Verse by verse studies through books of the Bible. In this series titled Hard To Heart we learn about the work God does in the lives of His people as well as the fate of our world, particularly Israel, in the future.
Donate to Ezekiel // Pastor Gene Pensiero
Ezekiel ends his remarkable prophecy by letting us know that in the future Millennial Kingdom, Jerusalem will have a new name. Weʼll see it in the very last verse of the book – Jehovah-Shammah. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
One special characteristic of the Feast of Tabernacles was the pouring of a vessel of water into a basin that was located at the base of the altar. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Feasts are featured in this chapter. In fact, it closes with a look at the kitchens the levites will use in their preparations for the various feasts. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
In the future Millennial Kingdom Jesus will again distribute the land by lot only without the drama. That distribution begins here in chapter 45. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
We begin to get the order of service in the future Millennial Temple. The very fact that there is an order of service and that the believers have certain assignments is itself instructive. You see, whenever we get together, there is to be some order in our serving the Lord and serving one another. (Pastor […]
Sooner or later someone is going to tell you that the word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible. Thatʼs correct. A lot of words arenʼt found in the Bible. For example, the word “bible” is not found in the Bible, but we use it anyway to describe the Bible. Next time someone tells you […]
Ezekiel is going to fall down at the glory of God only to be lifted up by the Holy Spirit so he doesnʼt miss recording anything. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Our text looks past the Tribulation Temple to the Millennial Temple. Priests will serve in it as well. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Ezekiel had missed an opportunity. At the start of our studies we noted that although Ezekiel was a priest, he was exiled to Babylon before he was of age to actually serve in the Temple at Jerusalem. To say it was a disappointment would be an understatement. But now, as his visions are concluding and […]
A man with a measuring rod in his hand takes Ezekiel on a tour of the future Millennial Temple. Itʼs none other than the Lord Himself. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Everyone who reads the last nine chapters of Ezekiel asks and therefore must answer this question: Will there be animal sacrifices in the Temple during the future Millennial Kingdom on the earth? (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Ezekiel thirty-nine goes deeper into certain details of chapter thirty-eight. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Reading about what is going to happen to the armies of Gog when they invade from the north reminded me of the futility of Das Boot. Before ever getting near Israel there is a mighty earthquake. Itʼs so disorienting that the soldiers turn upon one another and kill one another. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Itʼs going to be God versus Gog. Ezekiel was told to “prophesy against him,” against Gog, the captain of these would be conquerers. We might call him ʻCaptain Hooked,ʼ because God says He will “put hooks into [his] jaws, and lead [him] out. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Prophecy expert Mark Hitchcock says, “By far, the most controversial issue in Ezekiel 38-39 is the timing of the invasion. The specific time of the invasion in Ezekiel 38 is difficult to determine.” I should explain that we believe that this prophecy is literal and historical. In other words, it describes a real military campaign […]
Weʼve come to the most quoted passage, the most referenced passage, in the Book of Ezekiel. Chapters thirty-eight and thirty-nine tell of a coming northern confederacy of nations around the Black and Caspian seas who with Persia and North Africa will invade the promised land after Israelʼs restoration to it in the last days. (Pastor […]
Ezekiel was an extraordinary illustrator of Bible truth. He was a walking Keynote presentation. His visions and his acted-out dramas brought Godʼs prophecies to life for the exiles in Babylon. We encounter two more of those in chapter thirty-seven. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Our text in Ezekiel is about the return of the Jews to their land. It is a prophecy coming true before our very eyes. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
The last fifty years has seen the desert of Israel blossom into a world leader in agriculture. It is exactly what you would expect from reading Bible prophecy regarding the last days. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
High on the list of historic anti-semites are the descendants of Jacobʼs brother, Esau. They are the Edomites and are associated with Mount Seir. Their judgment is described in chapter thirty-five. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Ezekiel thirty-four is all about shepherding. The Lord will compare the leaders of Israel to false, cruel shepherds who put their own needs ahead of His people. Then God will introduce the true shepherd of Israel to be revealed in the last days. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Ezekiel was privy to the fall of Jerusalem before the messenger arrived. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
In chapter thirty-three we have a review of Ezekielʼs call as a watchman to Israel. He has been warning the people for some seven years. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Weʼre in a long section of Ezekiel that declares Godʼs judgment against seven nations. In chapters 29 through 32 we come to a long section in that long section that deals entirely with Egypt. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
In this short section Ezekiel pronounces a quick judgment upon the city of Sidon, then reminds us in the closing verses of the chapter that itʼs all about Israel. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
God was addressing a man, the ruler of Tyre, the whole time. But in the later verses He was revealing the motivation behind the man. It was Satan. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Sudden wealth can be hard to handle. But so can not-so-sudden wealth. Truth is, material prosperity of any kind can ruin you if youʼre not careful. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Our passage in Ezekiel is a great example of predictive prophecy coming true in actual human history. I want to look at it from that perspective – as a proof of the Bibleʼs inspiration. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Israel is at the very heart of Godʼs plan for human history. They are Godʼs special people, His elect nation. How you treat them will determined how youʼre treated. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
I wonder what they would have thought about Ezekielʼs demeanor. The prophetʼs wife is going to die suddenly. Ezekiel will go to work the next day. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Weʼre going to meet two sisters, Oholah and Oholibah. They are not real women, but rather characters in a rather graphic parable. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Sixth century Jerusalem had earned a nickname. It was given to her by God. You see it in verse two, “The Bloody City.” (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
In our text tonight King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon practices divination to make an important decision. God will overrule the results to accomplish His divine providence. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
If your life was a song, right now, what song would it be? I only ask because our text tonight will end in a song, and itʼs a pretty sad one. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Israel as a nation was the object of Godʼs national election. It put them into a place of privilege and blessing. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
The leaders among the exiles in Babylon came to Ezekiel seeking to inquire from the Lord. Problem was, they were no longer on ʻseeking termsʼ with God. In verse three the Lord directed Ezekiel to say, “I will not be inquired of by you.” (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
A “lament” is some verbal expression of great grief or sorrow. It should not surprise us that God can be grieved by the actions of His people. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
In our text weʼre going to encounter something like that only itʼs called a proverbial saying. Itʼs right at the beginning, in verse two. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
The eagle represents two ancient nations in our text, first Babylon, then Egypt. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
The first thirty-four verses of chapter sixteen described the Jews in Judah and especially Jerusalem as an adulterous wife to God and a harlot to the surrounding Gentile nations. Godʼs judgment upon her is the subject of the rest of the chapter. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Chapter sixteen is the longest chapter in Ezekiel. By itself it is longer than six of the Minor Prophets. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Ezekiel, in chapter fifteen, is going to talk about Israel as Godʼs vine. Itʼs the first of three illustrations over the next three chapters that show Jerusalem and the Temple will not be spared from judgment. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
It seems that the Jews of the sixth century held to a hero mentality. Daniel had been carried away into Babylon. By the time of our text he was twenty-five years old. Heʼd already distinguished himself as a righteous man. Though some of his greatest accomplishments were still ahead of him, he was a bona […]
In our text “some of the elders of Israel” came to Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord. It sounds good until you read that their hearts were not right with God. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
We encounter a group of women who are false prophetesses. While Israel was plagued with false prophets who spoke openly and publicly, a network of false prophetesses was at work behind the scenes in private. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
The exiles in Babylon were encouraged they would soon be free to return to Israel. The people should have felt the foulness of their words. The false prophets and prophetesses spoke not a word against Israelʼs idolatry. It was foul of them to overlook sin, to ignore Godʼs moral law, and tell the people what […]
Ezekiel was quite the actor there on the banks of the river Chebar in Babylon. He had just finished a one-man, one-day engagement during which he dug a hole through the wall of his house and portrayed a man trying to escape for his life during a violent siege by an invading army. (Pastor Gene […]
Ezekiel was ministering to the exiles in Babylon. The Jews still held out false hope they would soon return to Jerusalem. Ezekiel was called upon to act-out another drama before them. He acted the part of an evacuee. It was to represent to them what would befall Zedekiah. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
God promised His people that He would one day “put a new spirit within them.” They would have “a heart of flesh.” Itʼs the new birth being promised. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
We’re going to see the princes of Jerusalem describe themselves as “meat” in a cooking “caldron.” It sounds bad, and it is – but they thought otherwise. How could they think being in the caldron was something good? (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
It takes nothing away from the deity or majesty of God to say He was reluctant. In fact, it magnifies His longsuffering and grace and mercy. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)