Thursday, May 3, 2012

Entertaining Ezekiel

Who knew?! Ezekiel may be one of my new favorites in the Old Testament!

Last night Elder S taught Princeton Institute and enlightened his students' on the book of Ezekiel.

Did you know Ezekiel was a peer of Jeremiah and Daniel (and Lehi)?
We learned King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem 3X. The prophet Jeremiah remained in Jerusalem and prophesied from 13th year of Josiah till after downfall of Jerusalem, over 40 years (626-586 BC). Ezekiel prophesied to Jewish captives carried off throughout Babylonian empire during period of 22 years (592-570 BC). Daniel was in first wave of captives carried away to Babylonia. After he interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar's dream, he was kept in King's court where he had prophetic visions.

Ezekiel 37:1-14 talks about Ezekiel's vision of valley of dry bones symbolizing both resurrection and restoration of Israel to promised land.

Of particular importance is Ezekiel 37:15-20: "The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it. For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it. For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions. And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these? Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes."

Elder Boyd K Packer said in November 1982: "The stick or record of Judah--the Old and New Testaments--and the stick or record of Ephraim--the Book of Mormon, which is another testament of Jesus Christ--are now woven together in such a way that as you pore over one you are drawn to the other; as you learn from one you are enlightened by the other. They are indeed one in our hands. Ezekiel's prophecy now stands fulfilled."

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