As I was praying, the Lord showed me a great and mighty army of skeletons all standing in formation. As far the eye could see, there were skeletons formed into ranks, but they were still and lifeless. The Lord spoke to me and said, “Behold, a vast and mighty army. I have poured My Spirit upon the dry and lifeless bones and they have come together to form this army. And the fruit that is born from this outpouring is even now putting flesh upon these bones. I will breathe My breath of life, which is love, into them. As they abide in My love, so that it is abiding in them, they will come alive and be My army — prepared to fight the last crusade. Just as the crusaders went out to battle in foreign lands, I will send these out to advance My kingdom throughout the earth. Just as the cross was carried forth into battle before the crusaders as the symbol of the crusades, these will bear My cross — laying down their lives to bring forth My message. Just as the crusaders desired to protect Jerusalem and Israel, this army will hold My people Israel in their hearts and protect them in their prayers of love.”

Dry Bones
Ezekiel spoke of the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37:1-10: “The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ I said, ‘O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.’ Then He said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones and say to them, “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”’ So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.”’ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet — a vast army.”

Like the first breath of the Lord in Ezekiel 37, the Lord is pouring His Spirit out on those who are dry and lifeless. It has entered the individual, dry bones and caused them to come back to life. The Spirit’s outpouring brings them to life and draws them together. The giftings given and the fruit born from this outpouring is now putting flesh upon these skeletons. Although this first breath brings life to the individual bones, allowing them to come together, there is a second breath required to bring these reunited bodies back to life. As we each come back to life, there will be a uniting together of the members of individual churches. But still yet to come is this second breath, which brings life to the entire bride of Christ.

This second breath is the supernatural love of God. We must abide together in His love — this is the breath that must fill us. The Lord has said that “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). We must be soaked and steeped in His love. Only as we allow the breath of His abiding love to permeate us will all the various churches come together so that the body of Christ — as one man — is brought to life.

The Last Crusade
The Lord is bringing us back to life and drawing us together by the breath of His abiding love. As He does, we will become a great and mighty army, prepared to fight the last crusade. I believe that the last crusade the Lord is preparing us for is the beginning of the end of this age.

In the crusades, or Holy Wars, Christian soldiers went to win back the Holy Land were Jesus had died. In this last crusade, the Lord will send out His army to win back the world of lost souls for whom He died. One of the beneficial results from the crusades was that Christians began to break out of the isolationism that had encloaked the Church during the Middle Ages. Today much of the Church has become isolated in its “Christian culture.” We too need to rediscover the lost world we are sent to save. The goal of the crusades was liberating and protecting Jerusalem. Similarly, part of the end-times thrust will be to not only protect the Jewish people from persecution, but bring them into the fullness of liberty — which is Jesus Christ.

The Final Invasion
In preparing for this last crusade, I believe there are many lessons we can learn from the invasion of Normandy (D-day) fifty years ago during World War II. This invasion was called “the great crusade.” It was an amphibious assault on a scale never before attempted.

Months of grueling preparation were necessary before troops could go into a battle of such enormity. There was extensive training and equipping that first needed to be accomplished. The invasion would work only if it was a united effort, which requires intricate timing and coordination. To cultivate this unity, a new level of trust and communication had to be developed. Prior to the battle, there was a repositioning of the troops to bring them to their proper battle stations.

Even right before the invasion, despite all of the preparation, it looked impossible to many. The Nazi’s had put into place the most extensive fortification every assembled—the Atlantic Wall. These obstacles (mines, barb-wire, tank traps, pillboxes, etc.) along with the natural barriers that were present, such as the cliffs at Omaha Beach, made penetrating “Fortress Europe” a seemingly insurmountable task.

Man had his timetable for D-day, but God still had His sovereign way. Inclement weather delayed the invasion from June 5 till June 6. On this day, General Erwin Rommel — perhaps the greatest of all German generals — went home to celebrate his wife’s birthday. It was Rommel who commanded the armored divisions that backed up the German front. Due to this and other “circumstances,” no immediate counterattack was implemented to reinforce the Nazi’s crumbling front.

The testimonies from soldiers sharing their feelings about D-day all have a common thread — fear. They did not focus on their fear; however, they overcame it. There was a great confidence in their supreme commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower. It is said that men who just moments earlier confessed the impossibility of the task set before them, felt sure it could be accomplished once Eisenhower spoke with them. The men of the Normandy invasion were not fearless — but faithful. They were able to rise above their doubts and fears and overcome them. Having won this first battle, the battle of fear, they went on to overcome the enemy.

The great crusade of D-day was the beginning of the end for the Nazi reign in Europe, and the beginning of the victory for the Allies. From this difficult start eventually was birthed the great celebrations of victory.

The Lord, through His love, is preparing His Church for a battle like we have never experienced before. He is equipping and repositioning His saints prior to the battle. Although we may think we know God’s timing, let us trust that in the fullness of His timing the last crusade will be launched. We too need to become overcomers in the Lord, learning to put our full confidence in our Supreme Commander — Jesus Christ. The last crusade will be more than the end of darkness on the Earth, it will be a new beginning — the marriage supper of the Lamb.