There does not appear to be any justification for making this word

'army' mean simply a collective term for a great number.  It appears to mean

'an army' in the military sense of the word, and where other words than this

are used the translation is in keeping, being rendered by words like valour,

valiant, strong, war, host, might, strength, and a number of other variants

of the primitive idea of 'force'.  Added to this, these bones did not

represent simply the dead of Israel but 'the slain' (Ezek. 37:9), a word that

indicates a death by violence (see Ezek. 23:10; 26:6).  The word translated

'valley' (Ezek. 37:2), means 'a plain' as in Isaiah 40:4, and is the word

employed by Zechariah when he speaks of the 'valley of Megiddon' (Zech.

12:11), the scene of Israel's national repentance, as also the scene of the

great battle yet to be fought at 'Armageddon' (Rev. 16:16).

This 'valley' is shown on the map of Palestine as the Plain of

Esdraelon at Megiddo, and lies between Haifa on the Mediterranean coast and

the Jordan.  It is in this valley and near 'The hill of Megiddo' (Armageddon)

that the gathering to battle predicted in Revelation 16 will take place.

There, in Revelation, it is 'the spirits of devils' that call this great army

together.  In Ezekiel it is 'the spirit of God' that is evoked to breathe on

the slain.

The explanation of the symbolism of the dry bones is given.  The whole

house of Israel are thereby represented, and they are reported to have said:

'Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our

parts' (Ezek. 37:11).

There is a solemn thought in the fact that the selfsame word is used of

the Messiah Who was 'cut off' out of the land of the living (Isa. 53:8).  Not

only the slain, but the dead are to be raised, and according to Ezekiel 11:17

the scattered of Israel are to be gathered from among the nations and placed

in their own land.  This prophecy of restoration is followed by the symbolism

of the two sticks.  One stick represented the name of Judah and his

companions, the other, Ephraim, the head of the ten tribes.  These two sticks

were to 'become one' in the prophet's hand.  For the Lord declared:

'I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel;

and one 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' (Ezek. 37:22).

The prophecy concludes with a great name of the Lord:

'The name of the city from that day shall be, (Jehovah -Shammah) the

Lord is there' (Ezek. 48:35).

Thus, the departed glory returns, the scattered nation returns, and the

times of restoration of all things spoken by the prophets will at last have