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Expanded Comments |
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| 1 The hand of Yahweh, being upon me, he carried me forth in the spirit of Yahweh, and set me down in the midst of a plain,–and, the same, was full of bones; |
The hand – Power. R2505:3
This passage of Scripture regarding the dry bones was addressed to fleshly Israel when in Babylon. R2505:2
Midst of the valley – The valley of Jehoshaphat, typifying Adamic Death. R2908:2
Representing the captivity in Babylon. R2505:2
Was full of bones – Captive Israelites, the whole twelve tribes. R2505:3
This was a vision, not literal. R2505:3
This vision does not refer to the literal resurrection of the dead, but to the restoration of the dead hopes of the Jewish nation and their gradual reanimation as a people. Q584:4
The dry bones represented the Israelites themselves. R2505:2
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| 2 and he caused me to pass near them, round about on every side,–and lo! they were very many on the face of the plain, and lo! they were very dry. |
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| 3 Then said he unto me, Son of man, Can these bones, live? And I said, My Lord, Yahweh, thou, knowest! |
Can these bones live? – Is there any hope for the scattered people of Israel that they will ever be restored as a nation? R2505:5
Lord...thou knowest – Any hope must come from God. R2505:5
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| 4 Then said he unto me, Prophesy, over these bones,–and thou shalt say unto them, Ye bones so dry! hear ye the word of Yahweh! |
Prophesy – Ezekiel was to declare the divine message, foretelling what was to come to pass. R2505:5
Ye dry bones – Of hope of again becoming a nation. PD53/65
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| 5 Thus, saith My Lord, Yahweh, Unto these bones,–Lo! I am about to bring into you–spirit, and ye shall live; |
Cause breath – Ruach, spirit of life, life-energy. E315
Ye shall live – Not referring to a literal resurrection, but to the revival of Israel's hopes in the divine promises. R5503:3; Q584:4; PD53/65
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| 6 Yea I will lay upon you–sinews, And bring up over you–flesh, And cover over you–skin, And put in you–spirit, And ye shall live, Then shall ye know, that, I, am Yahweh. |
Sinews – Of strength. PD53/65
Flesh – Of comeliness. PD53/65
Skin – Completion. PD53/65
And put breath – Ruach. E316
Be infused with the spirit of the Lord as the breath or energy of national life, begotten of faith in the promises, and standing again as a nation. R2505:6
Ye shall live – Though a symbol, it shows that a human organism has no life until it receives the ruach, the breath of life, which is common to all animals--none of them can live without it. E316
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| 7 And, when I prophesied, as I was commanded, then was there a noise, as I prophesied, and lo! a rattling, and the bones, came near, each bone unto its own bone. |
A noise and...a shaking – The Revised Version renders this: "Thunder and an earthquake." R2505:6
The commotions incident to the fall of Babylon and the transfer of the empire to the Medes and Persians, typifying the coming time of trouble. R2505:6
There is a commotion amongst those who are spiritual Israelites indeed, whose Kingdom hopes are now being revived. R2506:4
The great noise is the "seventh trumpet" which has begun to sound. R2506:1
The bones came together – Now in progress among the Jewish people through Zionism. PD53/65
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| 8 And, when I looked, then lo! upon them were sinews, and, flesh, had come up, and there had spread, over them skin, above,–but, spirit, was there none, within them. |
No breath – Ruach. E317
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| 9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the spirit,–Prophesy, Son of man, and thou shalt say unto the spirit, Thus, saith My Lord, Yahweh–From the four winds, come thou, O spirit, And breathe into these slain, That they may live. |
Unto the wind – Ruach, spirit of life, life-energy--margin, breath. E317
Four winds – Ruach. E317
O breath – Ruach. E317
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| 10 And, when I prophesied, as he commanded me, then came into them the spirit, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceeding, great army. |
Great army – A nation. R2505:6
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| 11 Then said he unto me, Son of man, These bones, are, all the house of Israel,–Lo! they are saying, Dried, are our bones, and lost, is our hope, We are quite cut off! |
Whole house of Israel – The whole twelve tribes. R2505:3
No longer to be considered as two distinct nations. R2505:3
The rest of the world is typified by the "whole house of Israel." R1377:2*
Our hope is lost – Does not refer to the literal resurrection, but to the revival of Israel's hopes in the divine promises. R5503:3; Q584:4; PD53/65
Of being God's favored people and the heir of the promises made to Abraham. R2505:3
Of ever again becoming a nation. PD53/65; R2505:3
We have lost heart, our ambitions are all gone, or are asleep. R4788:5, R2505:2
A lesson might also be drawn for spiritual Israelites, who, for centuries, lost sight of Kingdom hopes for blessing the whole world of mankind. R2506:2
For our parts – From our parts, from all tribal and national union. R2505:3
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| 12 Therefore, prophesy and thou shalt say unto them, Thus, saith My Lord, Yahweh, Lo! I myself, am going to open your graves, And will cause you to come up out of your graves, O my people,–And will bring you upon the soil of Israel. |
I will open your graves – Where the dead sleep, waiting for an awakening. SM39:T
Blinded, stumbled Israel is still there. R4781:2
Restitution is spoken of by the mouth of all the holy prophets. R545:3
The various provinces of Babylonia in which your national hopes are buried by your captivity; foreshadowing the general scattering among all nations. R2506:1
Out of your graves – Israel will be regathered out from all the nations whither they have been scattered, and also come out from the graves. R1630:2, R1652:4
The fulness of Israel will finally embrace the dead as well as the living. R107:3*, R1378:4, R1466:6
The power is with God to bring men to life again. R536:4
They go into the tomb as individuals, as everyone else; but as a nation also they have gone into the tomb--especially since AD 70. R4788:5
The land of Israel – Then Abraham will realize the reward of his faith. R1652:4
The present land of Palestine is a very small part of the promised land, which is to stretch from the Nile to the Euphrates (Gen. 15:18), and appears to include Arabia, as well as parts of Egypt and the Sudan--an area equal to the half of Europe. Q792:2
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| 13 So shall ye know, that, I, am Yahweh,–When I open your graves, And cause you to come up out of your graves, O my people, |
Ye shall know – Be delivered from blindness and brought to that full, clear knowledge which will render every man without excuse and fully responsible for his choice of life through obedience to Christ. R4781:3
When – During the Millennial day. C260; A108
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| 14 And I will put my spirit within you, and ye shall live, And I will settle you upon your own soil, So shall ye know, that, I, Yahweh, have spoken and have performed, Declareth Yahweh. |
Put my spirit – Ruach. E317
In your own land – The land of Palestine. C260; R1373:6
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| 15 And the word of Yahweh came, unto me, saying: |
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| 16 Thou, therefore, Son of man, Take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the sons of Israel his companions, Then take thou another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and all the house of Israel, his companions.
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| 17 Then bring them near–the one to the other–for thee, into one stick,–And they shall become united in thy hand. |
Join them – No longer to be considered as two distinct nations, but henceforth as a reunited nation. R2505:3
Shall become one – This was done to show that the exiles of Israel (carried away to Babylon BC 722, when Samaria was destroyed) were to unite with the captives of Judah. R4893:5
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| 18 And, when the sons of thy people, speak unto thee, saying,–Wilt thou not tell us, what, these things, are, to thee? |
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| 19 speak unto them, Thus, saith My Lord, Yahweh, Lo! I myself, am going to take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions,–And I will place them upon it, even upon the stick of Judah, And will make of them one, stick, And they shall become one, in my hand. |
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| 20 And the sticks whereon thou shalt write shall remain in thy hand, before their eyes. |
The sticks – Two sticks representing the divided people. R2084:4
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| 21 Therefore speak thou unto them, Thus, saith My Lord, Yahweh, Lo! I myself, am going to take the sons of Israel, from among the nations, whither they have gone,–And I will gather them from every side, And will bring them in upon their own soil; |
Will gather them – With the fulfilment of their "double." SM398:T
This verse of Scripture appears on the official medal for the second Zionist conference in 1898. R2362:5*
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| 22 And will make of them one, nation in the land, among the mountains of Israel, And, one king, shall they all, have, for king,–And they shall remain no longer, two nations, Nor shall they be divided into two kingdoms, any more. |
One nation – No "ten lost tribes," for whom there has been so much seeking. R4893:5
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| 23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more, With their manufactured gods, or, With their detestable things, or, With any of their transgressions,–But I will save them out of all their dwelling-places, wherein they have sinned, And I will cleanse them, And they shall become my, people, And, I, will become their, God. |
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| 24 And, my servant David, shall be king over them, And, one shepherd, shall they all, have,–And, in my regulations, shall they walk, And, my statutes, shall they observe, and do them. |
David my servant – David's posterity, Christ. C257
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| 25 And they shall dwell upon the land, which I gave to my servant–to Jacob, Wherein your fathers, dwelt,–Yea they shall dwell thereupon, They, and their children, and their children's children, Unto times age-abiding, And, David my servant, shall be prince unto them, Unto times age-abiding. |
Given unto Jacob – Natural Israel. A300
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| 26 And I will solemnise to them a covenant of prosperity, A covenant age-abiding, shall it be with them,–And I will place them, And multiply them, And set my sanctuary in the midst of them, Unto times age-abiding. |
Covenant of peace – The New covenant. R101:6[R101:6], R282:6[R282:11], R4371:3[R4371:4]
Sanctuary – Dwelling--the Church. R102:1[R101:13], R111:1[R111:1]
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| 27 And my habitation shall be over them, And I will become their, God,–And, they, shall become my, people. |
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| 28 So shall the nations know, that, I, Yahweh, am hallowing Israel,–When my sanctuary is in the midst of them, Unto times age-abiding. |
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