Prophesy Life/ The Masada Mystery.

Prophesy Life/ The Masada Mystery.

Ezekiel 37:1-10, 12-14NKJV

As NT believers what are we saying, “What are we prophesying?” As believers our words actually become God’s word, so what is God saying through you? Are you prophesying words of comfort and deliverance? Are you hearing Him for others, as well as yourself and your family? Speak words of life, it’s that simple.

I want to divide the text in three parts:

Ezekiel 37:1-6NKJV The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. 3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. 6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”

These verses have at least a two-fold meaning: First, Ezekiel was writing a portion of scripture that would be lost and buried in the ruins of Masada. Again, when Israel was destroyed, this book would be lost and buried. (More about that later).

Secondly, We are commanded through scripture to speak and prophesy to those things which are lost. People and things, that need to be recovered.

Verse 1, This valley was full of bones, and then Ezekiel states, “they were dry bone.”

God ask Ezekiel one question: “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel wisely replies, “Oh Lord you know.”

God states, “I will cause breath to enter into you, I’ll put sinews on you, and flesh upon you and cover you with skin.’ And then God say’s to top it off, ‘I will put My breath in you, and you shall live!”

Finally God states, “And then you shall know that I Am the Lord!”

H.A Ironside told of visiting a godly Irishman, Andrew Frazer, who had come to Southern California to recover from a serious illness. Though Frazer was quite weak, he opened his worn Bible and begin expounding the deep truths of God in a way that Ironside had never heard before. Ironside was so moved by Frazer words that he asked him, “Where did you get these things?” “Could you tell me where I could find a book that would open them up to me? Did you learn them in some seminary or college?”

The sickly man gave an answer that Ironside said he would never forget. “My dear young man, I learn these things on my knees on the mud floor of a little sod cottage in the north of Ireland. ‘The Bible before me, I used to kneel for hours at a time and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Christ to my soul and to open the word to my heart.”

According to Ezekiel, God proclaims that “I will resurrect Israel.” -That Israel will be found; That Israel shall know the Lord!

God included Ezekiel in on this powerful prophetic word.

“Now let’s flip the coin.”

In the first century the Romans destroyed the nation of Israel. The nation's last stand took place on a desert mountain fortress called Masada. It was there that her last soldiers would meet their end. So Masada became the grave of ancient Israel. But then after 2000 years, the nation of Israel was resurrected by the hand of God as was foretold in the vision of dry bones.

The people were resurrected, the cities were resurrected, and the Israeli soldiers were resurrected. And then the resurrected nation decided to return to its ancient grave. -To Masada.

Why?

*To excavate it, to dig it up. The man in charge of the excavation was one of the nation's most famous soldiers and archaeologists. And Israeli soldiers helped in the excavation.

So now on the grave of Israel's ancient soldiers walked her resurrected soldiers to see what lay hidden in its ruins.

And what was hidden in the ruins? What was buried in Masada?

A prophetic mystery… A scripture. It had been buried and hidden in there for almost 2000 years. -And what did it say?

It was from the Book of Ezekiel, the section that contained the prophecy of the valley of dry bones.

Ezekiel 37:7-10NKJV So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. 9 Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.