Doves,

 

I would like to build a scenario for you using God's words from Ezekiel and Revelation. A scenario that few have read about or thought about before. I will try not to vary from God's words to paint this picture, a picture that will be foreign from what you have heard or read about concerning this topic in the past. 

 

Wise men always say "Let the bible interpret the bible" meaning......... normally you will be able to find more than one reference to a particular subject matter in more than one place in the bible. More facts and more details so that a complete picture can be established or reinforced. With this in mind lets take a trip through God's holy words and in doing so come up with something extremely interesting I believe will happen directly after the rapture.

 

I believe that when we analyze what God has to say about the restoration of the dry bones in Ezekiel, the two million man army in Revelation and the corresponding angels, we will view a different twist on this end time scenario and a clearer time frame of the Ezekiel 38,39 war and the rapture.

 

In Ezekiel 37 we find God describing to Ezekiel what He will do in the end times to the "whole house of Israel". The whole house of Israel in this context are the historic lineage of Jacob (Israel) from past until present who have died. God says this whole house of Israel, millions and millions of people who have died over the centuries will be resurrected and form an exceedingly great army. Notice He didn't say a very large non military group, He didn't say an army or a great army............He said an exceedingly great army.

 

God says in Ezekiel 37 that He will take the dry bones of all these people put sinews, flesh and skin back on these bones and then will call on the "four winds" to breath life back into these people. Do these four winds and an exceedingly great army show up elsewhere in scripture that describes more about them and what they will do?

 

We find the answer to that in the Book of Revelation. Lets look at the events as they unfold starting in Revelation 6.

 

A) In Revelation 6:12 with the opening of the sixth seal there is a great worldwide earthquake. The sun appears black and the moon red probably from the massive dust expelled from the earthquake and resulting volcanoes. The stars of heaven (another word for angels, fallen angels) fell to the earth. The sky receded as a scroll and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. At this same instant the dead in Christ will be resurrected from their graves and we who are alive in Christ will be raptured and may well go to another dimension when the sky is rolled up like a scroll.

 

B) At this same resurrection all of the millions from the house of Israel (dry bones) spoken of in Ezekiel 37 will have their bodies resurrected and restored to them but will not be alive because the life breath (Ezek.37:9) from the four winds has not been blown into them yet.

 

C) The very next verses in Rev. 7 explains the situation......."After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree". In other words God has hit the pause button before breathing life from the four winds into the whole house of Israel.  Why did He pause?

 

D) He paused because He needed to seal 144,000 children of Israel from this resurrection as His first fruits by marking their foreheads with His seal. These 144,000 were not defiled with women and they are virgins. From this point on they are the ones who will follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They are redeemed from among men and are the first fruits to God and the Lamb.

 

E) Now that God has gathered His first fruits we can assume that the four angels that have been holding back the four winds are freed to release the four winds and blow life into the whole house of Israel as per Ezek. 37:9-10...."Come from the four winds, O breath, and breath on these slain, that they may live." "So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army."

 

F) So where and when does this exceedingly great army show up in these last days? In Rev.9:14 we see what I believe are the same four angels. They have now been released to lead a exceedingly great army (200 million) to kill a third of mankind or 2 billion people. These are spirit angels leading resurrected spirit people neither of which in my view can be killed by man. They will, in my opinion, take their righteous revenge out on Israel's enemies killing 2 billion of them.....as per Rev.9:15. To give even more credence to them being from the house of Israel it describes the color of their breastplates. I don't know any other ethic group that had colored breastplates used for distinguishing the different tribes as did the descendants of Israel.

 

E) To add another time stamp as to when this exceedingly great army will march we need to go to Ezek.39. In Ezek.38,39 God personally intervenes on Israel behalf to destroy the Russian--Islamic--multi-ethnic confederation that comes against Israel. After He is finished with this task, He makes this statement in Ezek.39:25 ...."Therefore thus says the Lord God: Now I will bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel".....It appears to me that this is when the whole resurrected house of Israel enters the picture. Draw from that what you will in that it appears we will still be on earth to witness God deal with Israel enemies in the Ezek.38,39 war....... just prior to being raptured.

 

 

When listening to bible scholars and reading their opinions on this part of scripture they nearly always assume that the 200 million man army comes from the east and is probably Chinese. I think I have raised very valid points with how I have discerned God's word that challenges the accepted norm on this topic. I believe this exceedingly great army to be from the resurrected house of Israel and not China as per the word of God from the verses that I have described above.

 

Would love to hear the Doves comments on my discernment of the applicable verses...........John B