God heard the people of Israel saying: "Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, and we are cut off." These words give the essence of Ezekiel's strange vision: when one's hope is gone, it is as if one had died.

Israel had many occasions to lose hope. Defeated in battle, taken into exile, Israel often felt cut off from God. Individuals frequently had the same debilitating experience, as many Psalms show us. Ezekiel saw a great number of bones, and when they were restored to life they became a great army. But even a great army is made up of individual men. Hence Ezekiel's vision points to two different realities. First of all, Israel will be restored and receive a new spirit, God's own spirit. Secondly what the people as a whole receive, the individual will also one day receive. Israel's hope was for the coming of the Messiah. To those who believe in him as the Messiah, the death and resurrection of Jesus give a strong Christian hope, which supports us even in death, for we believe that God will open our graves and raise us up at the resurrection.