In Ezekiel 36:26-27 the Lord Said, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes.” When I was a new Christian I heard this word of the Lord and understood that this is what takes place in a Christians’ life at the time of salvation and continues throughout our sanctification and I was deeply blessed. My question is: Exactly when does this take place for the house of Israel?
Ezekiel 36:26-27 is essentially a promise to Israel that they would one day be “born again”. The process will begin following the Battle of Ezekiel 38-39. God promised that after they see what He does to bring them victory they will know that He is the Lord their God from that day on (Ezekiel 39:22). At that time they will restore their Old Covenant relationship with Him.
Ezekiel 36:26-27 will have it’s complete fulfillment toward the end of the Great Tribulation, as foretold in Zechariah 12:10, when their eyes are opened to Jesus their Messiah in preparation for the Kingdom Age to follow. God also made this promise to Israel in Jeremiah 31:31-34, which is where He coined the phrase “New Covenant.”