Ezekiel 37: The Valley of Dry Bones
(illustration photo created using GPT Image2 for COJCOM)
by Leonard V Johnson
Greetings ── our dear friends in the States: Atlanta, Georgia; Guntersville, Alabama; Lake City, Florida; Richland, Michigan; and across the way, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Sāo Carlos, Brazil; and Maitengwe, Botswana. Welcome to the Last Great Day──that last great day of the Feast!
Here we are on the 8th day of the LORD’s Feast-- which we call ‘the Last Great Day ’-a feast day which immediately follows the LORD’s seven-day Feast of Tabernacles. It is kept from sunset on the 2nd of October through to sunset on the 3rd of October.
Notice Revelation 20 ──
“And I [the Apostle John in vision] saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.” – Revelation 20:12.
The great Book of Life is going to be opened to all! This will occur after our Lord Jesus Christ’s Millennial reign- His thousand-year rule.
Our Jewish brethren call this holy day Shemini ‘Azeret, which means “eighth day of assembly.” So, the entire seven-day Feast of Tabernacles, along with the eighth day, is called within God’s living word, ‘the Feast of Ingathering.’ Notice ──
“’ Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: 15) You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty); 16) and the Feast of Harvest [also known as the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost], the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field.’” – Exodus 23:14-16.
This ‘ingathering’ is a much larger feast, a harvest feast, than the firstfruits──which is associated with the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost.
Notice a reference to this eighth-day feast within God’s living word ──
“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 34) ‘Speak to the children of Israel, …’” – the very name Israel means, “people of El” – people of God! “ …’ saying: The fifteenth day of this SEVENTH MONTH shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD. 35) On the FIRST DAY there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. 36) For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire [Indeed, while our Lord Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice for us all is complete, the New Covenant calls for us to ‘present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God’ – cf. Romans 12:1] to the LORD. On THE EIGHTH DAY you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it.’” – Leviticus 23:33-36.
This eighth day is referred to in our Lord Jesus’ Church as the ‘Last Great Day,’ often because of what our beloved Apostle John wrote ──
“On the last day, THAT GREAT DAY OF THE FEAST, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38) He who believes in Me, as the Scriptures has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” – John 3:37-38.
Indeed, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, kept and celebrated this glorious day immediately after the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles- which does picture the ‘ingathering’ after His Millennial reign.
Notice what occurs after His glorious Millennial reign ──
“But the rest of the dead did not live again UNTIL the thousand years were finished. …” ── then a transition - the following part references the previous verse.
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.” – Revelation 20:5, 11.
The dead, small and great, standing before the LORD God. So, this wouldn’t include those our LORD God has called to Himself throughout the ages, because His chosen people are resurrected at the blowing of the SEVENTH TRUMPET──the resurrection trumpet. The multiple millions of people who are resurrected in the ‘great white throne’ judgment are everyone──past, present, and future──who has or will die in spiritual blindness and ignorance of our Lord Jesus’ great mystery of the gospel message. This is that judgment time that our Lord Jesus Christ repeatedly spoke ──
“’ For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23) that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. … 26) For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, 27) and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. 28) Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice. 29) and come forth ── those who have done good, to the resurrection of life [speaking of the first resurrection of His saints], and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of [judgment]. [speaking of the judgment after the second resurrection]. 30) I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.’” – John 5: 22, 26-30.
The Prophet Daniel also speaks of this great white throne judgment in a postscript ──
“’ I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened.’” – Daniel 7:9-10.
Let’s also note that our Lord Jesus also taught us that “’ Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter.’” – Mark 3:28. Except, of course, those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit- in other words, those who were called by Father God and then chose, for one reason or another, to turn their backs on the LORD God once again──never will have forgiveness but are subject to eternal death.
This glorious and wonderful eighth day──the ‘Last Great Day’── truly pictures that all who have not been called, or have had enough knowledge to be responsible, will have the glorious opportunity for eternal salvation, and nearly everyone will take this merciful and loving gift of salvation.
Nearly every human being who has ever lived or will ever live will be saved!
Our loving and merciful Savior──the Son of God──was not sent to Earth to die for only a relatively few. No, “In this love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10) In this love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the ATONEMENT for our sins.” – 1 John 4:9-10.
“’ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that THE WORLD THROUGH HIM might be saved.’” – John 3:17.
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” – 2 Peter 3:9.
Sadly, the overall majority of Protestants, who are quick to quote John 3:16, teach and believe that the world could be saved; however, the vast majority will be “lost” and will be tormented and tortured in a hellfire that burns forever. (Be sure to watch our sermons: “Is There A Hell?” and “A Real Hellfire!”). God’s living word does not teach this!
Honestly, since the eternal LORD God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and is love──would they have predestined nearly all human beings to be subject to an eternal torturous hellfire?
Truly, the Eternal LORD God had from the very beginning a Master Plan… From the Beginning!
“What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? CERTAINLY NOT! 15) For He says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.’” – Romans 9:14-15.
The LORD God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” – 1 Timothy 2:4. The reason that the LORD God has not called all people unto Himself in this present evil age is that He knew that most would not endure unto the end to be saved. God’s living word teaches us that most have been intentionally spiritually blinded ──
“’ Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14) And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; 15) For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with the eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’” – Matthew 13:13-15.
Those who are intentionally spiritually blinded in this present evil age still have an opportunity ──
“’ I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, And not forsake them.’” – Isaiah 42:16.
Let us also notice ──
“’ Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of the wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.’ … 24) These also who erred in spirit will come to understanding, And those who complained will learn doctrine.’” – Isaiah 29:14, 24.
Yes, they will be resurrected and judged guilty of sin (cf. 1 Peter 4:17; Romans 3:23), yet “judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment” – James 2:13.
The LORD God will “plead His case with all flesh. He will give those who are wicked to the sword,’ says the LORD.” – Jeremiah 25:31. Sadly, not all will come to accept the glorious gift that the LORD God is offering. Yet most will repent and believe in the gospel!
Truly, since the beginning of the ages in such locations as Africa, Europe, Asia, western South America, central Mexico ──as in Tenochtitlán, located on an island in Lake Texcoco ── there have been those who had never heard of our Lord Jesus Christ and of His merciful sacrifice and of the true gospel of the kingdom. The LORD God, of course, foreknew this and had planned!
There is only ONE NAME ── “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” ── that name is Jesus Christ of Nazareth!
So, since the majority of all humanity has never heard the true gospel concerning our Savior and of the soon-coming kingdom (Be sure to read and study our free, no-obligation online PDF booklet, “What Is the Kingdom of God?” ── which is also translated into Spanish, “¿Qué es el Reino de Dios?”), Truly, “’ all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” – Luke 3:6.
Now, indeed, the LORD God clearly teaches us that we are not to worship Father God and our Lord Jesus the way that pagans used to worship, with many today, such as those of Wicca, continuing to worship ──
“’ When the LORD your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, 30) take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ 31) You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.
32) Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.’” – Deuteronomy 12:29-32.
As an example, the ancient Aztecs, in which human sacrifice was a central religious practice in Aztec (Mexica) culture, did not commit a random or isolated act. Those who participate in, combine, or practice pagan worship with the Lord Jesus’ doctrines are completely obscuring the LORD God’s Master Plan for the redemption of all mankind.
When not understanding and when not keeping and celebrating the LORD God’s Holy Days and Feasts, instead keeping and celebrating worldly holidays ── then the understanding that all the God-ordained Holy Days and Feasts are all Christocentric ── they all point to Christ Jesus! ── is not properly understood and realized.
The Feasts of the LORD picture for us His loving and merciful Plan of salvation for all of mankind. Indeed, it is a marvelous and loving Plan! □
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