The Jezebel Spirit: #6 of the Most Often Misused and Abused Bible Verses for Church People
Don’t listen to HER! She has a Jezebel Spirit!
Some of the more dangerous deceptions Christians face are the ones that are not entirely based on lies. This makes sense, if you think about it, because big obvious heresies are too easy to spot and avoid. Rather, the really treacherous falsehoods tend to be those that mix fiction together with grains of truth. They are harder to detect since these lies hijack true biblical points, ideas, or titles to hide behind and give them an air of legitimacy. They are not true, but they conceal it well.
Satan loves using a sort of Bible themed Trojan Horse to slip bad doctrine past your defenses and try to destroy you. His primary means of attack is deception rather than force.
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
This tactic shows itself clearly in the misuse of Bible verses about Jezebel and the popular resulting doctrine of a “Jezebel Spirit. It takes aspects of truth, two historical individuals named Jezebel as well as the existence of demons, and uses them to fabricate an entirely unsupported doctrine of a “Jezebel Spirit”.
The “Jezebel Spirit” is #6 on my list of the 7 Most Often Misused and Abused Bible Verses for Church People.
For context, here are the first two posts in the series:
7 Most Commonly Misused and Abused Bible Verses in Church
Why “Touch Not Mine Anointed” has No Place in Jesus’ Church
#6
The Bible Passages
And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
1 Kings 19:1-3
Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds.
Revelation 2:20-22
The Claim: SHE HAS A JEZEBEL SPIRIT!
Have you ever heard this one before?
It is popular in some Christian circles when dealing with an individual Christian who is creating a “problem”. They may be a proverbial squeaky wheel, making noise and drawing attention about an issue, where the rest of the group is staying quiet. It also can show up where people are pushing back against authority – righteous and otherwise – particularly with gender roles. It may also be used when dealing with a person who is truly in the midst of sinning greatly. Regardless of the specific cause, what tends to happen is the individual is singled out by someone in authority and adjudged to be possessed of a “Jezebel Spirit”. This may not sound that bad reading in print, but there is much more to it when it actually occurs. It is significantly more serious and emotionally charged than simply being compared to a Biblical figure.
The mode of delivery can vary greatly – sometimes it is pronounced with great flourish from the pulpit, while others it is whispered in a coordinated smear campaign. It is often filled with disgust, contempt, and self righteous condemnation. Even when expressed with sympathy towards the one named as having a “Jezebel Spirit”, they are always marked out as “OTHER”. This person is not one of us is the message.
“Don’t listen to her, she has a Jezebel Spirit”
“I sense the presence of a Jezebel Spirit in you. Repent!”
“How dare you question, that is a Jezebel Spirit in you speaking.”
If you have ever seen this occur, you know that the affects of these pronouncements are immediate and dramatic. The person so charged is immediately condemned. There is no trial, reasonable doubt or innocent until proven guilty. They stand guilty as if adjudged so by God Himself, with no real opportunity to prove otherwise or tell their story. This is because a “Jezebel Spirit” is alleged to be much more that just acting like a flawed sinner.
It is a pronouncement that they are enemies of God and under the control or influence of a demonic entity named the “Jezebel Spirit”.
Here are some real examples of its usage:
A Jezebel spirit is a demonic spirit that inhabits a person and causes them to be driven by sexual appetites.
More than a Sinister Queen in the Old Testament, Jezebel is an Evil Spirit on Assignment to Attack and Destroy Every Christian.
Simply put, a Jezebel spirit is one of Satan’s higher-ranking, more intelligent demons if not the smartest kind of demon he has in his kingdom. And with it being much more intelligent than many of the other lower-ranking demons will be, this makes this type of spirit much more evil, cunning, and harder to deal with once it moves in and attaches to a person.
Here is a popular graphic:
If this accusation were true and there was a person controlled by such a spirit in your church, you can see how this would be so much more than a run of the mill church issue. A person controlled by such a demonic entity would be a clear and present danger to everyone in that Body. It would be a huge problem that required immediate action.
The accusation fundamentally transforms the identity of the accused and the required response of God’s people.
Reclaim Rest by Rejoicing in Your Master’s Identity
The individual is no longer defined as a lost nonbeliever or a challenging fellow church member. They are certainly no longer a beloved sibling in Christ who may actually be correct, if you take the time to listen. Rather, they stand condemned as a determined enemy of God controlled by the demonic. You should not even listen to demons, much less love them. In the worst applications, the logic follows that since it is really the demon in control, the person is never to be heard, trusted, or allowed to be one of “us”. They are “other” based on their own choices and are therefore unredeemable and only worthy of scorn.
Can you see how this is a convenient way to get around Jesus’ clear command to love your enemies?
Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness,
Galatians 6:
Since this is such an enormous and impactful theological claim you would think that the Bible must be crystal clear in its spelling out the foundations for it. The Lord must have a lot to say supporting such an assertion.
So what does the Bible say about it?
What Does the Bible Say?
The first Jezebel in the Bible is the wife of King Ahab of Israel. She was so personally murderous and power hungry that her threats caused Elijah to flee in fear of her. She also actively pushed her husband and the nation towards idol worship, immorality, and rebellion against God. She was not a nice person.
The second Jezebel is notable sinner like the first, though in different ways. She is singled out in Revelation as a false prophetesses who seduced people in the church of Thyatira into sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols. God warns that church to turn from her ways. She is also not a good person.
This is about all that the Scriptures say about these two women. There is nothing in either passage that says they were controlled by a demon or spirit. It is true that demons show up repeatedly in the New Testament and demonic possession is a real thing.
Demons – Are they Real? Should We Be Scared?
Yet, there is no identification of a demon named the “Jezebel Spirt” or any warning for believers about it. Though some commentators believe that the Jezebel of Revelation 2 is called by that name symbolically since she is acting like Queen Jezebel, it specifically does not attribute her actions to the demonic. There are many people in the Bible and through history who do terrible things just based on their own ugly sin natures without needing any help. This does not mean you should excuse sin or underrate the wickedness involved, but that is not the issue. The question is whether there is Scriptural support for a doctrine.
So the Bible talks about two women named Jezebel, but never says they were possessed or controlled by a specific spirit.
The Bible also talks about demons and their evil influence, but never identifies one being involved with the Jezebels.
It is therefore clear that these conclusions and accusations do not come from the Bible.
Let’s apply this to the examples of the modern doctrine I cited above:
Simply put, a Jezebel spirit is one of Satan’s higher-ranking, more intelligent demons if not the smartest kind of demon he has in his kingdom.
Seems impressive and it would be fascinating, if it were true. Yet, though Satan, Jezebel, and demon are biblical terms, what does the Scripture say?
The Bible never says that a Jezebel Spirit is a high ranking and intelligent demon.
The Bible never says a Spirit of any kind inhabited Jezebel.
The Bible never says there is such a thing as a Jezebel Spirit.
More than a Sinister Queen in the Old Testament, Jezebel is an Evil Spirit on Assignment to Attack and Destroy Every Christian.
The Bible never says a Jezebel Spirit is on assignment to attack Christians.
The Bible never says there is such a thing as a Jezebel Spirit.
The Bible never says Queen Jezebel had a demonic entity controlling her.
The Bible also never says that any demonic entity can destroy a Christian. You belong to the Good Shepherd and are indwelt with the Holy Spirit. No one can take you out of Jesus’ hand.
A Jezebel spirit is a demonic spirit that inhabits a person and causes them to be driven by sexual appetites.
The Bible never says anything about a Jezebel Spirit that drives people toward sexual appetites.
The Bible never says there is such a thing as a Jezebel Spirit.
The Bible never says people need any help being driven by their sexual appetites.
In short, the Word of God does not support any of these claims. If the Bible does not say it, then where does it come from?
As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.
1 Timothy 1:3-7
Please don’t misunderstand this post. All of the sins of the Jezebels in the Bible are still sinful. They show up regularly both inside and outside the church and I am not excusing them. Demons are also very real and they do exercise control over people, some of whom may attack the church. I am also not saying they do not exist or underrating their potential harm. Dealing with individuals who are choosing to embrace sin, attacking the church, or influenced by evil spirits is intense and extremely challenging. It requires much prayer and wisdom.
Yet, there is still no justification for the idea of a demonic entity named the “Jezebel Spirit” with all of the descriptors attached. The Bible simply does not support such a claim. It is high time that it should be rejected as a result.
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