On July 21 we will remember the great  Prophet Ezekiel.  Ezekiel was a divine messenger to God’s People around the time of their Exile in Babylon. Like the prophets Jeremiah and I Isaiah, Ezekiel predicted the destruction of Jerusalem and the nation because of its sin.  Ezekiel was especially set against the false prophets who were assuring the people that their troubles would soon be over. Ezekiel prophesied that the children of Abraham would spend long years in captivity away from the Promised Land just as they had in Egypt.

            But when Ezekiel heard that his prophecies had come true, his messages turned to hope for the renewal of their relationship with God in the covenant. In the well-known passage of the “Dry Bones,” Ezekiel received a vision that the nation of Israel and its people would be restored. The Lord promised to send His Spirit to restore them to His blessings. 

            But the life that God was to give the people was to be different than their old way of life. Ezekiel was given a vision of a new Temple of God. The old temple of Solomon had been  ruthlessly destroyed.  Now there would be a new temple. It would become the foundation of their new, holy way of life. The center of the nation would be the worship of God and the sacrifices of the temple.  All things in the society would be ordered to glorify God and to keep His covenant. God would reign in His temple and His blessings would flow from it like rivers coming from a fountain.

            Ezekiel's vision of the temple and its sacrifice and burnt offerings was vividly detailed It became the focus of the hope of the people and a motivating force for the return of the exiles to the Promised Land.  For us it foreshadows the priestly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ who came as our Great High priest. Jesus Christ prophesied that the temple of His Body that would be destroyed and rebuilt in three days. In Him, we have the promise of the resurrection from the dead to eternal life.

            You can hear a homily (MP3 file) on “Ezekiel and the Dry Bones” by going to the “Homilies” section of this Website.