From the First to the Last — The Joined Pair and the Household That Follows
Throughout our studies, we've followed a recurring distinction: the First, the preparation of the spiritual body, the completed union, and the larger household gathered afterward.
We began with the singular male and female created in God's image. We examined the Last Adam, the Bride, the two witnesses, and the body made up of many members. We also returned repeatedly to Ephesians 2, where the joining of the two precedes the developing household.
Now I want to return to Ezekiel 37.
This chapter contains two important visions: the valley of dry bones and the joining of two sticks. Both concern restoration, yet they do not describe identical actions.
The distinction matters because the raising of a multitude and the joining of two into one should not be treated as though they are the same event.
And the second account brings us directly to the question of what YHWH (יהוה) is joining, what follows that union, and who will dwell among His people.
Two Sticks — One in His Hand
In Ezekiel 37:15–19, YHWH (יהוה) instructs Ezekiel to take one stick and write upon it for Judah and his companions. He is then instructed to take another for Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and his companions.
The two are brought together to become one stick in the prophet's hand.
Then YHWH (יהוה) declares that He will take the sticks and make them one in His hand. Read Ezekiel 37:15–19.
Notice the action.
There are two sticks. They are distinct before being joined. The joining is performed, and the two become one.
The passage also mentions those associated with each stick. Yet the action involving the sticks is not identical to the later gathering of the people.
This brings us back to the distinction we've preserved throughout our First and Last study.
Two becoming one is an accomplished joining. The household that follows must not be confused with the two being joined.
Ezekiel's vision identifies Judah and Joseph within its immediate prophetic setting. Our wider study has also examined the imagery of two pieces of wood being joined alongside the singular male and female, the two witnesses, and the union described in Ephesians.
What matters here is preserving the action and its order as we follow those connections.
Genesis — Male and Female in God's Image
Return to Genesis 1:26–28.
YHWH (יהוה) speaks of making man in His image. The account then describes the creation of male and female and the blessing that follows.
In our earlier study, we carefully preserved the singular male and singular female rather than replacing the pair with a generalized description that loses the distinction.
We also examined Genesis 2, the garden account, the fall, and Genesis 5:3, where Seth is described in Adam's likeness and image.
These passages formed the foundation of our comparison between the first creation, what was lost, and the restoration brought through Christ.
Now place the singular male and female beside Ezekiel's two sticks.
Could the two sticks being joined into one provide another prophetic picture of the pair created in God's image, brought toward the union prepared through Christ?
Within our established study, the connection does not end with two becoming one. Life and multiplication follow.
And that becomes important when we continue into Ezekiel 37, where the joined sticks lead into promises involving the people, one Shepherd, the covenant, and the dwelling of YHWH (יהוה).
The Two Witnesses — Two Olive Trees and Two Lampstands
Revelation 11 describes two witnesses appointed to prophesy.
They are identified as two olive trees and two lampstands standing before the Lord of the earth. Read Revelation 11:3–6.
This takes us back to Zechariah 4, where two olive trees stand beside the lampstand, and the Spirit is central to the work being revealed. Read Zechariah 4:1–14.
We have already examined the connection between the two sticks, the two olive trees, and the two witnesses.
The Hebrew word used for the sticks in Ezekiel can also refer to wood or tree, a detail that brought us back to the trees in the garden and the tree of life.
Within our Blueprint, we've preserved the conclusion that the two sticks correspond to the two witnesses — male and female in God's image.
Now consider the testimony of those witnesses.
They are opposed, killed, and left exposed in the great city spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.
Then the Spirit of life from God enters them. They stand and ascend. Read Revelation 11:7–12.
This brought us to the new connection with 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, where the dead in Christ rise first before those remaining are gathered.
The relationship between the joined pair, their testimony, their raising, and the gathering that follows belongs to the larger work we've been examining.
But remember: the two witnesses are not the dry bones army described earlier in Ezekiel 37.
Their distinct roles remain important.
Ephesians 2 — The Two Become One
Paul describes Christ making the two one, creating one new man, and bringing about reconciliation in one body. Read Ephesians 2:14–18.
Our previous study carefully examined the sequence.
Christ is the Head. The two are joined in an accomplished act. The one new man follows from that union. Then Paul describes the developing household, building, and dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
We have not treated the joining of the two as merely a broad description of different populations being merged.
That would overlook the distinct action we have spent so much time examining.
And consider Ephesians 5:31–32, where Paul speaks of the two becoming one flesh and identifies a great mystery concerning Christ and the assembly.
Read Ephesians 5:25–32.
The mystery brings us back to the Bridegroom and Bride, the singular union, and the spiritual body that follows.
The union is not the entire household. Yet the household is being brought toward fullness through the work begun in Christ.
That distinction belongs alongside the two sticks becoming one in Ezekiel.
One Shepherd — A People Gathered
After the joining of the sticks, Ezekiel 37 describes YHWH (יהוה) gathering the children of Israel from among the nations and bringing them into their own land.
The account speaks of one nation, one king, and no longer being divided into two kingdoms. Read Ezekiel 37:20–23.
Notice the movement from the symbolic joining to the wider people being gathered.
And then comes the promise concerning one Shepherd.
Ezekiel 37:24 speaks of David as king over them, with one Shepherd for them all.
Now return to John 10.
Jesus identifies himself as the good Shepherd and speaks of other sheep who are not of that fold. He must bring them also. They will hear his voice, and there will be one flock and one Shepherd. Read John 10:11–16.
That brings us back to the comparison of the earlier sheep and those brought afterward.
One Shepherd does not require every sheep to have arrived at the same time or experienced the same appointed trial.
And the larger household does not erase the distinct roles of those who were prepared first.
We've already examined the different responsibilities within the tabernacle and compared them with Paul's description of the body.
One body does not mean every member is assigned the same work. One Shepherd does not mean every sheep enters through the same appointed experience.
Yet all are brought under the authority of the One who gives life.
The Covenant of Peace — An Everlasting Dwelling
Ezekiel's prophecy continues with a covenant of peace.
YHWH (יהוה) promises an everlasting covenant, establishes His people, multiplies them, and sets His sanctuary among them forever. Read Ezekiel 37:24–28.
Notice that the prophecy does not end with the joining of the sticks.
The people are gathered. They are cleansed. They walk according to God's direction. The covenant is established, and the sanctuary is placed among them.
This brings us back to our study of the spiritual dwelling in Ephesians 2.
It also returns us to the tabernacle.
The Most Holy, the Holy Place, and the courtyard had distinct functions. Priests were entrusted with particular responsibilities, while the appointed service of the sanctuary involved the people beyond its inner spaces.
We recently considered the possibility that this arrangement helps us recognize the spiritual body and the wider household.
What takes place within the dwelling serves the larger purpose of YHWH (יהוה).
And the covenant of peace brings us toward the restoration of life rather than merely the removal of what is corrupt.
The Glory Returns — The Dwelling Is Not Abandoned
Ezekiel 8–11 describes the abominations within the sanctuary and the departure of the Glory.
Later, Ezekiel 43 describes the Glory returning from the east and filling the house. Read Ezekiel 43:1–12.
We have previously examined the departure and return of Glory in detail.
And we must remember why that study matters here.
A dwelling may be called holy by human beings while becoming corrupted by what takes place within it.
But the dwelling established by YHWH (יהוה) is not dependent upon human institutions preserving their own authority.
The Glory returns according to His purpose.
This brings us back to the contrast between the true spiritual house and the counterfeit structures built by men.
We have examined Babel, the house made with hands, the desolated sanctuary, and those who claim authority while failing to care for the people entrusted to them.
Yet the promise in Ezekiel 37 is not merely that corruption will be exposed.
It is that YHWH (יהוה) will dwell among His people.
The work of restoration brings us toward His presence, His covenant, and life.
Living Waters — From the Sanctuary Outward
Ezekiel 47 describes water flowing from the sanctuary.
The waters increase as they flow, becoming a river through which life is brought wherever it goes.
Trees grow along its banks, bearing fruit, with leaves used for healing. Read Ezekiel 47:1–12.
Now consider the relationship to Ezekiel 37.
The two sticks are joined. The people are gathered. One Shepherd is promised. The covenant and sanctuary are established.
Then, in the later vision, waters flow outward from the sanctuary, bringing life beyond the dwelling itself.
This connects with Revelation 21–22, where the dwelling of God is with His people and the river of life flows from the throne.
The Spirit and the Bride extend the invitation to those who thirst.
Read Revelation 22:1–17.
We've already examined the Bride, the elect, and the great crowd as distinct within this larger restoration.
The great crowd is shepherded toward living waters. The Spirit and Bride invite those who thirst to come.
What begins with a prepared and joined body reaches outward toward the many who are yet to receive life.
That is the direction we've been following from the First to the Last.
Two Sticks, One Body — Distinct Responsibilities
Return once more to Paul's description of the body.
First Corinthians 12 explains that the body is not one member but many. Each has its appointed place and responsibility.
The eye is not the hand. The head is not the feet. Yet their differences do not prevent them from belonging to one body. Read 1 Corinthians 12:12–27.
This brings us to the distinction we've preserved between the Head and the completed union, followed by the members gathered afterward.
We also examined 1 Corinthians 11:3, where God is identified as the head of Christ.
The relationships should not be reversed or collapsed.
The Father, Christ, the joined body, and the members all have their places within the work described.
And in John 17, Jesus prays for those who will believe through the disciples' word to become one, just as he and the Father are one. Read John 17:20–23.
The spiritual body's unity does not erase its distinct responsibilities.
Rather, the members are brought toward perfected unity through the life given in Christ.
This is the mystery we have been examining.
The First and Last — The Joined One and the Gathering
Now place these passages within the larger sequence.
Jesus the First. The spiritual body prepared. Jesus the Last with the Bride. Then the gathering of the elect, followed by the wider restoration.
We've connected the two witnesses with those rising first in Christ and have examined the seventh trumpet as the appointed point at which God's mystery reaches completion. Read Revelation 10:7 and Revelation 11:11–15.
The two sticks remind us of the accomplished joining.
The one Shepherd reminds us of the larger gathering.
The covenant and sanctuary remind us of the purpose.
And the living waters remind us that the restoration reaches beyond the two who were first joined.
The joining is a beginning of the completed union, not the end of all that YHWH (יהוה) has appointed to follow.
Where the Word Leads
We began with Ezekiel's two sticks becoming one in the hand of YHWH (יהוה).
We returned to the singular male and female in God's image, the two witnesses, the two olive trees, and the joining described in Ephesians.
Then we followed Ezekiel's prophecy beyond the joined sticks toward the gathering of the people, the one Shepherd, the covenant of peace, and the sanctuary established among them.
The return of Glory and the living waters brought us toward the larger restoration described in Revelation.
Throughout these accounts, the distinction between the two joined and the many who follow remains important.
The two become one. The household grows. The dwelling is established. And life flows outward.
For now, I leave this question:
If YHWH (יהוה) has shown us the joining of the two, are we recognizing what that union prepares for the many who are subsequently gathered and invited toward life?
The purpose is not merely to identify the two sticks.
It is to follow the work from the joining toward the covenant, the dwelling, and the restoration that YHWH (יהוה) brings through Christ.
Threads to Follow
- The two sticks joined as one: Ezekiel 37:15–28.
- Male and female in God's image: Genesis 1:26–28; Genesis 5:1–3.
- The two witnesses and olive trees: Revelation 11:3–12; Zechariah 4:1–14.
- The two become one new man: Ephesians 2:14–22; Ephesians 5:25–32.
- One Shepherd and one flock: Ezekiel 37:24–28; John 10:11–16.
- The spiritual body and its members: 1 Corinthians 11:3; 12:12–27; John 17:20–23.
- The covenant of peace and the dwelling: Ezekiel 37:24–28; Revelation 21:1–7.
- The return of Glory: Ezekiel 43:1–12.
- Living waters and healing: Ezekiel 47:1–12; Revelation 22:1–17.
- The mystery and seventh trumpet: Revelation 10:7; 11:11–15.
Connected studies in this series
- Post One — In the Beginning: Male and Female in God's Image: The singular pair and the foundation of restoration.
- Post Five — The First and the Last: Christ Enthroned, the Union Completed: The Head, the joined one, and the work that follows.
- Post Six — The Bride: One Woman, Not the Multitude: The singular Bride distinguished from the larger household.
- Post Nine — The Two Witnesses: Heaven and Earth, Male and Female: The witnesses, olive trees, and the Spirit of life.
- Post Twelve — The Third Day: From Darkness to Awakening: The temple of his body and the spiritual resurrection.
- Post Seventeen — Gathering of the Elect: The gathering following the appointed preparation.
- Post Eighteen — The First Resurrection: The resurrection order and the life promised to those who follow.
The books were opened…
🌿 Studies by Maria Emilia ~ 🗺️ Continue exploring: Visit Bible Books to find studies organized by book of the Bible, along with related studies and links.
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