During Ezekiel's tour of the temple, he not only sees how big the temple is and how it is designed, he also hears the laws that govern its use. These laws ensure that the temple remains a sacred place where God can dwell among his people. But they also address the moral wrongs that his people have committed against each other, so that they never again have to fear the judgment of exile and broken fellowship with God or with one another.

Ezekiel’s final prophecy begins with a tour of the new temple in the new Jerusalem. His guide carefully measures the temple’s dimensions as the prophet describes some of its distinctive features. When the tour is complete, Ezekiel sees an amazing sight: the return of the glory of the Lord to the temple with the promise to never leave it again.

Ezekiel is taken back to the land of Israel where he sees the future glory of Israel's restoration. But this was far more than a vision of what was to come. Ezekiel is told to proclaim what he saw to his fellow exiles so that they would begin to live in the present in light of their certain future.

God's promise to restore his people from their exile would not be complete without a fight. Ezekiel tells of a final battle, when an enemy horde advances against God's people while they live securely in their land. But God will defend his people, having mercy on them in order that he might vindicate his holiness through them.

Following Ezekiel's vision of the dry bones comes an even more astounding prophecy. The God of Israel promises to reunify the nation which had been divided into two kingdoms for about 400 years. When God does this, he assures them that they will never be divided again, so that his mission to the whole world will be successfully accomplished through them.

Ezekiel's vision of the dry bones might have been one text that helped Jesus's disciples think through the implications of the surprise of Easter morning. What appeared to be the end of their hope had become the beginning of another story, one in which the curse of sin had been lifted and death was no longer a threat. The mystery of a new creation was now upon them, with the excitement of following their Savior and doing his bidding in his glorious kingdom.

The promised end to exile was better news than Israel could ever imagine. Taken out of the land under God's curse, Israel would be restored to the land under God's blessing. When the exile was finally over, the earth and all who dwell in it would stand as a testimony to God's transformative grace.

The news of Jerusalem's final fall to the Babylonians came as a devastating blow to Israel's exiles. They knew that God had brought judgment on them for their sins, but now it seemed as if all hope for forgiveness was gone. Yet, God opened Ezekiel's mouth to deliver a new prophecy--the promise of God to fulfill his covenant blessings to Israel by delivering them from their captivity by his own hand.

What would life be like if there were no such thing as love? If that's hard to imagine, it's for good reason. The Song of Songs shows us that the enemy of love is death itself. So if we find true love, we must commit ourselves entirely to it. It's the only way to live.