In Revelation 2:20-23 we read these words of Jesus: “But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols.I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality. “Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering,and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.”
Before we look deeper into the above passage, we need to understand who Jezebel was. Please take a moment to read the entire passage listed below as it will give us great insight into this woman, Jezebel:
1 Kings 21:1-16 “ Now there was a man named Naboth, from Jezreel, who owned a vineyard in Jezreel beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. One day Ahab said to Naboth, “Since your vineyard is so convenient to my palace, I would like to buy it to use as a vegetable garden. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or if you prefer, I will pay you for it.” But Naboth replied, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance that was passed down by my ancestors.” So Ahab went home angry and sullen because of Naboth’s answer. The king went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat! “What’s the matter?” his wife Jezebel asked him. “What’s made you so upset that you’re not eating?” “I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard or trade it, but he refused!” Ahab told her. “Are you the king of Israel or not?” Jezebel demanded. “Get up and eat something, and don’t worry about it. I’ll get you Naboth’s vineyard!” So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and other leaders of the town where Naboth lived. In her letters she commanded: “Call the citizens together for a time of fasting, and give Naboth a place of honor. And then seat two scoundrels across from him who will accuse him of cursing God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.” So the elders and other town leaders followed the instructions Jezebel had written in the letters. They called for a fast and put Naboth at a prominent place before the people. Then the two scoundrels came and sat down across from him. And they accused Naboth before all the people, saying, “He cursed God and the king.” So he was dragged outside the town and stoned to death. The town leaders then sent word to Jezebel, “Naboth has been stoned to death.” When Jezebel heard the news, she said to Ahab, “You know the vineyard Naboth wouldn’t sell you? Well, you can have it now! He’s dead!” So Ahab immediately went down to the vineyard of Naboth to claim it.”
From the above passage in 1 Kings, we learn the following:
1- Naboth was a righteous man who owned a vineyard. A vineyard represents the ministry that God calls a person to, according to Matthew 20:1-16. In verse 1 of Matthew 20 we read: “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard”. The vineyard is ministry; the owner is the Lord; He calls whoever He wills into His vineyard to work. You, brothers and sisters, are called to ministry; each of us is! God wants to use YOU in His vineyard… and Jezebel wants to stop you!
2- Ahab represents one in authority. In the passage above, Ahab requests that the vineyard (ministry) of Naboth be given to him. Ahab promises a “better” vineyard (ministry) or even money (a payout to take it from you). You see, false authority will always offer you a “promotion” to a “better ministry” if you simply let go of what you’re called to do by God. If that fails, Ahab will buy your ministry (take it from you) in order to get rid of you in order to see you leave the church you were being used by God in. Ahab may be in authority but his authority is false. Perhaps at one time he was anointed by God but by aligning with Jezebel, as we will see, he became corrupt and now seeks to destroy genuine godly authority raised up by the Lord.
3- Naboth, being righteous, understood that the vineyard (ministry) was given to him by God as an inheritance; it was not to be put into the hands of another. When God gives you your calling… no man can take that from you! The Pastor, deacons, elders, etc are not called to do what God called “you” to do and they don’t have any authority to stop you from being used by God if you’re genuinely called to a particular ministry. Those who know the calling of God on their lives will never allow anyone with a Jezebel spirit to take it from them…period. If God calls you to it… God will see you through it! No devil in hell can stop you if God has called you!
4- Ahab, the authority over Naboth, became angry; he felt Naboth should have given him what was not his to have. False authority will always seek to first negotiate the removal of your vineyard (ministry) and if you refuse, the authority over you will then become angry at you for your obedience to the Lord. While Ahab was in fact in a position of authority, he used his position to promote false authority; an authority not given to him by God. False authority hates when you obey God because false authority knows that when you obey God that God will always lead you to disobey “them”! Ahab wants to be your god; he hates that you trust completely in the Lord… so he’ll attack you once your ministry conflicts with his own personal ambitions.
5- Now, enter Jezebel; the wife of Ahab. She sees his emotional disposition and then asks him why he’s angry and upset. Ahab confides in her concerning his desire for Naboth’s vineyad (ministry). Those with an Ahab spirit will always – in secret conversation – look for alliances to in order to steal another’s vineyard (ministry). Notice that through the entire scene, Jezebel is “in the background”; it looks like she’s submitted to Ahab… but in reality, Ahab is submitted to her! In the eyes of the people she’s a humble, soft and gentle woman; behind closed doors, she controls the king!
6- Jezebel then instills a false sense of identity in Ahab, reminding him that he’s the king of Israel. Forget that Ahab had no God given authority to take another man’s vineyard… Jezebel implied that because he’s the authority that he can do whatever he wants to. She then tells him that she herself will get Naboth’s vineyard (ministry). Jezebel will always embolden weak leaders into pride; she will plant within them a sense of false assurance that everyone must obey them without question. This is what Jezebel does; she operates through weak leaders who she causes to believe are above questioning. Pride is what she instills in leaders and we know that pride comes before destruction (Proverbs 16:18).
7- Jezebel now plots to kill Naboth by publicly celebrating Naboth as a Man of God before the entire community! What a cunning devil this woman was! She sent party invites to the elders and leaders of Naboth’s town (local church) and does so in the king’s name. She instructs, “Call the citizens together for a time of fasting, and give Naboth a place of honor. And then seat two scoundrels across from him who will accuse him of cursing God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death”. The elders and leaders, getting a letter from the king, must have wondered “why” he wanted Naboth dead but notice they simply obeyed the order… without questioning it. Pause and think about that! Obedience to any authority that demands one kill another’s ministry, reputation, etc, is evil and God will hold to account any and all who obey false authority.
8- Notice also that within the instructions was a fast. Jezebel hid her evil intentions by calling for what appeared to be a godly command: Fasting! This cunning devil will use Biblical words, instructions, etc… but it’s agenda is to steal, kill and destroy… all by using the Word of God out of context to do it! Jezebel is a master manipulator and an expert at controlling others. She’ll appear as though she’s offering you freedom but the moment you submit to her, you’ll be in bondage and not know it! She’ll mix into the Word her own agenda and will find Biblical passages that she’ll twist in order to “prove” that she’s “hearing from God”. Jezebel is a wicked abominable devil indeed and she operates through leaders and/or is close enough to leaders to influence them. Once she has a leader, the leader then takes her spirit and imparts it to the congregation.
9 – Two scoundrels (false witnesses) who worked for the elders and leaders accused Naboth at his own celebration party of cursing God and the king. The townspeople (congregation) were spiritually blind and killed Naboth… in the middle of what was supposed to be a joyous occasion. Following false authority will ultimately cause the people of God to engage in conduct they believe is pleasing to the Lord but what is in reality of the devil. This is the seriousness of the danger of following false authority! Just because there’s an authority over you does “not” mean you need to obey that authority without question! If those over you are in error and deception… do not for any reason do as they demand; rebel against them because in doing so you’re submitting to the Lord!
10- Once Naboth was murdered, Jezebel informed king Ahab that he could now go and claim Naboth’s vineyard (ministry). This speaks to how false authority will always seek to destroy ministries that they themselves want or that they want quashed. They’ll conspire with other leaders, raise up false witnesses and finally kill the Naboth in their midst in order to take what was always Naboth’s. You see, brothers and sisters, false authority will always come against genuine godly authority! Why? Because false authority can’t thrive in the midst of true authority because true authority will always discern Jezebel!
This, brothers and sisters, is how Jezebel operates. She’s crafty and knows the Word; she speaks what appears to blessings over other leaders and ministries but inwardly she wants to take for herself that which God has not given to her. She will conspire against others by actually publicly praising and blessing them … just before she kills them!
This spirit is often hard to discern as it comes as an “angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14) and as a minister of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:15). Jezebel will preach righteousness so as to ensure that those around her believe she’s walking in truth; this is exactly how she works in a church congregation.
Note also she has access to the king’s chamber; this indicates that Jezebel close enough to the king to influence his decisions. So close in fact, when we see Jezebel in 1 Kings 21, she’s the wife of the king; you can’t get any closer than that! Often, husbands and wives or Pastors and other leaders will have meetings… not to pray and fast and seek God’s Will…. but to speak about how “so and so” needs to be corrected, told to remain silent, get ex-communicated, etc. Jezebel loves having “leadership meetings” that consist of checking off the names of congregation members who they feel may be a threat to their hold on power.
As we’ve just seen who and how Jezebel works… let us now go back to our passage in Revelation 2:
“But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality. “Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering,and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.”
1- Notice that Jesus says the local church is “permitting” Jezebel to lead God’s people the wrong way. Elders who allow anyone in their congregation to lead God’s people astray will soon find the Holy Spirit bringing firm correction to them. It’s up to the elders and leaders to heed what God is speaking to them or not. If a church allows Jezebel to operate, that church will experience two things: First, godly men and women will begin to leave the fellowship in search of a godly church and second, the church will become a place where there’s carnality, flesh on display and a host of problems that only seem to get bigger and bigger and bigger. Tolerating a Jezebel spirit in a church will ultimately destroy the church!
2- Notice that Jezebel is a teacher who “also” calls herself a prophet; she has a place of authority in this church and as she calls “herself” a prophet – God has not called her a prophet! – she has prophetic giftings which the undiscerning eat up like candy. She’s teaching things in this particular church that Jesus Christ absolutely hates. In our modern times, Jezebel may be teaching things such as false grace, cessasionism, unquestioned submission to their pastor, etc. Whatever the case, Jezebel is a teacher… and teaches what Jesus Christ absolute despises.
3- Jesus gives time for Jezebel to repent. This indicates that Jezebel knows what she’s doing; otherwise how could she repent? Someone must have come to the woman in this church at some point – most likely several times! – to warn her of God’s judgment against what she’s engaged in: False teaching that Jesus hates. Even though Jezebel is the enemy of God, He gives her time to turn from sin and walk in truth. The goodness of God leads us to repentance… and even Jezebel gets an opportunity to repent.
4- Her sin, according to the passage, is immorality. Jezebel taught what was not moral before God. In modern times this can be a variety of things and yet Jezebel will “always” present what she’s teaching and engaging in as God’s Will. She may even use dreams, visions and prophecies to back up what she’s teaching. Nonetheless, Jesus calls Jezebel “immoral”; this indicates that while others see her as morally pure – afterall, she was a leader in the church! – Jesus sees her as immoral! Those who carry a Jezebel spirit are often soft-spoken diplomats; they appear outwardly to want to unity but inwardly they despise any and all who don’t fall in line with their agenda. Jezebel is immoral; she outwardly appears moral but inwardly she’s full of dead men’s bones as she’s the one who’s killed them all!
5- Jesus then says that Jezebel will be thrown onto a “bed of suffering”. Those who carry this wretched spirit will begin to experience suffering… and they’ll claim that “satan is attacking them” when in reality the Lord is bringing judgment upon them for their immoral teachings and for leading God’s People astray. Not all suffering, as we see here, is due to sin or satan; Jezebel suffers due to her refusal to repent and that suffering is sent by the Lord Jesus Himself! Jezebel will often claim that “satan is attacking” her and any and all who speak against her false authority will be deemed as “accusers of the brethren”. Jezebel claims that her suffering is due to her stand for truth when in reality it’s due to her immorality.
6- Notice that Jesus declares judgment against all who “commit adultery” with her will suffer greatly; this indicates that those who follow Jezebel in a local assembly will also incur the judgment of God for submitting to any and all who carry the characteristics of Jezebel unless they repent. Thus, some in churches who follow and submit to those who display the Jezebel spirit also know what they are doing and yet they continue to do it. They know to repent… which shows us they have knowledge that Jezebel is in error and that they shouldn’t follow her.
7- Notice in the passage it says “from HER evil deeds”. The local church was called on by Jesus to repent of following “her” evil deeds. Jesus saw what the church was doing as a direct result of what Jezebel was teaching. Jezebel – an authority in the local church – was seen by Jesus as the “mother figure” of the congregation. When any church has a leader who’s seen as “the” leader and is unquestioned and unchallenged… you have a Jezebel on your hands! When you’re not allowed to ask questions or need permission to; when you’re told never to question your leaders or when it’s implied you must never question them… you’re sitting under a Jezebel spirit!
8- Jesus then says He will strike “her children” dead. Jezebel has children, according to Jesus. These “children” are all who are under the authority of someone or a group of leaders who celebrate others and then destroy them through false teaching and evil conduct. Any and all who discern a Jezebel in their leadership and yet continue to follow such people are the children of Jezebel. Jesus Christ the Lord declares that those who are born of Jezebel will die. What does this mean? It means such people, who may have once known the Lord, will die spiritually.
9- Jesus Christ then says that He will do all of this as an example to all other churches to know that He doesn’t play games when it comes to His Church; that He won’t spare anyone who permits Jezebel to hold a place of authority in their local congregation. Jesus Christ loves His Church; He won’t tolerate Jezebel destroying His Body; a time will come when He will so severely, openly and publicly judge Jezebel and her children that those who see it will fear and think hard and long about walking in the spirit of Jezebel or submitting to leaders who carry the Jezebel spirit.
10- Jesus concludes by saying that he will give to each person in that congregation exactly what they deserve and by what he previously said… it’s judgment. What a frightening thought to be under the judgment of God while believing oneself to be under His blessing! Every person, individually, who has submitted themselves to the Jezebel spirit will “get what they deserve”. That’s a scary thought, brothers and sisters! Jezebel (leaders who operate under this demonic spirit) will also get what they too deserve. Jesus doesn’t mince words here; judgement is coming!
How then can one be assured freedom from following elders and leaders who walk in the characteristics of Jezebel?:
1- Have a consistent life of prayer and fasting; only in seeking God’s face for yourself will you be assured of complete and total deliverance from deceptive people, including deceptive elders and leaders. (1 Thessalonians 5:17 )
2- Know the Word of God! Remember, Jezebel knows the Word and twists it to destroy others! If you know the Word of God, you’ll recognize Jezebel when she appears and you won’t be taken in by her. (Psalm 119:11)
3- Do not sin! Stay away from sin … because sin will kill you and thus you’ll have no discernment into what is truly of God and what’s of the enemy. (Romans 7:11)
4- Humble yourself daily and moment by moment; those who walk in humility attract the Presence and Power of God. Humility to the Lord is a beautiful fragrance! (Obadiah 1:3)
5- Be a lover of truth and never ever tell lies! Those who don’t love the truth or only love it partially and who tell lies… they’ll be snared by Jezebel’s false giftings and will thus be deceived! (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)
If you recognize the characteristics of Jezebel in your church or or in it’s leadership, you must do the following:
1- Seek God for your leaders; He knows why they’re permitting Jezebel to teach and have authority. Only He can bring about true and lasting change to any church or leadership who finds itself with a Jezebel in it’s midst.
2- Lovingly bring up this issue to the leadership. It may be received and it may not be; nonetheless, Jezebel must be exposed and confronted. Do so with great humility, without any anger or an attitude that everyone is deceived except you.
3- If no change is forthcoming and leadership continues walking in false authority, leave the congregation. The Lord does not call us to stay in an assembly where the People of God are being led astray. The Holy Spirit will lead you, guide you and ensure you’re safe from Jezebel’s stranglehold; He’ll place you in a loving, caring and genuine community where Jezebel is not permitted to rule with false authority.
In closing, my prayer is that this teaching, which the Lord taught me with through His Word, will bless you, encourage you and even challenge you – not to “look for Jezebel” – but rather to invite the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart if a Jezebel ever rises up unnoticed in your local assembly; that you would trust God to reveal it to you and to then safeguard you from this devil that seeks to control you, manipulate you and ultimately destroy you.
Jezebel’s ultimate defeat!
As you read above, Jezebel was a wicked woman who sought to destroy the servants of God by influencing her husband, king Ahab. Her goal was to take from God’s People what was never her’s to take. Because of what she engaged in, the Lord would soon destroy her… and how He did this is what this article, part 2, is about. Let’s now go to our texts to see the outcome of operating in a Jezebel spirit:
In 2 Kings 9:1-13 “Meanwhile, Elisha the prophet had summoned a member of the group of prophets. “Get ready to travel,” he told him, “and take this flask of olive oil with you. Go to Ramoth-gilead, and find Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi. Call him into a private room away from his friends, and pour the oil over his head. Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you to be the king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run for your life!” So the young prophet did as he was told and went to Ramoth-gilead. When he arrived there, he found Jehu sitting around with the other army officers. “I have a message for you, Commander,” he said. “For which one of us?” Jehu asked. “For you, Commander,” he replied. So Jehu left the others and went into the house. Then the young prophet poured the oil over Jehu’s head and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anoint you king over the Lord’s people, Israel. You are to destroy the family of Ahab, your master. In this way, I will avenge the murder of my prophets and all the Lord’s servants who were killed by Jezebel. The entire family of Ahab must be wiped out. I will destroy every one of his male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel. I will destroy the family of Ahab as I destroyed the families of Jeroboam son of Nebat and of Baasha son of Ahijah. Dogs will eat Ahab’s wife Jezebel at the plot of land in Jezreel, and no one will bury her.” Then the young prophet opened the door and ran. Jehu went back to his fellow officers, and one of them asked him, “What did that madman want? Is everything all right?” “You know how a man like that babbles on,” Jehu replied. “You’re hiding something,” they said. “Tell us.” So Jehu told them, “He said to me, ‘This is what the Lord says: I have anointed you to be king over Israel.’”Then they quickly spread out their cloaks on the bare steps and blew the ram’s horn, shouting, “Jehu is king!”
1- Jezebel is a false prophet, among other things, and so the first thing the Lord does in preparing to destroy this woman is to raise up true prophets to prepare for spiritual battle; this is what we see here in verse 1 where Elisha the prophet calls on other prophets to “Get ready to travel”.
2- The prophets are called on to take oil with them – a symbol of the Anointing – in which to anoint Jehu in private to take the place of Ahab who is soon to be removed as an authority. Both Ahab and Jezebel abused their authority over God’s People and as a result the Lord had appointed another king who was by occupation a Commander. This is significant as it shows God chose a man who knew what battle was all about! When God gets ready to anoint someone… it’s someone who knows what spiritual warfare is!
3- When the prophetic declaration by the Lord through His prophets was that Jehu was now anointed king over Israel, things were set in motion to destroy Ahab and Jezebel that no one would be able to stop; God had made His decision and as we will see, Jehu indeed became king and order was restored to the People of God.
4- Jehu was commanded by God to destroy Ahab’s entire family line; this speaks to the fact that not only false authority but also the fruit (family line!) of false authority must be destroyed; Jehu was to leave no stone unturned in this civil war against the People of God. The Lord not only wanted to remove false authority… He wanted to ensure that anything connected to and loyal to Ahab and Jezebel would be removed as well!
5- Notice that God calls Jehu to destroy Ahab “your master”. This indicates that while false authority will tell you to submit without question, God says otherwise! God calls Jehu to rebel against Ahab, showing that the People of God are “not” called to unquestioned submission. The Jezebel spirit will always demand strict obedience while God’s Spirit will call you to rise up against “your master” in order to remove false authority.
6- God says that in destroying Ahab and his family that God will be avenging the murder of His prophets. Ahab and Jezebel hate true prophetic voices and as a result they murder them! In today’s terms, false authority will always come against, attack and then finally remove from the church (murder) true prophets, apostles, etc of the Lord. Ahab and Jezebel feel threatened by true ministries and as a result they make sure that any godly ministry is taken out before they – Ahab and Jezebel – are exposed.
7- God declares that dogs will eat Jezebel. Why dogs? Why this particular judgment? If we go to Psalm 22 we read the prophetic words of the Cross; in verse 16 we read these words: “My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me”. Dogs represent those opposed to the Cross of Christ as seen in Psalm 22. Dogs are also a representation of false teachers as we see in Philippians 3:2 which says, “Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved”. So we see that God’s Judgement against Jezebel by the eating of her flesh by dogs is the Lord saying, “The very thing you are is the very thing which will I will use to destroy you!”. Jezebel’s judgement is to reap the very thing she sowed to the true saints of God!
8- Jehu then tells those with him that God had anointed him king; not a single person present said, “No way! Ahab is king! This is treason!”. They knew by the Spirit of God that had spoken through the prophets to Jehu that Ahab was done; that he and Jezebel were about to be taken out by the fierce Judgment of God. This shows us that those who are truly of God will finally discern between false authority and true authority. When the Lord anoints someone for a ministry… the people of God who’s hearts seek after the Lord will always stand with those whom God has called, appointed and anointed to do His work.
9- It’s interesting that the People of God with Jehu blew the ram’s horn; this indicates that while Jehu was privately anointed as king, the time had come when a public declaration was manifested by the blowing of the ram’s horn that he was king. The blowing of the ram’s horn openly and publicly signified that the Lord had raised up Jehu to replace Ahab and to go to battle with the People of God against Jezebel.
10- Notice that the People of God also spread out their cloaks; this represents submission to the anointing on Jehu’s life by God. They were saying, in effect, “We receive the ministry that God has given you; we acknowledge that God has replaced Ahab with you. We recognize God’s call on your life to lead Israel”. When God calls you, you won’t need to blow your own trumpet; the Lord will blow His Trumpet over you and His People will hear the sound of the battle cry to go to war against the Jezebel spirit! The Lord will call an army to stand with you as you storm the gates of hell against Jezebel, Ahab and all who follow them!
In verse 22 of 2 Kings 9 we read these words: “Jehu replied, “How can there be peace as long as the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother, Jezebel, are all around us?”.
Notice that idolatry and witchcraft had taken over the land under Jezebel’s rule. In many churches today there’s idolatry; an unhealthy submission to certain leaders. Men are looked on in the church today with more admiration than Jesus Christ receives! When those in a church setting are submitted to their leaders without questioning anything and who are afraid to confront false authority… you know that idolatry has taken over!
Also, witchcraft is a hallmark of Jezebel’s rule in the church today. What is witchcraft? We often think of witches with pointed hats and crystal balls and while that may be the case… it’s not the case in our churches.Witchcraft in our churches manifests as rebellion. In 1 Samuel 15:23 we read: “Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the LORD, he has rejected you as king”. So rebellion and stubbornness are the same as witchcraft and idol worship. But why? Rebellion is to rebel against what God calls us to do in order to obey false authority; stubbornness is to continue to follow false authority when God calls us to repent of following Jezebel and Ahab!
The death of Jezebel
2 Kings 9:30-37 “When Jezebel, the queen mother, heard that Jehu had come to Jezreel, she painted her eyelids and fixed her hair and sat at a window. When Jehu entered the gate of the palace, she shouted at him, “Have you come in peace, you murderer? You’re just like Zimri, who murdered his master!” Jehu looked up and saw her at the window and shouted, “Who is on my side?” And two or three eunuchs looked out at him. “Throw her down!” Jehu yelled. So they threw her out the window, and her blood spattered against the wall and on the horses. And Jehu trampled her body under his horses’ hooves. Then Jehu went into the palace and ate and drank. Afterward he said, “Someone go and bury this cursed woman, for she is the daughter of a king.” But when they went out to bury her, they found only her skull, her feet, and her hands. When they returned and told Jehu, he stated, “This fulfills the message from the Lord, which he spoke through his servant Elijah from Tishbe: ‘At the plot of land in Jezreel, dogs will eat Jezebel’s body. Her remains will be scattered like dung on the plot of land in Jezreel, so that no one will be able to recognize her.’”
1- Notice the term, “queen mother”. Jezebel is the “queen mother” of all who follow her. The Lord is the Heavenly Father of His people; Jezebel is the queen mother of her people. God makes a clear distinction between His children and her children. He disowns any fatherhood of those who follow Jezebel. This is a frightening thing indeed! God wants nothing to do with Jezebel nor her children; He openly disowns them. Of course He calls on all to repent but while Jezebel and her children continue in idolatry and witchcraft, God makes it a point to let us know that these people belong to Jezebel.
2- Jezebel pretties herself up as she sees Jehu coming, representing defiance; she was saying, “Whether I live or die, I’m the queen here! I’m the royal authority!”. The Jezebel spirit will, until the very end, seek to make itself look good … even when it’s been exposed! False authority will never ever give in to true authority; this is why it absolutely must be destroyed!
3- Jezebel asks if Jehu comes in peace and then calls him a murderer… the very thing she herself is! Remember, Jezebel killed God’s prophets and God’s servants; it was Jezebel who was the cold blooded killer. The Jezebel spirit will always accuse true men and women of God of being evil; it will accuse, attack and slander you so that you lose your credibility. The reality is that Jezebel is the one who has no credibility; she’s the evil one and yet she claims you’re the evil one!
4- Jehu doesn’t defend himself against this evil accusation; instead, he bypasses Jezebel and asks anyone within earshot who is on his side. He wants to know who can hear from God and who continues to submit to the false spirit of Jezebel. You and I must be bold and ask those who have been trapped by Jezebel if they want to be free or not; if they want to come out from her false authority to walk with the Lord Jesus. Never fear Jezebel; simply bypass her false accusations and ask those in earshot who’s side are they on; the Lord’s side or Ahab and Jezebel’s?
5- Jehu then commands that Jezebel be thrown out of the window to be killed, thus permanently ending her rule and reign of terror over the People of God. By killing her, there would be no further opportunity for Jezebel to exercise false authority over anyone; her demonic influence would be over with once and for all. Today, “killing Jezebel” is certainly not by means of physical harm; it’s by means of spiritual warfare. As Jehu was commissioned by God to confront and to destroy Jezebel in Old Covenant times, we’re commissioned by God to confront and to destroy the spirit of Jezebel in New Covenant times. How is this done? By seeking God’s anointing to confront and expose this spirit that works against the People of God. Prayer, fasting and a complete and total reliance on the Holy Spirit is essential in seeing the demonic Jezebel spirit removed from leadership in our churches and ministries.
6- Once Jezebel is destroyed, Jehu goes into the palace and has dinner. This is a reminder that God prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies! (Psalm 23:5. It’s interesting to note that in order to get into the place, Jehu would have had to have gone through the guards, etc. There was zero opposition to his entering into Ahab and Jezebel’s palace. There was complete submission. When you’re called by God – truly called by God! – you won’t need to defend against Jezebel’s servants; they’re eyes will be opened by the Holy Spirit and you’ll be well received!
7- Jehu calls Jezebel a “cursed woman”. You see, there can be no blessing to a local church when Jezebel is in charge! Remember… Jezebel calls herself a prophet (Revelation 2) and is in a position where she teaches. Jezebel in a church may appear godly and anointed… but in reality, as we’ve seen in part 1 of this study, she’s immoral and walks in a false anointing. Jezebel is cursed and therefore any church or ministry accepting Jezebel comes under the same curse!
8- Notice that the People of God say ““This fulfills the message from the Lord”. When God calls on you, appoints you and anoints you to expose and confront Jezebel, she may dress up and look authoritative before her destruction but ultimately… she “will” fail! What God calls you to do – battle against the spirit of Jezebel and win! – will be fulfilled! Yes, there may be a “civil war” in your church for a season just as there was a civil war in Ahab’s time but when all is said and done, God will prevail through those with eyes to see and ears to hear. Jezebel will ultimately be defeated through prayer, fasting and reliance on the Holy Spirit.
In conclusion
Brothers and sisters, as you see here from the Scripture, Jezebel will always come to an end! God will raise up voices to expose and confront the spirit of Jezebel in leadership; God will call some of you reading this to “make war” against your master (false authority) in order to see Jezebel’s influence come to nothing. You may not be believed initially; you may be accused of many things such as rebellion against your church, it’s leaders, etc but ultimately you will see victory given to you by the Lord Most High over Ahab and Jezebel.
God loves His church; He will never allow Jezebel’s false giftings and Ahab’s false authority to rule and reign in the House of God for long before He calls prophets to prepare for spiritual battle. Can you hear the call of the Lord today against Jezebel and all of her children? Will you obey the Holy Spirit and confront this vile devil so that God’s People can go free?
You and I are called to be Jehu’s in the Body of Christ; we’re called and commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ to set captives free and this includes seeing Jezebel’s influence come to nothing; it includes seeing Ahab’s false authority removed!
When you do accept God’s call to battle against the spirit of Jezebel, you must be prepared to be misunderstood, lied about, accused, attacked and forsaken by many! The spirit of Jezebel has a hold on so many Pastors, leaders and churches and because of this, you will be a target of their malicious lies, anger, bitterness and resentment but take hope! God is with you, for you, by you, in you and around you! You cannot be taken out because the Lion of the Tribe of Judah lives in you! Fear not, little ones; Jesus Christ is Lord!
Be led of God; don’t fear nor take flight from Jezebel or Ahab… because God is with you and will deliver you! Not only that; He’ll use you to see multitudes set free from Jezebel’s hold and Jesus Christ will be glorified through your surrender to Him in battling against what He hates.
