The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. And He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry. And He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, Thou knowest.”
Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’ Thus says the Lord God to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. And I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin, and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the Lord.’ ”
So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew, and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath” (King James reads “prophesy unto the wind”—“wind” and “breath” are the same in Hebrew), “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 come to life.” ’ ”
So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life, and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.’
“Therefore prophesy, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. And I will put My Spirit within you, and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and done it,” declares the Lord.’ ” Ezekiel 37:1–14.
In the days of Ezekiel, this wonderful passage built up faith in Israel so that the captives would not be without hope in the land of their exile in Babylon. They were to be brought back to their land out of a situation so hopeless that they had said, “It is as if we were in our graves.” But God would put His Spirit in them and they would live again before the face of the Lord as His people. Ezekiel’s vision revealed the restoration of a valley full of bones coming to life as an exceedingly great army.
It is important for God’s people to understand that this prophecy was the agent of restoration. What brought about the restoration from exile in the first place? The very thing that God told Ezekiel to do. Prophets like Jeremiah prophesied, and God opened the people’s hearts. Two hundred years before Cyrus issued his proclamation permitting the Jews to return and rebuild Jerusalem, Isaiah prophesied that event and even called Cyrus by name, saying that God was going to put it in his heart to release the Jews. (For that reason some people insist that the book of Isaiah was written by some other man at a later date.) Isaiah’s prophecies worked to bring about the restoration and even to create the manner in which it would come about. In the days to come, believers should not be surprised if God will prophesy, naming some man who is to come on the scene. That man may not even be born, or he may not even be in Christ at the time the prophecy is spoken, yet God will name him. Through prophecies, God will specifically name many of His servants.
The ninth chapter of Acts relates that while Ananias was praying, the Lord told him, “I want you to go down to a street called Straight, to the house of Judas. There you will find a man named Saul of Tarsus, praying. He has already had a vision of you coming to lay hands on him and heal him.” Ananias said, “I’ve heard about that man.” God told him, “Never mind. I’ve chosen him. You go and do it.” If God could give a man’s name and street address to a prophet of God in New Testament times, imagine what He can do now in the days of restoration.
Ezekiel’s prophetic flow caused the restoration to take place in due time, bringing the people back to God. Just as the prophecies had caused the judgment, so also the prophecies caused the restoration after the days of exile.
The same thing is taking place today. As the Lord looks out at all of Christendom, He sees them as being exiled in Babylon; and He is saying, “Come out of her, My people” (Revelation 18:4). But they cannot come out until someone prophesies over them, because there are many dead bones. In many churches, about all that can be heard anymore is a rattling, and many times there is not even a rattling. God is saying, “Speak the Word of the Lord. Prophesy to these bones and they will live.” When Joel’s army comes forth, it is through creative prophecy—not by some superior Christians who have arrived on the scene, but by lowly, humble people speaking the Word of the Lord. It has always been so. The prophet Amos was a fruit-picker—which means he was not among the elite of society—yet God gave him a Word, and he spoke it. This has happened many times.
In ministry over an individual, it is important that those ministering receive a revelation from the Lord concerning him, that they bless him and speak a Word from God that will change his entire life. As he opens his heart, he is brought into God, and the prophetic Word that comes will create things in him. In this day, as God allows us to look at a man, we can almost hear God speaking the same words Ezekiel heard: “Can these bones live?”
And we say, “Thou knowest, Lord.”
“Prophesy to him.”
“We’ll do that. Come on bones, live.”
It is not the condition of a man, but what God is able to do to that man that counts. As the Spirit inspires prophecy over a man, God may show the deep need that he has in his spirit. When that need is rebuked in a word of prophecy, and he accepts the word, that is the end of his problem, because the Lord gave a Word. This does not mean that he will not be tested on it, but it does mean that where he was defeated before, he now has access to grace to overcome it and prevail for the glory of God.
The average church with its well-organized program makes no provision for prophesying the Word of the Lord to the people. That is why they are dry bones. For this reason, God is raising up a remnant who will prophesy. There would be nothing to justify the existence of such a people if they were merely to be another church coming on the scene to compete with other churches.
If you are discouraged or depressed because of circumstances, prophesy against them. When the fig tree did not produce, Jesus put a curse on it. If you do not doubt in your heart, you can say to this mountain, “Be removed hence and cast into the sea,” and it will be done (Mark 11). This is the level God has for you. Claim it and move into the realm of the creative Word.