Chapter 35 records the doom of Edom. The
inhabitants of Judah have now been carried away and
Edom thought she had a chance to take possession of
their land, but three years later the same fate befell
Edom and her ruin is recorded in verses 11-15.

Chapters 36–48 are yet unfulfilled, and
envision the future restoration of the land and people
of Israel. The land is already beginning to flourish,
but one day it will become like the Garden of Eden. It
will be populated by a penitent Judah and Israel. These
chapters look forward to a time when God will do a new
and great work, and His glory will return to the land
of Israel.

Chapter 37 pictures a new nation. You will
recall that both Israel and Judah were ruined
politically. Assyria had scattered Israel, and Judah
had just been captured by Babylon. Both Isaiah and
Jeremiah predicted a return from captivity, but
Ezekiel’s vision goes even further down the years. He
sees the time when the dead nation would come alive
again. In the vision he saw very many bones in the
valley, literally a battlefield, and the bones were
very dry. This was a picture of utter defeat, with the
bones of the armies drying and unburied. This was a
very vivid description of the Jewish people, but
through the power of God’s Word the bones came together
and formed men, and through the power of the Spirit
(wind), life was given to them. This does not teach a
bodily resurrection, or even the salvation of the Jews.
Rather, it pictures the future revival of the nation,
when the Jews will be brought up out of Gentile nations
where they have been scattered. Politically, this took
place in May, 1948, when the modern nation of Israel
once again entered the family of nations. The flag of
David began to fly over the nation of Israel for the
first time in 2,500 years. Of course, the nation is
dead spiritually. But one day, when Christ returns, the
nation will be born in a day to be saved.

In verses 15-28 we see the nation being
reunited. The division of the nation into northern and
southern tribes was the beginning of their downfall.
One day God will reunite all the tribes under their
true David, Jesus Christ. He will make a covenant of
peace with them (verse 26), and bring glory to His
people once again.