Removing Jezebel

Please take time to complete the questions for each part of this class. This will help ensure you have fully understood the material. If you miss a question, look over the written material again to find the answer.

There is a particular type of spirit that is rampant in the world today. The Lord pointed this spirit out to John in the prophecy known as the Book of Revelation, which was sent to seven churches. Seven is God’s number of completion and perfection in the physical realm. God chose specific churches that had unique characteristics to be an example for all future churches. One of them struggled with the influence of Jezebel.

And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things said the Son of God, who has His eyes like to a flame of fire, and His feet are like fine brass… (Revelation 2:18 AKJV)

How God addresses each church highlights what they need to remember. For this church, their need is to honor Jesus as the Son of God. I have seen His eyes with literal flames in them only once or twice, and it is a frightening sight. Fire represents strong correction fuelled by God’s anger, and eyes are what we see with. It means He is angry and bringing correction based on what He is seeing.

His feet are like “fine brass.” Moses placed a brass serpent on a pole for people to look upon after they had sinned, so that they would not die from the bite of a poisonous serpent. Christians need to examine their walk and repent if they are not living by God’s ways. Let’s continue looking at this church to see what role Jezebel plays in the call to turn away from sin:

“‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works…” (Revelation 2:18-22 ESV)

This church has increasing good works, charity, service, faith, and patience; they are doing a lot of good stuff! What could be angering the Lord so much? There is someone called Jezebel whom they are listening to… Is this an actual woman named Jezebel?

The Jezebel Spirit

Hundreds of years before this, there was a queen of Israel named Jezebel who operated in this spirit, so we know that this isn’t a real person, but the spirit behind the actions of this person. This is a common way to refer to a person, as seen in prophecies about Jesus:

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. (Malachi 4:5-6 AKJV)

This prophecy speaks about the witness who would prepare the way for the coming of Jesus. It says Elijah the prophet will come before the Messiah. However, it wasn’t actually Elijah who came before Jesus, it was John the Baptist. The Father of John the Baptist was struck mute before he was born because he disrespected an angel. Once released, he spoke this prophecy about his son, who we know as John the Baptist.

…and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared. (Luke 1:17 ESV)

John the Baptist operated in the mantle of Elijah and fulfilled the prophecy. Jesus confirmed that John fulfilled that prophecy:

And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. (Matthew 11:14 ESV)

The prophecy about Elijah the prophet was fulfilled because John operated in the same spiritual power as Elijah. It is the same type of prophecy here. It isn’t Jezebel whom the Thyatira church is submitting to, it is someone empowered by the spirit in which Queen Jezebel operated.

Consequences of Jezebel

But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works… (Revelation 2:20-22 ESV)

Tolerating a Jezebel spirit has big consequences. It brings sickness and “great tribulation” as a result of the influence of the Jezebel spirit. To fully understand this passage, there are a few key words we need to explore:

• Tribulation: The Greek word thlipsis means oppression, affliction, tribulation, distress, dire straits.

• Commit adultery with her: The Greek word moicheuō is a Hebrew idiom used of those who are drawn away (in agreement with) idolatry

  • An Idiom is an expression that cannot be derived from the words used

This spirit has some big consequences for mankind! We don’t want to agree with it in any way, including declaring that Jezebel is working through a person: that is coming into agreement with the enemy spirit’s power. Instead, we should look at our lives to make sure we are free of all the influences of this spirit. If we see someone operating with it, we can say, “I think the Lord is freeing that person from Jezebel.”

One of the ways to spot this spirit is by its effects in our lives:

1. Leaders will be afflicted with sickness

2. Those in agreement with Jezebel will have extreme pain and suffering of all kinds: emotional, financial, and health issues.

Jezebel will empower a person for a season, but eventually, they will be attacked with sickness. Agreeing with Jezebel is NOT good. No prayer can free you from this spirit. You have to turn from sins in agreement with this spirit to be free from the effects mentioned here. If you are suffering and under an attack, and no amount of prayer has helped, it may be related to Jezebel.

The main strategy of this spirit is to lead people into “sexual immorality” and “eating foods sacrificed to idols.” These are metaphors that we need to understand so we can steer clear of them.

Sexual Immorality

Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works…” (Revelation 2:22 ESV)

According to Thayer's Greek Lexicon, the Greek word porneia is translated “sexual immorality” but “following a form of speech common in the Old Testament, which represents the close relationship existing between Jehovah,” metaphorically, a marriage. It is also used to represent idolatry four times in the book of Revelation alone! Is the worship of idols the only form of idolatry?

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim (household good luck images)... (1 Samuel 15:23 AMPC)

Continuing in a direction we think is right, focusing stubbornly on what we want, is making an idol out of our desires. Often, what we are stubbornly persistent in is sin. There are many ways that a Jezebel spirit will use stubbornness to push us into sin, which we will discuss next, but for now, let’s add stubbornness as the first and primary indication that Jezebel is active in your life. We will refer to this as a “trait of Jezebel.”

3. Stubbornness

Eating Food Sacrificed to Idols

The Bible will never contradict itself. If it seems to, we need to look at the context of what is said and understand the time in which it was said and the metaphors that may be connected to it. Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 8 that we know that idols have no power, so what is sacrificed to them will not harm us if we eat it. The statement about being condemned by eating food sacrificed to idols must have a metaphorical meaning.

The actual word means to consume what was left over from sacrifices or worship of other gods. We are to be “holy as God is holy.” The word holy means set apart. There are many things in this world today that are left over from worshipping other gods. I will not list them all here, but let the Holy Spirit bring them to you as you go through the free classes at the Online Christian Church or the Living Word. (Check out the class “Holidays and Christianity” in the Narrow Path Course)

We will talk more about this at the end of this message. For now, we need to know more about Jezebel to make sure we stay away from her. One of the principalities, the top tier of powerful spirits, is known as Jezebel. She is called the Queen of Heaven or Satan’s bride. When we say the Lord is freeing someone from a Jezebel spirit, we are talking about the type or class of spirits operating under this principality. To get free of the effects of agreeing with this spirit, we need to learn about the infamous Jezebel.

Historic Jezebel

And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him. And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. (1 Kings 16:30-31 ESV)

Baal’s official title was Lord of the Earth or Prince of the Earth, which is also Satan’s title. The name Ethbaal means “with Baal.” The name “Jezebel” means married to Baal. In 1 Kings, Ahab married Jezebel and, through her influence, led the entire country of Israel into sin and the worship of Baal, which involved various rituals, including sacrifices, sex, and feasts. What is the sin leading up to sex? Lust. Operating in lust and even seduction is a trait of Jezebel.

4. Sex outside of marriage, including lust and seduction

What else do we know about Jezebel?

Has it not been told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid a hundred men of the LORD'S prophets by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water? (1 Kings 18:13 ESV)

Isaiah prophesied a drought in Israel. As this came to pass, Jezebel tried to kill all of God’s prophets in retaliation. She tried repeatedly to kill Elijah. This spirit hates true prophets of God and rebels against any authority placed over her, even God! When challenged, someone operating in a Jezebel spirit is vengeful. This is the opposite of what Jesus tells us to do:

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. (Romans 12:17-19 ESV)

We should not strike back when we feel attacked. That is not what our Lord expects of us. God will take vengeance for us if we turn it over to Him. Anger and rage are both part of what drives vengeance. What did Jesus say about anger?

You have heard that it was said to the men of old, “You shall not kill, and whoever kills shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the court.”

But I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with his brother or harbors malice (enmity of heart) against him shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the court… (Matthew 5:21-22 AMPC)

If we hold anger in our heart towards someone, we are guilty, just as if we had struck out at them. This is not how we are supposed to be! When you see Christians ruthlessly attacking others, you know this spirit may be the root cause. Jesus told us how we are to act, even towards our enemies:

But I say to you who are listening now to Me: [in order to heed, make it a practice to] love your enemies, treat well (do good to, act nobly toward) those who detest you and pursue you with hatred, Invoke blessings upon and pray for the happiness of those who curse you, implore God’s blessing (favor) upon those who abuse you [who revile, reproach, disparage, and high-handedly misuse you]. (Luke 6:27-28 AMPC)

If we are supposed to love our enemies, how can we treat our Christian brothers and sisters badly?

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loves is born of God, and knows God. He that loves not knows not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. (1 John 4:7-11 AKJV)

Scripture is clear: we must operate in love and forgive one another. This is the opposite of being vengeful. A few clear traits of a Jezebel influence are:

5. Rebellion against authority

6. Vengeful: holding onto grudges, unforgiveness

7. Rage or Anger - holding onto it

More traits of Jezebel can be seen when we examine the position she held and what her followers did. Jezebel was not only a queen but a high-priestess of Baal. Here’s how they acted when Elijah confronted them on the mountain top:

And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made… And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention. (1 Kings 18:26, 28-29 ESV)

Those operating with the Jezebel spirit will rave, this is being loud and often with great emotion, drawing attention to themselves. This is a lack of self-control, which is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Desiring attention may lead those under the influence of this spirit into a position on a worship team.

Cutting and piercing yourself is a type of torture, which is a type of condemnation or harsh judgment. When someone is operating in this spirit, they will often appear spiritual: They are just operating with the wrong spirit. They may operate in counterfeit gifts of the spirit that condemn instead of correcting a person. Just as with the prophets of Baal, there will be a lack of results from their prayers. More traits of this spirit are:

8. Condemnation instead of correction

9. Judgmental instead of giving grace

10. No self-control, seeking attention

What else did Jezebel do? When Jezebel’s husband, King Ahab, wanted a buy a piece of land, the owner refused to sell it. Jezebel was having none of that!

Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you not govern Israel? Arise, eat food, and let your heart be happy. I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city. And she wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. And set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.” (1 Kings 21:7-10 ESV Strong’s)

We have already discussed harboring anger, which is like murder, so we can skip over that trait, but still, there are quite a few things we can learn from this! “Do you not govern Israel?” is stating that you are king, so you deserve whatever you want. This is entitlement and pride. A person dominated by this spirit will feel like they are not getting what they deserve; they can “do whatever it takes” to get it. Pride is always involved with entitlement.

Jezebel took control of the situation and appropriated the authority of the king by having people bear false witness: that is, lying. The queen arranged to get Naboth in front of a crowd by placing him in a seat of honor. Then she had others bring false accusations against him. This is a high level of manipulation. Let’s add those traits to the list:

11. Pride and Entitlement: Doing whatever it takes to get what you want

12. Manipulating and/or controlling others

13. Lying

Jezebel finally came to an end, and boy, what a show it was!

When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. And she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window. (2 Kings 9:30 ESV Strong’s)

When Jehu came to kill Jezebel, she put on makeup and jewels. Her life was on the line, and she was concerned with how she looked. The items on her head were most likely connected to her power as a priestess of Baal and queen of Israel.

This is the same spirit that was exemplified by Herodias, the wife of King Herod, as well as her daughter Salome, who danced around the King to seduce him, and then asked him for the head of John the Baptist. Seductiveness and vanity are trademarks of this spirit. Vanity isn’t about the level of beauty one possesses, but about being overly concerned about your looks. That is the last trait for Jezebel.

14. Vanity, being overly concerned with looks

15. Desiring position and power

These are the basic traits of Jezebel that will allow this spirit to operate in your life. If you have ever been guilty of these items, then take some time to confess, repent, and plead the blood over those sins. If your ancestors also did this, renounce their sin and ask for the blood to blot them out and the Lord to break the curse.

Some of these traits of Jezebel may be hard to spot. Often, we think of them as part of who we are, or we don’t even see them. If you are suffering and prayer hasn’t helped, cry out to the Lord for help. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you if you are operating in these traits in any way. Then, over the next few weeks, if that small quiet voice that sounds like your own says, “was that manipulative?” or “did you tell the truth and trust God to open the door or did you exaggerate (which is a type of lie)?” quickly confess, repent and plead the blood over every time you committed that sin. This is a way to clean out an open door Jezebel may have in your life. It is a Jezebel cleanse!

We received a testimony from one of our Church members concerning Jezebel:

I have suffered from asthma all of my life. My first attack was when I was 5 days old and continued throughout my life. Asthma is one of those things that runs through my family (think generational curse).

This year, I have been carefully examining generational curses and the Jezebel spirit, taking a deep dive into these areas as the Holy Spirit has led me. I discovered that I was harboring a lot of unforgiveness and hidden things that I was not aware of. I repented of my Jezebel traits and for allowing the traits from others around me to influence my life. I had become an Ahab without knowing it.

God is so good and merciful. I had not prayed about the asthma in a long time, but I had always felt he would heal me when the time was right. Earlier this year, I knew I was finally healed. I live in Colorado, and 5 miles away from my home was the biggest wildfire that this state has ever known. For months, the entire area was covered in ash. People who do not have asthma were struggling to breathe.

The other day, someone asked me why I was not having any issues other than a little eye redness and occasionally some hay fever. They couldn’t figure out why I had not had problems when they had struggled to breathe. This person also knew that I had lived in another area that had smoke for months and struggled at that time. I was able to witness that I had been healed.

I have seen healing in my health, finances, and so many other areas. My journey was not an easy one, and there has been a lot of difficult soul searching and rooting out very deep issues. I had been on a bed of sickness and attacks that would end for a little while would then return. If this has been your experience, you might be healed or have finances restored for a time, but then you find you are struggling again, you could be experiencing the impact of the Jezebel spirit.

Gail J.

Gail’s breakthrough came with a very patient application of what she had learned. There was no prayer, no spiritual warfare, only persistence in applying what she had learned. The only way to be free of this spirit is to listen to the Holy Spirit and remove what God doesn’t want in your life.

Jezebel the Prophetess

We began in the Thyatira church, who was listening to a prophetess. The Lord revealed that this is the same type of description that was used concerning John the Baptist and Elijah: it was about a spiritual empowerment of a person. There are different levels of this spirit; some low-level Jezebelic spirits that may be active in many or most churches, just as there were many prophets, but only one with the power of Elijah.

We have examined the traits of the spirit so that we can come out of agreement with it and remove the afflictions associated with it. However, there will be one person who will have the entire mantle of Jezebel. That is the false prophet spoken of in Revelation. That is an entire message by itself and can be found at the Living Word in the class about the trio of evil coming to power in the world.