Page 240 - Jesus is coming - Class version

8IQNS OF HIS COMING. 237

These hopes are the very core of their intensely religious
life, and are embedded in the most solemn devotions of
their prayer-book.
Every morning, throughout every nation and clime,
whither they are scattered over this whole world, the or-
thodox Jew lifts up his prayer:
"Save us, God of our salvation, and gather us together
and deliver us from the nations."
"May it be acceptable unto thee, Eternal; our God and
the God of our Fathers, that the sanctuary may be rebuilt
speedily in our days and our portion assigned us in thy
law. There will we serve thee in reverence as of old, in
days of yore."
In that solemn service of the Passover they cry out,
"At present we celebrate it here, but the next year we
hope to celebrate it in the land of Israel," and again,
in our
"0 build Jerusalem the holy city speedily days.
Blessed art Thou, Lord !"
With such faithful and earnest prayers have these ortho-
dox Jews kept alive the fires of devotion and the glorious
hopes of restoration, while being driven up and down the
earth with the rods of enmity, ostracism and banishment.
But for over seventeen centuries, while they have thus fer-
vently prayed, they have made no effort to return to Pales-
tine, believing that they should wait until God Himself,
brought about their restoration by supernatural means.
About 200 years ago the persecutions began to abate,
and in the eighteenth century they were gradually eman-
cipated from these various disabilities. With this coming
of liberty, there was a noise and a shaking and the
dry
10
bones of Ezek. 37 began to come together.
(10) Ezek. 37:1. The hand of man, can these bones live?
of the Lord was upon me, and And I answered, O Lord GOD,
carried me out in the Spirit of thou knowest.
the LORD, and set me down in 4. Again he said unto me,
the midst of the valley which Prophesy upon these bones, and
was full of bones, say unto them, O ye dry bones,
2. And caused me to pass by hear the word of the LORD.
them round about : and, behold, 5. Thus saith the Lord GOD
there were very many in the unto these bones, Behold, I will
op*n valley ; and, lo, they were cause breath to enter into you,
*y dry. and ye shall live :
3. And be sgid unto ma. Sou 6- And I will lay sinews upon