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Overcoming Jezebel - The Church Transformation Project Flipbook PDF
Session 11 Overcoming Jezebel The Counterfeit Bride in the End Times 1. At the end of the age, two movements will captur
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Overcoming Jezebel This session covers: • • • •
The counterfeit bride in the end times The call to overcome Jezebel The demonic spirit behind Jezebel called the queen of heaven Eight ways that we overcome Jezebel
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Session 11 of Understanding the Bride of Christ CDs
The Counterfeit Bride in the End Times
1. At the end of the age, two movements will capture the attention of heaven and earth. •
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Following His return, Jesus will have a worthy bride who will sit on His throne and rule the nations with Him. In direct opposition, Satan is preparing a counterfeit bride who will partner with the Antichrist and seduce the nations into idolatry, immorality, witchcraft, and blasphemy. John described this counterfeit bride as a harlot who partners with the kings of the earth to intoxicate the nations with her immorality (Rev. 17:2).
2. In the days preceding Jesus’ return, the counterfeit bride will stand in stark contrast to the true bride. •
The counterfeit bride, described as a harlot, will be clothed in purple and scarlet whereas the true bride will be clothed in fine linen, white and clean (Rev. 17:4, 19:7-8). 139
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The true bride will be humble and meek whereas the harlot will be proud and pompous. The harlot will be rich, extravagant, and alluring. She will be adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls.
3. Through the harlot, Satan will deceive the nations and persecute the church. •
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The harlot will cause many Christians to fall away from the faith in the end times (Matt. 24:10; 2 Thess. 2:3; 1 Tim. 4:1). In fact, John saw the harlot “drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus” (Rev. 17:6). The harlot will kill many believers who resist her immorality. Her beauty will also be a delusion to the nations, for “all the nations [will be] deceived by [her] sorcery” (Rev. 18:23). Ultimately, all who are seduced by her will bow their knee to the Antichrist and worship Satan (Rev. 13:3-4).
4. The harlot refers to a future world-wide religious network that will deceive the nations and prepare them to worship the Antichrist. •
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The harlot in Revelation 17-18 refers to a future world-wide religious network of idolatry and demon worship that will seduce the nations and cause them to depart from the living God. In the Old Testament, the prophets often referred to Israel as a harlot because they worshiped idols (Ezek. 16; Hos. 4). Hosea said, “My people consult their wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand informs them; for a spirit of harlotry has led them astray, and they have played the harlot, departing from their God” (Hos. 4:12). In his commentary on Revelation, Mike Bickle writes that the harlot will manifest as a counterfeit justice movement that will unify multitudes from the largest religions on the earth. He goes on to say that this movement will offer great benefits, such as humanitarian aid, a unified religion that minimizes war and religious conflict, and a prosperous world economy.1 The harlot will probably be some type of integrated religious system that combines parts of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. This harlot religion will have great prominence and will be wellrespected by leaders in government, business, and even in the church. This movement will be attractive because it will be a religion of affirmation and toleration, it will appear to bring temporary peace, and there will be no moral absolutes. It will be a counterfeit justice movement that will feed the poor and be deeply involved in humanitarian projects while not requiring adherence to any set of moral standards. No matter how attractive it will appear, the harlot will be the very embodiment of hell on earth, as she will “become a dwelling place of de-
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mons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird” (Rev. 18:2). Ultimately, Satan will use this harlot religion to weaken the conscience of the nations and prepare the earth to worship him through the Antichrist.
5. The bride must separate from all aspects of the harlot. •
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It is certainly no coincidence that before the bride has made herself ready (Rev. 19:7), “the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you [the great harlot] any longer” (Rev. 18:23). Why? Because God will call His people to separate from her. John wrote: I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities (Rev. 18:4-5). In the original language, the verb form 2of “come out” expresses a deep urgency to separate from the harlot. It is an urgent summons to leave the enticements of her idolatry, sensuality, compromise, and worldliness. Before the bride will be fully ready for Jesus, she will have first separated from the harlot and her seductive ways.
Though this harlot system has not yet fully emerged, the spirit behind her has been around throughout history. Most notably, in the woman Jezebel. In fact, Jesus specifically called the church at Thyatira to overcome Jezebel. Let’s look at Jesus’ message to the church of Thyatira (Rev. 2:18-29) to see how this relates to becoming a worthy bride for Jesus and separating from the emerging harlot. The Church at Thyatira
1. The culture of Thyatira caused idol worship to thrive. •
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Though Thyatira was the smallest of the seven cities mentioned in Revelation 2-3, the church in this city received the longest message. Thyatira was prosperous because of the city’s famous craftsmen’s guilds, which were unions of men in similar crafts or trades who upheld certain standards and protected the members of the union. There were guilds for wool workers, linen workers, manufactures of outer garments, dyers, leather workers, tanners, potters, bakers,
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slave dealers, and bronze smiths. Pagan worship thrived in Thyatira because each trade guild had its own guardian god, and every guild member was expected to attend the guild festivals and eat the food that had been offered to their god. After the feast, the people would pay homage to the guild’s god by participating in immoral activities, including drunkenness and fornication. If someone left before this, they would experience ridicule, suffer persecution, and possibly lose prosperous business opportunities.
2. While commending the church for its faith and love, Jesus rebuked them for tolerating Jezebel. •
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In the midst of such an idolatrous and immoral culture, Jesus commended the church at Thyatira for its increase in ministry, vibrant faith, and love for Him (Rev. 2:19). The issue at Thyatira, however, was their lack of zeal for moral and doctrinal purity. Jesus rebuked them for tolerating idol worship and sexual immorality. Jesus told them, “I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols” (Rev. 2:20).
3. There was a woman in the church who acted just like the Old Testament Jezebel. •
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Jesus used the name Jezebel to identify a woman in the church who was a false teacher and prophetess. Most likely, Jezebel was not this woman’s real name. Instead, Jesus used the name Jezebel to associate her actions with the Old Testament Jezebel, the Phoenician wife of King Ahab, who led the northern kingdom of Israel into idolatry, causing them to worship Baal and Ashteroth. Jezebel also lowered the nation’s moral standard, leading to a significant increase in sexual immorality and witchcraft (1 Kings 18-2 Kings 9). Although Israel began worshiping Baal and Ashteroth during the reign of Solomon (1 Kings 11:1-7), Jezebel brought it to an entirely new level. Jezebel was so enmeshed in this cult that 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah ate regularly at her table (1 Kings 18:19). As historical evidence testifies, pagan worship usually involved overt witchcraft, astrology, prophetic oracles from demonic spirits, gross sensuality and lasciviousness, drug use, lewd dancing, erotic music, ceremonial prostitution and sexual rites, human sacrifice, the emasculation of males, and homosexuality.3 In short, Jezebel caused Israel to “play the harlot,” seduced her into gross abominations, and led her away from the one true God.
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4. The Jezebel at Thyatira led the church into compromise. •
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Like her Old Testament counterpart, the Jezebel at Thyatira seduced Jesus’ servants to “commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols” (Rev. 2:20, NKJV). Because the Jezebel at Thyatira claimed to have special revelations from God and even called herself a prophetess, the church leaders gave her authority to teach. As a result of her unbiblical teaching, many in the church believed that God’s grace gave them the freedom to indulge the flesh and participate in the guild festivals, including paying homage to false gods and committing acts of sexual immorality.
5. Jesus’ message to Thyatira—and to us—is that we must overcome Jezebel’s works, character, and influence in our sphere of authority. •
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The church at Thyatira did not hate lawlessness and evil—they tolerated it. Instead of resisting the evil influence of Jezebel, they allowed her to seduce them into immorality and idolatry. To become a worthy bride for Jesus, we must overcome Jezebel’s pride, rebellion, control, witchcraft, idolatry, sensuality, and sexual immorality. We must cleanse ourselves from all of her abominable defilements. As was promised to the church at Thyatira, those who overcome will be given authority to rule the nations with Jesus in the Millennial Kingdom (Rev. 2:26-27).
The Spirit Behind Jezebel
1. Before we discuss how to overcome Jezebel, we first need to understand that there was a demonic spirit that empowered her. •
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The Jezebel at Thyatira called herself a prophetess, and she had many followers. Most likely, people followed her because she had a supernatural gift; she could possibly tell them unknown information about themselves or perhaps even predict certain future events. Though Jezebel was gifted prophetically, she was not empowered by the Holy Spirit. Her gift was demonic. It was very similar to the slave girl in Acts 16:16-18 who had a spirit of divination and brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. The demonic spirit that empowered the Jezebel at4 Thyatira is the same spirit behind the Jezebel of the Old Testament , the great harlot of Revelation 17-18, the goddess worship in ancient Babylon, and pagan worship throughout history.
2. The demonic spirit behind Jezebel is a world ruler called the queen of heaven. •
To better understand this false queen’s identity, we need to understand what Paul taught the Ephesians about spiritual warfare. He re-
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vealed that hell has a hierarchy with different degrees of authority and power. Specifically, he identified “rulers of the darkness of this age” or “world forces of this darkness” (Eph. 6:12, NKJV, NASU). In other words, there are demonic world rulers who influence the nations. The queen of heaven is a world ruler who has influenced the world’s religions, cultures, and morality throughout history. Talking about the judgment of the great harlot, a voice from heaven said, “To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning’” (Rev. 18:7). “I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning” is a direct reference to Isaiah 47:5-9.
3. Isaiah 47 refers directly to the queen of heaven and reveals that she was the power behind the religion of ancient Babylon, which has influenced most of the world. •
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Many scholars assert that Isaiah 47 is a fulfilled prophecy of Babylon’s fall in 539 B.C. However, if you look closely at this prophecy, it is not about the fall of Babylon as an empire, but the demise of ancient Babylon’s religious influence, which has affected most of the world. And as Revelation 18:7 makes clear, this prophecy will not actually be fulfilled until the end times. Writing about Babylon’s religious heritage, John Walvoord states: Babylon was important not only politically but also religiously. Nimrod, who founded Babylon (Gen. 10:8-12), had a wife known as Semiramis who founded the secret religious rites of the Babylonian mysteries, according to accounts outside the Bible. Semiramis has a son with an alleged miraculous conception who was given the name Tammuz and in effect was a false fulfillment of the promise of the seed of the woman given to Eve (Gen. 3:15). Various religious practices were observed in connection with the false Babylonian religion, including the recognition of the mother and child as God and of creating an order of virgins who became religious prostitutes. Tammuz, according to the tradition, was killed by the wild animal and restored to life, a satanic anticipation and counterfeit of Christ’s resurrection.5 According to tradition, Semiramis was a virgin, and she was worshiped in Babylon as the queen of heaven.6 The mother-child worship that Semiramis created in Babylon was then exported to most of the world. Writing about this, Mark Hitchcock notes: The legend of Semiramis and Tammuz spread around the world. Their names were changed in different places, but the
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basic story remained the same. In Assyria, the mother was Ishtar, the son was Tammuz. In Phoenicia, the mother was Astarte and the son was Baal. In Egypt, she was Isis and her son was Osiris, or Horus. In Greece, she was Aphrodite and her son was Eros. For the Romans, the mother was Venus and the son was Cupid.7 •
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The reason why this is so important is that the harlot of Revelation 17 -18 has written on her forehead, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (Rev. 17:5). Babylon, as the first city completely dedicated to a network of false gods and Satan worship, is the mother of all harlots, and she has influenced all the nations. With that background, we can better understand Isaiah 47. Isaiah begins this prophecy by stating, “Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no longer be called tender and delicate” (Isa. 47:1). Notice that Isaiah is not talking to Babylon. He is speaking directly to the “virgin daughter of Babylon”—queen Semiramis—the idol that the Babylonians worshiped as the virgin queen of heaven. He is telling this goddess that she will no longer have a throne. Here is where it gets interesting. Paul said, “What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons” (1 Cor. 10:19-20). In essence, Paul is telling us that behind every idol is a demon. And when people worship idols, they are really worshiping demons. Returning to Isaiah 47, we see that the demon behind Semiramis is the queen of heaven (Jer. 7:18, 44:17-25). This is not a lower-level demon, but a world ruler that has influenced most of the earth and will gain her greatest degree of power in the end times. God says to this demonic world ruler behind Semiramis, “Sit silently, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans, for you will no longer be called the queen of kingdoms” (Isa. 47:5).
4. The queen of heaven is the demonic spirit behind much of the defilement in the earth. •
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The queen of heaven is the demonic spirit behind false religion, idolatry, sexual immorality, witchcraft, control, and compromise. It is the spirit behind sensuality and sexual perversion. It is the source of witchcraft and the occult. The queen of heaven seeks to emasculate men and is the driving force behind homosexuality. This spirit is also behind the feminist movement, abortion rights groups, and the New Age movement.
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It is the power behind astrology and much of the music and entertainment industries. The queen of heaven is also violently opposed to godly families, especially to male leadership in the home. In addition, this world ruler is behind drunkenness, drug abuse, sensuous dancing, sexual immorality, and perversion. And as we have already seen, the queen of heaven is the world ruler behind false religion.
5. The queen of heaven has power to the degree that she remains hidden. •
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Isaiah said that this queen feels “secure in [her] wickedness” because, in her own words, “No one sees me” (Isa. 47:10). As long as the truth about her is covered, as long as she is shrouded by darkness, she “dwells securely” and boasts in her heart, “I will be a queen forever....I am, and there is no on besides me. I will not sit as a widow, nor know loss of children” (Isa. 47:7-8). Yet God promises that her “nakedness will be uncovered” and her “shame also will be exposed” (Isa. 47:3). As God unveils the queen of heaven, those under her influence will be liberated. In the words of God, she will know “loss of children...in full measure” (Isa. 47:9).
6. The queen of heaven wants to stop the bride of Christ from maturing. •
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The background we have just discussed is crucially important because it highlights the war going on in the spirit realm regarding the bride of Christ. The queen of heaven wants to “be a queen forever” (Isa. 47:7), and she does not want to give up her authority to the bride of Christ—the true queen of heaven. So she is fighting against the bride of Christ with all of her might. She wants to defile the bride through idolatry, sexual immorality, and witchcraft so that she can maintain her position of authority and world -wide influence. It is interesting that the bride of Christ does not make herself fully ready until God destroys the harlot Babylon (Rev. 17-18, 19:7).
If we want to become a worthy bride for Jesus and become the true queen of heaven, we must overcome the false queen. Like Jesus said, we must overcome Jezebel.
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As we examine Jezebel in the Old and New Testament and the queen of heaven in Isaiah 47, there are eight areas that we must overcome if we want to be a worthy bride and rule the nations with Jesus. Eight Areas That We Must Overcome
Overcoming Jezebel means that we must repent of the character and the works of the Old and New Testament Jezebel, and we must be liberated from the influence of the spirit behind Jezebel—the queen of heaven. 1. We must overcome compromising religious beliefs. •
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Just as 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah ate at Jezebel’s table and caused Israel to “play the harlot,” false religious beliefs are leading many of God’s people into compromise. Because of religious wars, a disdain for religious bigotry, and the desire not to discriminate on the basis of religion, there is mounting pressure to unite the world’s religions and create “unity.” Government leaders wrongly tell us that all religions worship the same god; they just call him by different names. Churches are mixing Christianity with Islam. We see both church and government leaders reaching out with peace initiatives toward leaders of false religions. Even within the Protestant Church, the foundational doctrines of the Christian faith are being weakened in order to reach seekers, appear more relevant to the world, and appeal to those who reject Christianity. These movements are using good things like justice, mercy, unity, and compassion inappropriately to appear less rigid and more tolerant of those from different religious backgrounds. These subtle compromises are setting the stage for the great harlot to emerge in the end times. A worldwide religious system of toleration and acceptance is beginning to emerge that will ultimately unite multitudes from the largest religions of the earth, facilitate economic prosperity, and foster world peace—at the expense of honoring the true God. By the time the Antichrist comes to power, those who refuse to compromise their religious beliefs will stand out from the one-world religion. This includes Christians who hold fast to the Word of God. Just imagine how the media will portray Christians who resist this oneworld religion. We will be viewed as old-fashioned, narrow-minded,
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intolerant bigots. In fact, Revelation says that many believers will be killed because they refuse to compromise their beliefs (Rev. 17:6). In this context, the Lord says to come out of the harlot—this worldwide religious movement—in order not to receive of her plagues (Rev. 18:4). The overcoming bride must separate from religious compromise—one of Jezebel’s long-time webs of deceit—by holding fast to the Word and to the truth that Jesus is the only way to the Father (John 14:6). We separate by moving beyond religious rituals to a faith-walk with Jesus that is real and deep. In addition, we must cling to our doctrinal beliefs and refuse all forms of compromise that would make us more accepted by the world.
2. We must overcome sexual sin. • •
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Isaiah called the queen of heaven a “sensual8 one” (Isa. 47:8). In Hebrew, this word means “voluptuous,” or “full of, producing, or characterized by sensual delights and pleasures; sensual; arising from sensual gratification.”9 The queen of heaven is the demonic spirit behind sensuality, fornication, sexual perversion, pornography, and homosexuality. Jesus said that the Jezebel at Thyatira led His servants into “acts of immorality” (Rev. 2:20). Enmeshed in the trade guilds at Thyatira was the worship of false gods, sexual perversion, ceremonial prostitution, substance abuse, lewd dancing, and erotic music. We live in a culture where sexual immorality is the accepted norm and abortion is a form of birth control. We live in a day when Internet pornography is at an all-time high. The very definition of marriage is being threatened by gay activists who are pushing to legalize homosexual marriage. Those who believe that homosexuality is a sin are now viewed as narrow-minded and bigoted. Our culture of sensuality, immorality, and perversion has influenced the clothes we wear, the magazines we read, the television shows we watch, and the movies we pay money to see. Regularly, we hear of a Christian leader lured by Jezebel’s seductions into an affair or a homosexual relationship. Often, there is very little difference between believers and unbelievers. If we want to be a worthy bride for Jesus, we must overcome every sexual sin. We must aggressively pursue God’s grace and allow the Holy Spirit to remove all sexual immorality, sensuality, moral impurity, and perversion from our lives. We must strive to be cleansed in body, soul, and spirit from Jezebel’s work of sexual immorality and perversion. Jesus’ bride will be pure, spotless, and blameless.
3. We must overcome pride. •
The Old Testament Jezebel was arrogant and proud, the New Testament Jezebel called “herself a prophetess” (Rev. 2:20), and the queen
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of heaven says in her heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me” (Isa. 47:10). Those who are influenced by this spirit often think that they are the most important or the most spiritual. They feel as though God made a mistake by not making them the pastor. Their spiritual pride leads them to criticize, judge, or gossip about those in authority. In some cases, their burning desire to be in charge motivates them to manipulate or control. Jezebel is focused totally on herself, whereas the worthy bride is called to a Sermon-on-the-Mount lifestyle of surrender and humility. To become a worthy bride, we must resist pride and learn to walk in humility. We must repent of Jezebel’s arrogance by choosing to be submitted to authority and Christ-exalting.
4. We must overcome rebellion and independence. •
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The name Jezebel literally means “non-cohabited or unhusbanded.”10 Essentially, Jezebel means “one who is without co-habitation.” Recall that the queen of heaven boasts in her heart, “There is no one besides me” (Isa. 47:8). Those influenced by Jezebel are usually independent or rebellious. They often have a difficult time submitting to the vision of a local church, preferring to pursue their own vision. Everyone should pursue their God-given vision. However, many people’s personal vision would better be fulfilled as they served the vision of a local church. God places more value on what we do corporately than on what we achieve individually. If those with an independent spirit would choose to fulfill their ministry calling by serving the vision of a local church, God would exalt them and give them a ministry of much greater influence. Often, those influenced by Jezebel refuse to cooperate with the pastor and church leadership. They even have a hard time becoming a committed member of the church. Instead, they float about from one fellowship to another as “church hoppers.” They are like spiritual groupies who follow the prophet of the month around town. Some “church hoppers” under the influence of Jezebel claim that they are called to the “church of the city,” rather than to a particular congregation. As a result, they are not planted in the house of God, they live with no accountability to spiritual leadership, and they never mature as a believer. This is a widespread and serious issue facing the end-time church. We live in a generation when God is raising up everyone in the body of Christ to minister. The day of the pastor or prophet doing all the ministry is over. However, this only happens as people are submitted to the corporate vision and to the God-ordained leadership of the church. To make ourselves ready as a worthy bride, we must repent of rebellion and independence, get connected to a local church, and serve the corporate vision with an attitude of meekness and humility.
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5. We must overcome control and manipulation. • •
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Jezebel also wants to dominate, control, and manipulate. People influenced by this sprit will attempt to dominate their children, control their spouses, intimidate pastors, and even control entire churches. This spirit desires to control others beyond their God-given authority. Jezebel definitely lives up to her name. She will not co-habit with anyone unless she can dominate the relationship. A person influenced by Jezebel will put on a facade of submission in order to gain some advantage or to seize greater control. Usually, this is very subtle. They will often use flattery, sweetness, encouragement, or even prophetic words to manipulate people’s emotions and control a situation. This spirit influences parents when they discipline their children. They quickly move from proper discipline to control and domination. More often than not, people who control, manipulate, and dominate their children eventually lose their relationship with them. Marriages are not exempt, either. Wives who attempt to control their husbands or husbands who attempt to dominate their wives usually end up with a troubled marriage. They are robbed of experiencing an intimate friendship or satisfying relationship. Controlling wives tend to produce passive husbands who are indifferent toward God. They may be very successful businessmen, but they do very little in the kingdom of God. Controlling husbands, on the other hand, produce intimidated and insecure wives who walk on eggshells. They are in bondage to their husband’s fears, finances, and schedule, as if they live in prison. To become a worthy bride for Jesus, we must repent and overcome all forms of control and manipulation.
6. We must overcome dead religion and super spirituality. •
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Both Jezebels were very religious. As we mentioned, the Old Testament Jezebel invited over 800 demonically-empowered prophets to dine regularly at her table. The New Testament Jezebel at Thyatira had a demonic gift of prophecy and taught regularly in the church. Jezebel appears very religious, usually in one of two ways. First, some who are influenced by this spirit are very ritualistic. They perform all of the religious exercises. They attend church twice on Sunday and are there when the doors open every Wednesday. They light candles, burn incense, and say impressive-sounding prayers. But often their religious experience is superficial. They are more connected to the rituals and ceremonies than they are to Jesus. This is not an attack on mainline denominations who value these practices as a part of heart-felt worship. Rather, it is an admonition for us all—regardless of denomination—to be aware of superficially going through the motions of a ritual or tradition while remaining distant from God in our hearts. Jezebel wants to make sure that we remain an immature child with a
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form of godliness that lacks any real power or authority. Jezebel also tries to appear super spiritual. Individuals under this influence are always eager to boast about their latest word from the Lord, prophetic dream, or vision, without regard for what anyone else has to say. They display their spirituality with manifestations that do not seem motivated by the Holy Spirit. They act spiritual and can be excessively demonstrative and loud, sometimes disrupting the entire service. Jezebel manifests in a variety of religious ways, but the primary purpose is to appear spiritual. In contrast, the Lord’s bride will be real—not religious or super spiritual.
7. We must overcome intimidation. •
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Jezebel wants to keep the bride of Christ from maturing. One way that she does this is through fear and intimidation. Isaiah said that the queen of heaven tries to cause trembling or terror (Isa. 47:12). The Old Testament Jezebel caused the mighty prophet Elijah to cower in fear and lose his ultimate calling (1 Kings 19:1-4). Even though Elijah called fire down from heaven and destroyed the prophets of Baal, Jezebel’s intimidating threats motivated Elijah to run in fear to Beersheba and say, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers” (1 Kings 19:4). Because of Jezebel’s fear, discouragement, and intimidation, Elijah fell short of his calling and had to pass on his mantle to Elisha. The queen of heaven boasts, “I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning” (Rev. 18:7). This spirit wants to be a queen forever, and she uses fear and intimidation to keep the bride of Christ from maturing (Isa. 47:7). To become a worthy bride for Jesus, we must overcome Jezebel’s intimidation, fear, and discouragement.
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Jezebel is also the power behind witchcraft. Talking about the queen of heaven, Isaiah stated: Stand fast now in your spells and in your many sorceries with which you have labored from your youth; perhaps you will be able to profit, perhaps you may cause trembling. You are wearied with your many counsels; let now the astrologers, those who prophesy by the stars, those who predict by the new moons, stand up and save you from what will come upon you (Isa. 47:12-13). The queen of heaven is the spirit behind overt witchcraft practiced in the remote villages of Africa, South and Central America, and even among some groups in the United States.
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It is the force behind sorcery, astrology, the Ouija Board, séances, and the occult. It is the driving power behind Freemasonry, fortune tellers, palm readers, and tarot cards. To overcome Jezebel, we must repent of our involvement in all forms of witchcraft and separate from them. The church can no longer play around with these deep things of Satan. We must no longer look to our horoscopes to see how our days might go. We must not participate in Freemasonry or any other secret society. Nor should we watch movies like Harry Potter or read books that promote witchcraft. To become a worthy bride for Jesus, we must resist all forms of witchcraft.
Make it a high priority to overcome Jezebel’s influence in your sphere of authority, including your heart, home, church, business, city, and nation. Don’t give Jezebel an inch. Hate her works of witchcraft, sensuality, and idolatry. Separate from her influence and overcome her character so that you can be made ready as a worthy bride for Jesus. Do not “tolerate the woman Jezebel” any longer (Rev. 2:19).
Notes 1. Mike Bickle, Book of Revelation Study Guide (Kansas City, Missouri: Forerunner Books, 2009), pp. 68. 2. Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22, An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1995), pp. 320. 3. Stephen Benko, The Virgin Goddess (Leiden, The Netherland: E. J. Brill, 1993), pp. 76-78 and Jonas Clark, Jezebel, Seducing Goddess of War (Hallandale, Florida: Spirit of Life Ministries, 1998), pp. 65. 4. Paul said that when people worship idols, they become “sharers in demons” (1 Cor. 10:20). That is, they come under the influence of the demon that they worship. They become demonized. This is how we know that the Old Testament Jezebel was controlled by the queen of heaven, which was the demon behind Ashteroth—the goddess that Jezebel worshiped and made one of the preeminent gods in Israel. 5. John F. Walvoord, “Revelation” in Bible Knowledge Commentary, ed. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (Wheaton, Ill: Victor Books, 1993), 2:970-71. 6. Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons (Ontario, Canada: Chick Publications), pp. 141 and http://ldolphin.org/semir.html, referenced on July 3, 2009. 7. Mark Hitchcock, The Second Coming of Babylon (Sisters, Oregon: Multnomah Publishers, 2003), pp. 42.
Overcoming Jezebel 153
8. The Online Bible Thayer’s Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (Ontario, Canada: Woodside Bible Fellowship and the Institute for Creation Research, 1993), s.v. “`adiyn,” referenced from PC Study Bible v3.2 (Seattle, WA: Biblesoft, 2001). 9. Webster’s New World Dictionary & Thesaurus, s.v. “voluptuous.” 10. The New Unger's Bible Dictionary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1988) s.v. “Jezebel,” referenced from PC Study Bible v3.2 (Seattle, WA: Biblesoft, 2001).
Overcoming Jezebel 155 Review Questions
True or False 1. The harlot of Revelation 17 and 18, while an interesting concept to study, has no real significance to the end-time church. 2. The harlot refers to a future world-wide religious network that will deceive the nations and prepare them to worship the Antichrist. 3. Before the bride will be fully ready for Jesus, she will have first separated from the harlot and her seductive ways. 4. Jesus’ message to Thyatira was that it had overcome Jezebel’s works, character, and influence. 5. The spirit behind Jezebel is the queen of heaven. 6. Isaiah 49 refers directly to the queen of heaven and reveals that she was the power behind the religion of ancient Babylon. 7. The queen of heaven is the demonic spirit behind false religion, idolatry, sexual immorality, witchcraft, control, and compromise. 8. Although they have similar traits, the harlot and the queen of heaven are not closely connected. 9. Jezebel leads believers into rebellion and independence. 10. Those who overcome Jezebel must separate from compromising religious beliefs. Fill in the blanks 11. The queen of heaven wants to stop the bride of Christ from ______________. 12. The queen of heaven has power to the degree that she remains _____________. 13. The demonic spirit behind Jezebel is a world ruler called the __________ ___ __________________. 14. Isaiah chapter ________ refers directly to the queen of heaven and reveals that she was the power behind the religion of ancient Babylon, which has influenced most of the world.
156 Understanding the Bride of Christ
15. The queen of heaven is the demonic spirit behind much of the _____________ in the earth. Match the phrase on the left with the appropriate way that we must overcome Jezebel from the right. 16. Stand fast in your spells 17. Dominate children and spouse 18. Manifestations not motivated by the Holy Spirit 19. Sensuality, moral impurity, and perversion 20. Causes trembling
Possible Matches for 16-20 a. b. c. d. e.
We must overcome compromising religious beliefs. We must overcome sexual sin. We must overcome pride. We must overcome rebellion and independence. We must overcome control and manipulation. f. We must overcome dead religion and super spirituality. g. We must overcome intimidation. h. We must overcome witchcraft.