Jezebel - A False Cross

[this article is eye-opening. Never before have I had an answer to my question: "Why do church folk talk about themselves always instead of praising Christ, worshiping God, seeking the help of the Holy Spirit in their life, and preaching these things as per the Holy Bible - the full Word of God!? This article tells us why and the answer is: False thinking/false teaching among our Christian leaders that, sad to say, has been going on for many years. And we have taken it in "hook, line and sinker!!" (Is this the Adamic nature of us all overriding God's truth as taught in the Bible? I'll let you answer that.  But thankfully, this article explains the whole question and my heart and soul are relieved greatly to know that what God has taught me (and is teaching me) is His pure truth and not something coming from "man".  I pray you will enjoy. As usual the article starts with basic information to lead to the problem and then the solution. Bear with me. It may take two or three articles to accomplish what is intended.] But this is so very important!

Division: Jezebel - A False Cross

Union: The Bride of Christ - 

Submission Unto the True Cross

"But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel"

"Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, Beware of the concision."

Brethren, we are going to read a lot of scriptures in order to lay the ground for our study of "the woman Jezebel." We are going to lay this foundation by quoting from the Books of 1 Chronicles; 1 Kings; Philippians and Revelation. May we prayerfully and thoughtfully read these scriptures.

Now not long before David died, we have seen that he gave Solomon the following instructions, which included a very grave warning: "And you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a perfect heart [with a wholly devoted heart, a heart not divided between the Lord and other gods], and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches out all hearts, and He understands all the imaginations of the thoughts.; if you shall seek Him, He shall be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He shall cast you off forever. WATCH, NOW, TAKE HEED, NOW;  for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for a sanctuary: be strong, and do it." Then David gave Solomon the pattern ... the pattern of all that he had by the Spirit. "All this," said David, "the Lord made me understand in writing by His hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern" (1 Chronicles 28:9-19).

Then when Solomon became king, the Lord God Himself gave Solomon two grave warnings: The first one was given when Solomon humbly asked for wisdom, and the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, because Solomon had not asked anything for himself: - "Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart: so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honor: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. AND IF YOU WILL WALK IN MY WAYS, TO KEEP MY STATUTES, AND MY COMMANDMENTS, AS THY FATHER DAVID DID WALK, THEN I WILL LENGTHEN THY DAYS" (1 Kings 3:12-14).

Then about seventeen to twenty years later, after Solomon had built and dedicated the house of the Lord, the Lord God warned Solomon for the second time: And the Lord said unto him, "I have heard your prayer and your supplication, which you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built by putting My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. And as for you, if you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised to your father David, saying, 'You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.' But if you or your sons shall indeed turn away from following Me, and shall not keep my commandments and My statutes which I have set before you and shall go and serve other Gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will cast out of My sight. So Israel will become a proverb and a by word among all peoples. And this house will become a heap of ruins" (1 Kings 9:1-8).

Tragically, not many years later, we find these grave words recorded in the Holy Word of God: "But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; of nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, "Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods:" Solomon clave unto these in love ... for it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives (the strange women) turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord His God, as was the heart of David his father. Solomon's heart had become divided between the Lord and other gods. And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the lord commanded. Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, 'Forasmuch as this is done of thee ... I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. Not withstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David My servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen' " (1 Kings 11:1-13).

Then, in the Letter to the Philippians - who were some of the most mature and sincere Christians at that time- we find Paul through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit putting the Christians at Philippi, and all Christians of every age and generation, on the highest alert, by urging them, and us to Beware! Beware! Beware: "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same thing to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh" (Phil. 3:1-3).

Furthermore, in Revelation 2:18-25 we find the Lamb that was slain, we find He Who is the First and the Last, writing a letter through John to the church in Thyatira - a letter, along with the six other letters in Revelation, chapters two and three, which has been sent through the holy Word of God to all the churches of every age and generation. "These things saith the Son of God, Who hath His eyes like unto a flame of fire, and His feet are like fine brass; I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. But I have this against you, THAT YOU TOLERATE THE WOMAN JEZEBEL, the one calling herself a prophetess [claiming to be inspired], to teach and to deceive my bondservants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall that  I am He Which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, and which have not know the depths of satan, as they say: I place no other burden on you. Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come" (Revelation 2:20, 24, 25).

"But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel."

Beloved, the scriptures that we have just quoted do not seem to have much in common. We may ask ourselves, 'What does Solomon have in common with the Christians at Philippi? And what does Solomon and the Christians at Philippi have in common with the church at Thyatira and with the Christian of every age and generation right up to the present time?' Now as we continue, we shall see that the common factor in the above scriptures is the deadly strategy which proceeds out of 'THE DEPTHS OF SATAN"; and this deadly, subtle strategy of satan is the seduction of the bondservants of the Lord through the false cross. Furthermore, we shall find that satan uses one of his most deceitful messengers to deliver his message of the false cross, he uses "that woman Jezebel" who calleth herself a prophetess, who from the beginning was, and continues to be right up to the present day, a messenger of satan.

~T. Austin-Sparks~

(continued with # 2)