For years, I would hear many leaders and believers in the current prophetic movement talk about the spirit of Jezebel. I read much of what was written by prophetic leaders. But I rarely spoke about what those prophetic leaders wrote. Even though I read their books and heard their teachings on Jezebel, those teachings were not relevant to me.
Do I believe there is a spirit of Jezebel? Yes. Do I believe the spirit of Jezebel has infiltrated the prophetic movement? Yes. Do I believe prophets and prophetic leaders need to know what the spirit of Jezebel is? Yes. Do we need to know how to deal with the spirit of Jezebel operating in our midst? Yes. But the spirit of Jezebel is not in the way many prophetic leaders have taught it is.
What is the spirit of Jezebel? To understand what the spirit of Jezebel is, we must begin to unravel that mystery in Scripture. Scripture is the foundation for our understanding of what the spirit of Jezebel is and how the spirit of Jezebel operates. To discern that spirit's influence, we must recognize how that spirit operates today. We can do that by recognizing what the Bible says about the Jezebel in the Old and New Testaments.
Jezebel is referenced in the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, Jezebel was married to a wicked king, Ahab. Ahab and Jezebel ruled Israel, were wicked and turned the hearts of the Israelites towards Baal and Ashteroth, pagan gods. In the New Testament, Jezebel is a woman, possibly named after Jezebel, who called herself a prophetess and taught the believers at the church in Thyatira "to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols." Rev. 2:20.
The name Jezebel can mean, "Where is the Prince?" That question was used as part of the ceremonial ritual by Baal worshippers. But Jezebel can also mean unexalted one or not exalted. Jezebel's name is likely used to describe Baal, the unexalted one. Or, as we might say today, the one from below. If we used that name today, most people would know that we were talking about Satan.
In the Old Testament, Jezebel was surrounded by prophets. Jezebel enslaved prophets by preparing a table before them - Jezebel's table. Prophets under Jezebel at Jezebel's table were transformed into false prophets who prophesied for Baal. Not all prophets fell under her spell. True prophets of the Lord hid from Jezebel. Even the great prophet Elijah ran from Jezebel due to her wrath.
In the New Testament, Jezebel called herself a prophetess. Like the Jezebel in the Old Testament, she seduced believers: "to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols." Notice, Jezebel's table is prominent in Jezebel's attraction to prophets and believers. We must be on guard as both prophets and believers.
The attraction to sin is the temptation that Satan uses to defeat believers and prophets alike. We must learn to overcome our temptation to sit at Jezebel's table. We must recognize our provision comes from the Lord. That was Elijah's difference. In the middle of famine and drought, Elijah received was able to receive his provision from God.
In my own life, I have had to learn to believe God for my own provision. Often, to survive, I needed a miracle. I had to learn to rely on the unchanging faithful hand of God for my provision. In doing that, I became aware of God's desire to meet my needs. I learned that God is my source. I stopped depending on people and started relying on God.
Much of the prophetic movement has never learned that lesson of faith. To many, provision has come easy. Offerings have been plentiful. For me, I had to learn to receive daily from God's hand. I recognize God's hand in my life. I believe I receive. I have had to. I know what it's like to have nothing, receive plenty, have that taken (really stolen), get back up after having nothing again to build something. That requires real faith in a real God - one who answers by fire.
In learning to have faith in the God who provides, I learned to hear the voice of God. I had to. If I hadn't, I wouldn't be here today. It did work. I did hear. I am here. I survived, then thrived. I learned to discern the difference between God's voice, my voice, and Satan's voice. Now, after years of learning and discerning, I have come to recognize the differences.
Much of the prophetic movement has never been tried or tested in that way. That is the reason why there is such a lack of discernment and wisdom in the prophetic movement. We must learn to hear His voice. Training and activation will only take us so far. We need more. We need experience walking in the living voice of God.
That is how the spirit of Jezebel has gained access to the prophetic movement and church today. We lack prophetic integrity. We must recover integrity in hearing God's voice. We don't need "coin flip" prophecies. No. We need to hear God's voice. To hear God's voice, we must learn to discern between the many voices to hear the voice of one.
John the Baptist learned to hear the voice of one in the wilderness. He said, "I am the voice of one..." Jn. 1:23, NIV. That one voice is the essential element in speaking true prophecies. Israel's prophets lost sight of that. Jeremiah and Ezekiel spoke to the lack of that one voice in the prophetic words that were being spoken during their day.
The Lord, speaking through Jeremiah, said, "These prophets are telling lies in my name. I did not send them or tell them to speak. I did not give them any messages. They prophesy of visions and revelations they have never seen or heard. They speak foolishness made up in their own lying hearts." Jer. 14:14, NLT. The Lord, speaking through Ezekiel, said, "Son of man, prophesy against the false prophets of Israel who are inventing their own prophecies."
Why did they invent their own prophecies? For profit. Why are prophets making stuff up today? For profit. When this happens amongst prophets, and profits become more important than the voice of one, then error seeps in amongst prophets. As prophets, we must recognize the temptation to sit at Jezebel's table and be one of the choruses of voices prophesying smooth things to God's people. But we mustn't give in to that temptation. God is our source.
If we succumb to the spirit of Jezebel, then provision is exalted and prophecy diminished. We become the source of the prophecy rather than recognizing God as our source in prophecy. Prophetic words must originate from heaven to be real. If not, they are false, even if scriptural and in rebellion towards God. That issue of rebellion is at the heart of every false prophet.
False prophets don't just speak inaccurate words. No, they teach rebellion to the voice of one. That is what drives the spirit of Jezebel: to cause God's people's hearts to turn in rebellion against God and the voice of God. If prophets succumb to the spirit of Jezebel, then prophets begin to teach rebellion to the voice of God rather than submission to the voice of God. It is a serious issue in God's sight.
In Jeremiah 23:9, God says, "My heart is broken because of the false prophets". God's heart broke because of the false prophecies being spoken in Jeremiah's and Ezekiel's day. The prophet, Hananiah, stands as an example to prophets of a prophet who taught God's people rebellion. In Jeremiah 28:16, God speaks to the prophet Hananiah through the prophet Jeremiah, "Behold, I will cast you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have taught rebellion against the LORD."
God's heart is broken by the false prophecies in our day. Yes, His heart still breaks over false words. Why? Because it leads people down the path of rebellion. That rebellion is at the root a spiritual issue; it is a spirit, the spirit of rebellion - the spirit of Jezebel. That is the spirit true prophets are wrestling with and false prophets succumbing to.
Inaccurate prophecies, without repentance, can easily lead down the path to false prophecies. When prophets cross the line, make stuff up, and invent prophecies to profit through their prophetic words, they begin teaching God's people rebellion. The voice of the prophet is exalted over the voice of God. When the voice of the prophet is exalted above the voice of God, teaching rebellion to the voice of God is the natural byproduct of that rebellion.
That is the true spirit of Jezebel at work in the prophetic movement today. Prophets must disconnect from that spirit or they will be deceived by it. Prophets must renounce the spirit of rebellion in their own hearts to reconnect with the voice of one. As such, my message to prophets is - repent!
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