God’s army won’t come to existence by itself. 
What God promises, He builds, and what He builds, He will finish.

Ezekiel 37:4 Then [the LORD] 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.'”

Countless times throughout history and through the prophetic word, the Israelites have been evicted from their historic homeland and taken into exile in foreign lands.  They have returned, built homes, lived in peace and war, and the cycle has repeated.

Nevertheless, the plan of redemption has been announced and in the Valley of Dry Bones, the purpose has been made known: so that they will know God is the Lord of life.

Just as Adam was nothing but formed animal flesh at his creation until God breathed the breath of life into him, so it happens here. 

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.

It’s skin, flesh, and bones but it’s no more living than the army depicted in the Terracotta Warriors in Shaanxi, China.  Numerous but not alive.

9 Then [the LORD] said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, 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.

An army doesn’t just exist.  An army fights.  Ezekiel didn’t say a crowd, numbers of Twitter followers, a group, a protest, or a fan club.  It’s an army, and it’s a big one at that.  Vast.

Who is this army?  I’m glad you asked:

11 Then [the LORD] said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.”

Tick Tock, the end times are marching steadily onward toward their conclusion.  The whole house of Israel will be brought from spiritual death to spiritual life…and why? To fulfill the prophets.  Now, to be sure Scripture says that “not all who are descended from Israel are Israel” (Romans 9:6). But it also says that there is a manner in which “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:25-27). And Ezekiel records for us that the whole house of Israel will be gathered as a vast army in the end to prove that God is the Lord of life.

A picture of people far from God.  Dry bones. 
Dry bones of the Church.  Dry bones of Israel. 

People who once knew and experienced the wonder of an Almighty God who is “for them.” But that was while they were still faithful and knew the living water. But then they decided–maybe not with a vote, but with their hearts–to engage in twin sins: they forsook the living water of God and instead dug their own broken cisterns (Jeremiah 2:13). 

Israel knew it in exile.  The Church knows it in our modern era, cutting ourselves off from the life-giving Spirit on account of apostasy and self-reliant independence from God in every way.  Being our own gods, making our own rules for living, and every man seems to be doing what is right in his own sight instead of what the Bible teaches is right in God’s.

You don’t have to look long in metropolitan areas of America to see dead and dying churches and their displaying with slogan signs and flags exactly why they’re rejecting God in favor of culture.  Suburban and rural areas are maybe less so, but through national conversation, many of those, too, have turned their backs on God. 

It’s not just Christians. Plenty of Jewish people are nationalistic or heritage-only Jews but don’t even attempt to be observant, read the Scriptures let alone obey them, nor do they remember their heritage was one as God’s chosen people. If only they did and then wisely choosing to live with gratitude and love for God who would do such a gracious thing as to choose them. 

Bleak, dead, and dying.
Ezekiel speaks a word of hope from the Lord into a world like that:

Ezekiel 37:1 The hand of the LORD was upon 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.

Dead.  They weren’t new bones.  They were old, dry, brittle bones.  Baked in the sun bones.  Vultures had long ago stripped them of anything resembling meat.

The Lord speaks to Ezekiel ,”He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “O Sovereign LORD, you alone know.” (Ezekiel 37:3)

Good answer, Ezekiel.  Not only does God in His sovereignty know if He can do it…only God (in His sovereignty and grace) can make what has been dead–so dead it’s dry—come to life again.

The Lord continues: 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.”

It takes the life-giving breath of God.
As a culture, as a world, as created beings, we need this.
Come home to God. Come to life again.

What is a Christian to do in a world increasingly governed by sin?  The Bible has something to say about that. 

Are you being accused or insulted by arrogant people?  Psalm 119:85 “The arrogant dig pits to trap me, contrary to your law.  86 All your commands are trustworthy;”

Are you being persecuted without cause?  Psalm 119:86 “Help me, for I am being persecuted without cause.  87 They almost wiped me from the earth, but I have not forsaken your precepts.”

What or Who is going to save you?  God and His unfailing, enduring Word light your way.

Psalm 119: 88 “In your unfailing love preserve my life, that I may obey the statutes of your mouth. 89 Your word, LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. 90 Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.  91 Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you.  92 If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.  93 I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.  94 Save me, for I am yours; I have sought out your precepts.”

 What do we do when evil people are trying to ruin us?  Psalm 119:95 “The wicked are waiting to destroy me, but I will ponder your statutes…98 Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies.”

What good does a study of God’s Word do for you?  Psalm 119: 99 “I have more insight than all my teachers… 100 I have more understanding than the elders…101 I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word… 104 I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore, I hate every wrong path.”

The light of the Word endures to the very end.  Psalm 119: 105 “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path… 110 The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts. 111 Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. 112 My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.”

Lord God, may I hide Your Word in my heart to comfort me in suffering, sustain me through persecution, enlighten me with Your wisdom, and feed my soul when I hunger for Your truth in a world going to hell. Amen.

The wrath of God is coming.  It’s only a matter of time now. 

One needs only to look at the opening ceremony of the Olympics to understand we’re in trouble.  You see perverted people, giddy with their sinful display, mocking their Maker, and flaunting their sin for the entire world to see. 

Worse, they’re living the unforgivable sin of trampling their only hope of salvation under their feet. 

And they’re missing the point of the Last Supper. Every person apart from Jesus at the Last Supper was a sinner who needed Jesus.  All but one accepted that as a fact.  That one denier was Judas, and he was doomed to destruction.

Did no artist stop and say, “You know, this isn’t right?”  Did no one abandon the project on account of their religious principles however faintly present from their upbringing?

The Bible says, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.  Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.” (Colossians 3:5-6)

France, once home to the Great Enlightenment, is now leading the way into the Great Darkness.  Paris, the City of Lights and the very center of both Reason and Science exalted in the Great Enlightenment is now plunged into darkness that no one attributes to Reason or Science.  It’s sin.  It’s a beast of rebellion on a pedestal.  And God will not be mocked.

Since I last wrote during Passover, there were campus protests on the grounds of many major universities.  Commencement traditions have been canceled, scaled back, and held with heightened security.  There are now students who have been encouraged to flee for their safety or offered virtual learning. Some are demanding refunds of their tuition or alumni are withdrawing donor support. University administrators have openly mocked panels dealing with antisemitism and are attempting to quash lawsuits over failure to respond.

Meanwhile the war in Gaza rages on.  Protestors in the US clash with fellow protestors at “pride parades” with the very un-self-aware among them listed as “Queers for Palestine.”  According to Reason,

“There are aspects of the Israel-Palestine debate, and the territorial disputes, that are more complex than many would probably like to admit. This aspect? Not so much, because “Queers for Palestine” is about as convincing as “minks for fur coats.””

One must wonder why so little of the actual conflict and reasons behind it are considered newsworthy, ranking behind “summer” and “Tesla” and barely peeking its head on A6 of a major national paper.

But antisemitism in this world is still newsworthy because it has been fed to maturation by our media/social media.  The antisemites know how to get their message out to saturation on social media and dupe the ignorant among us.

No Christian should be an antisemite.  We can be against a war, but how many people would tolerate neighbors throwing Molotov cocktails over the fence into their yards or paragliding in and shooting up your graduation party?  We’re 10 months out and still nothing justifies what Hamas did on October 7.  Nothing. 

What shall we do? Simply let time make us forget?
No. God would have us call on His Name to Remember.
Jews and Gentiles are heirs together,
but God’s enemies are legion.

“But God is my King from long ago; He brings salvation on the earth.  
Remember how the enemy has mocked You, LORD,
how foolish people have reviled Your Name.”
Psalm 74:12,18

For those simply against a war, do they feel the same about the war in Ukraine or in any of the areas of the world currently experiencing conflict?  I dare say many of the young people protesting have no idea about other areas of the world.

Nothing will fix what Hamas did except for a radical, total, spiritual transformation and a miracle that comes with understanding Jews and non-Jews are heirs together…in Christ.

“For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:14)

Questions to ponder:

Why does spiritual darkness have a louder cultural voice than Christianity?

Does the culture object to antisemitism the way it does to pro-Jewish voices?

What is the biggest obstacle that Hamas has regarding learning about and becoming Christian?

Father God, please help our world to see the evils of hatred of another people group on account of their heritage. I ask Father that You would open the eyes of even those who are terrorists that they might see the evil they are perpetrating upon the world; they would repent; and turn to You Lord God while there is still time. You asked us to pray for our enemies and yet we know that when we pray for our enemies, we’re also bringing them up to Your throne for You to deal with them. In prayer, we’re placing them on the battleground that is spiritual. So, Lord, we ask for Your mighty intervention to put an end to war no matter where it’s going on so that lives would be saved in the moment in hopes of the lives being saved for eternity. May we preach the gospel of peace and as You cause it to be heard above the cacophony that is conflict and chaos. We thank You for our Lord Jesus; we thank You that He destroyed the dividing barrier that wall of hostility; and praise You that He is our peace. We offer You glory in His mighty Name. Amen.

We’re in the midst of Passover, a time when the Jewish people remember that God set them apart.  I don’t know why people fail to understand that this wasn’t just until Jesus came, as preeminently important as that was. 

I am astonished, and not in a good way, at what’s happening with antisemitism on college campuses.  It’s shocking.  It’s almost like a resurgence of Hitler youth training camps. The students are all passion, no truth, and in some cases total blindness since some have gone on record stating they don’t even know why they’re protesting.

My passion for the nation of Israel stems from Scripture…which is the very definition of truth. So, I can admit what God has stated: there is a sinful group within the larger nation of Israel…

Amos 9:7 “’Are not you Israelites the same to me as the Cushites?’ declares the LORD. “Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir? 8 ‘Surely the eyes of the Sovereign LORD are on the sinful kingdom. I will destroy it from the face of the earth.’”

Sinners are sinners,
one and the same in the eyes of God. 
They’re all going down… apart from the blood of Christ
and their ultimate Passover in Him.

The sinful nation will be destroyed, but there will be a remnant:  Amos 9:8 “Yet I will not totally destroy the descendants of Jacob,” declares the LORD.  9 ‘For I will give the command, and I will shake the people of Israel among all the nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, and not a pebble will reach the ground.   10 All the sinners among my people will die by the sword, all those who say, ‘Disaster will not overtake or meet us.’”

Here’s what people fail to understand:  God will restore Jacob.  He will do it for the sake of the covenant and all people who would believe upon Jesus Christ from every nation.  We are heirs together.

Amos 9:11 “In that day ‘I will restore David’s fallen shelter– I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins– and will rebuild it as it used to be, 12 so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name,’ declares the LORD, who will do these things.”

Just as the predicted exile ended… Amos 9:13 “’The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills, 14 and I will bring my people Israel back from exile. They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.’”

The reestablishment of Israel is certain because God said so:

Amos 9:15 I will plant Israel in their own land,
never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,”
says the LORD your God.”

Questions to ponder:

Why do people not want to believe Amos 9:15? 
In what way are phrases like “never again” and “I [God] have given them” absolutes?
Given Amos 9:15, when people protest and want to abolish Israel, who are they really against?
Who are they siding with in spiritual terms?
How is a political solution insufficient for a spiritual problem?

Father, please help us to see the eternal picture, the biblical picture in every human event. It is so easy to get caught up in the contemporary problems of our day and focus there, all the while failing to see that this is Your plan, both shaking nations and saving people, marching ever forward…until the Day of Jesus’ Return, for which we give You praise! We praise You for Your patience with us and Your love toward us! We praise You for the witness we have and our being a part of Your glorious plan by sharing Your Gospel for our salvation. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your sacrifice and the mercy of God in Your blood shed for us. We love You, Lord. Amen.

The Apostle Paul knew a mystery.  Actually, he knew plenty of them.  In 2 Corinthians 12:2-10, he lets us know that he did and displayed how these revelations cut him to the core.  He knew inexpressible things no one is permitted to tell. 

“I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know– God knows.  And I know that this man– whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows–was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.”

He was so shaken and humbled by it that he says, “I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth.”

Then he tells us the consequences of having seen amazing, hidden things—these many mysteries.  The consequence was an equally mysterious “thorn” in his flesh.  No one really knows these days what the thorn was, but its purpose was crystal clear: it was to keep him humble about what he had seen because it was so powerful.

“But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.”

Paul continues his description about something so painful, saying that he pleaded with God to take it away.

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

But one thing we can say is that Paul understood the Gospel in a deep and thoughtful way on account of it.  There was one mystery he was permitted to tell: that Jews and Gentiles are heirs together in Christ.

We will begin a short study on that mystery, but for now, questions for further thought:

How would knowing something really cool that you aren’t allowed to tell result in a constant temptation?

Can a person in their own strength (with a sin nature still present on this side of heaven) resist the temptation to prove themselves, provide evidence when challenged, or flaunt that to display their own power and importance?

When Paul says that “Christ’s power may rest on me” does this display the source of his ability to withstand constant, unrelenting temptations?

Why do you think Paul was allowed to tell the world, recorded in Scripture (Ephesians 3:6-11), that one mystery is that Jews and Gentiles are heirs together by faith in Christ?

Father God, thank You for the shed blood of Jesus our Lord, for the sins of Jew and Gentile alike. Thank You that Your Kingdom is not a democracy in which any human being, race, sex, or creed can determine the fate of others in eternal terms by simple majority. Only You can determine that…and we praise You that only You can define the narrow road of salvation in Christ. As the days of man on the earth become fewer in number since surely the return of Jesus is every day sooner, we ask, Lord, that Your harvesters sent into the harvest field will clearly articulate this mystery You have made known in the Gospel. Give us words, grant us opportunities, place within our hearts a desire to see salvation come to many irrespective of demographics because Your Word tells us that Your Kingdom will be from every tribe and language and people and nation. Here am I. Send me, Lord. Send me. For Your glory, Amen.

Ephesians 3:2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.”

Born again with new eyes, we can now see the incomparable and infinite Love of God Almighty while we were still sinners. And He loved us to His death because we were still sinners!

Divine Love from our Eternal God, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, His Love has been for us since before us.

He is Risen and conquered Death by rising alive from the grave!  The tomb is empty! 

Death is empty-handed. The devil ain’t got nuthin’ on us.  He ain’t got nuthin’ … at all. No amount of pretend holidays and stolen rainbows changes that. Christians still look for Jesus, witness to an empty tomb, and know He has Risen! Hallelujah!

“Do not be afraid… you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
He is not here;
He has risen, just as He said.”
(Matthew 28:5-6)

Are you looking for Jesus? In a world of evil that seems to be taunting God to display His wrath, are you remaining steadfast, looking for your Savior? Jesus paid it all!  By faith in Him, though we may die the first death as He did, it’s only a physical death that takes us from this world. He is Risen!  And by faith in Him, so shall we.

The second death still lurks out there because sin is still out there flaunting itself, proclaiming itself, and ushering in the wrath of God.  The second death is an eternal death, an everlasting death in the lake of fire. That is the death the devil delights in the most because that death that lasts forever and separates us from our Creator. A great many people are taunting God on His holiest of days and will deserve every minute of eternal damnation. Infidels know no shame!

But God is greater, and His Love saved us from that second death, the everlasting death, and dying endlessly, over and over eternally.  The second death forever with the infidels is what God saved us from by Jesus’ Incarnation, Death, and Resurrection! 

Praise the Lord!  He is Risen!  He is Risen, indeed!
Happy Easter, everyone!

Have you ever gotten to an interstate toll booth and the person ahead of you paid yours in addition to their own?  You arrive at the booth, but no payment is due.  Someone else had already done that.

In a much more profound way, Jesus paid our debt that we could never repay and that’s how He came to save the world. 

“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

Because of Him and His payment for our sin, our names yet can be recorded—by faith—in the Book of Life. That Book of Life testifies to believers’ redemption by the blood of Christ which washed clean all their evil deeds recorded in the Book of deeds.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Judgment is still in the future though no one knows when it will be. So, please, if you have not done so…right now is the perfect moment to accept the sacrifice of Christ for mankind. It’s not too late as long as Judgment Day is still in the future and you’re alive now to make that decision to follow Christ.

On the church calendar, today is Holy Saturday, the one day in which death momentarily claimed the One who never sinned and therefore, had no debt to pay.  The first death, the physical death, claimed Him. But Death’s victory was short-lived and premature.

You see, Jesus is in the grave for now, but Sunday is coming.  Mortality existed even for the only One who never deserved it!!  No sin. No wages of sin. No death as a penalty. Had it not been for the love of the Father, the Image of God, and the fact of Jesus’ Incarnation, God could have us pay the wages ourselves, be lost forever, and be done with it. But the whole reason He came was to seek and save the lost who bear the Image of His Father. It was love that made Him do it.

Jesus showed us how to live and taught us that we will fall short, time and again, because mankind can do no other as sinners. We can’t help but fall short and commit the very sins that made His death necessary to save all of mankind. It was His divine Love that accomplished this victory over sin and death.

“God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us,
so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
(2 Corinthians 5:21)

Do you want to have His righteousness and your name in the Book of Life?
You can pray this prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for dying on the Cross for me. I ask for Your forgiveness because I sin … even when I’m trying not to sin. It’s like I can’t help it. But I want to change and I’m sorry for my sins against Your Image in me and other people. I need Your grace and mercy! Please cleanse me with Your blood so my name can be found in the Book of Life. I need You, Lord Jesus. I love You. Amen.

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This concludes the Lenten Devotional Series “Seeing His Love with New Eyes”. Thank you for joining me. It’s the joy of my heart to write these and create the photos that accompany them. Wishing you all a blessed Easter!

“Seeing His Love with New Eyes”. began on Ash Wednesday, February 14 and can be found in the archives.

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Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Revelation in 40 devotionals for 2022 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.
• Last year’s devotionals “Created to Display His Image” explored what it truly means to be made in God’s Image and the profound significance of that fact. They are archived beginning February 22, 2023.