Ezekiel Explained: A Bible Study

Why did God tell Ezekiel to eat a scroll?

In Ezekiel 2:1 through 3:15, God commissions the prophet by handing him a scroll — and telling him to eat it. In this study, Dr. Toby Holt explains this strange command and what it teaches about God’s Word.

God calls Ezekiel to preach to a stubborn, rebellious people who likely will not listen. He gives him a scroll filled with “lamentations and mourning and woe,” and ...

What is a spiritual watchman?

In Ezekiel 3:16-21, God appoints the prophet as a “watchman” for His people. In this study, Dr. Toby Holt explains the watchman’s solemn duty — and what it means for us.

A watchman had two jobs: to watch and to warn. If he saw danger coming and stayed silent, the people’s blood would be on his hands. God tells Ezekiel the danger is not a foreign army but God’s own judg...

Why does God send judgment?

In Ezekiel 4-7, God has the prophet act out the coming siege of Jerusalem in a series of dramatic object lessons. In this study, Dr. Toby Holt explains the purpose behind God’s judgment.

Ezekiel builds a model of the besieged city, lies on his side for many days, and eats rationed food — picturing the famine and hardship coming on Jerusalem. God’s people had sinned worse than the pagan na...

What happens when God leaves a church?

In Ezekiel 8-11, the prophet watches the glory of God lift from the temple and depart. In this study, Dr. Toby Holt explains one of the saddest scenes in all of Scripture.

God shows Ezekiel the hidden idolatry inside His own temple — leaders worshiping false gods with their backs to Him. What is most striking, Dr. Holt notes, is not God’s anger but how long He held back judgment. Fai...

How can you spot a false teacher?

In Ezekiel 13, God confronts the false prophets who tell people what they want to hear. In this study, Dr. Toby Holt explains how to recognize false teaching — and why it is so dangerous.

These prophets spoke “out of their own heart” while claiming, “Thus says the LORD.” They cried “Peace, peace” when judgment was coming, like men whitewashing a flimsy wall t...

Why does pride lead to a fall?

In Ezekiel 26-28, God pronounces judgment on the proud, wealthy city of Tyre — and in doing so, gives a startling glimpse of the devil himself. In this study, Dr. Toby Holt traces the deadly path of pride.

Tyre gloated over Jerusalem’s fall and trusted in its wealth and island fortress. God judges the “prince of Tyre,” a human ruler who claimed, “I am a god.” Then, de...

Can God change a hard heart?

In Ezekiel 36, God promises to remove His people’s “heart of stone” and give them a “heart of flesh.” In this study, Dr. Toby Holt explains the great doctrine of regeneration — the new heart only God can give.

Israel had broken covenant and disgraced God’s name, yet God promises to act — for the sake of His own holy name, not their merit. He will sprinkle th...

Can dead, hopeless things live again?

In Ezekiel 37, God sets the prophet down in a valley full of dry bones and asks, “Can these bones live?” In this study, Dr. Toby Holt unpacks one of the Bible’s most vivid pictures of hope.

The bones picture God’s people in exile, who said, “Our bones are dry, our hope is lost.” As Ezekiel preaches God’s word over them, the bones come together, take on fl...

Will there be a temple in heaven?

In Ezekiel 40-48, the prophet is given a sweeping vision of a vast, measured temple. In this study, Dr. Toby Holt explains what that future temple really is — and why it is not a building made of bricks.

Taken to a high mountain, Ezekiel sees a glorious temple measured out in detail, and the glory of God returning to fill it. Dr. Holt explains that this reads like a guided tour, not a blueprint...