August 30
Ezekiel 34:1-36:38
When Jesus walked the earth He taught His followers, but often they failed to comprehend the truths that He was conveying, as we read in Luke 24:44-45 (NKJV), " Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures." So many years later, we are left with His written word. It should be the prayers of all of us as we approach His perfect and authoritative word, that as He did to His disciples so long ago, that He will likewise do for us, that He will open our understanding that we might comprehend the Scriptures. When He enables us to comprehend, then we can apply and move forward with this truth for others. We all have a calling to diligently approach Scripture then move out with boldness with what it is that we are given.
The formation of the nation of Israel on May 14, 1948 was truly miraculous. But if the world had it's eye on Scripture, we should not have been surprised, since it was foretold. The Jewish people had received it's most lethal blow under the fist of Nazi Germany. Their numbers were decimated and they were largely demoralized as many left the concentration camps, literally as walking skeletons. Yet, form these ashes, the beautiful nation of Israel was re-formed. It was the only time that a group of people who had been removed from their nation for almost 1900 years, yet returned speaking the same language and genetically the same people. We read of this in Ezekiel 37:1-3, "The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?” We then read of the miraculous reassembling of the people in 37:4-9, "Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’”" This is what happened, past tense in 1948, as the nation was reformed, but this prophecy is not yet complete.
We read in Ezekiel 37:14, " I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’” Though the nation of Israel has reassembled and has flourished in almost every way: in agriculture, in technology, in military strength, in solidarity, etc., it still largely lacks the presence of the Holy Spirit. There is a contingent of Orthodox Jewish individuals who love God, but still do not know Jesus as Messiah. The vast majority of the nation is secular, either agnostic, atheistic, or holding onto the traditions of the faith. But God is not finished with this people that He has always loved and this nation that He has reassembled from nothing. We read in Ezekiel 36:26-27, " And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations." I have been pointing to this passage a great deal lately when talking to my Jewish patients. Many believe it will be the unfolding of the events in the battle of Gog and Magog, followed by the seven year tribulation, also known as the "Time of Jacob's trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), that will open the eyes and the hearts of the Jewish people to their Messiah, Jesus Christ. When this happens, and they finally recognize and accept their Messiah, they will then receive the Holy Spirit and this prophecy will be complete.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: