In 1 Kings 17-19 recounts the story of the worship of a false lord called Baal. This lord as prophets to this deity in a time of famine were given the rights to sit at the Royal table of Jezebel.

You have to remember that this was a time of utter famine. And bread was scarce. The nation had gone astray to this false lord. They had left the worship of the true Lord. Now they out of sheer necessity had to pledge allegiance to Jezebel at her royal table.

Jezebel had almost eradicated the prophetic out of the land. She now had them “eating out of her hand”. Only one man here is highlighted and God says that 7000 more had not bowed the knee. Yet we can dismiss this as Old Testament however in Revelation we see another Jezebel subjugating the Church at Thyratira with false teaching.

There is coming a confrontation as God speaks that He would cast her in a bed of sickness and afflict her followers. It seems that even in this season we are faced with a similar dilemma.

When the prophetic finds itself afflicted by lack becomes vulnerable to “Jezebel’s table”

There is material lack and the worse thing to happen to God’s ministers is to let lack determine allegiances. Elijah in contrast allowed God to feed him direct at Cherith. God sometimes stretches our trust in Him so we do not fall for the “provision that comes to silence our word of truth.” In Revelation 2 Jesus rebukes the Church at Thyratira for their tolerance. They had allowed sensual teaching to come into their midst.

Sensual doctrine is that which appeals simply to needs and desires

Much preaching has centered on our apparent needs and wants. It has not brought us to centre our lives on Jesus and His Word. We have centered what we can receive, of what we can achieve, where we can reach.

In this last 3 years have been walking in deep preparation, have sensed a great affliction and tribulation that was coming. It has been tough as there was no evidence that we were arriving at a Threshold moment. It was at Ampleforth Abbey last year when God said His Glory had been taken up to the Outer Court.

What today’s Church does as did Thyratira is “tolerate” the Jezebel and her false teaching in sensual ways, which leads us to embrace a false lord who is not our true Lord. The Lord has spoken to me about 10 years of harvest before we move into a time of the end. I believe for two harvests God will hold back the forces of darkness to call Israel back to her land, and Gentiles to their Saviour and true Lord. This means I have a sense of urgency as we need to flow in getting in those two harvests.

The true Lord shall be manifest by fire

In 1 Kings 18 Elijah confronts these prophets of the royal table. And God answers Elijah who prays the covenant and God answers by fire.

The next season the Church must be sure of her covenant. For it shall be this that brings the fire. Kathie Walters in her book “Bright and Shining Revival” recounts the story of the Hebrides Revival 1948-1952, where the prayer of 2 Chronicles 7:14 brought a powerful glory to the Scottish Isles. It is this which needs to happen to get rid of this sensual preaching. God is bringing His Latter Rain. This is for the Last Harvest. It was the sword of Elijah that killed those prophets. The false ministries were now taken out of the land. As they exclaimed “Yahweh is true God” did not avail in the face of what they saw, they were not faithful in their walk in the famine. They allowed despair to exchange the covenant table of God for the morsels of the table of Jezebel.

This next season is one which God will divide those who were faithful. There is a greater task ahead. One where we are tested in our comprehension of the True Lord in His True bread 🍞 of His Word. That is the next test.

God is about to cast this Jezebel to a bed of sickness and afflict the people who tolerated her false teaching.

Our task is to get envisioned with His programme of readying His Church for the Coming Messiah, who is the True Lord.

Shalom