The Second Coming
Ezekiel 37:1-14
37 The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the
middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among
them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were
very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone
know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry
bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to
these bones: I will make breath enter
you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make
flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you
will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” 7 So I prophesied
as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling
sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and
flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. 9
Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to
it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds
and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he
commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their
feet—a vast army. 11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the
people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we
are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the
Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up
from them; I will bring you back to the
land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when
I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you
and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know
that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’”
Ezekial
(“God Will Strengthen”) was a prophet that lived approximately 600 years BC (Before Christ). The OT-Book of Ezekiel
reveals prophecies regarding the destruction of Jerusalem and the restoration to the land of Israel is one of the many signs of
the “end times” before the 2nd Coming of Christ.
There are some people who suggest the following are signs
of the End Times:
·
increasing
spiritual darkness across all nations
·
widespread
lawlessness
·
increasing
famines and plagues
·
increasing
persecution of Christians and Jews
·
the return of
the Jews to the land of Israel and the re-birth of Israel
·
a false
(apostate) church
·
a godless and
ruthless world government with total control over individuals
·
a godless and
blasphemous world dictator (the Anti-Christ)
·
a global
financial-economic crash
·
God's judgement
upon nations: cataclysmic events e.g. severe weather and severe earthquakes
·
knowledge and
travel Increases (mentioned in last week’s study)
·
false Christs
and Prophets (cults)
·
worldwide
proclamation of the Gospel
THE FOLLOWING HAVE BEEN SPECULATED BY SOME:
·
rebuilding of
the Jewish Temple (3rd Temple)
·
the sudden and
miraculous removal of the true church from the earth (The Rapture)
·
a seven-year
Peace Treaty with Israel, which is then broken mid-term
·
a purely
electronic i.e. cashless trading system, with the insertion of an 'ID' on
individuals
·
a possible
Islamic invasion of Israel, followed by an 'all-nation' invasion of Israel
(Armageddon)
·
asteroid Impact
with earth
“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor
the hour.” (Matthew 21:14)
“Be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour
you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:44)
“Why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus,
who was taken up from you into heaven,
will come in the same way as you saw him go into
heaven.” (Acts 1:11)
Be Ready for …
The Second Coming