... how I shrank not from declaring unto you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly, and from house to house ... - Acts 20:20
Ezekiel 37:1-14 is one of the most amazing passages of Scripture, full of revelation and truth, engendering hope and vision to us even until this day. In the vision, Ezekiel was not speaking to a large crowd; he was in the Spirit of YHWH. No one it seems was there to hear him; he is with YHWH in the Spirit looking at a vision in a valley full of bones. This vision has historic and contemporary meaning and yet it was first expressed by the Spirit to Ezekiel and Ezekiel was alone.
We need not to be concerned whether we have big numbers of people following us, but that we are in the Spirit, hearing the word of the Lord and being led by Him.
We can be a people through whom God can effect change and influence the destiny of nations and peoples. If God manifests His glory among us and in us, then history is being made and God's purpose is being outworked in the earth.
The Scripture says that Moses knew the ways of God, but the children of Israel only saw the acts of God (Ps.103:7). As we walk in the ways of God, people will see the acts of God. We can be sure of ourselves in Christ Jesus, that we are understanding His 'good, acceptable and perfect will' (Rom.12:2).
In the world-changing prophetic vision that Ezekiel received, he was with God and some dry bones; in fact, a valley full of them. Ezekiel looked "there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry" (Eze.37:2). YHWH asked Ezekiel, "Son of man, can these bones live?" (v.3). Ezekiel was not able to answer the question. Then God said to Ezekiel "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD [YHWH]!'" God told Ezekiel to prophesy [preach, herald, speak forth] to the bones. Hear the word of YHWH. It is the word of God that is "quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword" (Heb.4:12). God said the bones were the whole house of Israel - His people.
Deuteronomy 8:3 says "man shall not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of YHWH".
The Hebrew word for 'live' is 'chayah' = revive, SC# Hb.2421. Chayah means to live, to be preserved alive, to be revived, to cause to live.
Can Australia live? Can your nation live? Is there a future for the nations? Yes, they can if we speak the word of the Lord to them, not offering them Christian religion, but prophesying the word of God.
The Scripture says in John 1:4, "In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men". We get the life of Jesus by getting into the Light. The light draws up to Jesus. Jesus is the life (zoe).
Word Wealth at 1 John 5:20 in the Spirit Filled Life Bible
'Life' Greek 'Zoe' SC#2222 - the principle of life...not only physical but spiritual life. This is possessed by faith in Jesus Christ. Eternal life not only refers to quantity or duration of life but to quality of life. It is a present life of living by God's grace and glory in the here and now. Grace enables us to experience the glory.
In Isaiah 57:15 God speaks as "the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy". He dwells "with him who has a contrite and humble spirit", and by dwelling with them, He will "revive the spirit of the humble and revive the heart of the contrite ones". They shall live!
Paul shows us in 1 Timothy 2:1-7 that we are to pray for leaders and authorities to be saved by coming to the knowledge of the truth. The truth is: "there is One God and One Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time" (v.5-6). Paul then says that he was appointed "a preacher and an apostle ... a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth" (v.7).
If the church prays according to His word, God will raise up a generation of apostles, preachers and teachers who will proclaim this truth and more people will be saved! Nations will be affected. It only takes two or three to gather in Jesus name, then anything can happen as Jesus is in the midst (Matthew 18:18-20).
These bones can live!
The revelation of the glory is the emanation of God's character and nature coming out of you (Col.1:27). In Deuteronomy 30:15-16 God shows us how to live in such a way that His glory is revealed in us and shines forth from us. God has set before us life and good or death and evil. Then God shows us how to conduct ourselves in verse 16:
• our first response to God is to love Him
• then walk in His ways [God will lead us]
• then we are to keep His commands, statutes and judgements [this comes by obeying the voice you hear through the Word you read]
• then you will live and multiply
• you will be blessed [to prosper, to increase] in the land
In Ezekiel 37:5 YHWH spoke: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live". God will cause breath [spirit, Hebrew "ruach"] to enter you and you shall live. [See Word Wealth in Spirit Filled Life Bible at 2 Samuel 23:6]. The word is translated 'spirit, wind, breath'. The Spirit of Christ is received into our inner man and we are born again, we live, we are revived
Ezekiel 37:6-14 shows that when we prophesy the word of the LORD as He commands us, even dry bones can become as living men and women again. In the vision Ezekiel cooperated with God and spoke as he was commanded. The bones were raised up to become a mighty army of God (37:10).
The fruit of discipleship is that His people are able to speak the word of God. In our recent training school at Shiloh [January 2019] we had a number of disciples who have been trained, sharing the word of God. We saw the fruit of active and purposeful discipleship: the disciples are able to speak the word of God, bringing life to the hearers.
In Ezekiel 47:1-2, Ezekiel was brought to the door of the house [temple]. There is a river flowing out of the sanctuary of God. Ever since Jesus ascended to the right hand there has been a river flowing. In verses 3-5 we are to keep walking into that river. It was a huge river and we are to go more deeply into that river until we are fully immersed in that river. Are you ready for immersion in the Spirit of God and ready to do His work?
Ezekiel 47:9 says that every living thing that moved, wherever the rivers go, will live. The river brings life! The river is the releasing of the glorious gospel of the blessed God (1Tim.1:11).
In John 7:37-38 Jesus said that rivers will flow out from the innermost being of believers. This awesome river of God will actually flow out from the hearts of believers, giving drink to the thirsty. You are meant to bring life wherever you go and healing as well. If you have been immersed in the river, the living water will automatically flow out from you.
Ezekiel 47:10 talks about many fishermen. It is interesting that Jesus called the disciples to be "fishers of men" (Matt.4:19). Jesus promised that if we will follow His call, he will make us [disciple and equip] fishers of men. In John 17:18 Jesus said, "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world". Jesus had trained the disciples and was now sending them as fully trained fishermen. This is apostolic sending.
Beware of swamps and marshes! Unfortunately, many ministries and churches get caught in a back-water, even a swamp or a marsh and there is no life flowing. We need to stay in the stream where life is being released, because the work of the ascension gift ministries is being done (Eph.4:11-16).
Along the river there will be trees on either side. These trees will produce fruit for food and their leaves will be "for medicine" (Ezekiel 47:12). Now we have a river that brings life wherever it goes, and we have trees that give food and release healing to all who come seeking.
Can these bones live?
In Revelation 22:1 John was shown "a pure river of water of life". The river is the "water of life". Jesus told the Samaritan woman "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water'" John 4:10. In verses 13-14 Jesus said "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him, will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life".
This river is 'pure'. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matt.5:8).
Pure means without blemish, clean, undefiled. The word describes physical, ceremonial, and ethical purity [see Word wealth Matt.5:8]. This water allows us to see God, "God is in the midst of her [the city of God]" (Ps.46:5).
This river of water of life proceeds "from the throne of God and of the Lamb" (Rev.22:1). Remember the river in Ezekiel originated from the house of God and the Ark of the Covenant in the House of God represented the Throne of God.
Revelation 22:2 is difficult to imagine: "In the middle of its street and on either side of the river, was the tree of life". The Greek word translated 'street' [#4113], can also mean a wide place, open square, a broad way. The important point was that the tree of life was in the middle of this wide place and "on either side of the river".
Access to the tree of life was restored to humankind through Jesus the Messiah becoming flesh, redeeming us from sin and hell and death, and restoring us to God and filling us with His Holy Spirit.
We are to come and eat of the fruits of that tree and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations [peoples]. The many trees in Ezekiel's vision is seen in Revelation as the Tree of Life. In a very real way, Jesus is The Tree of Life and His saints, who are filled with His Spirit, can be said to be 'the trees'. This prophetic reference is confirmed in John 7:37-39.
There is "no more curse" (Rev.22:3) because "the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it [the city]. Whenever people acknowledge the Throne of God the curse is broken. There is no more curse at the Throne of God: no tribal or generational curse there; no curse at all.
"And His servants shall serve Him". Once a person is born again, there is a desire to serve the Lord. We are released from every curse and the Scripture says we "shall see His face, and His name shall be on their [our] foreheads" (v.4).
There are many wonderful things referred to in Revelation 22:6-16 and I encourage you to study these verses, word by word, sentence by sentence and verse by verse. Some of the things mentioned tell us that Jesus is "Coming quickly" (v.7 & 12), that the one speaking to John is not an angelic being, but "a fellow servant and of your brethren the prophets" (v.9). In verse 10 we see that this book is not sealed but is open for us to read and learn from. Verse 11 gives a severe warning referring to eternal states that are dependent upon how we live our lives. There will come a time when it is too late to repent. There are many other important points in this passage.
In Revelation 22:17 "And the Spirit and the bride say 'Come!'". How many of us have said that the Spirit and the bride say 'come Lord Jesus', and we have failed to read the Scripture attentively. The Spirit and the bride are not calling Jesus to come. They are calling the thirsty to come to "take the water of life freely". Those who accept the invitation will also say "Come!"
This a wonderful revelation enabling us to understand the role of the church in calling the thirsty to come and drink of the water of life. This verse is linked to all the teaching on the river and especially to John 7:37-39.
We are not positioned in a 'waiting time' for Jesus to come. But we are positioned in a proactive ministry:
Paul Galligan