For it was [so], when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) . . . Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD'S prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
1 Kings 18:4, 13
Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them." Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."
1 Kings 19:1-4 (NIV)
And concerning Jezebel the LORD also spoke, saying, 'The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.' The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field." But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up.
And he behaved very abominably in following idols, according to all [that] the Amorites had done, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. So it was, when Ahab heard those words, that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about mourning. And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, "See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the days of his son I will bring the calamity on his house."
1 Kings 21:23
You shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; and I will cut off from Ahab all the males in Israel, both bond and free. So I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. The dogs shall eat Jezebel on the plot [of ground] at Jezreel, and [there shall be] none to bury [her].' " And he opened the door and fled...
Now it happened, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, "[Is it] peace, Jehu?" So he answered, "What peace, as long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft [are so] many?"...
Now when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard [of it]; and she put paint on her eyes and adorned her head, and looked through a window. Then, as Jehu entered at the gate, she said, "[Is it] peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?" And he looked up at the window, and said, "Who [is] on my side? Who?" So two [or] three eunuchs looked out at him. Then he said, "Throw her down." So they threw her down, and [some] of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses; and he trampled her underfoot.
And when he had gone in, he ate and drank. Then he said, "Go now, see to this accursed [woman], and bury her, for she was a king's daughter." So they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of [her] hands. Therefore they came back and told him. And he said, "This [is] the word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 'On the plot [of ground] at Jezreel dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as refuse on the surface of the field, in the plot at Jezreel, so that they shall not say, "Here [lies] Jezebel." ' "
2 Kings 9:7-10, 22, 30-37
"Praise be to the LORD my ROCK, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. HE is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me."
Psalm 144:1-2
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which IS the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on ALL occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, BE ALERT and always keep on praying for all the saints."
Ephesians 6:10-18
"Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is lunatic and sorely vexed; for ofttimes he falleth into the fire and oft into the water. And I brought him to Thy disciples, and they could not cure him." Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him hither to Me." And Jesus rebuked the devil, and he departed out of him, and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart and said, "Why could we not cast him out?" And Jesus said unto them, "Because of your unbelief; for verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, `Remove hence to yonder place,' and it shall remove. And nothing shall be impossible unto you. However this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."
Matthew 17:15-21
When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, "Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him and enter no more into him." And the spirit cried, and rent the boy sorely and came out of him; and he was as one dead, insomuch that many said, "He is dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could not we cast him out?" And He said unto them, "This kind can come forth by nothing but by prayer and fasting."
Luke 9:26-29
But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.
Acts 8:9-11
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
Galatians 3:1
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
1 Peter 5:8-9
Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants 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 know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
Revelation 2:20-23
Jezebel and Athaliah At The Gate
Sandie Freed | www.zionministries.us | April 2006
The Vision of the Throne
I was praying for God's glory to manifest upon the earth in a more tangible way. Suddenly, I had a vision of God's throne. Angels were beholding His divine glory. The angels turned to look at me, as if they were revealing a hidden secret by allowing me to see their faces. Their faces were lit with a brilliant light, I knew they had SEEN His glory, and it was His glory which caused this brilliant light upon their countenances. I was then made aware of God's throne room strategy for today. The angels were being released to show forth God's glory. There would be multiplied measures of angelic activity among us, and their purpose was to reveal God's glory! They would be bringing divine impartations, healings, and warfare strategies of victory. God's glory would be seen upon the prayers of the Saints as He answered their prayers with realms of His glory.
Then, I saw Jesus approach the Father. Jesus asked the Father, "Can I go now?" I knew that Jesus was asking to return to the earth and gather His own.
The Father answered, "No, it is not yet time. They must see and experience the fullness of My glory first. There is still a realm of My glory that My people must press into. I have much to do in them and through them."
We Must Cry Out For His Glory!
Somehow I knew that God's people needed to cry out for more of His glory. I then saw a sea of hands lifted toward heaven, and the Saints began to touch God. As they touched Him, His face appeared to them and they were face-to-face with God. As they reached out to touch His glory, they touched His face, and then as a result they began to be changed into His image.
When the vision concluded, I cried for quite a while. I have once again realized that the breakthroughs to our victory and protection from the seducing spirits are determined by us crying out for His glory. We are also must be determined to co-labor with the Holy Spirit, and therefore show His glory to others. We must ask for the Holy Spirit to begin to reveal God's glory. Then we must commit to not trying to restrict Him--whichever way He decides to move in our lives. This would apply to personal lives, church services, businesses, etc.
We cannot settle just for His presence. We must press into experiencing more of His manifest GLORY which involves signs, wonders, and miracles. We cannot allow our mindsets and religious traditions to attempt to contain His glory. With open hearts and minds, we are to ASK for Him to be jealous over us. This will most certainly bring a fire of purity, but it will also release a fresh fire of zeal to seek His face!
I asked the Lord what we are to do to receive the full measure of His glory. He said that in order to fulfill our mission and assignments at this present time, we must first have the visitation of a greater level of glory. I realized that when God's glory comes, there are also seducing spirits at work at even greater levels of intensity. These seducing spirits are sitting at different gates blocking God's glory being released to us. In my book, Destiny Thieves, there is exposure of the seductions of Belial (the Accuser of the Brethren), the Amalekite spirit, Jezebel, and Athaliah (who is Jezebel's daughter). I then realized that Jezebel and her seed, Athaliah, were at the gate of entrance of God's glory released into our lives.
Jezebel and Athaliah: Evil Seducing Spirits of the Present Times
Jezebel was a seductive, manipulating woman who murdered, worshiped idols, and is Biblically linked to witchcraft and sorcery. It is this same spirit at work today to seduce the saints into sin, control, and apostasy. However, her SEED is even more active, more seducing, and more treacherous than Jezebel was!
Athaliah: A Generation of Evil
Athaliah is the spirit that attacks our generations. God is very concerned about the generations to come. Yet, at the same time, as our generations are coming forth to receive Godly inheritance there is a "generation of vipers" in the form of religious, Pharisees and Sadducees, strongholds of tradition that we need to be concerned about! In Matthew 12:34 Jesus addresses the "generation of vipers," which I believe refers to, and not inclusive to, the generation of Jezebel…Athaliah!
A viper is a venomous snake (spiritually representing seductiveness and craftiness) which is poisonous. It strikes swiftly with a fatal bite. Isn't this just like the devil? He blindsides us and then moves in quickly for the kill. Yet, there is hope! Remember Paul, when the viper attached itself to his arm, he shook the snake off into a fire? Paul's life was spared and the fire destroyed the snake! It is the very same for today. It will take a Holy Ghost fire to destroy the seducing spirits that lie in wait to deceive us. It is time to embrace the cleansing fire of God. This will insure our victory over the seductive plans of the enemy as well as prepare us for our future.
Be on Guard Against the Spirit of Athaliah!
Dear Ones, we need to be on guard against this strongly, seductive spirit. The name "Athaliah" means "whom Jehovah has afflicted." I am sure that this spirit plans to afflict God's children; we must be on guard during this intense season of revelation and understanding. However, God has already promised to defeat Jezebel and Athaliah. In Revelation 2:23 God has spoken that Jezebel's child (Athaliah) has been sentenced to death. In other words, Athaliah has been "afflicted" by God! One of the translations for the word "afflicted" is to "crush and trouble, to torment and make miserable." Saints of God, hear me, we can afflict Athaliah through our prayers. We can cause the plans of the seducing spirits to be troubled, crushed, and put to death as we come into unity. Unity involves being in agreement with His Word as well as being unified as One in Him. By speaking the Word over our situations and problems, we can bring torment to our adversary! And let's not forget this very powerful weapon…REPENT! Jezebel hates repentance. As we repent, it will thwart the enemy's plans against us and also, at the very same time, release God's glory into every situation!
Another interpretation for the name of Athaliah is "Jehovah is strong" implying that Jehovah will handle evil violently! I recall Chuck Pierce calling for a season of violent praise. Also, remember that the violent take the kingdom of God by force! (See Matthew 11:12-13)
Interestingly the name Athaliah also means "due season of Jehovah." Prophetically speaking, it is Jehovah's due season to destroy the seductive spirit of Jezebel and Athaliah by commissioning a violent militant force of Saints.
Embracing His Fire
If we are to enter this greater realm of God's glory, then we must watch over our gates of entrance and defeat Athaliah. We must keep her from affecting us and the generations to come. We must embrace the fire of God's presence, the refiner's fire that WILL come in the last days!
When we study the book of Daniel, it gives insight into the last days saying, "Many will be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand." (Daniel 12:10) It is clear that God was alerting Daniel that the last days would involve a time of purification and refining the Saints. The wicked will not understand and run away from the fire, but the Saints will understand the fire and embrace it as necessary to receive the greater levels of His glory.
When we study about Athaliah, we see how it took the priesthood anointing to destroy her. Athaliah murdered her own male descendents to illegitimately secure the throne of authority in Judah. It was the priests who exposed Athaliah's illegitimate authority and crowned the true authority to the throne. When we study the qualifications of the priesthood, we realize that they were cleansed and purified and dedicated to the service of the Lord. It was the priests who prepared the temple and sacrifices inviting God's glory to appear. It will be the same priestly anointing that God will use in us today to destroy this enemy who stands at the gates of our breakthroughs! Remember this one important thing…it is not a priesthood of religion that will destroy our enemy; it is a priesthood of those in relationship with God.
How Do We Destroy the Spirits Blocking Our Breakthroughs?
In conclusion, this is our mandate:
- Be committed to seek God's glory.
- Embrace the fire. The fire involves purification and holiness, but also the fire of His power and glory.
- Be a consecrated and dedicated priest unto the Lord.
- Ask for God to be jealous over you….this will release the fire of purity but also release a zeal of passion for the Lord.
- Allow the Holy Spirit to freely move in us, our church services, businesses, and every area of our lives.
- Remove the restraints of fear, control, and religious mindsets and let Him move!
- Pray that we clearly hear what the Holy Spirit is speaking, and that we are quick to respond and obey His leading.
- Also, take time to KNOW the Holy Spirit!
- Free yourself from "religious encumbrances." These are religious mindsets as to HOW God will move among us. Let GO completely. Let God show you His glory.
- Destroy Jezebel and Athaliah through repentance of sin and seduction, becoming priests unto the Lord, and warring over our next generation.
- Also, become violent praisers!