The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1899-08-11
EZEyIEL'S GREAT VISION.
tp.ern, tionaI sunday school Lesson
for AnSt "a III. I~sIp = IrNtsEse Itet
3.,i-Is-Memory verses. I'D


within YOU --Ezck, So
READ John sl-lN
LIGHT FROM OTHER SCRIPTURES.
The Holy Spirit lisa. - a. joel , =. -:
2ech &C. 1910. Matt s.il John s.25: ''s.
30. ls.l6 Il. Acls 3.is The Resurrection
LIE lisa. .s.ls. si.3. a: Rom. call. s.is-2l:
Cor. i5As. a.. .--l. Dan. i2.-. Eph Is. Col.
TIAiE-Thss prophecy was written dur
Ing the early part OF the exile tsN'-Ss2 AZ CD.
ana refers TO the return from the exile.
PLACE-lt was written on the banks OF
the Chehar. near Babylon.
EXPLANATORY
l. The Vision of Dry Bones.-Ns. l.
2.li. Va. 1.-The hand of the Lord was
upon me:" The hand is the instru-
ment and symbol Of active eNertion
Of strength. jehovah laid hold of the
prophet, took possession of him. in
order TO send the cxiles message
through him. PROF. {. III. Toy. Gar
ried me out in the Spirit of the Lord:"
He Mas inwardly transported. in an
ecstatic state, from the things around
im.-Langc. in the midst of the
valley" Not any real valley. but one
seen in the vision. Nv hich was full
Of bones" Such as doubtless the
prophet had seen more than once after
the de,astations OF Nebuchadnezzar
VIZ. Caused me TO pass 10y them round
about:" Through the whole collection
In every direction. SO that hc could see
and realize that there were very
many vast numbcrsl in the open val
ley" Literally. ION the face" or sur
face OF the valley. exposed 10 view.
And. 10. they were very dry:" lsis "is
mcnt toned TO show they were utterly
dead. and could not be made alive by
any human power. Prof. Toy. v. H.
These bones are the whole house of
Israeli" The nation was dead as
nation. as dead as the dry bones in
the valley of vision. As these bones
were scattered everywhere over the
salley. so the Jews were scattered over
the wide regions of the Baby lonian EN-
Iire. Our bones are dried" Each
individual was like dry bone. far
apart from the other bones of the man
Of which each bone was part. so that
they say 1--WE are cut Off for our parts.
|. e.. for our part. as for Us. separated
from the rest; and "our hope is lost:
They had no more hope of becoming a
nation again in their own land than
dry and parched bone of becoming
part Of a living animal again.
H. The Prophets Summons--Vs.
Sc. II. Y. 3. son of man, can these
bones live" Is IL possible? Is there
any hope? OF course to human power
and human view il was impossible.
And ! answered. q Lov,l God. Thou
knowcsi: Thou hast powers we can
not comprehend. Nothing is irnpos-
sible 10 God. Y. T. "ProPhesy:" Not
predict. but speak Gods message. 70
We dry homes. hear the word Of the
Lord" They were 10 hear not the
prophets opinion. but Gods message.
V. ). BEHOLD. l." the Lord Jehovah.
the source of an power. the controller
Of all nations. viii cause breath 10
enter into YOU" Is into the first man
when Cod created him. v. 6. Lay
sncws flesh skim"
will restore you 10 the form of the
perfect and complete man you once
were. And put breath i'm you:" You
shall not only have the fern but the
soul OF man. and become living.
thinking. owing. acting bcing. And
" shall know that | am the Lord"
The wonder viii De so great that they
shall realize that no being but Jehovah
could have performed the miracle.
III Tbs Restoration rs. :. :. L..
H. NJ. as | prophcsicd. there was
noise" laundering" or the rust
ling or ra~iling OF the bones as they
came together. "A shaking" Il. ". an
earthquake. as at the resurrection OF
Christ. "Bonos came togsther." l. e..
those which belonged to one body;
while bone to his bone" specializes a
single booze in relation To anoi her
Lange. :. Il. Il will open your
graves" The figure is slightly varied
here. This marks the elousness Of
the return from Babylon ". The
sincws and the flesh cssme up upon
them" This correSp ponds TO the words
In v IL. and bring you into the land
Of Israel" When the eS-ilcs should re-
,urn to ,heir own land. ~ build Jcrusa-
lem, restore the temple and its worship.
and set up government. then they
would be like scattered bones coming
together, clothed in flesh. and having
the form Of "A man. 1t would he a PES
direction from the dad. But there
was 40 breath in them" As vet il
was only a form. There was need Of a
new spirit. new life. before thu res
toration would be perfect.
N. The New Life VS.. Q. f0.14. v.o.
-rrofnhcsv unto the Aind." The same
word is used for wind. and breath. and
spirit. as in the New Testament.
-lonc from the four winds:" ~ sym
boil of the universal lifc-givine Spirit
OF God. Cambridge Bible. v. 10.
.Thcy lived an exceeding great
army" The nation. on its return. was
inspired with aew life. I-zra's time
was one Of great religions and literary
activity. The Bible then became new
book. And though the ms ton declined.
yet in Christ there was n new graft in
the old stock. so that now the kingdom
of God, which the returned exiles repre-
sented, has indeed already become IAN