The Doctrine of Jezebel

Read Revelation 2:18-29, and you will see that Christ warned the church against the doctrine of Jezebel. “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” (Revelation 2:20, NKJV). The Greek word here for Jezebel is a synonym for a “false teacher.” She clearly represents false doctrines. Jesus clears it up by continuing, “…as many as have not this doctrine…” (Revelation 2:24).

Here is a group of God’s people, full of good works and charity, having a form of faith and patience. With all that was good and commendable, however, something very dangerous was going on. It was something so seductive that Christ warned he would send judgment and make them an example to all the churches. Certain members of the church were selling out to Satan. Their good works, charity, service, faith, and patience were overshadowed by a seduction of false doctrine. They were under the spell of a false teaching, a teaching that came disguised as the true Word but was, in fact, evil.

The mark of a seduced Christian is that he is “carried about”, seeking some new, different, strange teaching. The Bible warns, “Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines…” (Hebrews 13:9). This is speaking of running from place to place, seminar to convention, church to church, having no roots. The ears of such people are always itching to hear something new, something sensational, something entertaining, something pleasing to their flesh. 

We had them at Times Square Church, these ‘gadabouts’, human tumbleweeds riding the winds of doctrines. They resembled the Athenians who “…spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing” (Acts 17:21). Paul warned Timothy, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers” (2 Timothy 4:3).

It is dangerous to sit under wrong teaching, and Christ does not take this matter lightly. His eyes are piercing the church; and he has come to warn, expose, and save his people from this terrible seduction. Where you go to church, who you are listening to, the teaching that has your heart is very, very serious.