ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: THE SPIRIT OF JEZEBEL, Part 6

The Spirit of Jezebel, Part 6

September 27, 2013

Felicitations!  Greetings and Solutions!  Good Morning!  Howdy!  In case I missed anyone, Hi, there!!  Glad you could join me on this most auspicious occasion.  So, what’s the occasion?  It’s the best day of your life.  See, yesterday’s gone, and tomorrow isn’t here yet.   That means you’ve only got today.  And God doesn't make rotten days!  I could take this to extremes, but you get the picture.  Hehehehehe……

 

We've already noted the spirit of Jezebel is an unrepentant spirit, and folks who are contaminated with and by this spirit are highly resistant to true repentance.  In order to help you understand why, let me lay a little historical background.  First, however, let's take a look at an interesting statement that John makes in Revelation 17:10.

"And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space."

What seven kings are those referred to?  Deuteronomy 7:1 describes them as the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites.  Now I know you think I just fell off the turnip truck, but bear with me.

These seven nations were each ruled by a dominant spirit.  In the Greek text of Ephesians 6 where Paul writes, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places," we see four classes of spiritual rulership.  They appear in this order: (1) arche, (2) exousia, (3) kosmokrator, and (4) pneumatico epouranios.  Each has its respective place of power and dominion, but the one I want to focus on today is "kosmokrator:" world ruler of darkness.  The Greek word is a conjunction of "kosmos" (the world at large, or areas of the world) and "krateo" (to seize power or strength and to retain it).

You may remember Daniel's experience when he fasted for 21 days.  The angel of the Lord came to see him and told him that he had to do battle with the prince of Persia for those 21 days and that the archangel Michael came to help him defeat the prince of Persia; that when he departed Daniel's presence he was on his way to do battle with the prince of Greece.

This is the picture that Paul is drawing out of Ephesians 6, and this is the picture we have of the seven nations Israel was commanded to drive out.  Ever wonder why Israel was commanded the following?

"When the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them:  Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.  For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.   But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.  For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth."

God's command to Israel was there because you cannot co-mingle and co-habitate with other gods.  Israel was serving God!  He was absolute King and ruler.  It is impossible to serve two kings at the same time.  The King of the Hittites was the Fear of Death.  The King of the Canaanites was the Fear of Man.  The King of the Amorites was the Fear of Evil.  None of that is compatible with our serving the Lord!

It is the Amorites that we want to pay attention to, in this case.  History tells us that they almost always chose the high places, the hills, the mountains -- any place that would give them an elevated view of the surrounding countryside.  The Hebrew word for Amorite, eõmoòrŒòy, couldn't more clearly describe their nature.  Em-or-ee is the word for: publicity, prominence, (and is frequently used for mountaineers).  The Hebrew eõmoòrŒòy stems from a root word for folks who talk a lot; those who love to make their voice heard as the most prominent voice.  As you see this picture of the Amorites unfold, you'll better understand the significance of that characteristic.

The characteristic of the Amorites that made them want to be THE leaders, THE most prominent, THE rulers and subduers of everyone, is easily demonstrated in Scripture by the fact that there are 23 verses in the OT referring to Amorite kings, with an additional two that mention them in conjunction with Canaanite kings.  As far as the kings of the other nations are concerned, Canaanite kings are named three times, Hittite kings are named three times, and -- with the exception of the Girgashites for whom no king is named -- the remaining nations only have their kings named one time.  The Amorites' character and nature presents a stark contrast to the other nations.

Years after Shem's (the son of Noah) death, the Jebusites moved in to occupy the city and citadel he had established in the midst of Canaan.  Sometime thereafter, an Amorite king subdued the Jebusites and took control of the city and the region.  That Amorite king took for himself the appellation and name, Adoniy-Tsedeq (we have it Anglicized as Adonizedek), attempting to identify himself with Shem's power, authority and esteem throughout the land.

Adoniy-Tsedeq translates to "Lord of Righteousness."  He thus palmed himself off on the inhabitants as being a picture of righteousness, and rightful heir to Shem's throne.  This king was anything but righteous, and God's judgment fell upon him when he rose up in collaboration with four other Amorite kings against Joshua, being overthrown and killed at Makkedah with his four cohorts.  Adoniy-Tsedeq's efforts are a clear picture of that spirit that dominated the Amorites.

We know that spirit today as the Fear of Evil.  If there can be said to be any master spirit of fear, it is the Fear of Evil.  It is a highly religious spirit, and it has all the pretense of right and righteousness.  Yet, this spirit lives in dread fear of the power and authority of God.

Most folks don't think of her in this way, but Jezebel was an Amorite.  Consider her background.  Jezebel's father was an Amorite king by the name of Ethbaal (his name translates to: "living with [and enjoying the pleasures of] Baal") who also served Baal in the role of high priest.  I Kings 16:31 describes Ethbaal as "king of the Zidonians."  We know Zidon as the Canaanite city, Sidon.  Thus, again, we have a picture of the Amorites subduing their brother-nations and ruling over their cities.

Jezebel was a picture of the Amorites and their dominant spirit all by herself.  She was a usurper of power and authority.  Once she had access to the throne of Israel through Ahab, she drove Baal-worship to new heights (lows?).  If the Canaanites were licentious and aberrant in their sexual behavior, Jezebel took their use of prostitutes in Baal-worship to extremes the Canaanites couldn't even imagine.

Her marriage to Ahab, while politically arranged as part of a peace pact between Ahab and Ethbaal (more compromise between Israel and an accursed nation?), served both her agenda and Ahab's.  She created a "school of prophets" that were sent forth into the various tribes of Israel to prophesy "in the name of the Lord" (who in their reality was Baal).  It was these same prophets who could speak and prophesy to their hearts' content before the sacrifice that Elijah prepared, who failed to command fire from heaven.

When Elijah spoke and fire rained down and consumed the sacrifice after twelve barrels of water had been poured on it, proving that the god of the prophets of Baal was dead and lifeless, Elijah and the company of people present with him put all 450 prophets of Baal, plus another 400 prophets of the groves "which [ate] at Jezebel's table" to death by the sword.  (See I Kings 18)

The picture of Jezebel as a part of the spirit of the Amorites is so significant, and that spirit’s influence so great in the body of Christ today that it gives us clear understanding of John's prophecy when he writes, "...five [kings] are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space."

The phrase, "and one is," is a reference to the spirit of the Amorites as manifested in the spirit of Jezebel.  The five kings (or ruling spirits) who had fallen (and were not in a position to exercise kingly authority) were the Hittites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, the Girgashites and the Canaanites.  The spirit of Jezebel and the Amorites was in full bloom already in the body of Christ when John wrote the Revelation, manifesting itself in the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes in the form of the hierarchical structure that was usurping the authority of the Lord in the Ekklesias.

The phrase, "the other is not yet come.." is a reference to the king and ruling spirit of the Perizzites whose influence was initially felt through the "born again" Pharisees as they tried to implement a form of democratic structure (the other half of the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes) within the Ekklesias.  That spirit began to really manifest itself through the introduction of "congregational" church structure in the 1700's and 1800's.

One thing that is eminently clear is that these last two kings (the Amorites and the Perizzites), while appearing to be in opposition with each other, actually cooperate with their Master as they drive the doctrines of humanism forward within the body of Christ.

This last bit is somewhat of an aside but I wanted to help you understand the character and background of the spirit of Jezebel, and why this spirit is so arrogant and unrepentant.  I remind you that the character of the Amorites was to always have the high places, to have the preeminence among their brother nations, to be in control of everyone and everything.  Historical references to them in Egyptian archaeological findings call them "the long-necked ones" -- a reference to the way they held their heads up in arrogance and pride.  The Amorites all thought they were pretty "hot stuff!"

Jezebel idolized herself.  She thought she was the greatest thing on the planet.  She loved what she saw in the mirror and worshiped herself to her own downfall.  So it is with folks who become ensnared by this spirit.  They become the center of their own attraction and self-worship.  They become so arrogant in their own appearance or abilities that they believe everyone else should likewise be drawn to them.  Thus, manipulation and control – witchcraft and sorcery, and with it, divination – become their modus operandi.

It is that very arrogance and self-worship which is at the heart of the spirit of Jezebel's inability to come to a place of repentance.  Folks who are contaminated by this spirit have an extremely difficult time accepting their need to repent of their attitudes, their activities and their usurpation of power and/or authority.  They become control-freaks!

The Amorites principality, or ruling demonic spirit, was the Fear of Evil.  They (and, of course, Jezebel) were ruled by fear, and they -- in turn -- used fear as a means to control and manipulate people.  The Fear of Evil is a highly religious spirit whose primary purpose is to get us to be afraid of God rather than having an awe and respect of Him.  The Fear of Evil -- like every other spirit of fear -- is a driving spirit who seeks control of all those within its influence.

The Amorites used force to achieve their ends.  (Hence hierarchical church government, and hence, Jezebel's modus operandi.) Force is always the first alternative when people lack real authority.  Real authority, of course, is only found with the Lord Jesus Christ; and that authority becomes operational in us when we are in fellowship and union with Him!

It was my intention to share a personal story with you today to demonstrate the difficulty that people have in coming to a place of repentance when they are confronted with the fact that they are being used and manipulated by the spirit of Jezebel.  My story is long enough that it would make this Coffee Break much too long, so I will save it for next week.  Instead let's wrap up this week's discussion with a current prophetic word that came from a brother in the Lord who has since gone home to be with the Lord.

Many years ago I was fortunate enough to meet and share with Wade Taylor on a number of occasions.  He was a brother with a deep sense of the heart of the Lord, and the cry that went forth from him prophetically came directly from that knowing within.

This word from Wade was published on September 10th on the Elijah List.

"Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of Thy waterspouts: all Thy waves and Thy billows are gone over me. Psalm 42:7

"Deep calls." Our Lord is a seeking God who desires a satisfaction that can be found only in us – our worship and our times of fellowship with Him. We were created for this purpose, which became marred by the transgression of Adam.

"At the noise of Your waterspouts." Our initial response may seem to us as being "noise," but as we continue to worship and spend time in fellowship with the Lord, it will become as a "song."

The Lord is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare Him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt Him. Exodus 15:2

If we will be patient and not become discouraged, we will be immersed in His presence – "all Your waves are gone over me." Now, we are no longer in control. Others will notice the change in us and ask:  Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?... Song of Solomon 8:5

All this begins with our response to the cry that comes from within the heart of the Lord, "Deep calls." In order to rightly respond, we must become spiritually hungry.

 

Blessings on you!

Regner

Regner A. Capener                                                            
CAPENER MINISTRIES

709 South 7^th Street
Sunnyside, Washington 98944

(509) 515-0133

A Tale of Two Brides is now available on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Tale-Two-Brides-Relationship-ebook/dp/B00BSV6HZC/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1363139096&sr=8-8&keywords=A+Tale+of+Two+Brides#_

All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted –provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are available at http://www.RegnersMorningCoffee.com.   Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.

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CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit: http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.

ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: THE SPIRIT OF JEZEBEL, Part 5

The Spirit of Jezebel, Part 5

September 21, 2013

Good, Good, Good Morning!  Wired up?  Are ya cookin’ today?  Got your coffee poured, yet?  You’re drinkin’ the good stuff today, aren’t you?  Dark Roast?  Columbian, or maybe Ethiopian, or perhaps Jamaican Blue Mountain?  Hehehehehe…………….

If there is any hallmark of the spirit of Jezebel, or some particular characteristic that sums up and describes its overall purpose, it would be “usurper.”  The primary objective of the spirit of Jezebel is to usurp the operational authority of the Lord Jesus Christ in those who are anointed and appointed by the Holy Spirit to minister, to present itself as THE voice of the Lord instead, and to take control of the leadership of God’s people.  See that word, “control”?  It goes with manipulation.  It’s called witchcraft.

Now, let’s resume our continuing look at more of the descriptive characteristics of the Spirit of Jezebel as outlined in Revelation 2:20-23.

Most of us think of false prophets and false prophetesses as being folks who stand up and make predictions about future events that go wrong.  Unfortunately, that completely misses the whole picture of what prophecy is all about, and what a prophet – true or false – is all about.

Only the tiniest part of prophecy is about foretelling events to come, and we mistakenly refer to ministers or leaders within the body of Christ as “false prophets” if they predict something that doesn’t unfold in exactly the manner they describe.  Real prophecy comes out of the character and makeup of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus spent very little of His teaching and preaching dealing with future events, and yet He IS the Spirit of Prophecy.

John wrote in Revelation 19:10b, “…your brethren that have the witness and evidence of Jesus worship God: for the witness and evidence of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy.” (My translation)

Does that make sense to you?  We can come back to this later, if necessary, but I want to show you how the spirit of Jezebel counterfeits this witness and evidence.

One of the biggest evidences of this spirit in the body of Christ is the very seductiveness of it.  I’ll get to the fornication part momentarily.

Stop and think about this for a second.  How do you seduce someone who is a Bible-believing Christian?  How do you entrap them with words that are seductive?

Seduction, by its very nature, uses pleasant thoughts, draws mental images with carefully chosen words that sound good and – in this case – usually quotes verses of Scripture to support enticement to disobedience.  The biggest area of seduction is self-justification for committing sin.  The enticement comes in making you feel OK about your disobedience to the Word of the Lord.

The enticement is doctrines that please the flesh, allowing Christians to avoid the disciplines of the Gospel and permitting them a route of escape from the necessary processing of the Holy Spirit.

The seduction is the teaching of doctrines that make you believe that you are just fine where you are in the Lord – that healing the sick, raising the dead, performing miracles and doing the works that Jesus did (never mind doing greater works!) were ONLY for the apostles, or for a select few chosen by the Lord; that all of this passed away out of the life of the body of Christ in the second century AD with the death of the last of the apostles.

The body of Christ today is peppered with many of these doctrines.  Let me cite and enumerate just a few for your edification.

1. Speaking in tongues is of the Devil.

2. The gifts of the Spirit died out with the apostles.

3. God picks and chooses those whom He heals.

4. It is not the will of God to heal everyone.

5. Poverty is God's will, and it is correspondingly more spiritual for Christians to live in need with just barely enough to get by.

6. The "Prosperity Doctrine" is a lie.  Jesus never wanted His followers to be wealthy.

7. Who do you think you are to believe that you can heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out demons?

8. Satan is almost as powerful as God and Christians need to really be careful in how they address him.

9. God kills certain people and "takes" them out of this world when their time is up.

10. If you don't keep all of the Ten Commandments, you can't go to Heaven.

11. People who cast out evil spirits are doing so by the power of Satan.

12. Women have no place of leadership within the body of Christ because they are commanded to keep silence.

13. Because Eve was the one deceived, women cannot fill any of the five-fold ministries in the body of Christ.

The seduction – AND THE FORNICATION – comes in compelling people to be obedient to the Law (and/or more importantly, man-made interpretations and applications of the Law) AND live under the Grace of Jesus Christ.  The fornication comes into the picture because people say they love the Lord Jesus Christ (and they believe that they do!), that they have accepted the atonement for their sins through His death and resurrection, while at the same time placing upon them requirements of the Law with obedience to Mosaic commandments and statutes.

The apostle Paul put it like this (See Galatians 2:16-20), “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified……

"For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

One cannot be married (using the metaphor of Bridegroom (Jesus) and Bride (us) to the Lord and then run to the Law for mental (read that: reasoning or logical) or emotional satisfaction.  It is impossible to keep the Law and please the Lord.  One does not keep the Law by faith because the Law holds power over the flesh – NOT the spirit.  Flesh can have no faith: faith is a function of our spirit working through our love of the Lord Jesus Christ.

To supposedly claim we love the Lord, therefore, and then justify ourselves by the Law is to commit adultery.  Are you seeing now the seduction of the Spirit of Jezebel?

This is a spirit which entices men and women to measure themselves and their righteousness according to the Law – and quotes a bazillion scriptures to justify it, thus negating Jesus’ redemptive work on the Cross on our behalf and making salvation of none effect.

If the Spirit of Prophecy is the Word of God, consider then the deadly nature of the spirit of Jezebel calling itself a “prophetess” (or in the case of it taking up residence and operating through a man, a “prophet”).  This spirit stands in many pulpits today – both in men and women – usurping the name, the authority and the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, all the while passing itself off as speaking in the name of, and on behalf of, the Lord.

Those that succumb to its voice and its seductive deception (usually) unknowingly commit spiritual fornication and adultery by virtue of doing things either directly contrary to the expressed will of God, or setting aside and ignoring the demonstration of the Spirit and Power.

The spirit of Jezebel is usually very selective in the choice of people it has around it, and those so afflicted become spiritually effeminate and powerless, lacking in true authority but reveling in a show of pretended authority along with lots of public recognition, praise and adulation.  Those so afflicted come under the control and manipulation of a spirit of witchcraft that works hand in hand.

The spirit of Jezebel, you see, IS a spirit of witchcraft and sorcery.  It’s entire purpose for existing is to entice men and women, to control them and to manipulate them with lies and seduction in such a way that they are rendered impotent as Christians.  They become spiritual homosexuals or lesbians, making love to one another instead of having a true Bride/Bridegroom relationship that produces spiritual offspring.

One of the manifestations of the spirit of Jezebel and its operation in churches today is the acceptance of, or presence of just about every kind of sexual perversion known to man.  This is the driving spirit behind physical homosexuality and physical lesbianism, and churches that pervert the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ are often populated with sexual perverts and deviants.

Strong stuff, I know, but the body of Christ needs a housecleaning!  It’s time for Christians to wake up and realize just how impotent this spirit has rendered them, and the fellowships of which they are a part.

Don’t somebody, please, now suggest that I hate homosexuals and lesbians!  I don’t hate the people.  I do hate the sin!  But that sin is just as forgivable as lying, cheating, stealing and every other sin.  It just needs repenting and renunciation from/of in the same way one repents of every other sin.

You see, the lie of this perversion is its inherent lack of procreative ability.  EVERYTHING about God’s creation is predicated on the Law of Seedtime and Harvest.  Everything is predicated on creation, the planting of seed and the reproduction of that seed.  It requires male and female to procreate.

The spirit of Jezebel wipes out our spiritual ability to procreate.  It attempts to neuter the Word of God.  It destroys the Father image of God, the Son of God, and the spiritual procreation that comes between the Son as the Bridegroom and us as His Bride.

The neutering of the Word is clearly evidenced in many churches across America and around the world today in the fact that there is no ongoing spiritual procreation.  People aren’t coming to Jesus Christ, being saved, healed, delivered, growing into abundant life, being filled with the Holy Spirit, and then reproducing new Christians by virtue of the new life within them.  Sure, you see churches where folks supposedly get “saved” after they respond to a salvation message on Sunday morning or Sunday night, but they get stuck there!  There is no life in Christ that leads them to abundance, to prosperity, to growth in the Spirit, to a life of miracles one after another after another after another with the Word of God coming forth through their lives in a demonstration of the Spirit and of Power!

They die in their Christian baby cribs.  They never grow up in God!  They never learn what it is to walk in the Spirit, to live in the Spirit, to speak in the Spirit, to demonstrate the abundant life available in the Spirit.

I was going to tell you another personal story of an experience I had several years ago to illustrate the deceptiveness of the Spirit of Jezebel and how it seeks to gain control in the body of Christ, but it’s pretty clear that there just isn’t time to accomplish that today.  Maybe I can get to that in our next Coffee Break.

The point I want to leave with you today is the understanding that the false prophecy of Jezebel isn’t so much in the fake foretelling of events; it is literally embodied in the false “forth telling” of what supposes to be a rhema or a direct, spoken Word from the Lord to His people.  That false “forth telling” comes in the form of preaching and teaching – and prophesying, although usually the prophesying of extremes.

Those extremes either come in the form of dire warnings of doom and gloom from which we must escape, or they come in the form of spiritual niceties, great abundance, health, wealth and prosperity MINUS any teaching or understanding of what it takes in the way of obedience to walk in that abundance, health or wealth.

Folks get lulled to sleep with this garbage, or led down some primrose path following some leader who hasn’t a clue to what the Holy Spirit is saying and doing in the earth today.  Thus, they get sucked in by false prophecy, seduced and enticed by words that please their fleshly nature, and they commit fornication or adultery with the Lord through their unfaithfulness to Him.

We still need to cover that portion of the eight characteristics that depict the nature and character of this spirit which deal with the inherent lack of ability to repent, and that’s where we will go with it next week.

Blessings on you!

Regner

Regner A. Capener                                                            
CAPENER MINISTRIES

709 South 7^th Street
Sunnyside, Washington 98944

(509) 515-0133

A Tale of Two Brides is now available on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Tale-Two-Brides-Relationship-ebook/dp/B00BSV6HZC/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1363139096&sr=8-8&keywords=A+Tale+of+Two+Brides#_

All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted –provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are available at http://www.RegnersMorningCoffee.com.   Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.

If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.To remove yourself from the mailing list, please send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.

CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit: http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.

ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: THE SPIRIT OF JEZEBEL, Part 4

The Spirit of Jezebel, Part 4

September 13, 2013

Good Morning!!  When I opened up our last Coffee Break, I neglected to follow up on the comment about some Amish brethren who were part of the praise and worship gathering a couple weeks ago in an area just a short distance from Lewiston, Idaho, and it is worth following up.

We were talking about the vivid display in the heavens with the extremely loud claps of thunder that shook the whole place, followed by close lightning strikes, followed by hail which fell as glass.  The Amish leader who was part of this gathering was a brother I know as Levi.  As they gathered together with believers who represented a cross-section of the Body of Christ, Levi stood up and said the following:

"I want you all to know that we are NOT Amish.  Neither are we Ex-Amish.  We are your brethren in the Body of Christ!"

THAT, folks is what is happening in this hour.  Barriers are coming down!  As people are being drawn into the immediate presence of the Lord, they are shedding their denominational rags as well as their sectarian and doctrinal positions and putting on the glory of the Lord. 

The spirit of Jezebel is notable in presenting itself as a prophet(ess) in order to teach men and women and entice them into immorality -- whether spiritual or physical or through mental fantasies (such as using pornography) -- often justifying that immorality with the use of certain scripture verses taken out of context.  Adultery and fornication are often justified through pornographic imagery by the spirit of Jezebel under the guise that "you didn't engage in any physical sexual contact with anyone."

Let's see.  How was it that Jesus put it?  (See Matthew 5:27-28)  "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."

Get it?  Adultery or fornication is not simply engaging in a physical act.  It is the living out of the sexual act with someone to whom you are not married in the midst of mental and emotional fantasies.  We'll talk about the spiritual side of adultery and fornication in the days to come and the seduction associated with it that John was driving at in the prophecy to the Ekklesia in Thyatira.

This is a pretty heavy subject for a lot of people, and sometimes the real life aspects of how the spirit of Jezebel operates can get lost in the details.  That said, let's get back to the event I was sharing with you in the previous Coffee Break that took place some years back with my lifetime friend and brother in the Lord, Dwain McKenzie.

Got my good strong cup of French Roasted Columbian blended with some Jamaican Blue Mountain poured, and I’m on my second cup.  Better grab yours before it's too late.  A quick note as well: we're going to run long again in today's Coffee Break.

Last week, I ran out of time (and space) to complete a story on seeing firsthand the spirit of Jezebel in operation.  It never occurred to me at the time that this was what I was seeing, and not for several years thereafter did I understand the demonic nature of what transpired.  Not until the Holy Spirit led me into the ministry of deliverance did I begin to comprehend what had unfolded before me; and then I watched as the Lord brought both judgment and vindication.

As I wrapped up part one of this discussion last week, I said that as soon as I was gone from Barrow, a fake trial was held before the church board.  Dwain was found guilty in absentia.  He never had an opportunity to present evidence that would have cleared him.  Neither was I ever given an opportunity – as one who had personally worked with him and been involved in the day-to-day ministry – to present any evidence or testimony contrary to that of the conspirators.

Dwain was contacted while in California and advised to get back to Barrow to pack up his personal belongings, and told that he was through as a pastor in Alaska.  You can imagine his shock.  He flew to Fairbanks to meet with the District Superintendent (DS) to plead his case and was brushed off without so much as an ounce of grace.

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m about the last person on the face of this earth to believe in conspiracies and I don’t abide conspiracy theories very well.  Nevertheless, as this situation unfolded, it became clear that certain preachers in Alaska wanted titles and political power within the Alaska Missions.  Because of my father’s long history of building and establishing churches and his pioneering ministry, they figured he was in line to become the top leader within the denomination and its operations in Alaska.

Dad was about as apolitical as any person you’ve ever met.  He wasn’t the least bit interested in titles or positions.  He was there because God called and anointed him to lay foundations, and build and establish the Kingdom of God throughout the arctic.  He didn’t have time for church politics and adamantly criticized those within the denomination for getting wrapped up in it.  Nevertheless, he was given a title (as General Presbyter – that’s an overseer and representative of a group of churches) and a certain amount of authority within the statewide operations of the denomination.  What Dad knew was that his authority didn’t come from the denomination; it came from the Lord who called him and sent him.  He used his position – not as a political power base, but as a means to extend his reach in ministry.

One of the things I’ve found to be true in a lifetime of ministry is that those who seek political power and position generally tend to be afraid of it; and their seeking after that power and position comes from a place of wanting the esteem of men.  Likewise, those who seek after power and political titles tend to believe that everyone else also wants that power.  It becomes a place of competition, manipulation and control.  Hence, it becomes a platform in their lives for witchcraft to take hold and function in and through them.

Thus, those who conspired to remove Dwain from the pastorate in Barrow did so because they felt he was a “vote” for my father to have the general superintendence of the denomination in Alaska.  Hervel was a pawn – a willing one, to be sure, but a pawn nevertheless.  His greed and willingness to subvert the Gospel for the sake of what he viewed as a powerful political position (he became the pawn of a spirit of witchcraft) made him an easy target for those who also had subverted the Gospel.

Dwain didn’t waste much time nursing any wounds over the conspiracy and his removal from Barrow.  He began ministering in a church in southern California as new doors opened up to him.  The conspiracy hadn’t ended, of course, but the Lord was setting the stage for judgment for the would-be conspirators.

By now, of course, I was in Nome, working at the bank and receiving my training to take the management of the Kotzebue branch; and at the same time helping our family friend and brother in the Lord, Paul Bills, in his pastorate of the church in Nome where I’d grown up in my early childhood.  A general unrest began to develop in my spirit in the midst of my bank management training, and I realized this was not the direction of the Lord in my life.  The job wasn’t paying a whole lot of money [unless you are in senior management in banking, you don’t make any money at all], and I was struggling to pay my bills.

Our young daughter, Debbie, was fighting with one sickness after another, and money was spending like water.  A friend I’d known from my youth was working for the state of Alaska as a civil engineer.  He knew of my engineering and math skills and offered me a high-paying job with the state as a surveyor on a remote highway project.  I decided it was time to get my bills paid off and actually make a move towards permanent, full-time pastoral ministry, resigned from the bank and took the surveyor’s job.

In the meantime, I discovered that the denomination was looking for a missionary to take the church in Nenana, Alaska so I submitted my name to the missions organization.  As soon as my father heard that I had put my name in consideration, he contacted the missions leadership and put in his plug on my behalf.  It never dawned on me – and certainly not on my Dad – that this move would be regarded in exactly the same way they regarded Dwain’s pastorate of the church in Barrow: namely, another vote for my father, and a threat to those who sought political power and position.  I waited, and waited, and waited, and waited some more.  It didn’t make sense that I wasn’t receiving any response from the missions leadership.  The need in Nenana was urgent and I was more than qualified.

Weeks turned into months, and still no response was forthcoming.  I asked Paul Bills to check on it for me and see if he could rattle some doors on my behalf.  The look in his eye when I asked should have spoken volumes, but I was naïve enough to think that he was fully supportive of my request.  After some five months had passed and still no answer was forthcoming from the denomination, a letter arrived in the mail from Audrey Mieir, the songwriter, arranger and singer whom I had known from my days in Bible College.  She asked me if I would pray about and consider taking over the youth ministry in her brother-in-law’s church in Duarte, California: Bethel Union Church.  There was an immediate “YES” in my spirit.  This was the direction of the Lord, and it was clear.

I still didn’t understand why I hadn’t heard anything from the denominational missions leadership, but decided to let it pass.  In the midst of the transition in moving from Alaska to California, I used my aunt and uncle’s home in Santa Clara, California as a stopover and a staging place from which to make the final move.  A letter from the missions board that was sent to my Alaskan address caught up with me in Santa Clara. 

To sum up that letter, it read, “with your life so out of order and your bills unpaid, how dare you apply for a place of ministry with us?”  Since I had paid off my bills before leaving Alaska with ample income I'd received as a surveyor, the letter was puzzling to say the least.  None of it made any sense, and I simply threw the letter in the trash can.  Besides, I already had my direction from the Lord.

Now.  Let’s fast forward to the late fall of 1976.  I’ve been ministering with Dwain McKenzie (again!) at Long Beach Christian Center for the past five years.  The events of a decade previous are long gone from our memories.  The past ten years have produced such change in me that I’m no longer anything like what I was in 1966.  There has been an unfolding of a series of miracles and spectacular works of the Holy Spirit as I could scarcely have imagined.  Now I’ve accepted Scott Hessek’s (Scott was the Satellite Communications Director of CBN) offer to take the ministry of CBN and the 700 Club to Alaska.

Arriving in Anchorage and on my way to Saint Paul Island where my folks are ministering, I spend a few days reacquainting myself with people I’ve known throughout much of my life.  On Sunday, prior to my Monday departure for Saint Paul Island, I decide to visit the denominational church in Anchorage where many of my past friends or acquaintances would likely be.  The Sunday morning service gets under way and the pastor makes a point of publicly acknowledging and recognizing my presence.  At the conclusion of the service, a hand taps me on the shoulder from behind and a familiar voice says, “Regner, I’m so glad to see you.”  It was Paul Bills.  I spun around, grabbed him and gave him a big bear hug.

“Brother Bills, I sure am glad to see you!  What are you doing here?”  I hadn’t kept track of him or his movements, and was unaware that he had been gone from Nome for some time.  Tears came to his eyes, and he began to weep.  “Brother, I need to ask you for your forgiveness,” he said.  You could have pushed me over with a feather.  “Why on earth do you need my forgiveness,” I asked.

“Ten years ago, I did you a terrible wrong.  When you applied for missionary status with the missions board and requested appointment to Nenana, I sent accusatory letters against you in order to block your appointment.”  He went on to relate the conspiracy that had taken place between him, the then-District Superintendent, and others in ministry in Alaska to block people from being in a position where they could become supporting votes for my father to have the general superintendence.

I responded, “Brother, you didn’t have to do that!  Dad couldn’t have cared less for the title or the position.  He was too focused on accomplishing what the Lord anointed and commissioned him to do.  Becoming the General Superintendent was the last thing on his mind!”

Paul Bills nodded his head.  “I know that, now, but I was too caught up in wanting the position myself.  I was wrong, Brother, and the Lord has taken me to task for it.  I am suffering His judgment because of my actions.  He has instructed me to put my house in order and prepare to die.  I have Lou Gehrig’s disease, and have less than two years to live.  I did you wrong, among others, in the midst of my greed and manipulation to have political power, and I’m asking you to forgive me.”

I was so overcome with emotion it was hard to speak.  “Brother Bills,” I said brokenly, “Whatever you meant for evil, the Lord has meant for good.  I wouldn’t trade the past ten years of seeing and experiencing all that the Lord has done in and through me for the whole world!  Consider yourself more than forgiven.”  I only saw Paul Bills a couple of times after that.  His health deteriorated rapidly and in less than two years, he was gone.  Inquiries into the whereabouts of the previous District Superintendent, as well as the would-be pastor in Barrow (Hervel) who had aided in the conspiracy to remove Dwain yielded the following, and I realized that the Lord was executing judgment.

The previous DS had also been stricken with a nerve disorder that eventually caused his death.  The church board in Barrow soon realized after Dwain’s dismissal that he was not guilty of the accusations leveled against him, and that in fact, Hervel had trumped up charges of criminal activity of which he was personally guilty.  The church asked for his removal and he was gone shortly thereafter, dismissed from the denomination.  He moved to Nome where he became its City Manager.  It didn’t take long for Hervel to resume his financial fraud.  An investigation by federal agents brought about an indictment for embezzlement.  His wife divorced him, and he wound up in prison.

See what the spirit of Jezebel does to people?  See what happens when folks become contaminated by the sin of witchcraft?  Remember the quote I shared with you from Revelation 2, “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.”

That’s EXACTLY what happened to all those who committed adultery with the spirit of Jezebel in this case.  In case you haven’t seen it yet, this WAS the spirit of Jezebel hard at work to usurp the power, the authority, and the anointing of God’s anointed and appointed.  Those who committed adultery with the spirit of Jezebel were “cast into great tribulation” because they never repented of their deeds – at least not until it was too late.  Paul Bills publicly repented for his part in the ongoing conspiracies, and his public repentance exposed sin and corruption that had plagued the missions organization in Alaska for years.

In our last Coffee Break, I said that I would show you how the Lord vindicated Dwain after all of the false charges and accusations.

Let’s fast forward one more time – this time to 1988.  By this time, Della and I are in Anchorage.  Dwain calls me on the phone needing a place to stay for a day or two ON THE WAY BACK TO BARROW!!  That’s right.  Think the Lord doesn’t remember the afflictions of the righteous?  Think the Lord doesn’t make good when His anointed and His appointed are falsely accused and conspired against?  Think the Lord doesn’t have the last word in these affairs?

Think again!  After all the water that had gone under the bridge during a span of more than 21 years, Dwain was asked to consider taking the church again in Barrow.  Understand that he hadn’t been with the denomination during most of that span of time.  Nevertheless, there were people in Barrow who had kept in touch with Dwain, and when the opportunity presented itself they asked him to consider coming back.  Like me, Dwain had an adopted daughter of Eskimo heritage along with an adopted son as well, and the ties meant ongoing contact.

It probably isn’t necessary to go into all of the details that unfolded other than to say that Dwain resumed the pastorate of the church in Barrow, remaining there for 14 more years, and taking the church to new dimensions spiritually.  That didn’t mean he didn’t have a battle royal on his hands when he returned to Barrow.  He did indeed.  Some of those folks who had participated in the original conspiracy in 1966 thought he ought not to be back in Barrow and they once again raised their hands in judgment against him.

This time, the Lord demonstrated His judgment, and just about every single person who lifted up their voice or their hand in judgment against Dwain suffered a similar fate as those who initially led the conspiracy.  Some died painful deaths in the midst of diseases that wouldn't heal.  A couple wound up in prison.  God’s tolerance with Christians who submit continually to witchcraft and the spirit of Jezebel has grown shorter and shorter and shorter as the age has been drawing to an end.  When people continue to commit spiritual adultery with those wicked spirits, refusing to repent of their sins, the judgment of God has a finality about it that displays little tolerance.

I still want to take you in greater depth into the eight characteristics that depict the nature and character of this spirit, and that’s where we will go with it next week.

Blessings on you!

Regner

Regner A. Capener                                                            
CAPENER MINISTRIES

709 South 7^th Street
Sunnyside, Washington 98944

(509) 515-0133

A Tale of Two Brides is now available on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Tale-Two-Brides-Relationship-ebook/dp/B00BSV6HZC/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1363139096&sr=8-8&keywords=A+Tale+of+Two+Brides#_

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