the Jezebel Spirit

There has been much written about the Jezebel Spirit that focuses on the seductive sin of women. But a close study of scriptures show that it is the sin of spiritual impurity that the Lord is speaking of. As always, the interpretation of God’s symbolism is contained within God’s Word. We can see that the imagery is consistent with other verses in Revelation.

“But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. (Rev 2:20)”

The Lord is using imagery of Jezebel, who not only was sexually impure, but used her impurity to gain power over others. However, whereas some may interpret this to mean literally that the woman spoken about in Revelation 2 is a sexually immoral woman, the Lord wrote this to speak about spiritual immorality. Compare the immorality with the verses below, which speak of sexual purity. Do you think that God meant that no man should literally “touch a woman”?

“These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as first fruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.” (Rev 14:4-5)

If so, that would contradict His own word, as written here;

“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, those whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.” (1 Tim 4:1-3)

God is speaking about the spiritual purity of man, not the sexual purity, though we should not fornicate. God’s intention is that Christians would have an honest and true faith in Him, with no deceit. This means that we are not using anything to attract others to ourselves or gain power over them. Those whose faith is pure are the “first fruits” of God, following Him in devotion as written below;

“I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the desert, through a land not sown. Israel was holy to the Lord, the first fruits of His harvest . . .” (Jer 2:2-3)

When we look at God’s desire for a spiritually faithful people, the scriptures about Jezebel fall into place as depicting the opposite. God is concerned with the heart of His people remaining true to Him. This is seen in the passage showing that, after the Lord judges Jezebel, He tells us that “all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.” (Rev 2:23) It is in our heart that we love the Lord, and it is in the heart that spiritual immorality takes place.

The rest of the church “Who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of satan, as they call them – I place no other burden on you.” (Rev 2: 24). Here is where the teachings of Jezebel are described for us; she was teaching the “deep things of satan.” This gave her a hold over others, for they thought her teachings gave them power over demons.

Though we have authority over demons, we cannot gain control over the demonic realm by seeking out demons and binding them or casting them out. Demons have power in this world because men and women love sin. If we want to set a man free from his demons, we must preach the gospel to him first. If the man repents of his sin, then we can cast his demons out. But the only thing that keeps the demons out of a man’s life is to have his spirit occupied by the Holy Spirit. If a man’s spirit is clean and swept, but he leaves his house empty, satan will return with seven more demons, and the last state of that man will be worse that the first (Lk 11:24-26). Our job as ministers is to restore a man in his heart to the Lord. If a region is in the stronghold of territorial spirits, then our job as ministers is to bring them to the light of repentance and freedom in the Lord Jesus Christ. Then satan will have no invitation to remain in the territory.

The knowledge of the deep things of satan brings spiritual impurity. Satan knows we are interested in the unseen world and promises every peeping inquisitive person that he will give him the truth, but he lies. In Revelation 17:7 the angel warns John not to be astonished/wonder about the great harlot. That word astonished, or wonder, means this in the Greek: astound, insane, amaze, be astonished, be beside oneself, bewitch. False knowledge leads Christians to be “beside oneself”, or not in their right mind. Satan tries to defile Christians with his false knowledge, and it is actually he who holds them in his power, and not the other way around. Though the lessons from the Jezebel spirit appear to bring privileged knowledge, in fact, they only cause one to focus on what satan is doing. When one becomes trained by this knowledge, he loses all discernment, does not operate in love, and feels superior to the weak and those in error. Sharing this knowledge is one way satan renders God’s servants useless.

In Hab 2:14 we read that it is God’s intention that the earth be covered with the knowledge of His glory as the waters cover the seas. It is the knowledge of God and His ways that we should be learning. There is no special knowledge about satan that will bring God’s kingdom and power and glory upon the earth. Spiritual impurity separates us from God and His purposes. Spiritual purity causes us to walk with God.

I hope that this review of the scriptures helps to settle the question about the Jezebel spirit and whether or not it pertains to women. Getting the right interpretation of God’s symbolism is the key, and it is God’s word which holds every interpretation to God’s Word. Amen