (v7-8), but without breath. Then Ezekiel is told to prophesy again, and the breath of life enters into them (v9-10).
We have seen part of this vision fulfilled. “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. Then you, My people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them’” (Ezek. 37:12-13). Indeed, the nation Israel is back in their land. But they are a nation ruled by their own flesh. We are still waiting for the fulfilment: “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” (Ezek. 37:14).
We are living in exciting times. Jesus told us that when the leaves on the fig tree start to come out, we know that summer is near. That is, when Israel starts to come alive again, the time of the end is close (Matt. 24:32-33). Watch this space!