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Book: Ezekiel

  • Can These Bones Live

    Can These Bones Live

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    Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

    Summary

    Ezekiel 37’s vision of the valley of dry bones demonstrates that God is faithful to His promises and His word is trustworthy. The prophecy, given during Israel’s Babylonian exile, foretold the physical reconstitution of the nation of Israel—something no one imagined possible even 80 years ago—and yet it has been fulfilled. However, while Israel has returned to the land, the nation remains spiritually lifeless, like bodies without breath.

    We are reminded that just as God fulfilled the physical promise of Israel’s return, He will fulfill the spiritual promise of Israel’s salvation when Jesus returns. This passage calls us to trust God’s promises for our own lives and to faithfully share the gospel.

    Key Lessons:

    1. God’s faithfulness to Israel proves that His word is true and His promises are reliable—what He says will come to pass, even when it seems impossible from a human perspective.
    2. Obedient faithfulness, like Ezekiel’s willingness to prophesy to dead bones, is what God requires of us—even when His commands seem foolish by worldly standards.
    3. Physical restoration without spiritual life is incomplete—Israel’s return to the land without faith in Messiah mirrors the danger of outward religion without the indwelling Spirit.
    4. Prayer is the secret weapon of evangelism, as demonstrated by a Finnish woman who prayed for 30 years for someone she had never met.

    Application: We are called to hold fast to God’s promises during uncertain and troubled times, trusting that the same God who fulfilled prophecy concerning Israel will fulfill every promise He has made to us. We are also called to faithfully pray for and share the gospel with Jewish people and all nations.

    Discussion Questions:

    1. How does seeing fulfilled prophecy in Israel’s modern history strengthen your confidence in God’s other promises for your life?
    2. Ezekiel obeyed God’s command even when it seemed foolish—what is God asking you to do in faith right now that may not make sense from a human perspective?
    3. How can the example of the Finnish woman who prayed for 30 years challenge and reshape your prayer life, especially regarding people who don’t yet know Jesus?

    Scripture Focus: Ezekiel 37:1-14 (the valley of dry bones vision revealing God’s plan for Israel’s physical and spiritual restoration), Romans 11:25-26 (the promise of all Israel’s future salvation), and Proverbs 3:5-6 (trusting the Lord with all your heart).

    Outline

    Introduction

    It is good to be back here at Calvary.

    Thank you so much for your faithfulness and for your ministry and for your prayers and support.

    The Crisis That Shook Us Awake

    Now, I don’t know about you, but I love to sleep in on Saturdays. Can you relate? Right. Saturdays is the one day we get to sleep in. And I remember that on that particular Saturday I woke up and it looked like it was way too early.

    I could see the light, and it wasn’t exactly bright yet. The sun wasn’t shining yet. So I’m like, wow, what time is it? Why am I getting up here? And I did something that is a bad habit of mine. Dina can attest to this, but when I wake up I have a bad habit of looking at my phone.

    I know I need to break that. But anyway, I looked at my phone and right away I saw the time. It was 6:45 a.m. Way too early.

    But on that particular Saturday, as I was looking at my phone, my phone was basically burning up. Not literally, but there were thousands of messages there. iMessage messages, WhatsApp messages. It was nuts. I was like, what is going on?

    So I opened up those messages and I started reading. And that’s right, you guessed it right. It was October 7th, 2023.

    “It was October 7th, 2023.”

    And as Dina and I have served most of our ministry career in Israel. I was born and raised there. Dina and I served there for over 20 years, both as missionaries with Jews for Jesus, but also pastoring a congregation outside of Tel Aviv for 17 years. So obviously we have family there, friends, staff, and as we woke up that day our hearts were broken. And I know that your hearts were as well.

    And unfortunately this war has continued. We’re approaching October 7th, 2025. We’re getting to the two-year mark, and there are still hostages in Gaza. There is still fighting happening in Gaza and in the West Bank. In the past almost two years, we went through wars with Lebanon, Syria, Iran.

    What’s going on? How are the people doing in Israel?

    A World Without Hope

    Well, people are depressed. People are desperate.

    People feel like there’s no solution. There’s no hope. Hopelessness.

    “People feel like there’s no solution. There’s no hope. Hopelessness.”

    Now maybe you feel the same. Maybe looking at the Middle East, you feel that sense of, “Oh man, why can’t they just get along?” Yeah, there’s no hope there. But maybe also as you look into what’s going on in our country here in the United States, maybe you feel the same way. Maybe when you heard of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, maybe you thought, “Wow, what’s going on?” Maybe as you’re looking at the rise in liberalism and maybe as you’re looking in the news in this country, maybe you’re feeling the same way, like this world has gone mad.

    Perhaps you feel like there’s just no answers, no solutions.

    God Is in Charge

    Well, today I want us to see that the Lord God of Israel, the Lord of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is in charge. Today I want us to understand and experience how despite all this craziness that’s happening all over the world, how God is faithful, how God is true and trustworthy. Despite the news broadcasts of today’s crises all over the world, we can trust God for the future.

    We can trust the Lord. I want to show that to us by looking at Israel, my country, my people. I want us to look at Israel as an example which I think proves for us how God is indeed trustworthy and how we can rely on him and on his sovereignty.

    “The Lord God of Israel, the Lord of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is in charge.”

    That’s our plan for today. You excited? You don’t seem excited, but I know you are. You can open back up to our passage that we read earlier, which will be in Ezekiel 37.

    Israel in Exile: The Background

    And I want us to take a look at this crisis that Israel went through in our chapter. And I want us to see how it applies today to Israel. And even though this is Israel a long time ago in Ezekiel 37, it applies to the situation in Israel today and what we can take from this and how this really does lead us to trust God, knowing that he is faithful.

    A little bit of background here in the book of Ezekiel: Israel is not in Israel. The Jewish people are not in the holy land. The Jewish people in this time are in Babylon. The Jewish people were taken captive to Babylon, and Ezekiel was among them.

    The people of Israel weren’t given a choice. This wasn’t a choice of them to go to Babylon because Babylon had nicer beaches and hotels. No, this was exile. This was forced. They were forced to leave their homes, their country. They were taken hostages, many times in chains, to Babylon. When that happens in society, people resist. We need to remember that many died, thousands died in resistance to the Babylonian conqueror and to the Babylonian exile.

    “The Jewish people were taken captivity to Babylon and Ezekiel was among them.”

    So that’s the background. But now in Ezekiel 37, we find Ezekiel at exile in Babylon. I think he’s probably desperate, probably longing to go back to his homeland. Maybe he’s wondering what’s going on. Where is God? What’s happening here?

    So we read Ezekiel 37.

    The Hand of the Lord Upon Ezekiel

    So, let’s take a closer look at the text beginning with verse one. In our text, we find God posing a question for us. A question which I think is a good question for all the ages. And as we see, God will answer that question, giving us confidence both now and for the future. So in verse one, we find that the hand of the Lord comes upon Ezekiel.

    Let’s not just gloss over it. The hand of the Lord comes upon Ezekiel.

    Now, how does the hand of the creator of the universe feel? Can you imagine that? I don’t know, maybe it’s hard for us. I imagine God’s hand as being heavy and yet comforting.

    “I imagine God’s hand as being heavy and yet comforting.”

    The Bible says the hand of the Lord came upon Ezekiel and then brought him out in the spirit of the Lord and set him down in the midst of the valley. Wow. What an experience, huh?

    What’s happening here in our text? Was Ezekiel actually physically transported and all of a sudden he finds himself in this valley of bones? Was he taken in a vision and he just kind of sees it and he’s there in some sort of a vision? I don’t know. The Bible doesn’t say. And I imagine it as being like this.

    Ezekiel is there in his room right by his bed, maybe just the floor, but he’s on his knees and he’s praying to the God of his fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And then boom, he’s actually physically transported into this valley. A valley of bones. Valley filled with bones. Human bones all over. Skulls, spines, ribs, hands, feet. What an image, huh?

    Walking Through the Valley of Death

    Now, if you look at our text, which I hope you’re following along, we read there that Ezekiel is actually caused to walk through this valley of death.

    That’s why I think that he was actually physically transported as I’ve described to you in my imagination, even though the Bible doesn’t specifically say that, but it does say that he’s caused to walk through this valley of death.

    Again, what was that like? What do you think that Ezekiel was feeling? I think that he must have felt a burden for all these people whose bones he was stepping on. Maybe as he’s caused to walk, maybe the hand of the Lord is feeling heavier and heavier with every step that he takes.

    Maybe as he’s walking, maybe Ezekiel remembers the land that he was forced out of, a land that was now at that moment in history completely devastated.

    And that’s Ezekiel’s experience. Devastation is all around him. Death surrounded him.

    “Devastation is all around him. Death surrounded him. All he heard was a deathly silence disturbed by the creaking of bones.”

    All he heard was a deathly silence disturbed by the creaking of the bones.

    The Bones of the Whole House of Israel

    And as he’s walking now, later on in our text, we read that the bones are the whole house of Israel.

    In my mind and imagination, there’s no doubt for me that Ezekiel understood this. His recent experience of forced exile from the land and all the horrors of death and destruction that accompanied that made this experience of this valley of dry bones, this picture of this devastation, it made it all the more real to Ezekiel.

    And for most of the past 2,000 years, these words could be applied equally well to the situation of my Jewish people. We were scattered around the whole world, persecuted and slaughtered by crusaders, by pogroms, by Hitler’s hordes of Nazis.

    “For most of the past 2,000 years, these words could be applied equally well to the situation of my Jewish people.”

    The bones were very dry.

    Can These Bones Live?

    Ezekiel is there walking in this valley and then all of a sudden Ezekiel hears a voice. He hears a voice, a question.

    Son of man, can these bones live? I don’t know about you, but I love it when God asks a question in the scriptures.

    Do you love it? He does that often. Son of man, can these bones live? What an amazing question.

    It’s a question for all the ages. Can these bones live?

    Ezekiel 37:3: “Son of man, can these bones live? — a question for all the ages.”

    So, let’s think about it. You don’t have to be a PhD in biology. You don’t have to be an MD or a doctor. Can bones live? No. The obvious answer is no. The natural answer is no. How can bones live? Bones cannot live. Bones are objects with no life in them.

    The great historian, Professor Arnold Toynbee, proposed a hypothesis. He said, and I quote, “Any nation which was forcibly expelled from its native land, forced to abandon its native language would inevitably cease to exist as a unique people.” This is a true story.

    One day a student asked the esteemed professor how he explained the existence of the Jewish people. The Jews, Toynbee replied, are like a fossil floating on the sea of humanity. You see, for Professor Toynbee there was no logical explanation.

    Can these bones live? Professor Toynbee said no. There is no way from the natural perspective. We would look at it and we would say bones—no, they cannot live.

    What’s Ezekiel’s answer? Look at the text. What’s Ezekiel’s answer? Ezekiel says, “God.” Wow. What a great answer.

    Prophesy to the Bones: A Foolish Command

    God’s response to Ezekiel’s answer, look at the text, is in the form of a command. God says to Ezekiel, “Prophesy to these bones and they shall live.” Wow.

    God, what? Are you kidding me? Prophesy to these bones. Tell them they’re going to live.

    This is crazy. I mean, what would you think if you’re walking down, I don’t know, downtown New York City or downtown New Brunswick, whatever, and you see a guy who has a bunch of bones in front of him and he goes and he says, “You’re going to live. You’re going to live.” What would you think? You would think that person was crazy, right? You would say, “Hey, this person needs to be in a mental institution, right?”

    That’s crazy. Speaking to dead bones.

    God commanded Ezekiel to do the most foolish thing that he could do: to speak to bones and to tell them that they will live. You see, brothers and sisters, from the natural, speaking to bones is foolishness. But the command that God gives Ezekiel is a supernatural one. God calls those things that are not as though they were. And so if you’re looking through the lens of your own understanding, all you will see is dry bones. But if you look through the eyes of faith, you will see as God sees. And instead of despair, you will see hope.

    “If you look through the eyes of faith, you will see as God sees. Instead of despair, you will see hope.”

    Instead of death, you will see life. And instead of defeat, you will see victory.

    You see, those who through the ages have said that God had abandoned the people of Israel were wrong because all they saw were dry bones.

    But God said, “Speak, speak to the bones.” So what’s Ezekiel’s response?

    Ezekiel’s Faithful Obedience

    I’ll confess.

    I would probably say, “No, there’s no way I’m doing this, God. Are you crazy?” But look what is Ezekiel’s response to the command. It’s an example to us. We read verse seven: “So I prophesied as I was commanded.” Ezekiel didn’t argue. He didn’t say, “God, are you sure? God, there’s no way I’m doing this. God, what are the people around me going to think?” Right?

    No. Absolute obedience.

    I know I would have felt like a fool talking to bones, but nevertheless, Ezekiel did what the Lord commanded him. He remained faithful.

    “Ezekiel didn’t argue. He didn’t complain. Absolute obedience. He remained faithful.”

    Brothers and sisters, we don’t talk enough about faithfulness, being faithful to God, obeying God. And when we do that, what happened? Well, look what happens in our text.

    The Bones Come Together

    What happened is Ezekiel prophesied. We read there was noise and rattling. The bones coming together. Can you imagine this? All the bones coming together.

    Flesh coming on the bones. The bones are turned into humans.

    You don’t seem impressed, but this is amazing. This is awesome. This is amazing.

    Bones came together were made into humans.

    “Ezekiel prophesied. There was noise and rattling. The bones coming together. Flesh coming on the bones.”

    The Modern-Day Miracle of Israel

    Now the astounding imagery of Ezekiel’s vision is a precursor to the astounding manner of the modern-day miracle that is Israel.

    If we can go back in time 200 years ago, a hundred years ago, even 90 years ago, 80 years ago, no one would have ever imagined the possibility of Jewish people having their own country in the state of Israel.

    No way. There was no way.

    When people, theologians, Bible scholars 80 years ago, 100 years ago, many of them would look at this prophecy, they would say things like, “Well, no, no, no, that’s not literally the Jewish people here. This is just a spiritual thing or it’s just a spirit.” They didn’t know what to do with these verses that we’re studying this morning. No one would have imagined that the prophecies concerning the future of Israel could ever be literally fulfilled. So they would come up with all these spiritual explanations.

    There was no way that this could happen during the 1940s, right?

    Well, here I am standing before you as a visible representation of the fact that God has not abandoned his people. The bones have indeed come together.

    “Here I am standing before you as a visible representation that God has not abandoned his people.”

    Beginning back in the 1800s and leading climactically up to 1948 and 1967, Israel as a nation is back in the land with Jerusalem as its capital.

    Brothers and sisters, the bones have come together.

    Amen.

    Bodies Without Breath

    Well, that’s it, right? Can we go home now? No. No, we still have about 40 minutes and guess what? Our passage isn’t even over yet, right? Hey, there is a problem though. There is a problem.

    Look at the text. We’re just following the text. What does the Bible say?

    Well, sure, the bones have come together, but the bones don’t have a breath in them.

    Now, I know that Halloween is coming up, right? I’ve already seen houses decorated and I’m not from here, I’m not really into Halloween, but let me just say something to you, okay? If anybody ever comes to you and asks, “Hey, are there zombies in the Bible?” The answer is yes.

    Ezekiel 37.

    This is the situation. This is what Ezekiel is looking over right now. Ezekiel looks over a vast gathering of lifeless bodies. Zombies. There is no breath. There is no spirit.

    “Ezekiel looks over a vast gathering of lifeless bodies. There is no breath. There is no spirit. There is no life.”

    There is no life.

    Israel Today: Reconstituted but Not Revived

    Zombies. And it breaks my heart to tell you that this is indeed the modern-day dilemma. Many have wondered how my people, the Jewish people, could be back in the land, in the land of the Bible, in the Holy Land, yet in unbelief.

    Ezekiel explains that mystery for us right here in our text. There has been a reconstitution but no revival. Bodies standing but for the most part Jewish people and the people of Israel spiritually are dead.

    “There has been a reconstitution but no revival. Bodies standing but spiritually dead.”

    That’s exactly what we see. We see the same in Israel today where we have people who are seeking, searching, and when confronted with the issue of Jesus, and they’re interested, they’re open. Maybe as I’ve shared at Sunday school, we’re seeing a greater opening today.

    But make no mistakes about it. Until they accept him, until they put their trust in the Messiah of Israel, in Jesus, in Yeshua, his name in Hebrew, they don’t have the breath in them. They don’t have the spirit of God in them.

    So many of my people today are either agnostic or atheist. They’re turned off to religion altogether because they’ve seen the hypocrisy of the ultra-religious, the ultra-orthodox, and they want no part of it. Those same orthodox Jews, which make about 7% of Jewish people in the world today, those same ultra-orthodox Jews, they try to follow the letter of the law, but they don’t have the spirit.

    The secular majority see the letter, they sense the deadness, and they walk away. Some walk away into Eastern religions or new age philosophies while others embrace materialism and new age philosophies.

    But there is no life. There’s no life.

    The Spirit Brings Life

    But there is hope. There is hope. The dry bones won’t stay dry forever. And that’s what we see in the following verses in the following sections of our text. Look with me at verses nine and following. We see the same pattern again. We see God giving Ezekiel a foolish command. This time Ezekiel is told to command the breath. The breath. What is the breath? Well, we see in Genesis 2:7. In Genesis 2:7, we see that God is breathing the breath of life into Adam.

    But here in our text, there is more to the imagery than a reference to creation. If you look at Ezekiel 36, the chapter before verses 26 and 27 and then in our own text at verse 14, Ezekiel 37:14, you will see that the breath here is the spirit of God.

    And again we see that if we look through our own eyes through our own natural lenses it may seem foolishness to prophesy to air, to the breath, to the spirit, to air, but again we see that the command that God is giving Ezekiel here is a supernatural command. And what’s Ezekiel’s response? Will the prophet remain faithful?

    Will the prophet remain obedient? Yes, he will. Yes, he will. Ezekiel obeys God’s command. He doesn’t argue. He doesn’t complain. Just obedience.

    And what happens again? Supernatural, miraculous. The bones come alive.

    “Supernatural, miraculous. The bones come alive.”

    What an amazing transformation.

    We started our text with the valley of dry bones. And now after he commands to the spirit, the Bible says that Ezekiel is standing in front of a great mighty army.

    What a transformation, right? That’s what happens. That is the result of the spirit of God working. And I’m here to tell you that the spirit of God is at work today. God’s spirit is at work today.

    “The spirit of God is at work today. God’s spirit is at work today.”

    A Personal Testimony: From Dry Bones to Life

    I’m an example of that. I was born and raised in Israel in a typical Israeli Jewish home. Secular as they come. Both my parents are atheists. They always said to my brother and me that men created God, not vice versa, but as a small child, I didn’t believe my parents. I always believed that God was real.

    Deep down inside, I knew that as we would celebrate the different holidays—for example, in Israel we celebrate the Jewish holidays. When we would celebrate them and talk about God and how he delivered our people again and again through different difficulties and challenges, I believed that God really did that for us. During Passover, I really believed that God brought us out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm as we read about with all those great miracles.

    I never really bought into my parents’ atheism, but I didn’t know what to do with my faith in God.

    When I was 14, my dad’s job moved us from Israel to New York. I graduated from high school at SAS on Long Island in New York, and then I started attending Stony Brook University, also on Long Island. In university I was studying math. I have a bachelor of science in mathematics. While going to school, I got a job tutoring students who needed extra help in math. One day I was helping a girl with her math homework. As I’m helping her, she recognized my accent in English and asked me if I was Russian.

    I said to her, “No, I’m not Russian. I’m Israeli.”

    She says, “Oh, wow. That’s great. I’m also Jewish.” We had something in common, and we continued the conversation. At some point she told me that she believes in Yeshua.

    Being fluent in Hebrew, I right away recognized the word Yeshua. The word Yeshua is the Hebrew word for salvation. But today in Israel, this word Yeshua is never used as a name. No one is called Yeshua in Israel today. But she used it as a name. She says, “I believe in Yeshua.” I said to her, “What? Who is that?” She said to me that it’s Jesus.

    I was surprised for two reasons. Number one, I was surprised to meet somebody who was Jewish and believed in Jesus. I’d never met such a person before. Second, I was surprised to find out that Jesus had a Hebrew name that meant salvation. I never knew that before. Naturally, I was curious and wanted to know more.

    A few days later, we met for lunch. During that lunch she shared with me prophecies about the Messiah from the Old Testament starting in Genesis, and then she showed me in the New Testament how Jesus, how Yeshua, fulfilled each and every one of those prophecies. For me, it made perfect sense.

    I said to her, “Well, what are my parents going to think about this?” She didn’t lie and said, “Hey, listen. Your parents are probably not going to be so excited about this as you are.” She saw that it made perfect sense to me and that I believed. I wanted to tell my parents first. It took me a few days, and praise God, their first reaction to my faith was one of confusion. They didn’t really understand. They didn’t really know what to do with it and said, “Oh, this is just a phase. You’ll grow out of it.” They didn’t really take it very seriously, which was wonderful for me.

    I went back and said to her, “I believe. I believe.” She said, “Well, you need to pray. You need to commit your life.” Which I did. That was about a week after our lunch together. Praise God, I came to faith in the Messiah of Israel, the Messiah Jesus.

    Let me move us forward a little bit. Two years later we got married. That’s Dena, the one who shared with me. Early on, I was discipled by Dena’s mom and I was growing in my faith. Around my baptism, that’s when my parents finally figured out what was going on, and they had a very negative reaction from that moment forward.

    They tried to do everything they could to stop me from believing. They sent me to see an anti-missionary rabbi. They thought I was crazy. They sent me to see a psychiatrist and a psychologist. They were sure that I was brainwashed and part of a cult. They did a whole family intervention and brought in a cult expert to talk to everybody.

    It was very difficult, challenging days. Finally, I had to leave home, and that was extremely difficult. My dad got violent. It was just very difficult times. When Dena and I got married, they didn’t come to the wedding. Through it all, we’ve seen God’s faithfulness. Dena and I got married in August 1999. Then in January 2000, after joining Jews for Jesus in January and completing the missionary training of Jews for Jesus in New York City in August 2000, we moved to Israel to serve there as missionaries. All three of our children were born there.

    Through the years, we have seen God’s faithfulness. When the grandkids came, my parents came around, and we have a relationship with them today, which we praise him for. They don’t know the Lord yet. They’re still non-believers. Please remember to pray for my parents, my brother, my sister-in-law, and nieces. I’m the only believer in my family.

    That really caused us to wonder. As somebody who’s been engaged in Jewish evangelism now for over 25 years, I’ve seen Jewish people and Israelis come to faith. But I have never had the experience that Dena had with me.

    I never had somebody, a Jewish person, let alone an Israeli, that I would share the gospel with and right away they would believe like I did. I never really had that experience. Maybe you’re thinking to yourself, well, of course you didn’t.

    You’re not as good-looking as Dena is. I understand that. Absolutely. But seriously speaking, mostly that hardly ever happens. In Jewish evangelism, sharing the gospel with Israelis for over 25 years, I’ve never seen such a thing. Dena and I many times have wondered why. What is it? Why was I so open to the gospel?

    The Power of Prayer: A Letter from Finland

    Well, serving in Israel, we’ve done many outreaches, public facing proclamation, evangelism campaigns all across the country. In one of those, we partnered with a ministry from Finland that supported us, helped us, and prayed for us for this particular outreach. This was in 2008 and 2009.

    In 2009, they reported about what God was doing in Israel in their newsletter in Finnish, letting everybody know, “Hey, we’ve partnered with Jews for Jesus in Israel and look what’s happening.” Then in April of 2009, I received an email from this ministry in Finland where they said to me, “Hey Dan, as we wrote about you in our newsletter, we got a letter that’s specifically for you. We want you to know what it says. So here you go. Here’s the letter.” And I keep it in my Bible here.

    Does anybody here read Finnish? Anybody read Finnish? No. Okay. Well, don’t worry about it. They gave me a translation of this letter. This is a true story, and this letter came to them from a sister in the Lord in Finland.

    And here’s what she says: “In 1975, I gave my life to Jesus. And very soon after that, the Holy Spirit told me, ‘Pray for Sarah.’ I tried to find out what Sarah means. I understood that it has something to do with Israel or with Hebrew. However, I was told that it’s not a Hebrew word. Every now and then, the Holy Spirit reminded me, ‘Pray for Sarah.’ I prayed for Israel that people would find Jesus as their Messiah. I prayed for people who preached the gospel there, for towns, for Jerusalem, and for Sarah, even though I didn’t know if it was a person or a town or a village.

    Well, a few days ago, I returned home from a trip and I was tired and frustrated. The next day, I opened up your newsletter. What a joy it was to find the name Sarah, Dan Sared. And he spreads the gospel in Israel. I’ve prayed for him for over 30 years. I’ve said many times to the Father that when I get to heaven, I will first of all ask, ‘What was Sarah?’ I continue praying but no longer wonder why I have to bless Israel when the Spirit tells me to pray for Sarah.”

    Amen.

    Why was I so open to the gospel? Because of prayer.

    “Why was I so open to the gospel? Because of prayer. Prayer is the secret weapon of evangelism.”

    The Burden for Israel Today

    Apostle Paul said, “Brethren, my heart’s desire in prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved.” Brothers and sisters, that’s my burden as well to see my people alive in an exceedingly great army for the Lord.

    Who are the dry bones? The dry bones are the whole house of Israel. There are over 7 million Jewish people who are alive in Israel today. And there is an estimation of maybe about 15,000, maybe even less of them who believe in Jesus. Over 7 million Jews, 7 and a half million Jews, less than 15,000 Jewish people who believe in Jesus.

    Israel today is back in the land. The nation has been reconstituted, but there is no life. You can walk through the land, especially today, looking at people’s eyes, especially past October 7th, and you’ll see a look of desperation, a look of no hope. Will we ever have peace? There’s no way. There is no hope.

    Today in Israel, the same cry that echoed in Ezekiel’s day is the cry and words of the majority. Our hope is lost. People are desperate. There’s the attitude of we tried everything and all has failed. We will never have peace, they say.

    But brothers and sisters, in Jesus, we know that the only hope for peace was born in the Middle East about 2,000 years ago.

    “The only hope for peace was born in the Middle East about 2,000 years ago.”

    In the person of Jesus, people can find the hope and the life and the joy that is so sadly missing. That’s the burden of my heart. That’s the burden of Jews for Jesus. That’s why our ministry, Jews for Jesus, and I are pressing and pushing and straining to get out the gospel today to our Jewish people. The gospel, the church, that’s the hope for the world.

    It’s my privilege to be here today and share that burden as well so that we can continue to bear it together. Jews for Jesus. We relentlessly pursue God’s plan for the salvation of the Jewish people.

    I shared with you at Sunday school that God’s plan of salvation for Jewish people is exactly the same plan of salvation that he has for all people in Jews for Jesus. We’re all over the world. As I showed you in Sunday school, there are Jewish people all over the world and we have branches in many and missionaries in many of those major Jewish cities.

    But our largest work today remains in Israel. We continue to bring the gospel to our people in Israel today. And God is doing something amazing in Israel today. Even though the war continues, even though we are about to reach the two-year anniversary, the two-year commemoration of October 7th.

    What God Is Doing in Israel

    Well, let me show you what God is doing in the land of Israel today. Let’s watch this brief video.

    In many parts of the world, churches are everywhere. Here in Israel, where the church first began, the story is very different. It was here that Jesus said, “I will make you fishers of men.” Yet from where I’m standing right now, there are hardly any Hebrew speaking congregations for miles. In a country of over 9 million people, churches are few and far between.

    Now, my name is Aaron. I’m Israeli, a believer in Jesus, and the CEO of Jews for Jesus. Since the outbreak of the war in Israel, we’ve seen spiritual hunger like never before. Hundreds of Israelis are reaching out to us saying things like, “I always thought Jesus wasn’t for us Jews, and now I want to find out more about him.” Many are coming to faith, but there are very few churches where they can be discipled. We need help.

    Jews for Jesus, alongside local ministry partners, is about to launch the very first church planning network here in Israel. Our goal is to train and equip a new generation of pastors and leaders and to create more spaces for Israelis to encounter the Messiah, to grow in their faith, and to experience it all in their native language. Imagine seeing this land where Jesus walked and taught completely saturated by his message of hope.

    Partner with us as we spark a movement that transforms this land, planting churches, training leaders, and ensuring that every Israeli has a chance to know their Messiah. Together, we can rebuild the church where it began, equipping Jewish disciples to carry the gospel of hope, peace, and reconciliation to their own people.

    “Imagine seeing this land where Jesus walked completely saturated by his message of hope.”

    There are so many fish, but we desperately need more fishermen. Will you join us?

    How You Can Partner

    Well, there are several ways you can get involved and partner with our ministry today. In the back we have a resource table where we’ve got different things, different free material like this pamphlet, “Building Gospel Communities in Israel.”

    Pick one up before you leave this morning. That way you can read and learn more about our church planting network in the land of Israel. Check it out. You can also partner with our ministry through your prayers. I don’t know how many of you receive our prayer updates and our newsletter, but I would love to sign you up. You can do it through the QR code or you can do it using this card that you received when you came in. I also have extras on our resource table. If you take one of these cards, please remove our picture from the top and keep this picture in your Bible.

    Please remember to pray for us and to pray for Jews for Jesus. The larger portion of this card is not for you to keep. If you would fill out your name, address, and email address and drop it in the box in the back—the one that’s marked for the guest missionary or guest speaker—that would be wonderful.

    If you drop it in the box, give it to me, or give it to Dina at our resource table, I would love to enlist you as a prayer warrior for our ministry, Jews for Jesus. You’ll be able to receive our prayer updates. Please do that either through the QR code or through this card. Maybe God is calling you to pray for somebody just like that lady in Finland prayed for me for so many years, and she still continues to pray for Sarah. Please become a prayer partner of our ministry, Jews for Jesus.

    “Maybe God is calling you to pray for somebody just like that lady in Finland prayed for me for so many years.”

    Finally, see us at the resource table in the back. I’ve got some free literature and some free pamphlets, but I also have some not-so-free items like different books. This is our newest book titled “Does the Jewish Bible Point to Jesus?”

    Well, spoiler alert, it does. Through this book you can find out more about how prophecies have been fulfilled in Jesus. This book is not only good for you to read, but also afterwards to let an unbelieving friend borrow so that they could read it and hopefully come to faith in the Messiah of Israel.

    It’s truly our privilege to be Calvary’s missionaries to the Jewish people. Thank you so much for your partnership with us and for your support as well. This is obviously Dina and I with our three children, Yael, Yav, and Eton. We’re so grateful for all of you. Thank you so much.

    Now we just have one more question to ask and then we’re done. That question is on the screen. The question is, “So what?” Let me explain this question to you. I don’t know about you, but I believe that this is the living word of God. Amen.

    So What? Trusting God’s Promises

    Right? The Bible is alive. And what that means is that any time after we read a portion of scripture like we did today, we should ask ourselves, what? What difference does this make to my life today? How does that change my life living here in the 21st century here in New Jersey? I mean, great. I’m glad about the dry bones, Ezekiel, Babylon, exile, but who cares? What difference does it make to my life today?

    Well, what I want you to take with you home from here, the lesson that I hope that you could see from Ezekiel 37 prophecy is that I think it serves for us as a proof that God and his word is true and that we can trust it. God is faithful and he is gracious. And when we read something in his word, that is truth. We know God is a promise keeper.

    “Ezekiel 37 serves as proof that God and his word is true and that we can trust it.”

    He will keep his promises. We can trust the Lord. Say, “What? How do you get that from Ezekiel 37?” Well, let me explain. Remember what I said before that if you could go back in time 80 years ago, no one would have ever imagined that the prophecies in the Bible with regards to the Jewish people could ever be fulfilled, literally fulfilled.

    All Israel Will Be Saved

    And yet today we saw that Ezekiel 37 doesn’t only predict Israel’s return back to the land but even states that Israel and the Jewish people are in unbelief. The Bible isn’t only a historically accurate book but it’s also a supernatural book. What we see in Ezekiel 37 is proof for us that the Bible is true, that God’s word is true, and that therefore we can trust it and we can trust God. Ezekiel 37 is proof to us that God is faithful to fulfill his promises to you and to me. All of this means that we can trust what God says concerning the Jewish people in Romans 11:25-26.

    This is what will happen when Jesus comes back. When Jesus returns, we read, “Lest you be wise in your own sight, I don’t want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers, a partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way, all Israel will be saved. As it is written, the deliverer will come from Zion. He will banish ungodliness from Jacob. And this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”

    When Jesus returns, at that moment in history, all the Jewish people that are alive at that moment in history will come to faith in the Messiah of Israel, the Messiah Jesus. They will all see him. They will all look upon him.

    Romans 11:25-26: “A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way, all Israel will be saved.”

    Before we had those cell phones in our hands, maybe we were wondering how could a Jew in South Africa see Jesus’s return in Jerusalem. Well, that mystery was solved for us today, right? We all know that that’s completely doable now, right?

    Live streaming, this is what will happen. But until that day, until God takes us in the rapture, until that time, church, we have a responsibility to share the gospel, to make disciples of all nations, including the Jewish nation, the Jewish people. God is in the work of saving Israel, banishing ungodliness, and taking away their sins.

    Can we not see this truth today? One day when the Lord returns, when Jesus comes back to Jerusalem, all of Israel will be saved. God’s word said it, and we got to believe it and witness to it. This is God’s promise to Israel.

    But what are God’s promises to you and me? We’re going through tough times and God has made us some promises, hasn’t he? In closing, let me give you some of these promises that you can take to the bank, that are going to come true for you and me, that are true for you and me right now, even though we’re going through challenging times. You ready for this?

    God’s Promises for You

    Hey, God is Emmanuel. God is with us.

    God empowers us with his spirit. He promised to give us wisdom to supply all of our needs in Christ Jesus. He will never forsake us or leave us. God’s will work all things together for the good of those who love him. I can go on and on, but let me give you one more. Maybe I should have said that one first. And that is that God loves you.

    He loves you.

    So, church, what are we fretting about? What are we worried about? Hold on to God’s promises and know that he is with you. God is faithful. No matter what happens, we can trust the Lord. He is faithful. His promises that we have in the Bible will come true. God’s word is true. No matter what happens in our lives or in the world, we can trust the Lord because we know that his word is true. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” Let’s pray.

    Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”

    Closing Prayer

    Heavenly Father, Lord God, we thank you so much for the truth of your word, God.

    We thank you that you are a promise-keeping God, Lord God. And even when we are not faithful, you are faithful, God. God, we thank you so much for your grace and for your mercy. God, thank you so much for pouring on us your spirit of grace and supplications, God.

    And Father, we just pray that you would help us to trust you in all that we do, God. And as we go through this world, Lord, and so many things seem to be going wrong, God, may we turn to your word. And may you give us the faith and the grace and the boldness and the love, Lord, to believe your word, your promises, and to take those and to share them with all those who are around us and who don’t know you, God.

    Father, I pray your blessings on Calvary here, my brothers and sisters.

    Father God, thank you so much for Pastor Bobby and for his faithfulness and for many years of ministry. May those continue. May he continue to bring your word and your gospel to us and to many others. Lord God and Father, thank you so much for Pastor Dave and for his answer to your call on his life. Saying, “Here am I, Lord. Use me, Lord.” We pray that you use him and elders and this church, Lord God, for your glory.

    We love you. We praise you. In Jesus’ name we pray. God’s people said amen.

    Amen. Amen.

  • God Is Awesome

    God Is Awesome

    Answers Bible Curriculum Year 2 Quarter 4 Lesson 2
    This week in our Answers Bible Curriculum Sunday school, we look at the prophet Ezekiel and the vision He was given of the heavenly throne room. What did Ezekiel see? What did this vision have to do with Ezekiel’s role as God’s messenger? And how does Ezekiel’s vision compare to the visions given to other prophets in the Bible? We’ll consider these questions and more.
    Our text for this Sunday school lesson is Ezekiel 1:1-3:15.

    Auto Transcript

    Note: This rough transcript was automatically generated by YouTube’s AI algorithm. We provide it here for your convenience, but know it will surely contain errors as it has not been proofread or edited by a human.

    wait all right well greetings from california to calgary it’s good to see you guys and hopefully you can all see me welcome back to Sunday School we’re back to the answers Bible curriculum today you know our Sunday School from Answers in Genesis and our quarters theme of God protects and restores titled today’s lesson as you can see on the PowerPoint is god is awesome last time we were in Sunday school we looked at how Daniel obeyed God when he was taken in exile in Babylon Daniel refused deep the unclean food that was presented to him from the King’s Own stores and God provided for Daniel and for his companions so that they can not only obey God you can continue to obey God but they can even advanced to great positions in the king’s court some cancha possess that through Daniel and as he shown us throughout the Old Testament that those who trust in God and obey Him will experience God’s good and faithful provision through trials but nevertheless God’s good provision this week we leave Daniel for a bit and we check in with Ezekiel Daniels contemporary and not just Ezekiel will also hear from two other prophets today as we consider this idea god is awesome here’s our outline for today’s class so will first look at Ezekiel’s vision from God in Ezekiel one two three I’ll then you can compare Ezekiel’s vision to visions given to Isaiah and John and other parts of the Bible and then we’ll consider application for ourselves today now I can see a good portion of the congregation I think I can see as far as may be is that Noel on the under on the side there sorry it’s a little bit fuzzy my resolution can only go so great and the screen can only get so big so I can see all the way over on that side to her and on the left side I can see a couple I guess bill over there but the further you get away from the screen the harder it is for me to make out the figure I can certainly see eyes a Diana Rob in the front but hey so I can see you and I can also hear you there’s a there’s a congregation Mike that picks up a lot of the sound so if I ask a question you can probably answer it if you just speak loudly enough and even if you’re not necessarily in the front if you’re closer to the front I’ll hear you better now I don’t want to go too crazy today I’m not going to ask you to do a lot of answering questions it’s mostly going to be me talking but probably something I integrate more as they get a little bit more comfortable with the system also lord willing have timed the end of today to ask and answer questions based on the lesson but let’s let’s actually get going with our study and so let’s pray before we do that father we thank you for the ability to do sunday school like this we pray that technical things would hold up so that we can go through the whole lesson today I prayed that the congregation be edified and equips the pray that you’d help me be able to explain your word it is truly great and you aren’t truly awesome so I prayed that you’d really imprinted on us today and Jesus name Amen all right so please open your Bibles to Ezekiel one this is going to be the main portion of our lesson say let’s look at Ezekiel one where we’re going to meet Ezekiel one of God’s prophets during the Exile period and we’re going to hear about a great vision given to Ezekiel by the Lord all right so zekiel one this is page 8 26 if you’re using a few Bible Ezekiel one we’re going to read all the way to chapter three verse 15 but not all at once we’re going to do it in two parts first part is Ezekiel 11 228 just the whole first chapter all right all along with me as we read is equal one now came the bow and the 30th year on the fifth day of the fourth month while I was by the river key bar among the exiles the heavens were open and I saw visions of God on the fifth of the month in the fifth year of king joe Akins exile the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priests son of boozy and the land of the Chaldeans by the river keyboa and there the hand of the Lord came upon him as I looked behold a storm wind was coming from the north a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light around it and in its midst something like glowing meddle in the midst of the fire within it were figures resembling with living beings and this was their appearance they had a human form each of them had four faces and four wings their legs were straight and their feet were like a calf’s hoof and they gleamed like burnished bronze under their wings on their four sides were human hands as for the faces and wings of the four of them their wings touched one another their faces did not turn when they moved each went straight forward as for the form of their faces each had the face of a man all four had the face of a lion on the right and in the face of the bowl on the left and all four had the face of an eagle such with their faces their wings were spread out above each had to touching another being and to covering their bodies and each one straight forward whoever the spirit was about to go they would go without turning as they went in the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of fire like torches darting back and forth among the living beings the fire was bright and lightning was flashing from the fire and the living beings ran to and fro like bolts of lightning now as I looked at the living beings behold there was one wheel on the earth beside the living beings for each of the four of them the appearance of the wheels in the workmanship was like sparkling barrel and all four of them had the same form their appearance of workmanship being as if one wheel were within another whenever they moved they moved in any of their four directions without turning as they move as for the rims they were lofty and awesome and the rims of all four of them we’re full of eyes found about whenever the living being is moved the wheels moved with them and whenever the living beings rose from the earth the wheels rose also whether the spirit was about to go it would go in that direction and the wheels rose close beside them for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels whenever those went these went and whenever those stood still be stood still whenever those rows from the earth the wheels roads close beside them but the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels now over the heads of the living beings there was something like an expanse unlike the awesome gleam of crystal spread out over their heads under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight ones for the other each one also had two wings covering its body on the one side and on the other i also heard the sound of their wings like the sound of abundant waters as they went like the voice of the almighty a sound of tumult like the sound of an army camp whenever they stood still they dropped their wings and there came a voice from above the expanse that was over their heads whenever they stood still they drop their wings i’ll bug the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne like lapis lazuli in appearance and on that which resemble a throne high up was a figure with the appearance of a man then i noticed from the appearance of his loins and upward something like glowing medal that looked like fire all around within it and from the appearance of his loins and downward i saw something like fire and there was radiance around him as the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day so is the appearance appearance of the surrounding radiance such was the appearance at the likeness of the glory of the Lord and when I saw it I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking okay kind of a big section but really astounding let’s take some observations notice the historical setting of Ezekiel’s vision we’re told that this is the fifth month of the fifth year of Joey Akins captivity meaning these events take place after which step of Jews conquest of Babylon this would be the second step the second conquest around 599 BC remember the first ones in six or seven second one 599 third one around 588 or 586 they’re just a location of Ezekiel’s vision vision comes in the land of the Chaldeans by the river keybar this river that they call key bar here is probably the cob uru canal that was near Nippur in present-day Iraq this waterway would have been part of kaldea proper just southeast of the city of Babylon so when it says in the land of Chaldeans it’s literally true notice Ezekiel’s background according to verse 3 it says that he is a priest and in the context he’s one of the jidian captives now notice again the reference to the 30th year back in verse 1 what is this 30th year well this can’t be referring to Judas time in captivity 607 BC was not 30 years ago nor could it referred to Nebuchadnezzar’s rain because his reign did not begin 30 years ago so 30th then probably refers to Ezekiel’s own age he was about 30 years old when he received these visions from God meh significant by the way because according to Leviticus for 30 years old is when the descendants of Levi entered into priestly service and since Ezekiel is a priest 30 would be the time that his service would begin so as eco goes into captivity when he’s 25 and then five years later when he turns 30 and is eligible for priestly service God speaks to Ezekiel in a vision by the way can you also see me okay good there’s the quality changed a little bit on my screen so I just want to make sure that you guys can still see me okay notice how the vision arrives a storm wind comes from the north and brings a great bright and burning cloud before zekiel and notice what is within the cloud but we’re living creatures and the appearance of these creatures is quite astonishing notice their different attributes they generally have human form but they each have four faces and these faces are I’ve got the advance of things on my slide let me do that okay these check for faces the face of a man the face of a line the face of the bull in the face of an eagle they each have four wings with two wings they cover their bodies one wing on each side and with two wings they touch the wings of the other creatures they have feet like cash flows and their feet or perhaps their legs they glow like molten bronze they a human hands it possibly for human hands it’s they say that the hands are on their four sides and there’s somehow connected to a fire in their midst it says that torches are darting back and forth between the creatures while lightning flashes forth from the fire the movement of these creatures is also astonishing they don’t turn their faces or their bodies at all but they move straight ahead their movement is described like running back and forth like lightning instant movement our near-instant movement they move where the spirit is about to go and when they move or at least when they move their wings the sound is tremendous it’s like roaring abundant waters like a tumultuous army camp or even the thundering voice of God and when they stop moving they drop their wings it’s possible they stop moving when God speaks now those two things are mentioned together now as if these creatures weren’t alien enough strange enough look what it says about the wheels each creature has a wheel the spirit of the living creatures is said to be in the wheels and these wheels remain close to the creatures and move according to the creatures movements the wheels also do not turn but they can move anywhere and even float in midair the wheels are said to contain other wheels inside themselves these wheels sparkle like barrel and I gave you a picture of bail well there it has a number of different ways that could have looked and the wheel rims are said to be lofty awesome and full of eyes now you may have noticed as we won through the description of these creatures certain phrases keep on appearing again and again phrases like something like resembling like something that looked like or as if so that’s significant but there’s more notice the singing above the creatures above them is an awesome expanse gleaming like crystal and above the expanse is something like a throne leaning gleaming like lapis lazuli and I picture that sorry hype on the object resembling a throne is a figure resembling a man but the figures top half looks like glowing metal with surrounding 5 all the figures bottom half looks like fire and then there’s radiance surrounding the figure radiance like that of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day who business radiant figure well the text tells us directly in verse 28 such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Yahweh and then notice Ezekiel response to seeing all this he falls on his face alright we’ve made these observations let’s ask some interpretation questions now what does the author’s frequent use of the phrases such as something like resembling and as if tell us anybody raise a hand an answer let me see if I can actually hear you guys rod yeah I I can hear mostly I think what you’re saying yeah he’s trying to describe but he can’t fully do it it’s like there is no earthly equivalent there’s maybe something similar but you can’t you can’t give it exactly that’s right another question why does the Zeke you’ll fall down someone else raise a hand an answer Isaiah yeah he saw the glory of the Lord and how would you describe that glory I mean it’s not just something interesting for him to look at but if it causes him to fall down talking about overwhelming glory it’s over overwhelming awesomeness you can’t even stand up by the way I got the four living creatures we get a further description of the creatures in Ezekiel 10 and a separate vision just a couple more details given about the creatures you can turn their if you wish I just want to read you a few verses from that chapter as you kill 10 one says this about it says this then I looked and behold in the expanse that was over the heads of the chair of him something like a sapphire stone in appearance resembling a throne appeared above them now as we kill 10 12 further says describing these cherubim their whole body their backs their hands their wings and the wheels were full of us all around the wheels belonging to all four of them and then Ezekiel 1015 says then the chair of em rose up they are the living beings that I saw by the river keyboard so we are we get an identity for their living creatures that we see in Ezekiel one what are these creatures but they are the cherubim they are cherubim before and under God’s throne now think of where else we hear a chair boom in the Old Testament cherubim were said to guard the Garden of Eden after the fall of man after Adam and Eve were cast out images of cherubim were part of the Ark of the Covenant maybe not maybe there are different kinds of cherubim but there were two cherubim on the ark God’s presence appeared above the chairman of the ark and above the mercy seat giant cherubim covered the ark and in Solomon’s Temple and images of cherubim were part of the decorations of both the temple and the tabernacle and also think there’s a common phrase used to describe God in the Old Testament involving chairman it is he who sits above or he was enthroned above the cherubim and this is actually the picture that we see laid out for us in Ezekiel chapter one we see the cherubim below the throne which has the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Yahweh now what about these wheels are they mentioned elsewhere in the Bible actually would you see some surprising versus elsewhere in the Bible involving wheels first chronicles 2818 says this describing her it says something describing how gold with use by Solomon in the construction of the temple here’s what it says first chronicles 2818 and for the altar of incense refined gold by weight and gold for the model of the chariot even the chair of them that spread out their wings and cover the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord now that’s really interesting while there’s no specific description of a gold chariot in chronicles or kings involved with a temple here in this verse we’re told that Solomon produced a gold chariot and that the chariot is the cherubim that were stationed around the Ark of the Covenant so there’s a connection between a chariot and the cherubim this accords with what Psalm 18 10 says when speaking about Yahweh Psalm 18 10 says he rode upon a cherub and flew and he sped upon the wings of the wind so God is described as actually riding on a chariot and then there’s this word from Daniel 79 Daniel 79 when describing the final judgment of God it says this I kept looking until thrones were set up and the Ancient of Days took his seat his vesture was like white snow and the hair of his head like pure wool his throne was ablaze with flames its wheels were burning fire so there are wheels connected with God’s throne in Daniel so let’s collect all these details together Ezekiel one describes cherubim with wheels beneath God’s throne various Old Testament passages describe God as being enthroned above the chairman Daniel 7 says that there are wheels beneath God’s throne Psalm 18 says that God rides upon the cherubim or upon a cherub and 1st chronicles 28 says that the chair of em are a chariot so putting all this together we couldn’t say that the chair of them and their wheels are God’s chariot and that god’s throne may be moved by this chariot or it can be set upon or is set upon this chariot in the heavenly and heavenly throne room so the cherubim and the wheels they actually are God’s chariot and his throne is upon it that’s the at least one interpretation that’s the interpretation that John MacArthur gives in this study bible and i think there’s very good reason for it by the way remember the function of chariots they are fast and deadly war machines as well as transports for important persons especially kings so zekiel sees this overwhelming image of the glory of yahweh but this is only the introduction let’s see what happens next let’s now read it from Ezekiel chapter 2 verse 12 zico chapter 3 verse 15 all along as I read Ezekiel chapter 2 verse 1 then he said to me son of man stand on your feet and I may speak with you as he spoke to me the spirit entered me and set me on my feet and I heard him speaking to me then he said to me son man I am sending you to the sons of Israel to a rebellious people who have rebelled against me they and their father have transgressed against me to this very day I’m sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children and you shall say to them thus says the Lord God as for them what do they listen or not or they are a rebellious house they will know that a prophet has been among them and you son a man not a few them nor few their words though thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions and a few their words nor be dismayed at their presence for they are a rebellious house we shall speak my words to them whether they listen or not or they are rebellious now your son a man listen to what I’m speaking to you do not be rebellious like that rebellious house open your mouth and eat when I’m giving you then I looked and behold a hand was extended to me and lo a scroll was in it when he spread it out before me it was written on the front and back and written and written on it where lamentations morning and well and he said to me son of man eat what you find eat this scroll and go speak to the house of Israel so I opened my mouth and he fed me this scroll he said to me son of man and feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you then I ate it and it was sweet as honey in my mouth then he said to me son of man go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them for you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language to the house of Israel Norton many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult language whose words you cannot understand but I’ve sent you to them we should listen to you yet the house of it you’ll will not be willing to listen to you since they are not willing to listen to me surely the whole house of Israel is stubborn and obstinate behold I have made your face as hard as their faces and your forehead as hard as their foreheads like Emery harder than Flint I have major forehead do not be afraid of them or be dismayed before then though they are a rebellious house moreover is that to me son of man take into your heart all my words which I will speak to you and listen closely go to the Exxon house to the sons of your people and speak to them and tell them whether they listen or not thus says the Lord God then the spirit lifted me up and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me blessed be the glory of the Lord in his place and I heard the sound of the wings of the living beings touching one another and the sound of the wheels beside them even the great rumbling sound so the spirit lifted me up and took me away and I wet embittered in a rage of my spirit and the hand of the Lord was strong on me and I came to the exiles who lived beside the River key bar at Tel Aviv and I SAT there seven days where they were living causing consternation among men I will stop there alright let’s observe this section notice how Ezekiel’s need to stand up before God if you marry fell on his face the end of that last section but he’s made to stand up God commands is the Kia to stand up and then it says God’s Spirit caused Ezekiel to stand notice the Commission given to it is the killed by God God sends Ezekiel as a messenger to Israel now when we say Israel here are not foreign to the Northern Kingdom that’s long gone we’re talking about all the descendants of Jacob talking about all is realized notice how God describes Israel seven times God calls them rebellious and twice God calls them stubborn and obstinate God also describes the people as being hard faced three times God tells Ezekiel to faithfully delivered God’s message to Israel whether Israel listens or not but he also tells his ego that though Israel can and should listen Israel will not listen nevertheless God promises to make it make Ezekiel just as firm and determined as Israel is also tells us you kill to eat a certain scroll notice that this scroll has lamentation morning and woe written all over it yet when Ezekiel eats it it is sweet to his taste after God’s commissioning is finished and there’s a great rumbling and a pronouncement of blessing on Yahweh the spirit lifts Ezekiel up and away but it’s what Ezekiel then does touched by the hand of the Lord and filled with anger Ezekiel visits the nearby exiles of Judah for seven days and causes consternation among them what’s consternation well consternation means feelings of anxiety or dismay typically at something unexpected so the people are feeling dismayed they’re feeling anxious as something unexpected the Hebrew word can also be translated stunt devastated or stupefied alright with these observations let’s ask some more interpretation questions now what is the message that God gives Ezekiel to give to Israel well it’s not specifically described here but considering the characterization that God gives of Israel of being a rebellious and stubborn house considering the contents of the scroll that Ezekiel eats morning lamentation and woe and then considering if you just glance down a little bit to what comes afterwards in this chapter chapter 3 and 4 z equals message is surely one of rebuke warning and judgment that’s why it’s filled with lamentation Ezekiel’s a sneaky was told to eat the scroll that God gives him this is clearly symbolic as scrolls are not really edible paper and ink do not normally taste sweet and eating a whole scroll would take a really long time not to mention be kind of awkward so what then does eating this scroll symbolize what would you say not sure if I see a hand here the quality just degraded a little bit Rob I do see your hand can you speak up please yeah I think that’s exactly it yeah he’s he’s taking in the Word of God notice that the command to deliver the words to Israel is connected with Ezekiel’s eating the scroll so he’s saying I want you to take in the word and then I want you to deliver the word but not just repeat it here to digest it you’re to fully take it in your to fully appreciate it comprehend it so I think you’re exactly right Robin so we’re seeing something symbolic in Ezekiel’s eating of the scroll now considering that the scroll is filled with morning lamentation and whoa how is it that the school taste sweet that’s kind of odd I think the answer is though that in context God and His Word are so great that even messages of woe and judgment and warning are sweet to the messengers even this scroll of mourning and lamentation and whoa because of who it comes from because of the nature of that person the scroll nonetheless taste sweet why is Ezekiel angry when he goes to visit the Exiles another question here why do you think is that a hand way in the back is that Eric is that Craig I can’t exactly tell but you can answer the question if you could speak up loudly enough could you repeat the question David uh uh yeah why why is this vehicle angry when he goes to visit the Exiles well most likely having heard from God and what he said about the people it made it made him very upset and if you know he here he had to go to the people and give them a message of rebuke from God and he was irritated and angry about that probably that he had to go through this and and present this to the people instead of giving them blessing yeah I think that’s a great answer I see that that’s a Roy Roy answering not not the other two people that I mentioned I think that’s really hopefully I’m not miss hearing yes but that’s I think you’re totally right that he’s he has a right to sort of anger towards the Israelites why are they so rebellious why are they still so stubborn why do I have to present this message of rebuke and wanting to them when I should be presenting a message of blessing to them and encouragement to them he’s filled with a righteous zeal for the Lord he he sees the glory of the lord and he sees the evilness the people and so he goes to them in anger and his visit causes much dismay among the exiles because the warning words of God are so weighty and they’re so unexpected and they’re so frightening people were not expecting this kind of message they were dismayed by it now as we’ve looked at these different chapters of Ezekiel you may even think to yourself haven’t I seen this kind of seen elsewhere in the Bible haven’t I seen some of these things before well if you were thinking this and you’re right though I’m not sure if we’ve looked at it in this class we don’t have time to examine these other two passages in detail but let’s look at two visions given to other prophets that are similar to what Ezekiel experiences in these three chapters first turn to Isaiah 6 as a chapter 6 that’s page 689 in the pew Bible we’re going to look at verses 1 to 11 just read through them and then we’ll look at another passage or two and then we’ll consider them all together in terms of noticing if there’s a pattern as a six verses 1 to 11 his wife says and here King who’s I is death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne lofty and exalted with the Train of his robe filling the temple Seraphin stood above him each having six wings but t we covered his face and with two he covered his feet and what to he flew and one called out to another and said holy holy holy is the lord of hosts the whole earth is full of his glory and the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out while the temple was filled with smoke then I said woe is me Brian ruined because I’m a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips for my eyes have seen the king the Lord of hosts then one of the Seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand which he had taken from the altar with tolerance it touched my mouth with it and said Behold this test touched your lips and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven then I heard the voice of the Lord saying whom shall i send and who will go for us and I said here am I send me he said go and tell go and tell this people keep on listening but do not perceive keep on looking but do not understand render the hearts to these people and sensitive their ears dull and their eyes dim otherwise they might see with their eyes hear with their ears understanding their hearts and return and be healed and I said Lord how long and he answered until cities are devastated and without inhabitant houses are without people and the land is utterly desolate I’ll stop there may already be noticing a number of similarities in this passage to the one that we’ve just read in Ezekiel but before we consider what those similarities are let’s look at two other passages this time going into the New Testament revelation 1 turn Revelation chapter 1 and verses 12 to 17 we’ll look at that one and then we’ll look at another one in Revelation 4 so kind of two parts to the revelation visions so revelation 1 this is page 12 25 in the cube animal let’s see what kind of vision John receives the Apostle John revelation 1 verses 12 to 17 then I turn to see the boys that was speaking with me and having turned I saw seven golden lampstands and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man clothed in a robe reaching to the feet and girded across his chest with a golden sash his head in his hair were white like white wool like snow and his eyes were flame of file his feet were like burnished bronze which it has been when it has been made to glow in a furnace and his voice was like the sound of many waters and his right hand he held seven stars and out of his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword and in and his face was like the sun shining an in strength when I saw him I fell at his feet like a dead man he placed his right hand on me saying do not be afraid I am the first and the last actually I’ll read a little bit more I am the first in the last and the living one and I was dead and behold I am Alive for evermore and I have the keys of death and of Hades therefore write the things which you have seen and the things which are and the things which will take place after these things natura no word revelation for just a couple of pages after revelation for this time we’ll read verses 1 to 8 years revelation for one after these things I looked and behold a door standing open in heaven and the first force which I had heard like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me said come up here and I will show you what must take place after these things immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne was standing in heaven and one sitting on the throne and he was sitting was like a Jasper stone and a sardius in appearance and there was a rainbow around the throne like an emerald in appearance around the throne were twenty-four Thrones and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting clothed in white garments and golden crowns on their heads out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne which are the seven spirits of God and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass like crystal and in the center and around the throne for living creatures full of eyes in front and behind the first creature was like a lion and the second creature like a calf the third creature had a face like that of a man and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle and the four living creatures each one of them having six wings are full of eyes around and within and day and night they do not cease to say holy holy holy is the Lord God the Almighty who was and who is and who is to come all right what’s up there now notice the similarities that these passages of these passages have in comparison to what we looked at from Ezekiel and Ezekiel 123 I’ll catalog these fours first we have prophets receiving visions specially chosen profits by God second these visions include a view of the glory of God in heaven even God sitting on his throne third we have heavenly creatures described and these creatures have very many similarities though some differences we have the automatic reaction of the prop it’s to their visions they are overwhelmed with awe and fear at the holiness and glory of God as a it cries out saying that he’s doomed for his uncleanness I’ll John like Ezekiel falls at his fate falls on his face at Christ’s feet we then have the prophets prepared and commissioned to give messages from God and then we see what kind of message it’s a message about the future a message of warning of judgment and messaged calling for repentance now considering these parallel passages we should ask a few other interpretation questions are the creatures described in these passages the heavenly creatures are they the same creatures or are they actually different creatures good question while it’s possible they’re all different creatures there are enough similarities between the three passages and the similarities are striking enough i would suggest they’re probably different descriptions of the same creatures the pack the creatures that we’ve seen these heavenly creatures in Ezekiel and I today in Revelation they’re all the same but it for the same you may ask then how can we account for the differences in their descriptions why does one say they had four wings and one say where they had six wings and once say they had four faces and one says that they have one face apiece etc how can we account for these differences well I’m not sure if I know the exact answer to that question but perhaps the explanation is pretty simple that the prophets each were given a certain view of these creatures but it was not a comprehensive view they can only record what they saw and maybe they didn’t see everything maybe the creatures didn’t have all six wings being utilized at the same time or maybe John when he describes the creatures he only saw one of the four faces instead of all four that’s the simply what he chose to describe but there are a lot of similarities between these creatures so i would i would suggest that they are the same though it is possible that they’re just different creatures and they happen to be very similar but another question are these creatures even real are these this is a part of a vision after all all these creatures actually real or are they only symbolic while the heavenly creatures do appear in visions that include symbolic details that does not necessarily mean that the creatures themselves are symbolic just because some things are symbolic does not mean that everything is symbolic moreover as we’ve noted the creatures in Ezekiel described as cherubim they are identified as chairman men Jeroboam are cited throughout the scriptures as real creatures how kind of literal god being thrown about a chair in if the Chairman do not actually exist seems like an odd way to describe or give glory to God furthermore the repetition of these creatures fact that they are described nearly the same or similarly in the different versions of God’s throne room gives more support to the idea that these creatures are actually there in heaven now certainly the features of these creatures do communicate certain symbolic truths for example having eyes all about Joe is that these creatures are extremely knowledgeable maybe not a mission but close to they know a lot we can see that just from their description however we should be careful not to try to determine symbolism where we ultimately cannot for example what does it mean that torches go back and forth between the creatures and the fire as Ezekiel describes what’s the purpose of that symbol I don’t know and I don’t think we can not really a good way to interpret that simple what does it mean that the creatures that his eagle describes have cooks like calves and that these feet and these legs they glow like burnished bronze in the furnace that speak of stability stability gentility I don’t know I don’t think there’s a way to know but certainly that we can say that for these features that don’t have a clear symbolic meaning they do contribute to our understanding of the creatures as a whole that these creatures are truly awesome they are astonishing and majesty and in just their strangeness they are glorious creatures and if those beings that are supporting or surrounding God’s throne are so glorious how much more the one who sits on the throne now another question you may have noticed these visions are coupled with the commissioning of the prophets they given a vision and then the prophets are told to write or they’re told to speak speak the message of God what why are these heavenly visions coupled with those commissions to the prophets well this is a question we can answer in multiple ways I think each one of these answers is part of the whole answer certainly part of the intention is contrast we see in the visions the great holiness the grandeur the the awesome majesty of God and then we hear the stubborn rebellious pneus of mankind all right we saw that in Ezekiel we saw that in Isaiah and would certainly that’s something that you see in Revelation as you go through see the God’s greatness and holiness and then man’s rebellion and stubbornness with that contrast we see God’s judgment is clearly warranted that’s part of the reason another part must be as a communication to those rebellious peoples it’s like the profit by presenting the vision or by God presents my vision through the Prophet he’s reminding the people don’t you know who God is he is the radiant one burning on his throne he’s the one surrounded by fantastic serving creatures he’s the one poised upon his war chariot ready to ride forth and bring judgment why do you delay in repent turn and be reconciled to Yahweh I think that’s another part of why the visions is coupled with the Commission still there’s a third part in this third part must be to motivate and to empower the Commission messengers the prophets let me think about it why did the message of judgment and woe taste so sweet to Ezekiel it’s because the greatness of God why was Isaiah so eager to be God’s messenger because he beheld the greatness and the majesty of God when a person gains a greater glimpse into the true nature of God the true beauty the true glory of God that person is even more motivated to obey and to serve God God’s Majesty is at such a high level that when these prophets got to see it visibly they were glad to go even knowing that the people that they were being sent to we’re not going to listen and would mistreat them with mystery to prophets and would even perhaps kill the prophets they were glad to go because they saw the great glory of God they appreciated the awesomeness of God it was God’s glory that compelled them to do their work as prophets let’s now consider some application for ourselves we see these visions we see how it affected the prophets and we see the similarities between the different prophets and their visions but now let’s ask a few questions certainly we too as believers today in Jesus we too are to be motivated by are motivated to belief in obedience by the glory of the God but we haven’t received the visions that Ezekiel Isaiah and John received how then are we to appreciate or understand God’s glory someone have an answer I hear somebody but can you speak up a little bit more okay I think I heard mostly what you said we should read what the prophet said is that what you said okay yeah we we’re not in a sense we’re not missing out on the visions of the glory of the Lord because the prophets wrote it down for us right the visions that they got to have and the experience that they got to have in a way we get to have to you should comprehend yourself you should with the eyes of your mind place yourself where the profits go into the heavenly throne imagine yourself or picture for yourself the glorious creatures and the expanse and the throne and the woman burning on the throne and you see God’s glory but more than that the whole scriptures are an explanation and a revelation of the glory of God all the scripture tells us what God has done what God is like what his character is yes we do see visible manifestations of God’s glory in the scriptures but all the scriptures have been given to us so that we can know the glorious nature of the God who is so we’re not missing out we’re not missing out from any appreciation of the glory of the Lord fact I think maybe we got we did even better appreciation and the prophets do because we have all the scriptures and we have the full revelation of Christ and isn’t that where the greatest manifestation of the glory of the Lord is second Corinthians 4 6 says for God who said light shall shine out of darkness is the one who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ the light of the knowledge of the glory of God is in the face of Christ and you we see squat Christ in the scriptures and if you come to believe in Jesus you’ve met Christ personally you’ve beheld the glory of God in the pizza highest and it isn’t be holding the glory of Christ that we are actually changed that we are made holy you may remember this other verse from second Corinthians second Corinthians 3 18 but we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory just as from the Lord the spirit so if we have full access to the revelation of God’s glory given in the scriptures we must take advantage we need to be motivated we need to be encouraged just as these prophets were by the glory of the Lord and we’re only going to find that in the scriptures so my brothers and sisters at Calvary grow in your knowledge of the glory of God by reading hearing steadying listening to the teaching of the word of God you need to understand the glory of God and by doing so you will be shown why you must overcome the flesh didn’t and overcome the flesh and deny ungodliness because understand I encountering God’s glory in the scriptures does not mean that all fleshly temptation is going to disappear from your life no indeed we are never free from the from the troubles of this world or the temptations of the flesh while we live however when we realize who Christ is who he really is I will realize the glory of the Lord that will give us sufficient reason to overrule the flesh to deny ungodliness to puts into debt your flesh is going to fight against that but you say I know the truth of God’s glory is revealed in the scripture so therefore i’m not going to go down the path of sin we must put sin to death so calvary first point of application is that we need to remember just how awesome God is as the prophets did another question time to time we hear people claiming to have visited heaven or spoken with God or angels now you know from other Sunday School lessons we ought to reject these claims on the grounds of the Bible sufficiency no further revelation outside of the Bible is needed or even available foundation of the prophets and apostles has been laid there’s no new foundation to be laid there’s no new revelation from the Lord Bible is complete weather moving that point aside these people who claim to have these visions of God heaven or angels what is often missing from these supposed heavenly experiences that actually reveals them to be disingenuous yeah Rob yeah I think you’re totally right when people actually see the glory of the Lord visible glory of the Lord they are overwhelmed by it they’re even terrified by it as these men were and that they’re moved to fearful worship and they experience the great a very visible fear of the Lord but that’s totally totally missing for many of these claims of visions today they casually describe talking with the Lord or seeing Jesus or things like that it that actually happened you would be you’d be falling down like these prophets were you’d be declaring yourself to be undone my brethren let us remember that I figure of the Lord a holy fear of the Lord is something that should always exist in our lives just not forget that God exists but he is not like us he is fearful and he is an awesome being the prospect of being in God’s presence or being under God’s gaze ought to fill you with fear I don’t mean the fear if you’re a Christian if you believe in Jesus I don’t mean a fear of punishment though God knows discipline his children we’re not talking about the wrath of God for sin we are not to fear that anymore because that has been dealt with once and for all by Jesus nevertheless it is appropriate it is even necessary for us to to experience and to appreciate the terror of just how great god is that terror that realizes that when you’re dealing with God you are not in Kansas anymore you were dealing with omniscient and omnipotent spiritual being he is the one but who before whom you are ever before are you ever in his presence or under his gaze he is the king of the universe and is only by his kindness his undeserved kindness that he has made you his friend and not his enemy you must understand that what Ezekiel saw what his prophet saw is still true about the Lord God is still and throned among the chair of ben he is still enthroned above the crystal expanse he still burns with radiant glory he still has the face that no mortal man can behold and live and one day you will stand before him so you must even if you are saved by Jesus you must have that holy fear of the Lord now again not that not to for your punishment but that at that awesome reverence that has a tinge of terror to it because you were dealing with a being who is so great but he loves you which is astonishing right such a fearful and great being is your friend your father your Savior if you belong to Jesus and that just cause you to love him even more my final question is for one for you to consider privately and simply this do you really believe that God is as we’ve described in this class today that god is awesome do you believe that now I don’t mean awesome in the sense that is commonly heard today that roller coaster is awesome that pizza is awesome no I’m talking about the the older sense of the word awesome do you have a terror and all of the Lord and awe similar to that as given to the prophets and all that falls down at his feet and all that says God whatever you command I will do because you are worthy yes God I will be your messenger you are worthy and don’t rely on just what you feel and say oh yeah I feel I can offer the lord I hope that’s true but that feeling or that that heart realization will manifest itself in action if you truly fear the Lord you will believe his word and you will do what He commands don’t ask yourself do you believe do you obey are you truly in awe of the God who is the God who is a consuming fire and yet an astonishing Savior the Alpha and the Omega the beginning in the end let us pray that God will give us a greater aw for him then manifests itself both in personal holiness and in zeal to declare God’s Word okay we’re pretty much out of time but if there’s a question maybe once I close i’ll just i’ll just keep the feed open so maybe you can ask me your questions afterwards but that’s it for this week next week we consider again the subject of God’s new covenant as discussed in Jeremiah and in the New Testament I know we’ve talked about this a little bit already but we’re going to return to that topic next week let me pray and then I’ll stay on the line we’re god I thank you for this word you are awesome and Lord we have to we have to come to terms of that you reveal that you would you don’t want us to treat or we don’t we don’t want us to think of you casually yes it’s God you are an amazing Savior thank you for sending Jesus Christ Jesus Christ thank you for coming a willingly dying for us and showing such love for us yeah God we know that you are so great you are so far above us you are exalted in heaven now give us a holy fear of you and give us a genuine love for you that manifests itself in true belief and in righteous action I pray that you bless the rest of service for calgary today in jesus name amen

  • A Contemporary of Daniel: Ezekiel, A Message for People in the Pits

    A Contemporary of Daniel: Ezekiel, A Message for People in the Pits