Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-09-25
4,S.@s..z-: 81 DI,i IS,
SET AS A WATCHMAN.
Ezekiel iii-0ct. T..

|
Hear the Word of Ny mouth ami
give them warning from Me"-Ezel;fel
Iii, Il.
Ezekiel ranks amongst the great
Prophets. Nest realistic were his
visions and powerfully described. y
portion of his prophecy was written
before the final serious troubles upon
the kingdom of Judah. which resulted
iii the overthrow of Hedekiahs king
dom. The remainder Of the book was
written after the complete overthrow
OF the kingdom. The entire prophecy
was given in Babylon, Ezekiel himself
residing there and ministering as
Prophet chiefly to the captiyes, arous-
ing their hearts to an appreciation Of
their situation ana to hope Of return
in Gods appointed time TO their own
land
1t would be a mistake, however, to
suppose that Ezekiels mission was en-
tirely or even chiefly TO the Jews of mis-
time. Rather we are to understand
through st. Peters statement, that he.
With other Prophets of old spoke and
wrote things which they themselves
and the people who heard them did not
understand-thnss which God did not
wish to have understood until after
the giving OF the Holy Spirit at Pente-
cost-things which would DC meat in
due season for the Spiritual Israelites
Throughout this Age.
For instance, when Ezekiel tells the
people, The soul that sinneth, it shall
die he was delivering a truth APP
this Age and truth which will be APP
plicable to the whole world during the
Messianie reign, but which was not
Applicable to the Jews at the time Of
the utterance. Why? Because the
whole world ut that time was lying in
the Wicked One. as st. Paul explains,
they were all under sentence of death
already through Adams disobedience.
Hence they could not be put on trial
for life, individually. until first they
should be redeemed from the Adamie
condemnation.
| The blood of bulls and goats could
never take away sin from the Jews
the redemption could come only in the
Divinely appointed way-through the
death of the Savior: and the Savior
| :
| life and Immortality to light through
the Gospel. And. as for Israers Law
Covenant. it was merely typical of the
| New Covenant of the future
| No amount of turning from sin
could give anyone eternal life. None
could so turn from sin as TO be per
feet, hence the necessity for the
Savior. When Ezekiel refers to the
proverb that the fathers have eaten a
sour grape and the chiidren's teeth are
set on edge" he was stating the gem
eral fact that all human sin and weak
ness descends by heredity from parent
to child, and that the matter Of recoY-
cry is therefore a hopeless ono except
as Redeemer, separate and distinct
from the sinner race, would be provid-
led And this provision for release
from the Weaknesses inherited from
father Adam has been provided by Je-
lhovah through His Only Bcgotten son,
the worlds Redeemer.
"Times of Restitution
In the 10th chapter of Ezekiefs
prophecy the declaration is clearly set
forth that in the Divine Plan, a great
restitution is sure to come which will
Iaffect not only Israel and the living
nations of Ezekiel's time. but also the
dead of all nations. From the 10th
Verse onward the Prophet describes
1.-THE certainty of Gods promise to re-
lcover Israel to bring them back into
His favor, and that on better basis
THAN ever in the past At the same
time the Lord declares, through the
Prophet. that the Samaritans will be
restored and blessed. and that Sodo-
mites will be restored and blessed.
The latter nation had been entirely
destroyed by fire from heaven, as the
ltheir restoration must be from the
tomb, from death, hades, sheol
The prophecy goes on to declare
that the Lord will not do this because
of any worthlness of the Israelites or
lothers, but for His own Names sake
of His own good pleasure. In other
words. this is the purpose which Goa
purposed in Himself from before the
foundation of the world. This is the
purpose which He declared TO Enoeh,
saying that in due time Messiah would
come with myrads of holy ones TO
establish justice and Righteousness III
the earth, to bless the people. This Is
the same message which God declared
to Abraham saving, In thy Seed shall
all the families Of the earth be
, blessed" This was the hope which
Israel had so long entertained and
which the Lord declares win not go
Iunfultiiled.
This description is found in verses
40 to 60, the conclusion being that
when Israel thus experiences the good
mess of God in their restitution they