“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. 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.” Eze. 37:11-14
From a secular standpoint it would probably be a mystery why Israel is always in the news. It is a tiny nation, approximately the same size as the State of New Jersey, and it has no major natural resources.
Israel is important, however, because God made promises to Israel that will be fulfilled. One of the Bible’s greatest predictions about Israel has already come to pass. In 1948, Israel was reborn as a nation. The rebirth of the Jewish state should have put aside any doubts that God had abandoned the apple of His eye. For almost 1900 years Israel became nearly uninhabited and a desolate wasteland. Mark Twain visited Israel in the late 1800s and described it as a desert.
In the early 1900s under the Balfour agreement. Jews were allowed to return to and repopulate Israel. Then after the Holocaust of World War II, the Jews had no place to go. Many more returned to Israel.
Today over 7 million Jews have returned to Israel in recent times, helping to fulfill Ezekiel 37. This is unprecedented in human history. They have restored their language as predicted in Zephaniah 3:9, when, in the 19th century, a Zionist movement led to the revival of Hebrew as a spoken language. In 1948, Hebrew became the official tongue of the state of Israel.
The Land of Israel blossomed where it once was so desolate for years. Other than the U.S., Israel has the most powerful army with the greatest intelligence department in the world. It is now one of the world’s leading exporters of flowers, ornamental plants and produce. With Israel’s increased rainfall and its world-renowned irrigation technology, the land has done a complete turnaround since the Jews returned. Keep in mind that the Lord said this would happen in the “latter days.” This fulfills Old Testament prophecies from Isaiah written centuries ago (Isaiah 27:6; 35:1-2). The scriptures declare that the city of Jerusalem would be rebuilt on its own ruins (Jeremiah 30:18, Zechariah 12:6).
The New Testament has many passages about a future Israel. Jesus talked about Israel in many passages. Jesus declared that Jerusalem would be trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled (Luke 21:24). The Jews regained control of the Old City of Jerusalem during the Six Day War in 1967, thus ending Gentile control, which had been in effect since 70 A D.
The Valley of Dry Bones prophecy relates to modern Israel (Ezek. 37:1-14). The prophet describes a future process through which the nation of Israel will return in unbelief and in time enter into a faithful spiritual relationship with the Lord. This multi-stage process must surely include the current nation of Israel, returning in unbelief as she is today. Israel will be prepared to go through a time that will lead to her conversion to Jesus as their Messiah. This is said by Ezekiel to be a work of the Lord (Ezek. 37:14). Thus, that the modern state of Israel is a work of God cannot be ignored.
Therefore if God raised Israel from the dead as predicted over 2,500 years before it happened, then surely the Bible must be the word of God. The little nation of Israel is God’s living testimony that His word is true. God testimony that what was prophesied in the Bible surely came to pass and what is prophesied in the Bible for the future will surely come to pass.
Psalm 122:6 “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper that bless thee.”
Listen to Pastor Jack’s sermons every Sunday morning at 10:30 on 98.9 WSIP FM. Check out the Tomahawk Missionary Baptist Church Facebook page and our website at tomahawkmbc.com.