“And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off. . .will hear them. . .and gather them. . .I have redeemed them. . .I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria. . .the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away. And I will strengthen them in the Lord; and they shall walk up and down in His name, saith the Lord” Zec. 10.

Not only has our Lord given to us innumerable prophesies; He has likewise illustrated them with word pictures, metaphors, allusions, parables, patterns. The aforementioned scriptures are no exception. By our laying of scriptures side by side, a comparison may be seen which is a bit unusual.

Very little commentary will be offered in this article as the scripture itself sheds great Light upon scripture.

Ezekiel was taken of the Spirit to a great open valley which lay full of very dry bones. He was told to prophesy to these bones: “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 flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them. . .and the breathe came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army” Ezekiel 37:7,8,10.

Keeping this text in mind let us look in on the activities in yet another valley. The comparison of scriptures that follow give us three views of that which will occur in the valley of Megiddo: the battle of Armageddon.

“And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city [the Son of God was rejected and was subjected to the wrath of sinful men without the city] and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six furlongs” Rev. 14:19,20.

“And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth” Zec. 14:12.

“And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God: That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men. . .and all the fowls were filled with their flesh” Rev. 19:17,18,21.

May we pause here to interject a comparison of scripture:

“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” Paul adds no little insight when he writes in Romans chapter eleven: “Hath God cast away His people“? God hath not cast away His people. . .God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears, that they should not hear. . .Have they stumbled that they should fall?. . . for if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?” Their bones are dried, they are cut off? Receiving of life from the dead? “Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves. . .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” Ezek. 37:11-13.

In Matthew chapter 27, Jesus “yielded up the ghost,” the “veil of the temple was rent in twain,” and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after His resurrection.”

Twice in Ezekiel does the Lord tell Israel, “I will open your graves. . . will bring you up out of your graves.” In Matthew chapter twenty-seven we find the graves were opened. . . saints came out of their graves! It is after His resurrection. The purpose: “ye shall know that I AM the Lord” Thus the fulfillment of scripture, a sign given, a beacon which draws our attention to a yet future fulfillment for Jacob’s seed. Even now Israel’s bones continue to be gathered, the flesh coming upon them; but there is no breathe in them that they should live. That will happen only when Christ their Messiah shall come and “breathe into their nostrils the breath of Life.” It might be helpful to stop here and reread the scriptures found at the beginning of this article (Zec.10.)

Returning to the “dry bones:” First, there was a large open valley; second, it was full of very dry bones; third, the bones came together, sinew and flesh came up upon them; fourth, skin covered them above; fifth, breathe came into them, so that they lived; sixth, they “stood upon their feet;” seventh, they are now an exceeding great army:”

In comparison, there is the other large open valley: Megiddo, Armageddon. Therein stands an “exceeding great army.” “The kings of the earth and their armies” Rev. 19:18. “Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet” Zec. 14:12 - The fowls of the air are bidden to gather themselves together to the “supper of the great God” Rev. 19:21. The end result: a valley of dry bones raised to stand an exceeding great army. In direct contrast we find the reverse: another valley wherein stands an exceeding great army. It is brought down, fallen, its life is taken, the flesh falls from their bones, the fowl of the air consume the flesh and ultimately there is left a “valley of dry bones!”

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen and stand upright.”

Here we offer but a sampling of what is to be found if we will parallel the Old and New Testament scriptures. Israel is found to be suffering as another Pharaoh, as such, disregards, breaks an agreement, a covenant with them. Moses and Aaron represent God before Pharaoh (an anti-christ). Two witnesses are to likewise represent God before the antichrist during Tribulation. They, as Moses and Aaron are given power to bring plagues upon the earth; power over waters to turn them to blood, (and as Elijah, have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophesy.) It is worthy of notice that the “pouring out of the vials” by the angels seems to be well coordinated with the workings of the two witnesses.

“And the Lord said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. And it shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast” Ex. 9:8,9.

“And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image” Rev. 16:2.

“And Aaron stretched forth his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land. . .And the magicians did so. . .brought up frogs. . .” Ex. 8:6,7.

In Revelation chapter sixteen the “magicians” are busy once again: “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon. . .the beast. . .the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, [and their purpose:] which go forth unto the kings of the earth. . .to gather them to the battle. . .Armageddon.”

“And the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran along upon the ground. . .fire mingled with hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. . .Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail” Ex. 9:23,24,26.

“And there were voices, and thunders and lightnings. . .such as was not since men were upon the earth. . .And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven. . .and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail. . .” Rev. 16:18,21.

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings” Exodus 10:21-23.

Some nine hundred years later the Word of the Lord came to Ezekiel; a Lamentation against Pharaoh: “And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land“ Ezek. 32:7,8.

The first three gospels, in recording the crucifixion, make mention of the three hours of darkness “over all the earth” from the sixth to the ninth hour; “And the sun was darkened.”

“And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven. . .and repented not of their deeds” Rev. 16:10,11.

“This we compare to Exodus chapter ten where the kingdom of Pharaoh received a thick darkness which could be felt: neither did they repent!

“And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me. . .for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die” Ex. 10:28. Moses and Aaron were God’s two witnesses, foreshadowing “two witnesses” in Revelation chapter eleven. These witnesses have power to bring plagues upon the kingdom of the “beast,” who shall fulfill the promise of his early predecessor: “And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast. . .shall overcome them, and kill them” Rev. 11:7.

Well known to most is the account given in the gospel of John concerning our Lord’s turning the vessels of “water into wine,” however, such is not the case involving His enemies: “And the Lord spake unto Moses. . .stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams. . .rivers. . .ponds. . .pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone” Ex. 7:19.

In Revelation chapter sixteen, water is once again turned into blood: “And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man. . .And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.” We are not left without explanation: “Thou art righteous, O Lord. . . because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.”

In Exodus chapter fifteen, following Israel’s deliverance from the armies of Pharaoh at the Red Sea; they sang unto the Lord: “for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. . .Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath He cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea. . .Thy right hand O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. . .Thou hast overthrown them that rose up against Thee: Thou sentest forth Thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble.”

“The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them” Ex. 15:9. The “enemy” waits for the opportunity to again “draw his sword” - against Israel - against the God of Israel.

There is a future fulfillment: “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud sat one like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. . .And the angel thrust in His sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles.

Did the armies, the horses and their riders, the captains, die in the Red Sea? Were they “dashed into pieces, consumed by the wrath of God?” Then Armageddon shall also be a “Red Sea,” a sea of blood! As quoted earlier, “their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongues shall consume away in their mouth” Zec. 14:12. “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming” II Thess. 2:8.

There is no lack of scripture to further authenticate what we have already seen:

“I will spread out my net over thee. . . leave thee upon the land. . .cause all the fowls of the heaven to remain upon thee. . .lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with thy height. I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimest, even to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee” Ezek. 32:3-6.

The song of Moses and of Israel yields a further prophesy. It is directed at “the people which Thou hast redeemed. . .which Thou hast purchased.” Would any deny that this speaks of the cross, of our Redeemer who has purchased us with His own blood?

“Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established” Exodus 15:13,16,17.

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