Ezekiel, might these Bones live once more?

Ezekiel bones

Wednesday 04/12/23 

Series: Thru the Bible

Message: Ezekiel, might these Bones live once more?

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Ezekiel, might these Bones live once more?

Ezekiel 37:1-28, 

“(1) The hand of the LORD was on me, and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones.  

(2)  He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry.  

(3)  Then He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” 

I replied, “Lord GOD, only You know.”  

(4)  He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: 

Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!  (5)  This is what the Lord GOD says to these bones: 

I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live.  

“(6)  I will put tendons on you, make flesh grow on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”  

(7) So I prophesied as I had been commanded. While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.  

(8)  As I looked, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.  

(9)  He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man. 

Say to it: This is what the Lord GOD says: 

Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live!”  

(10)  So I prophesied as He commanded me; the breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army.  

(11)  Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Look how they say: Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished; we are cut off.  

(12)  Therefore, prophesy and say to them: This is what the Lord GOD says:” 

Leviticus 17 makes a direct connection between the soul of man and his blood. 

Leviticus 17:10-14, “(10) ‘Any man from the house of Israel or from the resident foreigners who live in their midst who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats the blood, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people,  (11)  for the life of every living thing is in the blood. So I Myself have assigned it to you on the altar to make atonement for your lives, for the blood makes atonement by means of the life.  

(12)  Therefore, I have said to the Israelites: No person among you is to eat blood, and no resident foreigner who lives among you is to eat blood.  (13)  “‘Any man from the Israelites or from the resident foreigners who live in their midst who hunts a wild animal or a bird that may be eaten must pour out its blood and cover it with soil,  (14)  for the life of all flesh is its blood. So I have said to the Israelites: You must not eat the blood of any living thing because the life of every living thing is its blood – all who eat it will be cut off.”

Now the word ‘Life’ and ‘Soul’ is Nephesh and includes the whole life, but often is divided into divisions of the person. The divisions most recognized in scripture are the mind, the will and the emotions.

We know that without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sin according to Hebrews 9:22.

This connection between the soul, the life and the blood is why Isaiah records of the Lord that His SOUL was poured out unto death.

Isaiah 53:10-12, “(10) Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.  (11)  He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.  (12)  Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.”

Now we know that the blood is manufactured in the bones. So while blood is the source of life for the body, the bones are the source of blood.

So even as there appears to be a connection between the soul and the blood, there also appears to be a connection in scripture between the bones and the spirit.

Now I am NOT attempting to force a point here, I do not know if there is literally anything to it, but it is just something that has been burrowing away in my mind for years and I’ve never taken the time to culminate my thoughts in one place until now and even this is just a simple collection of the highlights.

Consider some of the things the scriptures say about the bones and the spirit…

Prov. 17:22, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.”

Psalm 38:3 says that the bones have no rest due to sins. Psalm 109:18 indicates that unrighteousness (sin) creeps into the bones.

Prov. 3:7-8, “(7) Don’t consider yourself to be wise; fear the LORD and turn away from evil. (8) This will be healing for your body and strengthening for your bones.”

Even conditions of soul and spirit seem to affect the bones.

Psalm 34:17-22, “(17) The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them from all their troubles.  (18)  The LORD is near the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit.  (19)  Many adversities come to the one who is righteous, but the LORD delivers him from them all.  (20)  He protects all his bones; not one of them is broken. (21) Evil brings death to the sinner, and those who hate the righteous will be punished.  (22)  The LORD redeems the life of His servants, and all who take refuge in Him will not be punished.”

Psalm 42:9-11, “(9) I will say to God, my rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why must I go about in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?”  (10)  My adversaries taunt me, as if crushing my bones, while all day long they say to me, “Where is your God?”  (11)  Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God.”

Then you have odd things about bones…

2Kings 13:20-21, “(13) Then Elisha died and was buried. Now marauding bands of Moabites used to come into the land in the spring of the year.  (21)  Once, as the Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a marauding band, so they threw the man into Elisha’s tomb. When he touched Elisha’s bones, the man revived and stood up!”

I know this doesn’t immediately mention anything about spirit, but there must have been some residual anointing left in this man’s bones to cause the body of this man to heal and his spirit to return to it.

Then the scriptures bring up the bones of Joseph in 4 separate books, one of which is Hebrews 11 which is a chapter all about the faith of our ancestors in Judaism. Now the faith was regarding the fact that God was going to deliver Israel from Egypt, but Joseph wanted his bones taken with them to be buried with his fathers at Shechem. But why? He presumably wasn’t using them anymore… so why the deep concern over his bones? This wasn’t a minor request, Exodus tells us that Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had taken an oath of the children of Israel and straightly sworn that God was going to deliver Israel from Egypt and that they must carry his bones with them. But why?

Michael the Archangel and the devil argued over Moses’ body which ultimately would be reduced to bones, but one has to wonder why? Sure, the Israelites or even those of our church age might have enshrined Moses’ bones and all but worshiped them because people are generally pretty stupid about things like that and such may be all there was to it, but still… why argue about a dead guys rotting corpse?

A judgment of God against certain people was to exhume their bones and burn them on an altar and one time God judged Moab for burning the bones of the King of Edom, and thus reducing them to lime. Why?

Then you have the references to the Lord’s bones both in the symbolism of His body in the sacrificial lamb of Passover and regarding His actual body…

Also about the Lord:

The passover lamb was not to have his bones broken

Exodus 12:46, “It is to be eaten in a single house; you are not to bring forth any of the flesh outside of the house, nor are you to break any bone of it.”

Numbers 9:12, “They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break a bone of it; according to all the statute of the Passover they shall observe it.”

John 19:33 & 36, “but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.”

“For these things came to pass to fulfill the Scripture, “Not a bone of Him shall be broken.”

This passage is clear that the bones Ezekiel is seeing in his vision represent Israel. But more than that it represents their spirits as dead to God and needing to come to life.

It is so much more than just implied that we almost HAVE to take it as a certainty that in the New Birth, it is our spirits which come alive. 

To be sure, in the New Birth our souls are softened to be responsive to God and He works out our conformity to Christ even in the actions of our flesh, but the only part of us that could be said to have become immediately like God is our spirit. 

1 Cor. 6:17 says that whoever is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Which may be metaphorical, or literal. However, what is NOT metaphorical is that we have become a new creation according to 2Cor. 5:17-18. On some level what was darkness has become light. NOT ENLIGHTENED, but LIGHT! What was dead, has come to life. We are told that just as Jesus is – so are we in this world.

At best our souls are in a lifelong process of coming alive to Christ to be fully realized when we see Him and our bodies are still dead because of sin. So the only thing which remains which could even be said to be alive is our spirits.

If our souls became immediately like Him the moment of the New birth we would cease from all sin instantly. Instead we are told that the end goal of our faith is the salvation of our souls. That we are to receive the engrafted word of God which is able to save our souls or renew our minds. That we are to work out our salvation with reverence and respect for God, because He is in us causing us to will and do after His good pleasure. Will and do are references to our soul and the actions of our bodies – not our spirits.

Remember also that it was the breath of God through Jesus – meaning the Spirit of God, Who was breathed into the disciples which made them come alive spiritually and I believe with all my heart that it was in reference to this passage in Ezekiel that Jesus was led to do what He did…

John 20:19-22, “(19) On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the disciples had gathered together and locked the doors of the place because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”(20)  When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.  (21)  So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. Just as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”(22)  And after He said this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

So I’ll leave all of this right there in a heap on the floor of our mind for you to think on and ponder, but we will now move on with the rest of this passage.

Ezekiel 37…

“I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them, My people, and lead you into the land of Israel.  (13)  You will know that I am the LORD, My people, 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 am the LORD. I have spoken, and I will do it.” This is the declaration of the LORD.  

(15)  The word of the LORD came to me:  (16)  “Son of man, take a single stick and write on it: 

Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him. 

Then take another stick and write on it: Belonging to Joseph–the stick of Ephraim–and all the house of Israel associated with him.  

(17)  Then join them together into a single stick so that they become one in your hand.  

(18)  When your people ask you: Won’t you explain to us what you mean by these things?–  (19)  tell them: This is what the Lord GOD says: 

I am going to take the stick of Joseph–which is in the hand of Ephraim–and the tribes of Israel associated with him, and put them together with the stick of Judah. I will make them into a single stick so that they become one in My hand.  

(20)  “When the sticks you have written on are in your hand and in full view of the people,  (21)  tell them: This is what the Lord GOD says: 

I am going to take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land.  (22)  I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all of them. They will no longer be two nations and will no longer be divided into two kingdoms.  

(23)  They will not defile themselves any more with their idols, their detestable things, and all their transgressions. I will save them from all their apostasies by which they sinned, and I will cleanse them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God.  

(24)  My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them. 

They will follow My ordinances, and keep My statutes and obey them.  (25)  “They will live in the land that I gave to My servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They will live in it forever with their children and grandchildren, and My servant David will be their prince forever.  (26)  I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. I will establish and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary among them forever.  

(27)  My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be My people.  (28)  When My sanctuary is among them forever, the nations will know that I, the LORD, sanctify Israel.”

Revelation 21:1-27,

“(1) Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea existed no longer.  (2)  I also saw the Holy City, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.  

(3)  Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look! God’s dwelling is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.  (4)  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will exist no longer; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away.  

(5)  Then the One seated on the throne said, “Look! I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.”  (6)  And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give to the thirsty from the spring of living water as a gift.  (7)  The victor will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.  

8)  But the cowards, unbelievers, vile, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars–their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”  

(9)  Then one of the seven angels, who had held the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me: 

“Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”  

(10)  He then carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,  (11)  arrayed with God’s glory. Her radiance was like a very precious stone, like a jasper stone, bright as crystal.  

(12)  The city had a massive high wall, with 12 gates. Twelve angels were at the gates; on the gates, names were inscribed, the names of the 12 tribes of the sons of Israel.  

(13)  There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.  

(14)  The city wall had 12 foundations, and on them were the 12 names of the Lamb’s 12 apostles.  

(15)  The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, its gates, and its wall.  (16)  The city is laid out in a square; its length and width are the same. He measured the city with the rod at 12,000 stadia. Its length, width, and height are equal.  (17)  Then he measured its wall, 144 cubits according to human measurement, which the angel used.  (18)  The building material of its wall was jasper, and the city was pure gold like clear glass.  

(19)  The foundations of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone: the first foundation jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,  (20)  the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.  

(21)  The 12 gates are 12 pearls; each individual gate was made of a single pearl. The broad street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.  

(22)  I did not see a sanctuary in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its sanctuary.  (23)  The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because God’s glory illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb.  

(24)  The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.  (25)  Each day its gates will never close because it will never be night there.  (26)  They will bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.  (27)  Nothing profane will ever enter it: no one who does what is vile or false, but only those written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

Prophecy against Gog

Ezekiel 38:1-23,

“(1) The word of the LORD came to me:  

(2)  “Son of man, turn your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Prophesy against him  (3)  and say: This is what the Lord GOD says: 

Look, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.  (4)  I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws, and bring you out with all your army, including horses and riders, who are all splendidly dressed, a huge company armed with shields and bucklers, all of them brandishing swords.  

(5)  Persia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shields and helmets;  (6)  Gomer with all its troops; and Bethtogarmah from the remotest parts of the north along with all its troops–many peoples are with you.  

(7)  “Be prepared and get yourself ready, you and all your company who have been mobilized around you; you will be their guard.  (8)  After a long time you will be summoned. In the last years you will enter a land that has been restored from war and regathered from many peoples to the mountains of Israel, which had long been a ruin. They were brought out from the peoples, and all of them now live securely.  

(9)  You, all of your troops, and many peoples with you will advance, coming like a thunderstorm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.  

(10)  “This is what the Lord GOD says: 

On that day, thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will devise an evil plan.  (11)  You will say: I will go up against a land of open villages; I will come against a tranquil people who are living securely, all of them living without walls and without bars or gates–  (12)  in order to seize spoil and carry off plunder, to turn your hand against ruins now inhabited and against a people gathered from the nations, who have been acquiring cattle and possessions and who live at the center of the world.  

(13)  Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish with all its rulers will ask you: Have you come to seize spoil? 

Have you assembled your hordes to carry off plunder, to make off with silver and gold, to take cattle and possessions, to seize great spoil?

(14)  “Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog: This is what the Lord GOD says: 

On that day when My people Israel are dwelling securely, will you not know this (15)  and come from your place in the remotest parts of the north–you and many peoples with you, who are all riding horses–a mighty horde, a huge army?  

(16)  You will advance against My people Israel like a cloud covering the land. It will happen in the last days, Gog, that I will bring you against My land so that the nations may know Me, when I show Myself holy through you in their sight.  

(17)  “This is what the Lord GOD says: 

Are you the one I spoke about in former times through My servants, the prophets of Israel, who for years prophesied in those times that I would bring you against them?  

(18)  Now on that day, the day when Gog comes against the land of Israel“–this is the declaration of the Lord GOD–“My wrath will flare up.  (19)  I swear in My zeal and fiery rage: On that day there will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel.  

(20)  The fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, every creature that crawls on the ground, and every human being on the face of the earth will tremble before Me. 

The mountains will be thrown down, the cliffs will collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground.  (21)  I will call for a sword against him on all My mountains”–the declaration of the Lord GOD–“and every man’s sword will be against his brother.  (22)  I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed. I will pour out torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and brimstone on him, as well as his troops and the many peoples who are with him.  

(23)  I will display My greatness and holiness, and will reveal Myself in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

Ezekiel 39:1-29,  

“(1) As for you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say: This is what the Lord GOD says: 

Look, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.  (2)  I will turn you around, drive you on, and lead you up from the remotest parts of the north. I will bring you against the mountains of Israel.  (3)  Then I will knock your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand.  

(4)  You, all your troops, and the peoples who are with you will fall on the mountains of Israel. I will give you as food to every kind of predatory bird and to the wild animals.  (5)  You will fall on the open field, for I have spoken.” This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.  

(6)  “I will send fire against Magog and those who live securely on the coasts and islands. Then they will know that I am the LORD.  

(7)  So I will make My holy name known among My people Israel and will no longer allow it to be profaned. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.  (8)  Yes, it is coming, and it will happen.” This is the declaration of the Lord GOD. 

“This is the day I have spoken about.  (9)  “Then the inhabitants of Israel’s cities will go out, kindle fires, and burn the weapons–the bucklers and shields, the bows and arrows, the clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them to make fires.  (10)  They will not gather wood from the countryside or cut it down from the forests, for they will use the weapons to make fires. They will take the loot from those who looted them and plunder those who plundered them.” This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.  

(11)  “Now on that day I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel–the Valley of the Travelers east of the Sea. It will block those who travel through, for Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamongog.”  

The phrase Valley of the Travelers east of the Sea MAY be a reference to the Dead Sea or the Sea of Sodom which is a sulfurous lake.

The word Hamon represents a multitude. So this is saying that the Valley itself will serve like a tombstone for the fallen of Gog who were a huge multitude of people.

“(12)  The house of Israel will spend seven months burying them in order to cleanse the land.  (13)  All the people of the land will bury them and their fame will spread on the day I display My glory.” This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.  

(14)  “They will appoint men on a full-time basis to pass through the land and bury the invaders who remain on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. They will make their search at the end of the seven months.  (15)  When they pass through the land and one of them sees a human bone, he will erect a marker next to it until the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamongog.  

(16)  There will even be a city named Hamonah there. So they will cleanse the land.”  

Hamonah appears to be a feminine form of the word “Horde”.

(17)  “Son of man, this is what the Lord GOD says: Tell every kind of bird and all the wild animals: Assemble and come! Gather from all around to My sacrificial feast that I am slaughtering for you, a great feast on the mountains of Israel; you will eat flesh and drink blood.  

(18)  You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the earth’s princes: rams, lambs, male goats, and bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan.  

(19)  You will eat fat until you are satisfied and drink blood until you are drunk, at My sacrificial feast that I have prepared for you.  

(20)  At My table you will eat your fill of horses and riders, of mighty men and all the warriors.” This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.  

(21)  “I will display My glory among the nations, and all the nations will see the judgment I have executed and the hand I have laid on them.  (22)  From that day forward the house of Israel will know that I am the LORD their God.  (23)  And the nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile on account of their iniquity, because they dealt unfaithfully with Me. Therefore, I hid My face from them and handed them over to their enemies, so that they all fell by the sword.  

(24)  I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and transgressions, and I hid My face from them.  

(25)  “So this is what the Lord GOD says: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have compassion on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for My holy name.  

(26)  They will feel remorse for their disgrace and all the unfaithfulness they committed against Me, when they live securely in their land with no one to frighten them.  

(27)  When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from the countries of their enemies, I will demonstrate My holiness through them in the sight of many nations.  (28)  They will know that I am the LORD their God when I regather them to their own land after having exiled them among the nations. I will leave none of them behind.  (29)  I will no longer hide My face from them, for I will pour out My Spirit on the house of Israel.” This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.”

All of this is likely describing one of the last great battles on the earth. There will be one when we, as the bride and army of God come to earth to destroy the Beast and the false prophet before establishing Israel in their homeland. It is then that the devil will be bound 1,000 years and no longer able to deceive the nations and all nations will look to Israel. Israel will be considered the center of the earth (meaning the place that has the spotlight on it – the center of attention) and Jesus Himself will reign there 1,000 years.

After this time satan will be released and he will gather a great number of people to come against Jesus and Israel. God Himself encourages this for it hastens the end of all things regarding this life before the great and final judgment.

We will read these chapters in Revelation before we close and you can see if you agree that they sound as if they refer to the same time period.

Revelation 19:1-21, 

“(1) After this I heard something like the loud voice of a vast multitude in heaven, saying: Hallelujah! Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God,  (2)  because His judgments are true and righteous, because He has judged the notorious prostitute who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality; and He has avenged the blood of His servants that was on her hands.  

(3)  A second time they said: Hallelujah! Her smoke ascends forever and ever!  

(4)  Then the 24 elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, Who is seated on the throne, saying: Amen! Hallelujah!  

(5)  A voice came from the throne, saying: Praise our God, all you His servants, you who fear Him, both small and great!  

(6)  Then I heard something like the voice of a vast multitude, like the sound of cascading waters, and like the rumbling of loud thunder, saying: Hallelujah–because our Lord God, the Almighty, has begun to reign!  

(7)  Let us be glad, rejoice, and give Him glory, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has prepared herself.  (8)  She was permitted to wear fine linen, bright and pure. For the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints.  

(9)  Then he said to me, “Write: Blessed are those invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb!” He also said to me, “These words of God are true.”  (10)  Then I fell at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow slave with you and your brothers who have the testimony about Jesus. Worship God, because the testimony about Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”  (11)  Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.  (12)  His eyes were like a fiery flame, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knows except Himself.  

(13)  He wore a robe stained with blood, and His name is called the Word of God.  

(14)  The armies that were in heaven followed Him on white horses, wearing pure white linen.  (15)  From His mouth came a sharp sword, so that with it He might strike the nations. He will shepherd them with an iron scepter. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty.  (16)  And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS

(17)  Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice, saying to all the birds flying in mid-heaven, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God,  (18)  so that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of their riders, and the flesh of everyone, both free and slave, small and great.”  

(19)  Then I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and against His army.  (20)  But the beast was taken prisoner, and along with him the false prophet, who had performed signs on his authority, by which he deceived those who accepted the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.  

(21)  The rest were killed with the sword that came from the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.”

Revelation 20:1-15, 

“(1) Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand.  (2)  He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and satan, and bound him for 1,000 years.  (3)  He threw him into the abyss, closed it, and put a seal on it so that he would no longer deceive the nations until the 1,000 years were completed. After that, he must be released for a short time.  (4)  Then I saw thrones, and people seated on them who were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of God’s word, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and who had not accepted the mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with the Messiah for 1,000 years.  (5)  The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years were completed. This is the first resurrection.  (6)  Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over these, but they will be priests of God and the Messiah, and they will reign with Him for 1,000 years.  (7)  When the 1,000 years are completed, satan will be released from his prison  (8)  and will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the sea.  (9)  They came up over the surface of the earth and surrounded the encampment of the saints, the beloved city. Then fire came down from heaven and consumed them.  (10)  The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.  (11)  Then I saw a great white throne and One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them.  (12)  I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books.  (13)  Then the sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead; all were judged according to their works.  (14)  Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.  (15)  And anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Blessings!

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!