Can These Bones Live? A Call for a Global Awakening

By Laura Ottaviano

Can These Bones Live?

"The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord God, you know." Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord."  (Ezekiel 37:1-4, ESV)

The prophet Ezekiel found himself in a very unusual situation. He was being led by the Spirit of the Lord through a valley of dead bones, receiving instructions that would stretch any man of God.

God was questioning him and ultimately commanding him to believe and speak life over these dead and scattered bones.

We know that all of scripture is good for doctrine, instruction, or reproof (see 2 Tim 3:16). So then, what does this strange passage mean, and how should we relate to it today?

Let's dissect these bones first (No pun intended).

The facts are that these bones are unburied, which is itself a disgraceful fact.

The fact that they were denied proper burial is indicative of a life not lived well or with honor.

The scripture points out that they are dead bones or "dry."

This is a euphemism that invokes the image of a eunuch, one who cannot reproduce.

Contrast that with scriptures that talk about how good news (see Proverbs 30:15) makes the bones moist or "fat," indicating productivity in the inner marrow where red blood cells are produced, the very carriers of oxygen and nutrients; a picture of life.

So God has gone out of his way to emphasize that these bones are very dead.

And God Himself is leading Ezekiel to walk among these dishonorable, disassembled dead bones. 

This hopeless state of these bones was not lost on Ezekiel.

He got a close-up view.

We can then understand why he throws God's next question, "Can these bones live?" right back on God.

"O Lord God, you know."

This was beyond Ezekiel's pay grade.

The word God chose for "live" is the Hebrew word "haya," which means to remain alive, to sustain life, or to live forever.

This implies not only restoration but also the capacity for reproduction.

That's a tall order for these despicable bones.

God obviously has more in mind for these bones than just a return to whatever life they had before.

He is thinking of multiplication.

Prophesy to the Bones!

What is also extraordinary to note is that God wants to include Ezekiel in this special miracle.

He commands Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones.

Prophesy is the Hebrew word "naba," which means to be under the influence of a Spirit.

By all outward signs, this would be a very foolish act.

What is God asking Ezekiel to speak over the bones?

None other than the Word of the Lord!

We can begin to understand how Ezekiel was able to continue even in the face of this overwhelming task.

He would be speaking God's Word.

God Himself would be His partner in this impossible task.

He was therefore counting on the Lord's faithfulness, not any strength or might of his own. I am reminded of Paul, who said in 1 Corinthians 1:18 that the foolishness of the preaching of the gospel will bring men to life. 

And so Ezekiel obeys and prophesies to the dead bones.

"So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them." (Ezekiel 37:7-8, ESV)

A Mighty Army Arises

The Lord moved upon the bones, and at first there was a rattling sound.

The Hebrew reference for that sound can also mean thunder or earthquake.

I cannot help but think of the great earthquake and thundering that occurred at Jesus' death and his resurrection.

These are powerful symbols for us on this side of Jesus's life and ministry.

After the rattling, then an assembling, then a return of muscle and sinew and skin - bringing what would be needed eventually for general cohesion and movement.

These very dry bones are coming to life in stages right before his eyes!

However, there is still no breath of life in them.

I'm sure Ezekiel is thinking, as I am, of Adam, who was first formed but not yet a living being until the Lord breathed into his nostrils.

Sure enough, God has more for these now gathered bones.

"Then he said to me, 'Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live."  So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army."  (Ezekiel 37:9,10, ESV)

Wow! What a powerful effect.

Those very dry bones heard the Word of the Lord and assembled and came to attention.

Then they received the breath or Spirit of the Lord and came to life.

Not just as a crowd of individuals– but as an army!

That speaks of unity, training, purpose, and power.

The Spirit not only made them alive but revived every aspect of the reason for their lives!

God goes on to explain to Ezekiel that the dry bones are Israel in his day.

The Call for Revival - The Word and the Spirit

These verses are for us today as well!

We face a daunting valley of dry bones in our time – people who are spiritually dead and lost, and even a church that is lukewarm or worse, culturally relevant but scripturally at odds with God.

God is asking us the same question he asked Ezekiel.

"Can these bones live?" 

If we want revival in the Church and a great harvest of the lost, we must faithfully carry out two commands.

The "dead" must hear the Word of the Lord.

And the Spirit must "Come!"

Our confidence has to be in the same thing that Ezekiel trusted - first, the life-giving power of proclaiming God's Word.

Also, since we are talking about restoration to life of something long dead,  we must be watchful for all God is doing and continue in faith through the stages - the rattling, the assembling, and the covering.

We must be willing to notice and acknowledge God working. 

Secondly, we must cooperate with God as His partners on earth and call for the breath or Spirit to "come from the four winds."

We must prophetically cry out to the Holy Spirit - calling Him from the four corners of the earth - to truly revive people into His modern-day spiritual army, causing a global awakening and harvest.

However, without both the Word and the work of the Holy Spirit- the giver of the breath of life - the global body will not experience true revival and the world will not be awakened.

Just as God included Ezekiel in this miracle, God is amazingly asking us to partner with Him.

We, too, must proclaim the Word AND prophetically declare by the Holy Spirit to “come and breathe life upon those whom the Word of God is working."

Preaching is necessary, but preaching alone will not be enough to achieve this transformation.

We need a global revival birthed through Spirit-empowered prayer and obedience.

If we are to see the global revival of the dead bones of our time, we must preach the Word AND cry out to the Holy Spirit to come from the four winds! 

Before I understood the call of Ezekiel 37, I would hear worship leaders directing us to cry out and ask the Holy Spirit to come into our services, and I would argue back in my mind, “He is already here; He is within us."

I thought the New Testament fulfillment of the infilling of the Holy Spirit contrasted the idea of calling for the Holy Spirit to "come."

As I matured in love, I learned that asking him to come is an invitation to have His way and to move among us as we surrender ourselves to His agenda, not our own.

Also, asking the Holy Spirit to come is not just for us to experience and enjoy his presence for ourselves alone.

Rather, it is also a call for Him to come and awaken us by the resurrection power of Jesus and revive the dead bones of the world.

Some of those dead bones may be sitting in our churches, assembled, but "unbreathing."

Many more are outside the church, needing to be resurrected.

Conclusion - Can these Bones Live? If So, What Will You Do?

God really meant it when he said we are his co-laborers together with him as the Lord of the harvest.

God has graciously given us the assignment to go into all the world and preach the gospel and to be lightbearers and carriers of His Holy Spirit.

He has given us the command to open our mouths and speak, prophesy, and pray.

He has invited us to be partners with Him in what we believe will be the next great awakening, a global awakening, and our four winds global family has accepted this invitation, and this is what we labor and believe for as a community.

So we must learn to cooperate with God, pray in line with His Word, and walk in close fellowship and obedience with the Holy Spirit. 

Like Ezekiel, we walk with God, so we need not fear walking among the dead bones.

We can obediently follow the Lord's command and see Him raise up a great army, revived by love, to carry the gospel of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom to every nation, tribe, and tongue, in the passion, purity, and power of God!

God will guide us and give us His grace.

We believe this gospel will be preached unto every nation and tongue alive today, and the Spirit of the Lord will come and cover the earth as the water covers the seas.

This is the heartbeat of Four Winds Global and our ministry team and partners.

Our call is to pray, preach, and partner with others who burn to see a global awakening, who are ready to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, until we see the army of the Lord come alive and touch the ends of the earth with God’s love and power until He comes again.

To God be all the glory!

References

The ESV Study Bible: English Standard Version. (2008). Crossway Bibles.