“Under the pressure of loneliness the watchman, in a moment of complete discouragement, questioned the fulfillment of the messages God had directed him to declare to Judah (today all of Israel). For years he had been speaking of disaster to come, but the delay in fulfillment had made him an object of mockery. As a result he had reached the limit of his endurance and murmured against the Lord to the extent that he stood in danger of being dismissed from service as a watchman.
“God called upon Jeremiah to return to Him and cease his murmurings in order to be reinstated as His spokesman, but he gave the prophet no assurance whatever of relief from pressure. Patience was the paramount requirement in waiting, for the verdict of time would finally bring full justification.
“The Lord informed Jeremiah he was not to go to the people any more. That phase of his mission was completed. From that time on he was to wait and let the people come to him, for those who had refused to listen in the past wold, under pressure of coming evil conditions, be compelled to eventually turn to him for guidance and assistance.” (Study in Jeremiah, pp. 78-80)
The day is coming when, as in the time of Jeremiah, once again people will seek those whom they have despised and listen to the message they formerly rejected because it was disturbing to them. They will be driven to do so out of fear, for the Day of the Lord is:
“A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness.” (Joel 2:2)
Joel speaks of that Day as very terrible and asks the question, “Who will be able to abide it?” As a result of the people becoming willing to do what god requires of them under the pressure of such a time, the call will go out to repent and rend the heart and not the garment, and turn to the Lord in order that He may save them.
He does not say to join with any other race or people upon the face of the earth, God wants them to turn to Him with all their hearts, minds, bodies and spirit; and repent of their evil ways, and doings and seek Him and then He will forgiven them and heal their land.
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14) (KJV)
A special privilege has been conferred upon all those whom God has chosen as watchmen, and none of those called to service need be discouraged regardless of how their messages received. The privilege of witnessing in this way also extends to those who, though they may not be actually voicing the watchman’s message, are enabling the watchmen to carry on through their continued support:
“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.” (Matthew 24:45-46)
Since this is the Watchman Period in Christian witnessing following the centuries of fishing and the years of hunting the “meat in due season” is the specific warning message the watchman are giving today. The light of liberty and justice has grown dim as strife and tyranny cast a shadow over the earth. The watchmen have taken up their positions and they are standing guard in the night. It was Isaiah (Isaiah 21:11-12) who praised the question, “Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, enquire ye: return, come!”
It will be after the defeat of Gog and Magog that the House of Israel will be cleansed of all evil and will acknowledge to all the world that Yahweh is their God. As a result of the defeat of all of Israel’s enemies, including the Jews, the promise is:
“Thus saith the Lord God; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. And the desolate land shall be tilled...become like the garden of Eden...Then the heathen that are left (for millions will perish in the destruction of the forces of Gog; (Ezekiel 39:2) round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.” (Ezekiel 36:33-36)
God declares He will yet be inquired of by the House of Israel to do all this for them, in this way indicating that, under pressure of victorious enemies, the House of Israel will at last turn to the Lord their God for help. Joel also indicates that this is what will happen when the call goes out, by the watchmen, for Israel to turn to the Lord and repent, rending the heart and not the garment, so that He may deliver them from the northern hordes. (Joel 2:12-20)
Ezekiel’s next document is an account of a remarkable vision of a valley of dry bones. The purpose of this document is to demonstrate in detail the type of message the watchmen in Israel are to proclaim to God’s people as the age draws to a close. It is a message of identity and responsibility and rests upon the descendants of the House of Israel in the world today. A complete exposition of this 37th chapter is not necessary here because of space.
Let us point out, however, that in the coming together of “bone to his bone,” we have the process of identification depicted which has been going on during the last century through the evidence given, demonstrating the Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, Scandinavian, Celtic, Nordic, Slavic and kindred peoples to be the modern House of Israel in the world today. This identification is now beyond the speculative stage, for the multiplicity of irrefutable facts is positive proof concerning the position taken. However, it will not be until this great army of the House of Israel stands upon its feet that the Spirit of the Lord will have entered into them his event is yet future but it is important to an understanding of the order of events to recognize that the timing of this spiritual awakening of the House of Israel coincides with the developments leading Gog to move against God’s people. Then, as a result of God’s intervention in behalf of His people and the subsequent defeat of Gog, with the destruction of the Zionist state now set up in Palestine, the House of Israel will awaken spiritually. After that they will be given possession of their own land again and Ezekiel concludes the explanation of the vision with the statement from the Lord:
“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.” (Ezekiel 37:14)
Again it must be borne in mind that the knowledge concerning the identity, spiritual awakening and restoration does not come to the House of Israel until after the defeat of their enemies.