Prophesying Over the Dry Bones

I am going to take a couple of minutes to leave you with an image; I am going to leave just one image, and the Lord will develop the rest in your hearts. I would have liked to preach the sermon to you, but God knows. Ezekiel chapter 37—I am going to saturate you with this word in the name of the Lord, OK? Receive it in the name of Jesus. What God wants to do in the last days, because this is a prophecy for the last days, and I believe that we are in the last days.

The famous valley of dry bones—Ezekiel 37 says: “...the hand of Jehovah came upon me and carried me away in the Spirit of Jehovah and set me down in the middle of a valley that was full of bones...” just as New England is full of bones, just as many parts of the modern Western world are full of bones, just as the evangelical church in many places is full of bones, and there is death, and there are simply skulls and the remains of death.

“...It was full of bones, and He caused me to pass by them all around...” so that the prophet could see them clearly and confirm that what was there was death, “...and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and indeed, they were exceedingly dry...”

These were not bones that had been there for just a few days, on which you could still see the remains of the bodies they had supported; these were bones that had been there for a very, very long time, exposed to sun and rain, and they were completely bare.

It reminds me of the words of the Old Testament, when it says that the walls of Jericho were shut, tightly shut, and there was no way for the people of God to enter that city of Jericho; that was how these bones were—completely dry.

Brothers and sisters, when one looks at the state of the church today in many parts of the world, especially in the industrialized world and certainly in this region where we live, we can say that they are indeed exceedingly dry. It would not seem that life could come forth from many of New England’s churches: dead doctrine, male and female pastors who have received a doctrine of death, heretical doctrine, doctrines of demons, and who are passing that cursed water on to their congregations.

And people are dying because they are not receiving the Word of God: an intellectual church, a demoralized church, an unbelieving church, a church that does not believe that Jesus is Lord, that Jesus was born of a virgin, that Jesus rose from the dead, that Jesus is the only One who heals and saves and is the only mediator between God and men; a church that does not believe in miracles, a church that does not believe in the second coming of the Lord, a church that does not believe in the resurrection of the dead, a church that does not believe that God performs miracles today.

There are many churches in New England and throughout the Western world, throughout Europe and North America, in Australia and New Zealand, that do not believe in electric light, as the saying goes... exceedingly dry.

“...And He said to me: Son of man, shall these bones live?...”

When I look at the reality of New England, I say to myself: Lord, can anything good come out of New England at this time? New England has been completely steeped in heresy for 200 years.

And truly, brothers and sisters, I tell you that things have reached the point where this will not be a matter of new programs, or preachers coming out of nowhere to hold evangelistic campaigns. This is not going to come from something merely natural; it is not going to come from programs, preaching, or praise gatherings. It is no more possible than it was possible for life to come from bones that were exceedingly dry.

I assure you that God has allowed things to reach such a profound level of spiritual decay in the world, especially in the Western world, that revival cannot possibly come through any merely human initiative. Listen carefully: we have gotten ourselves into such an enormous mess that only the direct intervention of the Holy Spirit in this land will be able to bring about the change God requires at this time—only a miracle. We are down in the pit, and we will not be able to get out of it unless God sovereignly does something, unless we cry out to the Lord and He sends fire and sends rain that causes vegetation and flowers to grow in the desert once again. That is the only way, brothers and sisters. No one can resurrect a desert after it has died except through rains that fall upon it.

And they were exceedingly dry, and the Lord says: “...My God, He asks him rhetorically, do you believe that these bones can live?...” And I said: “...Lord Jehovah, You know...” A very wise answer on the prophet’s part: only You know, Lord.

The truth is that right now, when one looks at the death that is present... there are not even any roots left that could sprout again; the only thing left in this region is death. We have offended the Lord, we have driven away the Holy Spirit, we have become utterly corrupt, as Jeremiah says in his prayer, and only God knows whether life can arise again.

Then He said to me: “...Prophesy over these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of Jehovah. Thus says Jehovah, the Lord, to these bones: Behold, I will cause spirit to enter you, and you shall live. Glory to the Lord...”

The only way the church will come back to life, the only way this corrupt society that has strayed from God will once again find the course God has for it, is if the Word of God goes forth and is prophesied to the nations.

I believe that God must raise up a special anointing at this time, and as I preach this afternoon, and as I preached last Sunday, I have been doing so in the name of the Lord, as though I were prophesying a word—not only to you who are here, but also to those who are near and those who are far away—in the name of Jesus. I am saying to those bones: Rise up. We are saying to the bones: Receive spirit again; receive the Spirit of the Lord.

We have to prophesy, brothers and sisters. In Isaiah 54, the Lord says to the barren woman, He says: “...Sing, raise your voice, raise up songs, you who are barren and have never had children, because the children of the barren woman will be more numerous than those of the woman who has previously given birth...” We have to proclaim what God wants to be done, brothers and sisters.

I am here like Peter, taking a step of faith and proclaiming revival. Revival is coming, and we are declaring it to those dry bones in the name of Jesus.

Brothers and sisters, raise your right hand right now. Let all of us raise our right hands and say this: Dry bones—say it, say it again—dry bones, hear the word of Jehovah. Thus says Jehovah the Lord to these bones: Behold, I will cause spirit to enter you, and you shall live. Glory to the Lord. Let us believe this, brothers and sisters.

This is what we are saying in the name of Jesus to the churches of New England; this is what we are saying to this dead multitude. Here, in the name of Jesus, we are saying: Dry bones, receive the Word; receive the Spirit of the Lord. We send the Spirit of Jehovah into every region and to all the peoples of this region in the name of Jesus. We envision the Holy Spirit moving powerfully, and the Lord causing the spirit to enter. Brothers and sisters, the only way you can take dry bones and make them live is for the Spirit of the Lord to enter them.

When Adam was created, he was created from the earth and was molded, and he received everything a human body has. He received bones, tendons, skin, tissues, internal organs, a brain—everything was there... God put everything in place, but what then? He lay there inert; he was completely motionless; there was no life in him. And what did God do? It says that God breathed His own breath; He breathed upon that clay figure, and that clay figure stood up, came to life, became a man, and was able to move and think.

And he was made in the image and likeness of God. Why? Because he had the breath of God, he had the essence of God, he had the Spirit of God, he had the creativity of God, he had the ability to perceive as God perceives, because God gave him, so to speak, some of His own spiritual genetics; He infused it into man, and then man was able to stand up. Until then, he was merely potentiality, because unless there is spirit in the churches, all we have are programs, preaching, physical facilities, sound systems, seminary degrees, and spiritual and pastoral personnel doing different things. We come to church, we sing, we play instruments, we give money, we do all sorts of things, but all of that, brothers and sisters, is dry bones; all of that is simply this apparatus that is here.

It says: “...And I will put tendons upon you, and cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put spirit in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am Jehovah...” Then the prophet Ezekiel did what the Lord told him, and it says: “...So I prophesied as I was commanded...”

I believe that God is calling His church... Prophesy to it. Brothers and sisters, the only thing we can do at this time is prophesy. I believe we have to change our strategy. We have to declare by faith what the Lord wants to be done; we have to cast that seed by faith in the name of Jesus. We have to pray, we have to cry out, we have to prophesy, we have to declare—even if there is only a tiny seed of faith. We have to say: Lord, we see what is going to happen here in New England. That is what I have been doing for months and months. I am simply saying: Revival is already coming; the Lord’s rain is already coming; God’s blessing is already at the door; what God desires is already being fulfilled. Out there, there are dry bones; there are legislatures that pass laws against the will of God; there is a society that grows more perverse every day; there is a church that grows sleepier and sleepier, but we are prophesying as we have been commanded.

“...And there was a noise as I prophesied, and behold, a shaking; and the bones came together, each bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were tendons upon them, and flesh came upon them, and skin covered them from above; but there was no spirit in them. And He said to me: Prophesy to the spirit; prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit: Thus says Jehovah the Lord: Spirit, come from the four winds and breathe upon these dead, that they may live. And I prophesied as He had commanded me, and spirit entered them, and they lived and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. Glory to the Lord...”

Wouldn’t you like to see a church rise to its feet, brothers and sisters? Wouldn’t you like to see, in those little New England towns—in Ipswich, in Plymouth, in Concord, in Lexington, in the city of Boston, in those New England towns, in Vermont, in Maine, Connecticut, and Rhode Island—churches that are now dead rise to their feet, brothers and sisters, and receive an infusion of the Spirit of the Lord? Wouldn’t you like to see pastors who have been trained in demonic doctrines reject and spit out the filth they have received, embrace the truth of God, renounce those things, repent of them, and say to their churches, “We have to begin again,” like Saul, who had to cast aside all his Pharisaical baggage and learn again like a baby what the true will of God was when the Messiah came?

And we have to ask the Spirit: Holy Spirit, blow from the four winds; blow from the north and the south, from the east and the west, and send Your rain upon New England. Send rain upon the United States; send Your rain upon Europe; send Your rain wherever it is needed now... upon the Middle East, that region which is right now being incited by the devil so that they kill one another, shut, tightly shut. That region truly is shut against the Gospel. And we ask: Lord, send Your rain upon the East; send Your rain upon the Middle East; send Your rain upon China; send Your rain upon North Korea, which right now is under a terrible and bloodthirsty dictatorship; send Your rain upon Singapore, upon Malaysia, upon Vietnam, upon Cambodia, upon the entire Pacific Ocean and all those little islands over there. Send Your rain, Lord; send the wind of the Spirit; send anointing in the name of Jesus.

We prophesy, we prophesy that those nations will rise to their feet. To those dry bones we say: Army of God, arise, and may an exceedingly great army arise, so that there may be...

Now, in its prophetic setting, this referred to Israel, but evidently, from what follows toward the end of the chapter, where it speaks of David, His servant David, who is a figure of Jesus Christ who is to come... this is for the last days. God has a purpose for Israel, but right now the church also needs that latter rain.

These prophecies are being fulfilled for all the Israel of God—both Israel, the nation of Israel, and also the church, which needs revival. This church needs to arise so that there can be a very powerful revival.

Then He said to me: “...Son of man, all these bones are the house of Israel. Behold, they say: Our bones have dried up, our hope has perished, and we are utterly destroyed. Therefore prophesy and say to them: Thus says Jehovah the Lord: Behold, I will open your graves, My people, and I will cause you to come up out of your graves, and I will bring you into the land of Israel...”

God is… part of the revival that is going to take place in this time is a revival for the church, but it is also a revival for Israel. Israel will come to know the Lord, Israel will come to know Him, but I believe that the church of Jesus Christ must first close a chapter that it still has open. The Bible says that when the fullness of the Gentiles has been fulfilled, then Israel will once again enter into God’s economy and will know the Lord, and they will ask the Messiah to come.

But there is something that this corrupt church, this decrepit church, still needs to experience: it needs its own revival, it needs its own visitation, so that the people of Israel may then enter into what God has for them.

Last Sunday we were talking about Joel’s prophecy, ‘…I will visit the earth and pour out My Spirit upon all flesh…’ It is a great visitation that God desires, and we want to be part of that process that God is raising up.

Let us stand, brothers and sisters. Let us ask the Lord to fulfill His promise and to allow those valleys of dry bones to experience revival again, so that we may see the glory of God once more. Our desire is for Lion of Judah to be like a valley of dry bones. I am certain that although God has bestowed great blessings here, we still have a long way to go.

That image of the dry bones is a metaphor for what God wants to do in your life and mine. When the Holy Spirit enters your life and takes complete possession of your life, and the blessing God has for your life becomes real, then you will rise; you will be part of an army.

God is not raising up some little embroidery club or food club or whatever—no, it is an army. God needs male and female warriors. God is raising up an army, so let us ask the Lord to set us on our feet.

I am going to ask Samuel to come up here and close with this prayer this afternoon, brothers and sisters, and you pray here for the Lord to do something transformative in our lives.

God brought these brothers here this morning so that they might worship Him as we have done, and it was clear to me that this was part of what God had for us. There is no doubt in my heart, because God is doing something wonderful. So let us believe that… as we lift up the presence of the Spirit, worship the Lord, and declare the reality of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit begins to move, begins to do wonderful things. So, in the name of Jesus, let us pray as a church, and let us prophesy that those dry bones will live, in the name of Jesus.

Brothers and sisters, why don’t you raise your hands…? And perhaps tonight you have raised your hands to worship the Lord, and perhaps at another point in this service you raised your hand to—even to receive from the Lord—but at this moment you are raising your hands in a prophetic posture, all of us as the people of God, that army the Lord has called. I raise my hands with you; the Lord has given you that prophetic authority.

And now, in the name of Jesus, with that word the pastor has left us, let us prophesy to the Spirit from the north, the south, the east, and the west. Let us prophesy that the Spirit of God will blow upon our lives now, in the name of Jesus. Blow, Spirit of God, upon our dryness; blow upon our dryness; blow upon our deadness. Blow, Lord, upon every corner of our lives, upon all the lifeless, dry bones, Lord, and the skeletons we have hidden, Father, which You want to bring back. Revive them. Lord, we are Your army, but we need You, Lord, to blow upon us at this moment…

Spirit of God, our friend, our Lord, our master, our general, our king, Spirit of God, blow on us now in the name of Jesus; blow life…

Blow life, blow life, Lord, upon every area of our lives that has been lifeless. Blow upon gifts, Lord, that we have not used; blow upon dreams that we have even forgotten. Father, send Your Spirit at this moment. Father, send now in the name of Jesus. As the prophet the Lord has made you, with that authority, may the Spirit of God blow upon the bones around you. Perhaps your home needs the Lord to blow upon it now, in the name of Jesus. Father, we give You our homes, we give You our children, we give You our loved ones. Father, we give You, Lord, the valleys of dry bones around us, and we declare, Lord, that You will blow upon them, Father. Father, You will restore life and energy and dreams, Lord, even those things we do not even bother to pray for. Blow upon them; blow upon our community; blow upon our surroundings. Raise the dead, holy Lord. Blow, Spirit of God… Blow, Spirit of God, in the name of Jesus, in the name of Jesus. Glory to God.