Ezekiel 37: Restoration of Ephraim and Judah

Ezekiel 37 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones alive? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord. The Lord uses the reality of the resurrection as an allegory of the gathering of Israel in the Last Days.

The Bible is both literal and figurative. There will be an actual physical resurrection and there will be a literal restoration of the house of Israel and restoration of the 12 tribes.

15 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these? Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.

Ephraim and Judah represent the lead tribes of the northern and southern kingdoms respectively, and Ephraim represents the Gentiles who are brought into or adopted into the Abrahamic covenant just as Ephraim was adopted by Abraham and made the birthright son after Joseph. Ephraim represents the Gentiles in another ways as the Samaritans who declared descendency from Ephraim had mixed blood with the Gentiles.The restoration of the House of Israel (restoration of the covenant, church, temple) would be accompanied by the restoration an bringing together of 2 records; the stick of Judah and the stick of Joseph in the hand of Ephraim. Both records of scripture would serve to clarify doctrine and point the House of Israel to a true belief about God and Christ. Isaiah 29 also talks about a book coming forth and calls this God's "Marvelous Work and a Wonder."

Isa 29:14,24 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. . . They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.

21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and cone king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.

Ephraim and Judah will be restored to their lands. Judah is given the Land of Israel as an everlasting inheritance and according to the Book of Mormon, the Gentiles who are adopted into the tribe of Ephraim are given America as their inheritance.Remember there is a parallel between Abraham and Joseph in Egypt and America in the Last Days. Joseph is sold into Egypt and delivered from jail by receiving a vision and being able to interpret Pharaoh's dream and preparing Egypt for the famine or tribulation to come (Sealing of the forehead). Then we see how Joseph or the Gentiles prove to be the salvation of the rest of the family of Abraham by saving them from the famine or apostasy (Amos 8:11).

In the last days the Gentiles who first receive the restored everlasting covenant and gospel will dispense it to the rest of Israel. And we see that Abraham dwelt in Egypt before Israel was miraculously restored to their lands of inheritance many years later with Moses. Similarly, the Jews who have been in America have been and will be miraculously restored to Israel after a long 40-year sojourn in the wilderness because of disobedience.

Interesting how Israel has the Sea of Galilee flowing into the Dead Sea via the Jordan River and in Salt Lake City we have Utah Lake flowing into the Great Salt Lake via another Jordan River.And there will be a political as well as religious unification. And they will have one belief in Christ who is their shepherd and they will be sanctified and cleansed and not just declared clean, but be made clean in actual fact.

26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

As part of the restoration, God will establish His everlasting covenant with the church and establish the 3rd Temple. But the 3rd Temple will not be like Solomon's or Zarubabbel's. The 3rd Temple will not administer the Law of Moses and the covenant of Justification, but will administer the covenant of sanctification, consecration, and the promise of perfection. The 3rd Temple will be not be after the Levitical Priesthood but will be a Christian temple after the order of the Melchesidek Priesthood. And this temple will not just be given to one Land, and one tribe, and one nation. But the 3rd Temple and covenant will be given according to John in Revelations to every kindred, nation, tongue and people.

And after the everlasting temple has been established to every kindred, nation, tongue and people, then it will be restored to Israel; and the first shall be last and the last shall be first. This is why it is fulfillment of prophecy that the 3rd Temple be built not just in Israel but many of the same temple built all over the Earth and then finally in Israel itself. When Christ initially came he came only to the House of Israel, and then it was revealed with Cornelius that the gospel was to go to the Gentiles. But after the restoration, the gospel would then first go to the Gentiles and then last to the Jews.

Luke 12:28-30 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And, behold, there are last which shall be first (Gentiles), and there are first which shall be last (Jews).

Isaiah 11:12-13 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.

Malachi says the sons of Levi will offer an offering in righteousness again. But this offering will be of a broken heart and a contrite spirit and will be the offering of their whole souls in the higher and everlasting covenant of consecration. Animal sacrifice is not a offering in righteousness. Animal sacrifice is an offering in sin, to be declared clean and justified.The offering that the Levites will make one day is the higher and everlasting covenant which promises sanctification. Note the language that Christ promises to purify and purge sin from us like silver and gold. The new model, purpose and covenant of the restored temple is sanctification.

Mal. 3: 3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

Many claim that the temple will only be restored to the Jews. But doesn't Christ say that all things would be restored; first to the Gentile and then to the Jews "and the first will be last and the last will be first" (Luke 12:28-30). Why would God only restore the temple to the Jews when He promised to restore His fullness to the Gentiles? Did God say He would withhold part of His gospel and kingdom from the Gentiles? No, there is nothing about Christ's gospel that He is holding in reserve for just the Jews that He hasn't made available to all nations, kindreds, tongues and peoples. This includes the temple.

Acts 3:19-21 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

Eph. 1: 10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

Eventially there will be no more temple, when the work and purpose of the Temple is complete and the sanctification of the people is compelete. John says after the Millennium there is no temple there but Christ is the temple. So, that day will come. But it is not yet.

Acts 17:24 The God who made the world and everything in it, who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by human hands.

Solomons temple and Zerubbabel's temple were built by they hand of God and not of man. When God commands a temple to be built He authorizes and ordains priesthood holders to act in His name. Whatever these servants of God do in the name of the Lord it is as if God has done it Himself with His own hand.

Hag. 1: 8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.

When Christ came to the Earth, the Jews didn't recognize their Messiah because they had misinterpreted the scriptures and were looking for a different Savior. In the same way many Gentiles believe in the restoration of God's temple but do not recognize that it has already been restored because they are looking for a different temple than the one prophesied in the Bible.

Temple Prophecy of Ezekiel 37 Part 2

After prophesying that in the Last days, that God would establish his sanctuary and tabernacle in Israel, Ezekiel sees a vision of an enormous temple in later chapters. The size of the temple Ezekiel is shown would encompass a state or even a nation. So, some use this to support the idea that Ezekiel's prophecy does not apply to LDS temples and the whole thing altogether is figurative.

Ezek 43:10-12 Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern. And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them. This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.

Ezekiel is being shown Enoch's temple in the original city of Zion. The entire city was a temple city and that is why the whole city was taken up to heaven and Christ's presence "Shechinah" was there, and Christ himself could walk among them in His glory. Those of the city of Enoch will return with Christ at His Second Coming. In the rapture we will meet each other in the air. Zion from below will meet Zion from above.

D&C 84: 100 The Lord hath redeemed his people;And Satan is bound and time is no longer.The Lord hath gathered all things in one.The Lord hath brought down Zion from above.The Lord hath brought up Zion from beneath.

Moses 7:63 And the Lord said unto Enoch: Then shalt thou and all thy city meet them there, and we will receive them into our bosom, and they shall see us; and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other;

Ezekiel is describing Enoch's temple. Other temples are patterned after this temple but obviously cannot be exactly the same because they fit the circumstances and needs of the people a the time. You will notice that even after seeing this vision, the second temple was not created exactly like it. And in a way Earthly temples are not perfect. The perfect temple would encompass the entire Earth. The entire Earth would be the temple and God could walk in His glory upon the entire face of it. Therefore, the perfect temple would be no temple. There would be no place set aside as holy, everywhere and everyone would be holy.

The temple built in the city of New Jerusalem will be more like this temple in that the entire city will be a temple city. Also, modern day temples are not exactly like Enoch's temple. They are of the same pattern, but Christian temples have no need for animal sacrifice. Christ is the final and infinite sacrifice and the temple ceremony is fully focused on administering that sacrifice and the everlasting covenants associated with Christ. There is no need for priests to offer their own animal sacrifices any more. Those who have been sealed, washed, anointed, clothed, named and ordained as kings and lords (priests), are to minister Christs sacrifice and not their own. Those priests do not represent themselves and nothing man can do can forgive sin. Priests in Christian temples represent Christ and His infinite sacrifice.

Again, the temple Ezekiel was seeing is the temple of Enoch. There is not temple in Heaven because all of heaven in holy. The future temples of New Jerusalem and Old Jerusalem might be as big. But with temples; bigger is better. If it were up to God, the size would envelop the entire Earth. Remember the pattern of the temple is scalable. It can apply to the individual soul, marriage, home and family, a holy building, a temple city, a royal priesthood, holy nation and peculiar people, and the eventual Celestial Earth.

Dan 2:34-35, 44 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. . . . and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain (a temple), and filled the whole earth. . . . And in the days of these kings (iron and clay = European nations in the Last Days) shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

And so the kingdom of God will. In the days of those kings, (Last Days, European nations = iron mixed with clay) It is the stone cut out of the mountain without hands that will grow until it becomes a great mountain (temple) and fill the whole Earth.

Mark 14: 58 We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.
Heb. 9: 11, 24 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; . . . For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
Acts 17: 24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

I know what Paul is saying about God dwelling in our hearts. Remember the context of who Paul is speaking too who is trying to teach them about the Holy Ghost. But that doesn't mean that the prophecies about the literal restoration of Christian temples in Old Jerusalem and New Jerusalem will not also happen. God will literally rebuild the temple but it will not be made after the manner of men and it will not be made after the order of the Aaronic or Levitical Priesthood but it is to be made ofter the eternal and everlasting order of the Melchizedek. God Himself will build His Holy House.

The pattern of the temple is scalable from the individual, to the holy building, to the holy city, to the holy nation, to the Celestial Earth. The perfect temple would be no temple at all. The entire Earth would be celestialized. The stone cut out of the mountain without hands would become a great mountain (temple) and fill the whole Earth. So, that when John was shown the Celestialized Earth, he saw no temple. There was not place set aside for God. The entire Earth will be made holy and will be God's dwelling. It doesn't make sense to refer to a heavenly temple either, because all of God's kingdom is holy, not just one part of it. Temples on Earth are a finite representation of the kingdom of God in the heavens.

Rev. 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

Temple Prophecy of Ezekiel 37 Part 1

Ezek 37 contains a marvelous prophecy about the restoration of Temple in the Last Days. But the temple is not going to be a Jewish temple. It will be a Christian temple. How are they going to know what it is supposed to look like or what should be done in it? Animal sacrifice is done away with the sacrifice of Christ. I guess a Latter-day prophet will be necessary although a surprising amount of detail about Christian temples can be found in the Bible.

Ezek 37:26-28 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

So, God prophecies that He will set up His sanctuary and tabernacle in Israel. I assume it is speaking of the temple. But this temple won't be like the Ancient Jewish Temple. That Temple administered the Law of Moses. But this temple will administer the everlasting covenant.

Isa. 2:2-3, Micah 4:1-2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

So, this temple is supposed to be built in the Last Days and not in the Millennium. It must be an important prophecy because it is found twice.

Rev. 7: 3-4, 14-15 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. . . . And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. herefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

While the Beast is busy marking his followers, God is busy sealing His Saints in their foreheads before the day of tribulation as a protection. Those who are sealed in Rev 9 will not be hurt by the tribulation.The sealing in the forehead is an ordination by the laying on of hands. Instead of just those from the tribe of Levi and the sons of Aaron serving God day and night in His temple, those who will be given this "honor" will be many (144,000 = countless number), from every tribe of Israel, or from every kindred, tongue, and people. Because the Blood of Abraham has been sprinkled among all the nations, so God will gather His elect from among all the nations.

Heb. 5:4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. This tells us how those who are sealed are to be called.

Like Aaron they will be washed, anointed, clothed in the undergarment and the robes of the priesthood. While Aaron's robes were colored, Christian temple robes are white which represents that those sealed have been washed in the blood of Christ. That is why John asked who all these people were who are wearing white robes in the temple. I am sure he was used to seeing colored robes in the temple.

And John promises those who truly believe in Christ and overcome that they can be among the 144,000 who will partake of the tree of life (major theme and motif in the LDS endowment), they will be dressed in white robes, and given a new name, and will take upon themselves the name of Christ, and they will be given power over the nations in that they will be made kings and priests unto the Most High God and are promised to sit with Christ in his throne with him and shall "inherit all things"(Rev 2-3)(Rev 21:7). And Christ will come and receive them as King of kings and Lord of lords after protecting them during the tribulation and they will be meet the Lord in the air while the wicked are burned at His coming and then land on the Earth where Christ will reign 1000 years.

Isa. 52: 8 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.

So, with so much that is supposed to happen in the Last Days, how is it all supposed to come about without modern prophets and revelation? Who knows what a Christian temple is supposed to be like. And why isn't the work already begun? That is a lot of people to seal in preparation for the tribulation. That might even take multiple temples that are one in purpose (I think I like the symbolism of that). Many temples that are considered One temple because the exact same thing is done and taught in every one. Good news; priesthood, prophets, modern temples have been restored and are being built thoughout the world. God is sealing the faithful in preparation for th the time of tribulation, and His Second Coming. Come and See.

Temple Worship

Matt. 27: 51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

Many Christians interpret this verse to indicate that the worship of God and Christ in the temple ended with the death of Jesus Christ. Temple worship somehow became obsolete together with animal sacrifice. However, Isaiah prophesies that the temple would be restored in the Last Days (Isa. 2: 2-3). Isaiah isn't talking about at the time of Christ. Those weren't the Last Days. Today is the Last Days.

There are many more scriptures which prophesy about the temple in the Last Days. Ezekiel was mourning over the scattering and loss of the tribes of Israel. Because of the envy of Ephraim toward Judah (Isa. 11: 13), Ephraim divided Israel into a Northern and Southern kingdom after which the Assyrians destroyed and scattered the 10 tribes of the Northern Kingdom. Years later, the Southern Kingdom of Judah was conqured and destoyed by Babylon. But, a remnant of Judah returned to Israel and rebuilt the temple. But the Northern 10 tribes remained lost. Except for the Samaritans who claimed to be a remnant of the original 10 tribes and who built their own apostate temple at Mt. Gerezim. The Samaritans and the Jews were never one. The Jews hated and dispised the Samaritans.

Ezekiel prophesies that in the Last Days (Ezek. 37: 15-28), that the tribes of the Northern Kingdom represented by Joseph and Ephraim, and the tribes of the Southern Kingdom represented by Judah would be restored. And that when Joseph and Judah are restored that their scripture would come together in one as well. The stick of Judah is the Bible. The stick of Joseph is the Book of Mormon.

God says that he will gather the blood of Israel from among all the nations of the heathen. And in that day Israel will no longer be divided but will be one nation. Now, lets not make the same mistake that the Jews did and interpret this to be speaking politically. The day of literal fulfullment will come. But I think that this revelation is first speaking of a spiritual and religious unity and a restoration of the Kingdom of God.

And at the time of the fulfilling of Ezekiel's prophecy, God says that he will make a new and "everlasting covenant" with Israel. Why is it new, because the covenant was restored to the Earth after being lost. But, then how could it be everlasting? The covenant is everlasting because it is the same covenant that God has sought to make with all his people. It's the same everlasting covenant that God made with Noah (Gen. 9: 11) and with Abraham (Gen. 17: 2-7). This is the same covenant which God tried to establish with Moses and Israel but they refused (Ex. 20: 19) and a lesser and preparatory law was given to them. This same everlasting covenant was made with the Meridian-day Saints who, through obedience to the covenant, had their calling and election to eternal life made sure (2 Pet. 1: 10).

Then Ezekiel tells us where this everlasting covenant would be made. Earlier this covenant was made on mountain tops (2 Pet. 1: 18-19). But in the Last Days, this new and everlasting covenant would be made in the "mountain of the LORD's house" or the temple. Ezekiel prophesies that God would build his sanctuary or tabernacle among spiritual Israel in the last days. And that temple would never be destroyed but would exist forever.

The Meridian-day Christian Saints continued to consider temple worship as central to their belief and devotion to God and Christ. Several examples of the apostles worshiping in the temple include: Peter and John taught and healed a man at the Temple (Acts 3: 1-3, 8, 10); Paul purified himself and taught in the Temple (Acts 21: 26-30).

And on the day of Pentecost, John records that after the believers were "pricked in their hearts" and asked "what shall we do?" John decribes the nature of true Christian worship. Those who believed in Christ repented, were baptized with water and fire by recieving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and then:

"they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved" (Acts 2: 37-47).

Clearly, worship in the house which Christ himself referred to as His and as "the house of prayer" (Matt. 21: 13); remained a central part of true Christian worship. And through the prophet Joseph Smith, temples and the new and everlasting covenant have been restored to the Earth. And all true believers in Christ are invited to first repent and then worship God in the LORD's house "in spirit and in truth" (John 4: 23-24).