The Prophetic Rise of One King and One Kingdom: How Ezekiel 37 Unveils God’s Final Restoration Blueprint
Bible Study Guide
Ezekiel 37:15-28 takes us on a breathtaking prophetic journey—from a devastated, divided nation to a future one kingdom united under one King. From the moment Israel first demanded earthly kings like the nations around them, their hearts began drifting from the God who desired to be their rightful King. Their rebellion eventually led to a tragic split: the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. This division was never God’s intention.
Now, in Ezekiel 37, God pulls back the curtain of time and brings Ezekiel into a sweeping vision. In only a few verses, God takes him from his present exile in Babylon into the far future—past dispersion, past restoration, past Tribulation, past the Millennial reign of Christ, all the way into eternity itself.
This passage moves at prophetic speed. The “prophetic tense” compresses thousands of years into a handful of sentences. If you hold tightly, you will watch history, present events, and future fulfillment pass before you in rapid succession as God reveals His plan to restore Israel as one kingdom under one King forever.
Two Sticks, One Kingdom (Ezekiel 37:15-17)
(Verses 15-17) God instructs Ezekiel to take two sticks—one representing Judah and its tribes, the other representing Ephraim and the northern tribes. These two sticks symbolize the divided kingdom: Israel in the north and Judah in the south. Judah was the leading tribe of the southern kingdom, and Ephraim the leading tribe of the northern. Joseph’s mention is tied to this leadership because Jacob gave Joseph a double blessing through his sons Ephraim and Manasseh.
Ezekiel is then told to join the two sticks together as one. God is giving Israel a prophetic picture: the day will come when their fractured identity will be healed, and they will again become one kingdom under one King—not just temporarily, but for God’s ultimate redemptive purpose.
Explaining the Sign: God Reveals His Plan (Ezekiel 37:18-20)
(Verses 18-20) God tells Ezekiel to explain this symbolic act to the people. The divided kingdom—an era marked by idolatry, rebellion, and sorrow—would one day be reunited. But not merely reunited after exile from Babylon. This act points to something far bigger: a prophetic sequence stretching across ages.
This is not simply about returning from captivity. It is the opening act of a divine story that will unfold through:
- the dispersion of Israel across the world
- the miraculous regathering of the Jewish people
- the rise of one kingdom
- the rule of one King in the Millennial Kingdom
- and finally, the dawn of a new heaven and new earth
Remember, Ezekiel wrote this as a captive in Babylon. He had no idea that Israel’s future dispersion would last not seventy years—but over two thousand years. Yet God was about to reveal that these two sticks symbolized something far beyond his generation.
The Global Regathering: A 2,000-Year Leap (Ezekiel 37:21)
(Verse 21) Remember, I explained in the Ezekiel 37:1-14 Bible study how prophets viewed the prophetic events that they received from God in dreams and visions. Ezekiel had no idea of the timeframe of the following prophecies God was about to give him. He only saw the events and not the timeframe.
Blessed are we who live in this generation who are fulfilling Daniel 12:4. We’ve been given the blessed resources to see the wisdom and understanding of God’s Word and what it means and how it’s all firmly connected together from Genesis to Revelation.
“But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.” (Daniel 12:4)
Here the prophetic tense explodes forward. God says:
“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land.” (Ezekiel 37:21)
Ezekiel doesn’t know it, but God has just leapt from 586 BC to the late 1800s. After more than two millennia of dispersion, God began stirring His people through events like the Russian Pogroms. These events triggered early Aliyah movements, gently nudging the Jewish people back toward the desolate land that would one day bloom again.
The Babylonian exiles would indeed return after seventy years. But that return was temporary. Their hearts were not restored to God, as Jesus’ rejection made unmistakably clear. The Roman Empire would end that restoration, scattering Israel across the nations once again.
But God’s Word promised more. And in the late 1800s, Mark Twain fulfilled Deuteronomy 29:22, it was then the regathering began.
This was the first major step toward restoring Israel as one kingdom under one King.
A Nation Born in a Day: The 1948 Leap (Ezekiel 37:22)
(Verse 22) Now the prophetic tense races forward once more—this time to May 14, 1948. God declares:
“I will make them one nation in the land… and there will be one king over all of them.” (Ezekiel 37:22)
Isaiah prophesied this miracle centuries earlier:
“Who has ever heard of such things?
Who has ever seen things like this?
Can a country be born in a day
or a nation be brought forth in a moment?
Yet no sooner is Zion in labor
than she gives birth to her children.” (Isaiah 66:8)
Against all political pressure both at home and abroad, President Harry S. Truman recognized Israel as a sovereign nation. On the same day, Israel’s Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion declared Israel a nation reborn.
The physical restoration of Israel had officially begun. The miracle God promised was unfolding visibly on the world stage. The land blossomed. Hebrew returned as a living language. Aliyah increased. And Israel emerged as a powerful, technologically advanced nation surrounded by enemies.
But this restoration—though miraculous—is only physical. Israel today remains largely secular. Their spiritual restoration awaits a later moment on God’s timeline, as they move step by step toward becoming one kingdom under one King at the Second Coming of the King of kings and Lord of lords.
The Future Leap: From the Rapture to the Remnant (Ezekiel 37:23)
(Verse 23) Now the prophetic lens leaps again—this time into our very near future.
After Israel’s physical restoration, another event awaits: her spiritual restoration. This will take place after the Rapture, at the end of the seven-year Tribulation at the Second Coming of Christ.
God declares:
“They will be my people, and I will be their God.”
(Ezekiel 37:23)
Jeremiah echoes the same promise:
“I will surely gather them… they will be my people, and I will be their God.”
(Jeremiah 32:37-38)
Paul reaffirms this future moment:
“‘I will live with them and walk among them… and they will be my people.’”
(2 Corinthians 6:16)
At the end of the Tribulation, Jesus will return, Israel will look upon Him and recognize Him as their Messiah, and the Jewish Remnant will cross the threshold and enter the Millennial Kingdom.
This prepares the way for Israel and the nations of the world to finally become one kingdom under one King—the King of kings Himself.
The Millennial Kingdom: One King Reigns Forever (Ezekiel 37:24-25)
(Verses 24-25) Now Ezekiel walks us into the 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth.
He writes:
“My servant David will be king over them.”
(Ezekiel 37:24)
This refers not to King David resurrected. The reference to King David is actually pointing to Christ. This is to show the fulfillment of scripture that Jesus would be the Heir to come in the lineage of King David from the Tribe of Judah.
In the Millennial Kingdom, Christ will rule physically from Jerusalem as one King over one kingdom. No more presidents. No more prime ministers or divided nations. Christ alone will reign.
Ezekiel continues:
“They and their children… will live forever in the land.”
(Ezekiel 37:25)
Israel will finally possess the land fully, without threat or exile, under the eternal rule of one King.
The Everlasting Covenant of Peace (Ezekiel 37:26)
(Verse 26) Jesus promised peace to those who trust Him:
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
(John 16:33)
Paul, the apostle of Christ echoed this in his letter to the Philippians:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
Ezekiel reveals that an even deeper peace is coming—an everlasting peace that can only exist when Christ Himself reigns on earth. This will be guaranteed through the covenant of peace God will form with all His people.
When Jesus rules as one King, His judgments will be perfect, righteous, and final. The Jewish Remnant will flourish in Jerusalem. Nations will seek them out. Zechariah foresaw this moment:
“In those days ten people from all languages… will take hold of one Jew… and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’”
(Zechariah 8:23)
This is a stark comparison to the heightened level of antisemitism the world is experiencing today. But let it be no surprise. The Bible teaches us that all eyes would be on Israel in the last days.
There is no “replacement theology” here. Israel’s future is secure, glorious, and central to God’s plan for the ages. They will never be replaced by the Church.
The Final Leap: A New Heaven and a New Earth (Ezekiel 37:26-28)
(Verses 26-28) Now Ezekiel takes one last prophetic leap—far beyond the Millennium and into eternity.
God says:
“I will put my sanctuary among them. My dwelling place will be with them.” (Ezekiel 37:26-27)
In the Millennial Kingdom, God’s sanctuary is present through His Son. But after the 1,000 years, the old earth and heaven will pass away. God Himself will dwell among His people in a new creation – a new earth and new heaven.
Revelation 21 echoes Ezekiel’s vision:
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:3-5)
This is the final fulfillment of Israel becoming forever one kingdom under one King—Christ Jesus, who will reign for all eternity.
Closing Reflection — A Personal Word to You
If we were sitting together across a table, I would lean in and tell you this gently but urgently: You are living in the generation Ezekiel longed to see.
Ezekiel saw the vision.
But you are watching its fulfillment.
You can look at Ezekiel 37 and trace every step:
- the diaspora
- the regathering
- the rebirth of Israel
- the rise of global antisemitism
- the converging prophetic signs
- the setting of the stage for the Tribulation
- and the nearness of the Rapture
This chapter allows us to pinpoint exactly where we are on God’s prophetic timeline. Not by date-setting, but by watching the exact markers God told us would appear as the world moves toward the final era where Israel becomes one kingdom under one King.
My friend, we are close.
Closer than any previous generation.
Close enough to feel the footsteps of prophecy approaching.
So hold fast. Lift your eyes.
Your redemption is drawing near.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for revealing Your heart, Your promises, and Your plan through Your Word. Thank You for restoring Israel and allowing us to witness prophecy unfolding with our own eyes. Strengthen our faith as we await the return of Christ. Keep our hearts aligned with Your purpose, and give us boldness to live for You in these final days.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.