The Valley Of Dry Bones Series

B Many scholars of Biblical prophesy see Ezek. 37 as a vision that was fulfilled during the holocaust of WWII.

1 After Germany’s defeat in WWI, much of Germany blamed their Jewish citizens for their defeat & subsequent financial ruin. (Germany was forced to pay war reparations)

a This was difficult because after the war the German Mark was worthless. (In Nov. 1923 it took 4.2 trillion Marks to buy one American Dollar.) Jewish bankers became the scapegoat for the Germans.

aa Germany found itself under the spell of a gifted orator, Adolf Hitler, who despised the Jews.

bb BTW, Mein Kampf (My Struggle) Jihad (My Struggle)

cc The conditions that allowed the world to spin into WWII started on Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929 (American Depression) but its effects were felt world wide. (Germany was especially susceptible to meltdown, which allowed the rise of Hitler.)

b Exactly 42 months on the Hebrew calander from October 29, 1929 (25 Tishri) Germany granted dictatorial powers to Hitler (25 Adar) 3/23/33 & the rest is history.

aa From 1938 to 1945 (about 7 years), Nazis executed 2/3 of the Jews from Europe.

bb Rabbis call this 7 years “Jacob’s Trouble”

cc Jacob’s story has him working 7 years for his uncle Laben to get Leah, then 7 more years to get the one he loves, Rachel.

dd I believe that Israel will endure two 7 year cycles of “Jacob’s Trouble”: one was the Holocaust the other will be the 7 year tribulation in Revelation.

c The allied soldiers arrived at the death camps to find piles of bodies, skeletons, frail, emaciated bodies hanging between life & death . . . valley of dry bones.

aa In May 1948, the UN voted to give the Jews a homeland . . . partioning Palestine, Israel. (Not existed for nearly 1,900 years) A nation born in a day.

bb Today, Israel has one of the most sophisticated & powerful armies in the world.

cc My God keeps His promise, word . . . means what He says and what He says He will do!

T.S.: Let’s look at a couple insights we can learn in the valley of dry bones.

I Ezekiel was given an awesome task to do by an awesome God.

A He was to speak the life giving Word of God to the dead

Ezekiel 37:4 (NASB) 4 Again He said to me, "Prophesy over these bones and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.'

1 Ezekiel walked all the way around the valley taking in the deadness of his surroundings.

a It was the scene of a battle long ago lost by the nation of Israel.

aa The bone were testimony of a once standing army but were now dead & had been for a very long time. (Very dry)

bb This army had not had a near-death experience, but a total death experience.

cc Left in the most of humiliating of states (A body of Jew was to be washed, wrapped, & buried w/ dignity in a grave/tomb.) These bodies were not in tomb/grave but were under the eye of heaven . . . THERE WAS HOPE!!!!

b Ezekiel was told to preach/prophesy to the dry bones!

aa Seemed crazy, ludicrous, impossible, futile to preach to the dead . . . but God said do it.