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The World’s Greatest Revival
Our Spiritual Walk: Are you Born Again? The kingdom of God? Age of accountability? Apostasy Alert! Snake handlers,Poison,Healers Does God Always Heal? Is What You Say What You Get? Did Jesus have to go to Hell? Religion in America Freedom of Religion America's betrayal by the Church Socialism is taking over America God and Government? A Bit of American History Roy Moore Socialism is taking over America About the Author Brother Tommie My Visions and Experiences And He Opened My Understanding Contact information:
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The Valley of Dry Bones In Mark 12: 24: And Jesus answering said
unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not
the scriptures, neither the power of God? " Replacing hard
study with quick assumptions is the basic cause of this problem but
we need more than just hard study. The Holy Spirit is the teacher
and without his instruction concerning the Word of God we cannot
know the true meaning of the scriptures that we do study. After we
read this amazing story we will take a careful look at the true
meaning of it. This story found in Ezekiel 37 is very exciting and is
filled with mystery and wonder. When as a child in our Pentecostal churches I heard the valley of dry
bones preached as a spiritual renewing or as a basis for why we needed the
Baptism of the Holy Spirit. I used to be a Pentecostal preacher so I can
say this without reservation. In Pentecost both my elders and myself had a
tendency to look for messages that would stir and bring about excitement
in the church. The more excitement the better. We didn't have a good
service unless everyone was shouting and praising God. We lived for this
excitement over the spirit of God expecting great and mighty things to
come from this. Now I am not saying that this is a bad thing because God
desires sincere worship. However when it comes to our personal walk with
God the excitement that we had the night before in our church service
isn't enough to sustain us. Knowing the truth is the only thing
that will keep us in our walk with God and this is exactly why the Holy
Spirit or Holy Ghost is given. He is given to us to lead us into all truth
and righteousness. It is good to be excited about the Spirit but it is
better to be established in the truth rather than the excitement of
feeling his presence. The truth will make us free and this applies to
prophecy in scripture as well as the scriptures that are not prophetic.
Our expectation or our understanding about what is happening in the world
around us can have an effect on us in our daily walk with God. As we study this story it will cause us to ask a very important
question and that is this. Why is Israel back in the land at this time?
This question will become apparent as we see the plan of God concerning
Israel and their return to the land of Israel. This story of the dry bones is often mistaken for the re-gathering of
Israel that has taken place in our time. The common belief among many is
that at the time Israel was established as a nation in 1948 that the
fulfillment of the prophecy about the valley of dry bones had come to
pass. Many theologians today are agreeing with this belief, that the
fulfillment of these scriptures has been taking place since 1948. Most of
the people that believe this are good people and have good intentions but
absolutely do not understand the Bible prophecies concerning Israel.
Israel will not be allowed to fully return to the land of Israel to
possess it as an eternal possession until Israel has accepted Jesus Christ
as their savior. God himself will not allow it. And this is what the
valley of dry bones is all about. It is about the spiritual rebirth of
Israel. The valley of dry bones is a symbolic representation of Israel's
spiritual state with God. But it is no different from that of any person
who is not born again. Before the new birth we are all spiritually dead in
our souls. It is described as being dead in trespasses and sins. In the
story of the valley of dry bones it is said that the bones were very dry
(verse 2). This is to help us see just how spiritually dead Israel is in
this prophecy. Let's look at a few scriptures on this together. You must realize that this verse is the bottom line for the teaching on
the valley of dry bones. It concludes by revealing the mystery of this
vision. God was telling Ezekiel that there was a day coming that God would
put his spirit in the hearts of the people of Israel and that they would
come alive. This is exactly what he has done with every born again
believer from the time of the Disciples until today. His spirit in us is
what makes us alive unto God. We are born again. There are three things that is revealed to us in these scriptures: Israel will be born again by the Spirit of God In verse 14 God says that he will put his spirit in them and that this
would cause them to live. There are many scriptures in the Bible that says
that Israel will be born again. Remember all of the promises came to
Israel first and then the Gentiles were included into the plan. Paul
explained this in Romans 9: 4-5 and he also expressed his desire to see
Israel saved in Romans 9: 1-3, 10: 1. But, in Romans 11 he assures us that
Israel will be saved and explained the plan of God concerning Israel. Paul
explains in Romans the 11th chapter that it will be the Gentiles that will
play a major role in this by giving them the Gospel. He said this:
Paul explained that all of Israel would be saved because God had not
forgotten the gifts and callings given to Israel. The gift is eternal life
through faith in Jesus Christ and their calling is to take the Gospel to
the world. It is the same as ours, because it is the same covenant, we
simply were grafted into the covenant that they rejected. But Paul
explained that because of Israel's unbelief God had turned to the Gentiles
and had shown us mercy. He also explained that since God saved us through
Israel's unbelief that it was our job to share the Gospel with them in
these latter days so that they would be saved (verse 31). In verse 32 he
explained that through this plan he would have mercy on all. In other
words because of Israel's unbelief he was able to graft the Gentiles into
the plan. After a season the Gentiles would show mercy to the Jews by
giving them the Gospel. Then all would find mercy, which means both Jew
and Gentile would be saved through Jesus Christ. In the story of the valley of dry bones God asks Ezekiel a question in
verse 3: This question is still around today and you would be surprised how many
people do not believe that Israel will come to Jesus and live. He is
asking us this same question; can Israel who is dead in trespasses and
sins live again? Ezekiel didn't know the answer to this question and
honestly told the Lord that he didn't. But today we know that Israel not
only can live but also will live. This is one reason why the Gentiles
evangelize every nation in the world except Israel. Only recently in the
last few years has there been any evangelism at all other than Christian
Jews who are making some headway in parts of the Old Soviet Union and
other places in reaching the Jews with the Gospel. The ones who are called
to do this are simply sitting in their easy chairs of unbelief and
ignoring that God has called the Gentiles to take the Gospel to the Jews
as well as the rest of the world. Do you think that I am not telling it
like it is? Then ask a Christian friend why the church doesn't take the
Gospel to the Jews. You might be surprised at the answer you will get. In the next verse God tells Ezekiel this: This is to say that Israel will not live again until we speak to them
and tell Israel to hear the word of the Lord. This is saying that we must
share the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is the word of the Lord to Israel so
that they can and will be saved. It is up to us. God could have raised the
dry bones of that valley without Ezekiel's help but he chose to use
Ezekiel. God can cause Israel to be saved without our help but he chooses
to use us. He wants us, the Gentiles, to speak to Israel. Israel will be in the Resurrection at the time of the
Rapture Ezekiel said this: After Ezekiel spoke to the bones they lived, just the same as Israel
will live after we the Gentiles have given them the Gospel to be saved.
This has to happen before they can be saved. Hearing the word of God saves
us and this is why it must be preached. We must hear it in order to
believe it. After he spoke the bones came to life. This resurrection from the graves speaks in two ways. In order to be in the physical resurrection of the body we must first
be born again, or resurrected in the spirit. As born again believers we
are resurrected with Christ in the spirit to walk in newness of life. This
is called becoming a new creature in Christ. Our old man is nailed to the
cross with Jesus and our new man is resurrected spiritually so that we can
walk and live with Christ while on this earth. But, following this there will be a physical resurrection. Many
Christians have left Israel out of this resurrection in their teachings
for a number of reasons. Remember the Resurrection and the Rapture happen
at the same time. The dead in Christ shall rise first and then we that are
alive and remain shall be caught up together with them. This is the plan.
In order to be in this promise we must be born again. Israel is promised
the Resurrection and Rapture the same as any other believer. To believe
other wise we would have to be racially prejudiced or to believe that God
is a respecter of persons. He isn't a respecter of persons. But many leave Israel out of the resurrection of the dead because they
know that all of Israel isn't going to be saved until sometime during the
Tribulation period. If they were to believe Israel is going to be in the
resurrection of the dead then they would have to believe that the
Resurrection could not take place before the Tribulation. So in order to
believe this teaching we must exclude Israel from the promises of God.
Very cold thinking I believe. By falling into this trap we find ourselves
thinking just exactly the way the Gentiles were thinking in Romans 11th
chapter. The Gentiles believed that God preferred them to the Jew. Paul
said that this kind of thinking or boastful teaching could cause the
Gentiles to be cut off as well as the Jew. Somehow because of Israel's
blindness we have developed a superior feeling in our relationship with
Christ. It is a sad condition of the heart and blinds millions of Gentile
Christians. It is a hardened heart concerning our feelings for Israel when
it comes to the Rapture. But God says that Israel will be in the Resurrection of the dead, which
means that they will also be in the Rapture. In verse 2 many that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some
to everlasting life. This is the resurrection of the just. Which is
the first Resurrection and includes the Rapture of the Church. Those that
are resurrected to shame and everlasting contempt will be in the
resurrection of the unjust at the end of the millennial reign of
Christ. But notice something else in these scriptures. Verse 3 shows
Israel taking the Gospel to the world. He says that the wise among Israel
speaking of those that were wise enough to accept Jesus as their savior
would lead others to Christ. Israel will be saved and will be in the same
covenant that we are. Remember that we only got into this covenant because
of Israel's partial blindness. Jesus brings them back to the land of Israel to possess
it Israel will return to the land after God has put his spirit in them and
they have been resurrected both spiritually and physically. This is the
way that this promise goes. Notice that first he puts his spirit in them and they come alive. This
is followed by God returning Israel back to the land that was promised to
them. Why must it happen this way? God promised them the land of Israel
through Abraham. But, they must be born again to legally possess the land
that God promised. This is why they have so much trouble and instability
in Israel today. Am I saying that Israel shouldn't be there? Not at all,
but they are out of sink with the promise. After the Tribulation when God
raptures the Church that will include the Jews at that time he will bring
Israel back with Christ to the land of Israel. He will then give it to
them as an eternal possession. He will give them their land at the time he
judges the nations at the judgment seat of Christ that will happen after
the Battle of Armageddon. Jesus said in Matthew 23:39 that the Jews would
not see him again until they had accepted him as the Christ and say
blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Some believe that the
Jews will be saved after they see Jesus, Jesus said it the other way
around. The question remains? Why are they in the land of Israel today? The
answer to this question is found in the rest of Ezekiel 37 in the mystery
of the two sticks. The two sticks represent two separate gatherings for
Israel in the last days. Mainly speaking that Israel would be gathered for
the most part in two separate countries. God does this for the name's
sakes of the twelve tribes of Israel. One group is gathered into America.
There are over six million Jews living in America and there is a little
over 5 million living in Israel itself. God is going to bring these two
groups together before he brings them back to the land of Israel. He will
bring them together in Christ, but it will also be in a certain place.
This is the number one reason I believe that Israel will escape to America
during the last 3 and a half years to be saved. The place prepared in the
wilderness is America not Petra. God is going to use Israel to spread the
Gospel rather than place them in a prison in a canyon to spend the last 3
and a half years cowering in fear. It is anti-Semitic to believe that God
is going to do that to Israel while giving all the glory of the ministry
to the Gentiles. Rather God is going save Israel and allow them to be used
for a short while before the resurrection and the Rapture of the
Church. I hope that you have received some good from this along with
understanding that we have a mission to accomplish and that is to take the
Gospel to the world. But while taking the Gospel to the world we cannot
forsake or forget about Israel in the process. We must not only pray for
the peace of Jerusalem but for their salvation as well. This is the true
peace and that is to know Christ for them selves. Your brother in Christ |
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CCSANI
