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by Francis Frangipane There is a war, a very ancient war, between the spirit of Elijah and the spirit of Jezebel. In this age-old battle, Elijah represents the voice of Heaven: the call to repentance and the return to God. Jezebel, on the other hand, embodies that unique principality whose purpose is to hinder and defeat the work of repentance. Its goal is to silence the prophetic call. To understand the conflict between the Elijah spirit and the spirit of Jezebel, we must understand these two adversaries as they are seen in the Scriptures. Each is the spiritual counterpart of the other. Is Elijah bold? Jezebel is brazen. Is Elijah ruthless toward evil? Jezebel is vicious toward righteousness. Does Elijah speak of the ways and words of God? Jezebel is full of systems of witchcraft and words of deceit. Elijah was the spiritual leader of Israel's school of prophets. Under him were the sons of the prophets---literally hundreds of seers and prophetic minstrels, each of whom proclaimed the word of the Lord. In this war, however, Jezebel had viciously and systematically murdered all of God's servants until only Elijah remained (I Kings 18:22). Elijah, as the last of the prophets, then challenged the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of the Asherah to a demonstration of power: their gods against the power of the Lord.
These 850 men were the false prophets, the satanic priests, who ate "at Jezebel's table" (I Kings 18:19). They were the most powerful, demonized individuals that the hosts of darkness could produce. King Ahab, Jezebel's husband, sent a message out to all Israel, and the nation came to witness the conflict between the God of Elijah and the demons of Jezebel.
We would suppose that, at this point, Elijah would have gone into Jezreel and, with the same confidence and power that just accompanied him, destroyed Jezebel, but he did not. In fact---and this may surprise you---Elijah came under spiritual warfare. Jezebel, in a fit of rage, released a flood of witchcraft and demonic power against Elijah that overwhelmed him, swamping his soul with fear and discouragement, causing him to flee.
How could such a mighty prophet turn and run? The answer is not simple. In fact, the situation worsened. We next see Elijah sitting beneath a juniper tree, bewailing that he is no better than his fathers--actually praying that he might die! (I Kings 19:4) What pressure overwhelmed this great man of God that he would fall prey to such fear and discouragement? The spirit of Jezebel.
Now listen, my beloved comrades, and understand. When you take a stand against the principality of Jezebel, even though you resist her temptation and witchcraft, you must guard against the power-demons of Fear and Discouragement, for these will be sent against you to smother your prayer and silence your voice against Jezebel.
The Drama Continues...
The war between Elijah and Jezebel reanimates at peak seasons in the history of man. Remember what the Scriptures speak concerning John the Baptist: he was to be a, "forerunner before [the Lord] in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Lk 1:17). Jesus said of John the Baptist, "...he himself is Elijah, who was to come" (Matt 11:14, 17:11-13). John even looked like Elijah.
Like Elijah, John proclaimed the need for repentance wherever he saw sin. One such area was in the adulterous lives of King Herod and his wife, Herodias. When John confronted them, Herodias had him imprisoned (Mk 6:17-19). But who was this manipulating and controlling in the dark, spiritual side of Herodias? As Elijah's spirit ministered through John, so Jezebel had surfaced into this world through Herodias!
What Jezebel did to Elijah in the wilderness, Herodias now released against John: fear and discouragement blanketed the thought life of this mighty servant of God. John the Baptist, who had visibly seen the Spirit descend as a dove upon Christ, who heard the Father's audible voice and beheld the living Son of God, was now asking if what he saw was real (Matt 11:3). The only man alive who had living contact with the Trinity, now doubted the vision.
"And a strategic day came when Herod...gave a banquet" (Mk 6:21).
"Strategic" is the perfect word to describe the timing of this event. For in this war between the spirits of Elijah and Jezebel, Herodias had her daughter dance before Herod, enticing from the king a promise to give whatever she asked. At her mother's request---more truly, at Jezebel's request---she demanded the head of the Baptist be brought to her. Why decapitation? Through John's mouth came the word of God. The audible proclamation of the word of God is the greatest threat to this spirit. To cut off John's head was to silence his mouth and cut off his authority. Thus, temporarily, the confrontation between the spirits of these two eternal enemies subsided.
Elijah Is Coming!
Two thousand years ago, Jesus stated that the ministry of Elijah was not over. He promised, "Elijah is coming and will restore all things..." (Matt 17:11). Malachi the prophet also wrote, "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord" (Mal 4:5). The spirit or influence of Elijah, according to scripture, will return to the affairs of mankind before the great and terrible day of the Lord! His purpose will be to restore all things.
Even as the Lord used the spirit of Elijah, through the Holy Spirit, to empower Elisha and then John the Baptist, so the Lord is raising up an Elijah company of prophets, Spirit-filled men and women sent forth to prepare the way for the return of Christ! Let it also be known that, if Elijah is coming before Jesus returns, so also is Jezebel.
Indeed, do you not see her in our land in the abundance of witchcraft and harlotries? Do you not hear her brazen voice rejecting God's authority and exalting her rebellion in feminism? Have you not beheld her causing even God's "bond-servants" to "commit acts of immorality"? (Rev 2:20) Seeing Jezebel so blatantly manifest herself only confirms that the spirit of Elijah is also here to bring repentance and help prepare God's people for the return of the Lord.
In the Old Testament we see how God destroyed Jezebel. Jehu, the newly crowned king of Israel, was sent by the word of the Lord through Elijah's successor, Elisha, to fulfill God's judgment. As Jehu and his men furiously drove their chariots toward Jezreel, the kings of Israel and Judah came out to meet him, " 'Is it peace, Jehu?' And he answered, 'What peace, so long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?' (II Kings 9:21-22) Jehu slew the two kings. Immediately afterward, he rode into Jezreel to confront Jezebel. The Word tells us that when she saw him, she painted her eyes and adorned her head, and looking out an upper window, she called to him, 'Is it well, Zimri (Jehu), your master's murderer?'
Then he lifted up his face to the window and said, 'Who is on my side? Who?' And two or three eunuchs looked down at him. And he said, 'Throw her down.' So they threw her down, and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall and on the horses, and he trampled her under foot"" (II Kings 9:30-33 NAS/KJ).
There was something in Jehu's spirit that we must possess today in our war against Jezebel. While we must be compassionate toward those captured by Jezebel, Jehu had no mercy, no hope for reform, no compromise or sympathy whatsoever toward this demonic spirit! Jehu "...trampled her under foot."
While she lay bleeding and near death, he trampled her beneath the feet of his horse!
While we are not called to so physical a demonstration of our resolve, spiritually, like Jehu's heart, we must have no tolerance whatsoever for this spirit! There can be no peace, no relaxing under our "fig tree," until the influence of Jezebel is slain! We must stop living for comfort as long as her harlotries and witchcrafts are so many in our land! We must refuse to settle for a false peace based on compromise and fear, especially when the Spirit of God is calling for "War"!
It is significant that the eunuchs cast her down. Some of you who are reading this have been made eunuchs, slaves to this evil spirit. Today, right now, God is giving you the privilege of participating in the eternal judgment against Jezebel. You cast her down! Side with God, and let the judgments of God come forth!
Remember, this evil spirit desires to silence your spiritual authority by quieting your voice. Thus, even as you repent for any yieldedness toward her seductions, you must learn to speak against jezebel's influence. Use the name of Jesus to command this demon from your children, your family, your church and your soul. Don't let it decapitate you-open your mouth and pray against it!
Pray with us: Spirit of Jezebel, in the authority of Jesus Christ, which He gives us as His servants, we release your captives! We set free your slaves! We speak to the eunuchs, cast down your sympathetic strongholds toward Jezebel! Cast down her evil imaginations from your minds! In the power of Jesus' name, we release you from her psychic grip upon your soul. In the authority of the Living Christ, we proclaim HOLY WAR upon the spirit of Jezebel! Amen.
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