Ezekiel 37:1-14 and the Valley of Dry Bones

For those of you who have read last week's haftarah portion, here is an opportunity for us to have an interesting discussion. I hope many of you who read this will take an opportunity to type in your reaction to the following question:

Has the prophecy from Ezekiel about the dry bones in the middle of the valley a past tense occurrence, a present tense occurrence, or something that we are still waiting to see?

First, it is important to read the text given above. The basic passage is the L-RD told Ezekiel to prophecy to these bones, to hear the word of the L-RD, and to live again. They need to have breath given to them again. The L-RD explains the prophecy to mean that Israel would return from having been dead, and that they would be placed in their own land.

Here are a list of questions to work through:

1. Read alsol Ezekiel 36:22-38 and 37:15-28. How do these passages explain about Israelites being placed in their land?
   
2. Are the bones real, or are they figurative to something else?
   
3. What or Who is the "hand of the L-RD"? 37:1
   
4. What does it mean to "prophesy"? Obviously, prophesying to some dry bones does not imply some sort of future forecasting. Prophesying must means something else, not about the future.
   
5. Is the Son of Man (Ben HaAdam) a reference to a man or to Someone more than a man?
   
6. What is the "breath"?
   
7. Does Israel receive the land once they receive the breath, or before?
   
8. Are there any allusions to resurrection in this passage?
   
9. In 37:24, who is the servant David?
   
10. In the reunion of Ephraim and Judah, is this a past occurrence or a future one?
    
    1. When Yeshua was in Israel, where did He do His ministry? Look at a map in your Bible and take note of ALL of the places Yeshua visited.
       
    2. Look at a map that shows where Galilee is, and where the tribe of Ephraim would have been during the books of the Kings and Chronicles. Do you see the intersection?
       
11. Read Jeremiah 7:32-8:1. Why did G-d allow there to be bodies thrown into this valley? What did the Israelites do that caused G-d to allow this disaster to happen?
    

Check back later this week for some other discussions will be posted to continue this discussion. Please, feel free to post some of your discussions!