Sunday, September 22, 2013
Ezekiel 37:22
Sunday, September 22, 2013 |
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.
For further study - Ezekiel 37:15-23
This passage of scripture, selected for today's reading, is a prophetic passage that many Bible prophecy students have either ignored or have not been able to understand.
It is a prophecy that seems to be saying that the "ten lost tribes" of Israel will in the last days be found and they will be reunited with the two tribes known as Judah. According to Jewish history there are no "ten lost tribes" of Israel.
The record found in Ezra speaks of "all twelve tribes" being back in the land some 2,500 years ago when Cyrus gave permission for Zerubabbel to take almost 50,000 Jews back to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple, Ezra 1.
The list in Ezra 2 mentions a number of people from tribes other than Judah and Benjamin. Two examples are verses 28-29, Bethel and Ai are in the tribe of Ephraim, verse 28; and Nebo is in the tribe of Reuven, verse 29.
Even the fact that Ezra 6 uses the term "Israel" indicates that it's speaking of all twelve tribes back in the land at the time of the building of the Second Temple.
In Ezekiel 37:11 it states that the "bones", in the dry valley, are the "whole house of Israel". That means representatives of all twelve tribes have been coming back into the land of their forefathers, even though they are coming in unbelief, as the text states they should.
Therefore, the passage for our devotional reading for today is a prophecy of two "Jewish states" during the Tribulation Period that will become one state again at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ when He will cleanse the Jews, and they will be His people, and He their God, verse 23.
The "two sticks" represent the two Jewish states, Israel and Judah. This prophecy is also revealed in Malachi 2, Jeremiah 3:18 and Ezekiel 35:10, when it refers to "two nations". Now, that's the prophecy. (For more, see my audio series on Ezekiel, "Dry Bones and Two Sticks")
The current events that play into this scenario are many. For a number of years this prophetic concept has been discussed among the religious Jews. The former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told former US President George W Bush that Israel was on the verge of civil war, Jew against Jew.
With the disengagement of the Gaza, the Annapolis Middle East Peace Summit and pressure from the Unites States, the European Union and the United Nations, the Israeli government called for the removal of the Jewish settlers in Judea and Samaria, several hundred thousand Jewish settlers.
This call has been met by calls for a "second" Jewish state. A campaign to come up with a "flag" for the second Jewish state, and an "anthem" as well. There are very serious Jewish scholars that are calling for this "second Jewish state", a prophecy that Ezekiel wrote about 2,500 years ago.
The stage is set and all the actors are getting into place, the curtain is about to go up on the final act in this prophetic drama for the last days. Only one thing must happen before all of these prophecies will be fulfilled, and that's the Rapture, which could happen, today. Keep looking up ... Until.
PRAYER THOT: Thank you Lord for the understanding of Bible prophecy for the last days. It helps me to recognize where I am on Your time clock. Help me to live expecting You to come today.