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The Valley of Dry Bones

The Valley of Dry Bones: How Ezekiel Prophesies Israel’s Final Resurrection

Introduction: Hope in the Face of Death

The Prophet Ezekiel was a priest-turned-prophet ministering to the exiles in Babylon. With the Temple destroyed and the nation scattered, the people felt that their national identity and hope were irrevocably dead. In response, God gave Ezekiel a powerful, visual, and unforgettable prophecy: a vision of a valley filled with dry, disconnected human bones. This vision serves as the ultimate assurance that God’s covenant promises of restoration will not fail, even after centuries of national death.

The Valley of Dry Bones is a crucial Prophetic Hotspot, establishing the certainty of Israel’s physical and spiritual national resurrection in the last days—a necessary prerequisite for The Lord’s Return.

The Foundational Vision: The Law of Rebirth

The vision is a powerful two-part process: the physical reassembly of the bones into bodies, followed by the spiritual impartation of the Spirit. The final command is given directly to the Prophet.

The Divine Breath of Life

Ezekiel prophesied over the bones as commanded, demonstrating that the restoration is accomplished solely by God’s Word and Spirit:

“So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.” (Ezekiel 37:7-8, KJV)

“Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” (Ezekiel 37:9, KJV)

  • The Law of Two Resurrections: This vision prophesies the two-stage national restoration:
    1. Physical/National Restoration: The bones coming together signifies the re-gathering of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland (Israel becoming a nation in 1948). This provides the “body,” but they are still nationally unconverted.
    2. Spiritual/Covenant Restoration: The breath entering the body signifies the national conversion of Israel, when the New Covenant promised in Jeremiah and Ezekiel is applied, and the Spirit is poured out (Zechariah 12:10).
  • The Identity of the Bones: God interprets the vision explicitly: “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.” (Ezekiel 37:11, KJV). The prophecy is about the political and spiritual fate of the entire Jewish nation.

Prophetic Hotspot: The Final Assembly

The vision confirms that Israel’s restoration is not just a hope, but a guaranteed, two-part prophetic necessity that sets the stage for the Second Coming.

  • The Prophetic Timeline: Israel’s physical return to the land (bones to bones) prepares the stage for the final events (like the 70th Week of Daniel). The final spiritual outpouring (the breath) will occur when Christ appears.
  • The Return to Life: The ultimate fulfillment of this vision is the triumphant recognition of the Messiah by the Jewish people at the end of the Tribulation. This final, unified, and converted Israel will then be fully prepared to receive the reign of Christ at The Lord’s Return, becoming the spiritual and political center of the promised Millennial Kingdom.

The Return Question: Where Is Your Evidence of Life?

The resurrection of the dry bones required the obedient declaration of God’s Word and the movement of the Holy Spirit. The bodies were useless until the Spirit gave them life.

If the entire prophetic hope of the Jewish nation hinges on the restoration of both their physical body (the land) and their spiritual breath (the Spirit of God), are we, the individual members of the Church, actively seeking and demonstrating the life-giving breath of the Spirit in our daily lives as we await the moment when the Son of Man returns to breathe life into His final, global kingdom at The Lord’s Return?