Someone asked me recently about the “Jezebel Spirit” that so often gets thrown around in the New Apostolic Reformation, Word of Faith, and Prosperity Gospel movements, normally as a manipulative tactic. For instance, a person could be blamed of having the “Spirit of Jezebel” as is often said of people who are “seductive,” “rebellious,” or “idolatrous.” This teaching and practice is used as a tool to create fear, or manipulate, and control congregants. Members of churches or participants in the New Apostolic Reformation, Word of Faith, or the Prophetic movement, can become victimized with fear. The leaders of this movement describe repeatedly how many have fallen prey to the “Spirit of Jezebel.” This is classic manipulation, in that leaders make blanket statements that some people “have the Spirit of Jezebel,” and in so doing they control congregants, by keeping them in line. I have known a pastor who said he committed adultery because his assistant seduced him with the “Spirit of Jezebel.” Because of this abuse, manipulation, and unbiblical teaching on the historical person of Jezebel, I wanted to create a full response to what is being seen more and more in these movements.
To lead off, we need to define who Jezebel was. Jezebel was the daughter Ethbaal, who was the priest-king of Tyre and Sidon. Jezebel was given in marriage to King Ahab to create an alliance between Tyre and Israel. In this marriage, provision was made for her to continue to worship her native god Baal. The story of Jezebel is found in the book of 1 Kings 16-21, and also later in 2 Kings 9. She was a strong, domineering, self-willed and forceful woman. She was very devoted worshiper of Melqart, the Tyrian Baal. She employed 450 of his prophets, and 400 prophets of the goddess Asherah (1 Kings 18:19). She continually advocated for her god to have at least equal rights with Yahweh in Israel. During her reign as Ahab’s wife, she often came into conflict with the prophet Elijah. This is seen most poignantly in the clash between Yahweh and Baal on Mount Carmel (I Kings 18:17-40). In that confrontation, Elijah slaughtered per prophets and priests of Baal. Instead of diminishing her zeal for the worship of Baal, this conflict strengthened it. Because of Yahweh’s victory and the subsequent righteous execution of the prophets and priests of Baal on Mount Carmel, Jezebel sought to kill Elijah, the prophet of Yahweh.
In another incident, Jezebel usurped authority over Ahab, with the acquisition of Naboth’s Vineyard. She dealt deceitfully, dishonestly, under-handedly, and in the process undermined King Ahab. She had Naboth stoned to death on a false charge, and took
ownership of the vineyard that belonged to him. This incident resulted in the prophetic revelation of the coming extermination of the house of King Ahab. It was particularly dishonest because Jezebel used Ahab’s signet seal (1 Kings 21:8). After Ahab’s death, Jezebel continued to rule in some form in Israel as a sort of “Queen Mother.” She also mocked Jehoram when he was killed by king Jehu, by dressing regally (2 Kings 9:30). Rather remarkably, maybe even ironically, Yahweh is honored in the naming of her three children (Ahaziah, Jehoram, and Athaliah). She was ostensibly responsible for destroying and killing (“cutting off”) The prophets of Yahweh from Israel. Obadiah hid the survivors of her persecution in groups of fifty in caves and kept them alive (1 Kings 18:4;13). After the confrontation with Baal on Mount Carmel, Jezebel put out a “bounty” of sorts on Elijah’s head (2 Kings 19:1-2). Upon hearing this Elijah went into hiding. Jezebel finally met her foreseen end at the hands of Jehu and some Eunuchs who threw her down from a window and she died. Jehu’s horses trampled her body and they tried to bury her, but dogs had devoured her body before they could, so that only a skull and her feet and the palms of her hands remained. This fulfilled the prophecy that had previously been spoken about her by Elijah that dogs would eat her (2 Kings 9:10; 9:30-37). Ironically, it appears that Jezebel’s name means “Where is the Prince?” Which she had done often in her lifetime was to question King Ahab, and question the ultimate King of Heaven, Yahweh. Historically, her name has instead come to be synonymous with the unchaste, lewdness, idolatry, sensuality, licentiousness, whoring, and wickedness.
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| JEZEBEL TROWN FROM HER PALACE WINDOW |
The only other time that the name Jezebel is mentioned in scripture is in Revelation 2:20. That passage says, “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.” (Revelation 2:20 ESV). It is unclear if this is referring to a specific person with the name Jezebel related to the Thyatiran Church, or if it is a general reference to the metaphoric or figurative Jezebel and all that she represented in the history of Israel. Easton describes The Old Testament Jezebel as, “the representative of all that is designing, crafty, malicious, revengeful, and cruel. She is the first great instigator of persecution against the saints of God. Guided by no principle, restrained by no fear of either God or man, passionate in her attachment to her heathen worship, she spared no pains to maintain idolatry around her in all its splendour.” Most likely, Jesus, in his rebuke of the Thyatiran Church, is referring to the Old Testament Jezebel character. In using the name Jezebel, he labels the Thyatiran woman as a false prophetess in the same vein as the Old Testament character. We can extrapolate from this instance in revelation, that the name Jezebel had come to be tantamount with apostacy. So, at the very least, Jesus is referring to Jezebel in those terms as a figurative counterpart or type that characterized the wicked actions of this prophetess from Thyatira.
All commentators agree that Jesus in Revelation 2 is referring to a real person. The context of Revelation also makes it clear that she was a real person. There are a few
reasons we can assume that the self-proclaimed prophetess is a real person. First, Jesus judges the church at Thyatira because it tolerated this woman who called herself a prophetess. Jesus would not have judged the church there for the work of a demonic spirit. Second, the text reveals that she used the title of “prophetess” to convince those in the church to commit immorality. This woman was physically active in deception in the church, by calling herself a prophetess, and actively promoting idolatry and immorality. Despite the existence of this prophetess, that Jesus names Jezebel, commentators are not sure whether Jezebel was a real or symbolic name. Lastly, It can be clearly understood that she was a real person in that she was given an opportunity to repent, but she refused. Jesus even pronounced the judgement for her evil actions in Revelation 2:22 “behold I will throw her into a sick bed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of their works.” Jesus even goes on to pronounce that he will strike her children dead (Revelation 2:23). Jesus is obviously talking about a real person, and not a spirit because a spirit cannot have children. Furthermore, only people are offered the opportunity to repent, spirits are not. Appropriately their fate is sealed. Luther described, in his famous hymn A Mighty Fortress is Our God, the destiny of our ancient foe, “His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure, One little word shall fell him.” This might also be partly the reason Jesus uses that name Jezebel in reference to her. The Old Testament character, Jezebel had plenty of opportunity to repent, but refused with stiff-necked obstinance until her very last breath, when she was thrown out of the window to her gruesome death. Her body then to be trampled underfoot by Jehu’s horses, and finally devoured by dogs.
The New Apostolic Reformation, Word of Faith, and Prosperity Gospel use the term
“Spirit of Jezebel” to mean a literal spirit that can possess people, and make them behave like the Old Testament character Jezebel. There is, however, no biblical evidence that there is such a demonic spirit. The book “Pigs In The Parlor” with over a million copies in print has mainstreamed the idea that there are spirits for every malady, and sin. The “Spirit of Jezebel” is described often in the deliverance circles as a woman who is controlling, takes over the roles of men, is rebellious, practices sorcery, manipulation, etc. I even read a deliverance manual that described the “Spirit of Jezebel” as a Passive-Aggressive personality. The emphasis on the “Spirit of Jezebel” is also seen in recent publications by self-proclaimed prophetess, purveyor of "water spirits" and the "sneaky squid spirit" and former editor of Charisma Magazine, Jennifer LeClaire. She has written books such as “The Spiritual Warrior's Guide to Defeating Jezebel: How to Overcome the Spirit of Control, Idolatry and Immorality” and “Jezebel’s Puppets: Exposing the Agenda of False Prophets.” LeClaire also has presentations on YouTube called, “Prophetic Prayer: Rooting Jezebelic Alignments out of Your Life” and “Defeating the Spirit of Jezebel | Spiritual Warfare | Spiritual Warrior's Guide to Defeating Jezebel” and “Life After Jezebel's Mass Attacks! | Recovering From Jezebel Spirit Warfare.” These are just a few of the dozens of videos from LeClaire and hundreds of others on YouTube and other media speaking about the “Spirit of Jezebel.” It seems there is a deep fascination first, with naming spirits, and second, with erroneously naming and seeking to identify this particular spirit. Again, Jezebel is NEVER mentioned in scripture outside of the person who was a Queen and Married to Ahab, and the prophetess that was condemned in the book of Revelation and probably somehow part of the Thyatiran Church.
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| PIGS IN THE PARLOR BY HAMMOND |
Jennifer LeClair explains her "Squid Spirit" below...
The folks who create these teachings and persona around the character of Jezebel err greatly by constructing a spiritual psyche that is never alluded to in scripture. The Bible describes no such spirit. Please do not be naïve about the intent of this movement’s teachers, authors, prophets, and apostles. They mean to invent and describe a real demonic spirit. Deliverance ministries, the New Apostolic Reformation, the Word of Faith, and the Prophetic movement truly mean a demonic spirit. The reason that we can be sure of that is that it is talked about ad nauseum, and deliverance ministries seek to cast the “Spirit of Jezebel” out of people. Bob Larson is one of the foremost perpetrators and practitioners that there is an actual “Spirit of Jezebel” whom he claims to exorcise from people regularly. A quick YouTube search “Demonic Exorcism of the Spirit of Jezebel” returned a dozen videos of Larson exorcising the “Spirit of Jezebel” out of people. Sorry, I did not have the stomach to watch them all.
At this point, you may be thinking, “Isn’t this like saying “the Spirit of the Age.”” That is a worthwhile consideration. When we say something like “spirit” we mostly do not literally mean there is a demon called “The Spirit of the Age” or “Zeitgeist.” What we mean when we use this term, is usually in reference to an invisible agent or force dominating the characteristics of a given time in history. That is certainly a possibility that it is rather a euphemism to try to more define a problem or to encapsulate the depth of sin in a person. I cannot agree with that assessment, however. In almost all these resources the teacher, leader, prophet, or Apostle are teaching and imploring people to “cast out” this demon in such deliverance ministry material. Their goal is to cast out this demon, so in that they do not mean something similar to when we talk about the “Spirit of the Age” or “Zeitgeist.” We understand the differences. The Zeitgeist is not a literal demonic spirit, but their meaning is that the “Spirit of Jezebel” is a real demonic spirit.
A social construct is an idea that has been created and accepted by people of a society or a smaller group of people. The idea of “The Spirit of Jezebel” is a social construct. It is unmistakably evident that there is never once a spirit given that identification in the biblical record, but this movement has created and given the title to this spirit. From that we can conclude that the “Spirit of Jezebel” is a social construct created by the prophetic, signs and wonders, and deliverance movements.
I want to make several conclusions on this matter. First the emphasis on this “Spirit of Jezebel” is extraordinarily unbiblical in three ways. There is not one single reference to a “Spirit of Jezebel” in the Bible. As I have made the case, the person of Jezebel appears only twice in the Bible, and only in relation to two real people, not spirits. Second, the belief and teaching that the “Spirit of Jezebel” is something to teach and deal with, is unbiblical in that these folks who put emphasis on the “Spirit of Jezebel” shift blame of sin from the sinner, and put responsibility of our actions onto another outside themselves. For example, the pastor that I knew who shifted the blame for his adulterous affair onto the woman for seducing him because she had the “Spirit of Jezebel.” As the scripture says, “we all have gone astray each has turned to his own way (Isaiah 53:3).” And the Psalmist says, “They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one (Psalm 14:3).” This shifting of blame for my own iniquity even nullifies the propitiatory death of Christ. If we deny our sin, and shift the cause to a demon, then we reject that the source of sin in our lives is us. As Walt Kelly said in his parody of Oliver Hazard Perry’s words “We have met the enemy and he is us.” When we shift blame we deny the most basic of gospel principles, admission of sin and guilt.
And lastly, it is unbiblical because this view challenges the gospel at its core. Most people who teach this, teach that a Christian can be possessed. That is impossible! When a person trusts Jesus in faith, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in that new believer. He indwells that person by faith and the new believer is even “sealed” unto the day of salvation (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 4:30). It is, therefore, unbiblical and terribly abusive to say that a person who is a regenerate Christian can or would be possessed by a demon. It is also terribly controlling and manipulative of leaders to hold this type of teaching over their flocks. Peter says we should shepherd not in a domineering way but in an exemplary and humble manner (1 Peter 5:1-5).
For these reasons I would encourage you to resist any teaching that would allude to some sort of “Spirit of Jezebel,” or for that matter naming any other spirit and putting the name of some sinful action behind it. I have heard all kinds of demons named by teachers and leaders, and the aforementioned book “Pigs in a Parlor” makes systematic and exhaustive lists of spirits by essentially putting a sin behind the name. Hammond says there are “Demons of Hate, Bitterness, Rebellion, Strife, Control, Insecurity, Accusation, Rejection, Depression, Jealousy, Withdrawal, Heaviness, etc. He has even gone so far as to create an astonishing extra-biblical list of what he calls “demon groupings.” He lists 35 demon groupings to be exact, with names to them all. He claims that some people are possessed by a group of demons and can manifest themselves in groups, if there are a group of problems that the person is oppressed with. This book is as far as I can tell the beginnings of the “deliverance ministries” movement. It seems to be the beginning of naming demons, and calling them by the names of the sins they represent.
This type of teaching is to be avoided, and rejected as false, and furthermore a false gospel. What the gospel is, is fully taking responsibility for our sins, receiving Christ by faith, repenting from our sins and turning to Christ. The gospel is NOT blaming a demon for your actions and getting someone to cast that demon out or trying to “re-align” yourself by uprooting the “Spirit of Jezebel.” The gospel is a gospel of freedom, not of fear to slavery again. Please I beg you, as Paul did in his Epistle to the Galatians to be free, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1).” And so, let us call a spade a spade, and resist the teaching that there is such a thing as the “Spirit of Jezebel.” She is a fictional figment of the imagination and social construct of the New Apostolic Reformation, The Word of Faith, and prophetic movement. There is no “Spirit of Jezebel.” Jezebel was only a wicked woman in the Old Testament and a prophetess in the New Testament who did not repent when confronted with the power of the Most High God, Let us not fall into any such traps in blaming our sin on a made-up spirit. Let us learn from the wicked example of these two women, and instead acknowledge in humility and repentance the “Sin that so easily entangles...fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).”
(Source: Easton, M. G. (1893). In Easton’s Bible dictionary. New York: Harper & Brothers.)
Two more worthwhile sources on the subject are S. Lewis Johnson and Matthew Henry's Commentary on Revelation.
S. Lewis Johnson, one of the greatest expository preachers, preached a sermon called That Woman Jezebel http://sljinstitute.net/revelation/that-woman-jezebel/