Scattered Saints Soon to be Gathered Saints

After Ezekiel sees the dry bones in the valley reform into a mighty army, God commands the prophet to perform the last of his "prop-based" sermons. This time, with two sticks representing the divided kingdoms of Israel's past—the Northern 10 and Southern 2 tribes—God announces that their division is about to come to an end. 

Ezekiel 37:15–19 (ESV) The word of the LORD came to me: 16 “Son of man, take a stick and write on it, ‘For Judah, and the people of Israel associated with him’; then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph (the stick of Ephraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him.’ 17 And join them one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. 18 And when your people say to you, ‘Will you not tell us what you mean by these?’ 19 say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am about to take the stick of Joseph (that is in the hand of Ephraim) and the tribes of Israel associated with him. And I will join with it the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, that they may be one in my hand.

Unity is at the heart of God's desire for His people because it is at the heart of who He is. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three in one. So complete in unity, the Trinity mystifies the human mind. Unity for His people, however, has been challenging. Since Solomon's death, Israel, the chosen nation, has been divided into two—warring each other and both being dragged into exile by different nations at different times. The northern kingdom was cast into Assyria in 722 B.C., and 136 years later, the southern kingdom was handed to the Babylonians in 586 B.C. 

Unity is hard for the Church. There have been schisms and divisions since the time of the Apostles. Paul and Barnabus go separate ways, and the church schisms in 1054. The Protestant Reformation in 1517 brought more division to the visible Church and today tens of thousands of denominations exist. But here's where Ezekiel 37 brings us hope. 

In the previous section, Ezekiel's prophecy united the bones into a mighty army. The prophet spoke to the wind. 

Ezekiel 37:9 (ESV) 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.”

Only when they received this prophesy did the vast army live and stand on their feet. The picture now in the second half of Ezekiel 37 shows us that despite the many differences on the outside of the church, the true people of God have the breath of the Lord INSIDE. They stand in separate places, but they stand together, empowered by the breath of God. 

Later in the chapter, we have a picture of the final era of God's redemptive work - one king, one shepherd, one people in one land.

Ezekiel 37:24–25 (ESV) “My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. 25 They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever.

The Lord Jesus is the true King and Shepherd who unites His people as one. He prepares a place for them and their will reign with Him on the Earth. John the Revelator hears it in the final book:

Revelation 5:9–10 (ESV) And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

Now, this is important for every Christian to consider. It is not your denominational affiliation that saves you. It is the breath of God living in you through Jesus Christ, who cleanses you and sends the Holy Spirit to conform you into His likeness. In Christ, we come to be one. Through the Spirit, we are a mighty army scattered for now but soon gathered in heaven when He returns.