Steve,
In your email you wrote: “Also, the material sent discusses Ezekiel 38-39 in light of the material or context of Ezekiel 37. Ezekiel 37 has two distinct and unrelated prophecies.”
First, I don’t believe 37 has a connection with 38 & 39, except that 37 takes place at the beginning of the Millennium after 38 & 39 are fulfilled. The only reason I quoted 37 was to show that both the house of Israel & Judah are mentioned and only Israel in 38 & 39. I could have quoted Jer. 31 for the same results.
You wrote: “The dry bones prophecy is about the White Throne Judgment and the two sticks prophecy is about the very beginning of the millennium when David will be resurrected.”
I agree that the two sticks prophecy takes place at the beginning of the Millennium but the dry bones prophecy taking place at the White Throne Judgment is a new one on me—never heard of that before.
Ezek. 37:12 says that when their graves are opened they’re brought back to the land of Israel not judgment.
But, to get to the main question: If Armageddon and the Gog conflict are one and the same why is the house of Israel mentioned in Ezek. 38 & 39 and not Judah? And, on the same token, if you read Zechariah which has a lot to say about Armageddon “Judah” and “Jerusalem” are mentioned repeatedly with little mention of Israel. Why?
Jeff
MYREPLY
Jeff,
I’m happy to respond to your follow-up questions and comments. Your email mentions that you believe “Ezekiel 37 takes place at the beginning of the millennium after Ezek. 38 & 39 are fulfilled.” I agree that the prophecy in Ezekiel 37:15-28 takes place after Ezekiel 38-39. It has to be after Ezekiel 38-39 as David is resurrected in that Two Sticks prophecy at the beginning of the millennium. That confirms what is apparently our joint viewpoint–that Ezekiel 38-39 is pre-millennial. That has to be the case as Ezekiel 38:8 and 16 plainly assert that Ezekiel 38 is pre-millennial. However, I do not believe the other, separate prophecy in Ezekiel 37 is pre-millennial.
The “dry bones” prophecy of Ezekiel 37:1-14 describes a resurrection of “the whole house of Israel” (verse 11) from a state of death to a new life in physical, human bodies which have sinews, flesh and the breath of life. There is no premillennial prophecy about such a general resurrection of all the Israelites who ever lived to a new physical life, but Revelation 20:5 states that after the millennium, everyone who ever lived who was not in the first resurrection will come to life again (“the rest of the dead”). That prophecy does not state or promise that the “rest of the dead” will be resurrected with spirit bodies. The “rest of the dead” would include all human beings who ever lived, both Israelites and gentiles. Ezekiel 37 prophesies of a time when all the Israelites who ever lived will be resurrected to a new physical life. This event can only occur when all the “rest of the dead” are resurrected to a new life at the end of the millennium and it includes everyone, whether Israelite or not. Ezekiel 37:12 prophecies that the resurrected dead will inhabit the “land of Israel” at the time of their resurrection to a new, physical life. The “land of Israel” at that time will be wherever God wishes them to live on the earth after their resurrection. The topography of the earth (including that of the old Promised Land) will be changed during the millennium due to the global earthquakes and radical tectonic activity (Ezekiel 38:20, Zechariah 14:4-5).
Finally, your question about the mention of “Israel” in Ezekiel 38-39 and “Judah” in Zechariah 12 & 14 is addressed at length in some of my articles re: prophecy at my website (and in some previous blogs), so I’ll sum up those more extensive answers here. Jeremiah 30 prophesies that in the latter days (verse 24) a time of “Jacob’s trouble” will occur which will affect both Israel and Judah at the same time. Both Israel and Judah will face existential threats at the end of this age and both will be rescued by Divine intervention. Ezekiel 38-39 is a prophecy about the final world war as it affects the ten tribes of Israel. Zechariah 12 and 14 are prophecies about the final world war as it affects the house of Judah. These wars are simultaneous, but Ezekiel 38-39 and Zechariah 12 & 14 describe the combat that will occur in separate theaters of this world war. Both Ezekiel 38-39 and Zechariah 12 & 14 prophesy that Divine action will rescue both Israel and Judah at the end of this age from foreign invasions, which fits the prophecy of Jeremiah 30 perfectly. Indeed, Zechariah 12:6 infers that God has to save both Israel and Judah with the comment “The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first…” Who does God save after Judah? He saves Israel right afterwards. This makes sense in modern geopolitics as Judah (the Jewish Israeli nation) has no hinterland to shelter its remnants once Jerusalem is half-taken (Zechariah 14:2) by the invaders. The modern House of Israel occupies most of three entire continents (North America, Australia and Europe) so it has a vast hinterland to shelter its remnants for a time while God rescues Judah “first.”
Thanks for your questions.
Steve
