The American Wisdom Series

Presents
Pamphlet #6319

What a beautiful time the children of God have to look forward to in the Millennium.

We read in the last chapter, chapter 35, that God was very much against Mount Seir, the land of Jacob's brother Esau, because of Esau's perpetual hatred (vs. 35:5) for his brother and for his boasting and supporting the desolation and scattering of both the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Therefore, there is a judgment of Edom, even of all nations, coming "in that day" when Jesus Christ returns, when they "shall know that He is the LORD".

Even so, today we can actually SEE and understand how that judgment will be. For we have already read in our previous study regarding the very "land" itself of Mount Seir, which is symbolic of Edom, i.e. Esau's land, that is was to become desolate and unproductive. Is there any doubt that the land of the Edom, that "red" nation, is "far from the fatness of the earth", exactly as it was foretold in Gen. 27:39 (see note in Companion Bible regarding this verse)? Where are their rolling fields after fields of amber waves of grain? They have few so they come to their brother Jacob to obtain their wheat.

Now in this 36th chapter of Ezekiel we are going to read about the restoration of God's people (verses 16-29) and the restoration of the land of Israel which was made desolate (verses 1-15). Of course the complete fulfillment of this will occur at the coming of our Lord, i.e. during the Millennium.

You see, the true house of Israel has a covenant relationship with Almighty God, who promised to restore the land to her, following her chastisement. Israel once possessed their own land, which God gave to them, but they were scattered abroad and dispersed among the heathen (nations), the reason for which we will see in verses 17-21. However, God promised to gather them and give them their own land: Ezekiel 36:24 "For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land."

So before we begin with verse 1 of chapter 36, let's read ahead a little concerning the reason for the scattering.

Ezekiel 36:17
Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman.

[18] Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it:

[19] And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.

This didn't make either Israel or the LORD look very good to the heathen, did it?  In fact, the heathen thought they could move right in there and possess the land and claim it as their own. Not so! They themselves are going to be made desolate as we have already seen in prior chapters and shall even review in the first 15 verses of this 36th chapter.