1 Kings 21:17-19 shows that the penalty Yahweh decreed upon Ahab was consistent with his word in Deuteronomy 19. Those who participate in injustice against the innocent eventually suffer the penalty they inflicted upon the innocent. For just as Ahab's household had seen to the death of Naboth, so also would Yahweh see to the death of Ahab.

It should be noted that when Jezebel struck a blow for wickedness, Yahweh struck back through his servant Elijah. For when Jezebel saw to Naboth's death, it is Elijah that Yahweh chose of out of his prophets to confront Ahab's house and deliver Yahweh's judgement upon the house of Ahab. It seems that the power of Jezebel needs power of intensity and capacity as Elijah had to counter it.

It should also be noted from 1 Kings 21:20 that Ahab and Elijah did NOT get on at all, being enemies to one another. For Ahab had sold himself to do what was evil in Yahweh's eyes while Elijah was resolute in upholding Yahweh's word and righteousness. Their encounters were therefore not friendly encounters, but occasioned by the fulfilment of Yahweh's word!

It should be appreciated that 1 Kings 20 mentioned other prophets of Yahweh in addition to Elijah whom Yahweh sent to Ahab, such as in the battles between Israel and Syria. It should therefore be clear that Elijah was NOT the only prophet of Yahweh operating among his people during this period. There were other prophets of Yahweh performing the various works that Yahweh had given them to perform.

Yah'shuah's servants in the assembly at Thyatira should therefore understand that in their midst are various servants of Yah'shuah performing the duties respectively given to them. Each servant has been given his own work to perform and do, and all collectively serve Yahweh and Yah'shuah. The various servants of Yah'shuah in Thyatira should therefore recognise one another even as they serve Yah'shuah in the various ways that Yah'shuah has allotted to them.

1 Kings 21:23 notes that Jezebel too did not escape Yahweh's judgement. For in the manner that dogs licked the blood of Naboth whom she murdered, so also were dogs to not only lick her own blood, but eat up her flesh!

1 Kings 21:25-26 summarises Ahab's reign over Israel. Together with his wife who stirred him up he committed evil and idolatry. This is the hallmark of his reign, and it is also the hallmark of those in the assembly in Thyatira who are in league with Jezebel. For Jezebel not only practices sexual immorality and idolatry, she causes Yah'shuah's servants to do the same.

1 Kings 21:28-29 shows that Yahweh shows mercy to those who humble themselves, even after having operated with a high hand and having done great evil! Yah'shuah is also delivering this same message to the assembly in Thyatira. They should repent of their evil and idolatry and humble themselves. By so doing Yah'shuah will spare them being thrown into great oppression. But if they do not heed Yah'shuah's word, great oppression they will experience. For paying lip service to Yah'shuah, while undertaking evil and idolatry, is not acceptable to him and he removes such evildoers away from his presence.

1 Kings 22:1-38 reads,

Yahweh's people can learn from Jehoshaphat's example as seen in 22:5. Before undertaking a venture, especially an important one, we should first consult Yahweh and ascertain his will with respect to our intended action. Once having obtained Yahweh's word we should act within Yahweh's will. But if we seek Yahweh's will, without intending to follow it if it is not in agreement with our will, then there is no point seeking Yahweh's will. For the point of seeking Yahweh's will is to submit to it, subjugating our own will to his. Those who are not submissive to Yahweh's will should not seek it.

22:6-9 shows that in the days of Ahab and Jezebel there were many prophets who prophesied, purportedly in Yahweh's name. Nevertheless, despite all of these prophets prophesying, purportedly in Yahweh's name, Jehoshaphat did not acknowledge their credentials. It seemed to Jehoshaphat that these several prophets were not really speaking under Yahweh's authority. He therefore sought out a prophet who truly spoke under Yahweh's authority.

Those currently in the assembly in Thyatira should indeed learn that not all who profess to be Yah'shuah's servants are indeed his servants. Not all who profess to be speaking under the Holy Spirit's inspiration are indeed doing so. Yah'shuah's servants in the assembly in Thyatira should ask Yah'shuah for the gift of perception that they may be able to ascertain those servants speaking under his authority and those not so doing. That they may be able to ascertain when a servant is speaking if he is indeed at that time speaking under Yah'shuah's authority or not. For just as the majority of prophets who professed to be Yahweh's servants were not speaking under Yahweh's authority in Ahab and Jezebel's day, so also the majority of people professing to be Yah'shuah's servants in the assembly in Thyatira are not speaking under Yah'shuah's authority.

Yah'shuah's servants should learn from Micaiah as seen in 22:13-14. When the majority of professing luminaries speak in a given manner there is great pressure borne upon Yah'shuah's servants to speak in the manner the professing luminaries have spoken. That they may not contradict the word of the professing luminaries, thereby seemingly ratifying that word. Nevertheless, Yah'shuah's servants must never forget who their master is. Their master is Yah'shuah and not these professing luminaries, even when the professing luminaries are the vast majority of those who profess to be Yah'shuah's servants. Yah'shuah's servants must speak what Yah'shuah gives them to speak, and not their own words, or the words of various professing luminaries.

22:19-23 is very insightful in revealing to us how matters that are played out here on earth are actually determined in heaven. For it reveals to us the sequence of events that led to Ahab receiving the various words that he received from his prophets, and why he so received the various words that he received.

The time for Yahweh's judgement upon Ahab had come, for Ahab had done very wickedly in his life and Yahweh's appointed time to fulfil his spoken judgement to him had come. The manner Yahweh chose to fulfil his judgement upon Ahab was not by sending one of his prophets to do so. He instead asked for a volunteer among the host of heaven to do the job.

In assessing whether the volunteer was capable of performing the task at hand Yahweh interviewed that volunteer, a spirit among the host gathered before him. The volunteer outlined to Yahweh the manner he would carry out the mission, and Yahweh assessed whether that suggested manner was capable of succeeding in the task at hand or not. When Yahweh's assessment affirmed the suggestion he gave the volunteering spirit leave to begin the mission, and assured the volunteering spirit that he would succeed in that mission as outlined to Yahweh.

It should be noted that there is no guarantee that if a spirit undertakes to perform a given work among human beings that it will succeed. This implies that the various works spirits perform among human beings are not necessarily easy, and therefore require appropriate strategies for their success.

It should also be noted that the volunteering spirit was a LYING SPIRIT. It was definitely not a holy spirit, but an evil spirit. For holy spirits, those with Yahweh's nature, manifest Yahweh's nature. And seeing that Yahweh does not lie, holy spirits do not lie. Therefore the lying spirit was not a holy spirit, but an evil spirit.

It should also be noted that when Yahweh is performing a work here on earth to achieve a purpose of his he does not always use his holy spirits. He sometimes, as in this case of Ahab, uses evil spirits, even lying spirits. And the manner he uses evil spirits to achieve his own objective is by giving them authority to perform their evil works within a defined area for a defined period of time. And facilitating the environment that those evil spirits are operating in to be such that they will succeed in their mission. In other words, when Yahweh gives authority to evil spirits to behave according to their evil, he removes appropriate hindrances to these evil spirits to allow them to succeed in their mission.

It should therefore be noted that no evil can take place here on earth, or elsewhere, unless Yahweh has allowed it. And he allows evil to take place for his own purposes. In other words, when it suits his purposes he allows those who are evil to undertake their works. And when it does not suit his purposes he does not allow those who are evil to undertake their evil works. It should therefore be clear than no evil can take place here on earth or elsewhere without Yahweh's permission.

It should also be noted that in the earthly arena people sometimes undertake various actions because they are influenced to so undertake those actions by spirits! The lying spirit permitted by Yahweh influenced Ahab's prophets to utter lies to Ahab, and Ahab was inclined to believe his own prophets. Likewise, in the assembly in Thyatira there are professing luminaries who are influenced by evil spirits to undertake their various works out of harmony with Yahweh's commands.

It should be noted from 22:24 that Zedekiah believed that he had been prophesying to Ahab by the Spirit of Yahweh. Nevertheless, as seen by Micaiah's vision, and subsequent events, Zedekiah had indeed been prophesying by the lying spirit rather than by the Spirit of Yahweh. It should therefore be clear that even in the assembly in Thyatira there are those who believe that they undertake their works by the Spirit of Yahweh. But, in truth, evil spirits deceive some of these into believing what is not true. For they undertake their works by the evil spirits inspiring them to so undertake their works, who disguise themselves and purport to be the Spirit of Yahweh!

Someone may ask, how can one know whether a particular person is performing his works by the Spirit of Yahweh or by an evil spirit?

Micaiah gives one answer in 22:25. The results or fruits of those works determine whether they were done by the Spirit of Yahweh or by an evil spirit.

But someone may also say, such a method of determination is certain only AFTER the event. And if one was in Ahab's shoes, after the event might mean that one is dead, at which time one would not be able to alter one's course. Therefore how may one know, BEFORE the relevant event, whether a particular person is performing his works by the Spirit of Yahweh or by an evil spirit?

Deuteronomy 18:20-22 reads,

It should be noted that speaking a word presumptuously in Yahweh's name, a word Yahweh has not commanded one to speak, incurs the death penalty! In other words, no one should speak in Yahweh's name unless and until Yahweh has spoken to that one to do so!

On the strength of Yahweh's word here in Deuteronomy 18:20-22 it appears that Ahab's prophets, including Zedekiah, incurred the death penalty. For they prophesied in Yahweh's name, yet they spoke by a lying spirit and not the Spirit of Yahweh!

Now how may a prophet know that the inspiration by which he speaks is the Spirit of Yahweh or an evil spirit? That he may not incur the death penalty, for having presumptuously spoken a word in Yahweh's name yet Yahweh has not so commanded him to speak? And how may his audience know that he indeed speaks by the Spirit of Yahweh and not by an evil spirit?

Deuteronomy 13:1-5 reads,

It should be noted from Deuteronomy 13:2 that the sign or wonder that the prophet or dreamer of dreams gave came to pass. Under Yahweh's word in Deuteronomy 18:20-22 one would conclude that the prophet or dreamer of dreams spoke by Yahweh's authority. Nevertheless, Yahweh is here telling us not to listen to the subsequent word of that prophet or dreamer of dreams BECAUSE the subsequent word spoken is clearly against Yahweh's word. In other words, Yahweh's people are to listen to the word of a professing mouthpiece of Yahweh only when that word is in harmony with Yahweh's word previously known to Yahweh's people. But if the word spoken is not in harmony with Yahweh's word previously known to his people, his people are not to listen to that word, even when the word comes from a mouthpiece previously acknowledged as a servant of Yahweh!

It should also be noted that Yahweh allows a person who has in the past been his mouthpiece to subsequently speak rebellion! In other words, Yahweh does not control the mouths of his various mouthpieces. He also allows them to speak their own words. Nevertheless, if they speak their own words and purport these words to be Yahweh's words then they incur the death penalty. Also, if they speak their own words and these words of theirs are rebellion against Yahweh's word, they incur the death penalty. It should therefore be clear that one should not speak rebellion against Yahweh, and should only speak in Yahweh's name what Yahweh has commanded one to speak.

It therefore appears that in a case whereby a prophet who has not spoken rebellion against Yahweh utters a word in Yahweh's name pertaining to a sign or a wonder, Yahweh's people cannot really ascertain the veracity of that word prior to the fulfilment of that sign or wonder. In such a case they should watch out to see whether the sign or wonder will be fulfilled. When it is fulfilled they can then listen to the word of that prophet spoken in the name of Yahweh, and only when that word is not rebellion against Yahweh. It therefore appears that a prophet, to be recognised as one belonging to Yahweh, must first demonstrate by the fulfilment of signs or wonders that he indeed belongs to Yahweh and not to evil. And in the process of that recognition he must not have spoken rebellion against Yahweh, but must have spoken to the people to faithfully worship Yahweh.

In the case of Zedekiah in the days of Ahab it seems plausible that Yahweh had used him to utter Yahweh's words. Nevertheless a time came when the Spirit of Yahweh went away from him and he no longer prophesied by Yahweh's Spirit. His subsequent prophecies were by evil spirits and not by Yahweh's Spirit.

Why would Yahweh allow such a thing to happen, that a prophet previously prophesying by the Spirit of Yahweh cease to do so and then prophesy by an evil spirit?

The life of King Saul of Israel is instructive in this regard. Saul had the Spirit of Yahweh dwelling in him. Nevertheless, in time, he rebelled against Yahweh. Yahweh therefore removed his Spirit from dwelling in Saul, and allowed an evil spirit to torment Saul, even as he allowed a lying spirit to speak through the mouth of Zedekiah and other prophets of Ahab. Therefore when a prophet abandons faithfully worshipping Yahweh and rebels against him, Yahweh removes his Spirit from that prophet and no longer speaks to that prophet by his Spirit. He instead allows an evil spirit to take the place previously occupied by his Spirit, and that prophet subsequently prophesies only by the evil spirit! This is what seems to have happened in Zedekiah's case, in the Spirit of Yahweh ceasing to speak through him and a lying spirit subsequently speaking through him.

1 Samuel 9:26-10:9 reads,

1 Samuel 15:16-29 reads,

It should be noted that even though Yahweh had given Saul his Spirit from the time of his anointing as king over Israel, a time came when Saul disobeyed Yahweh and rebelled against him. As a result of his rejecting Yahweh's word to him, Yahweh rejected him from being king over Israel.

1 Samuel 16:11-16 reads,

It should be noted that it is after Yahweh had rejected Saul from being king over Israel, on account of Saul rebelling against Yahweh by rejecting and disobeying Yahweh's word, that Yahweh allowed an evil spirit to trouble him by coming upon him.

Going back to the case of the prophet Zedekiah in Ahab's day, who seemingly had at some time prophesied by the Spirit of Yahweh, it seems that what happened to Saul is also what happened to him. It seems that the reason Yahweh allowed an evil spirit to come upon him, causing him to prophesy lies, is because he rejected Yahweh by rebelling from Yahweh through disobedience of Yahweh's word.

In our time, in the assembly in Thyatira, there are those who in times past did works by the Spirit of Yahweh and were therefore recognised as Yah'shuah's servants. But they subsequently rebelled against Yah'shuah through disobedience of Yah'shuah's word. Yah'shuah therefore rejects them from being his servants, and allows evil spirits to influence them in the performance of their works, even in their works within Yah'shuah's assembly. And he so allows them to do so in order to test his people on whether or not they truly love him. For if his people truly love him they will not listen to the words of those who rebel against him, or teach rebellion against him.

Seeing that Yah'shuah has already informed his assembly in Thyatira that it has Jezebel within her midst, and those who are Jezebel's cohorts, his servants need to be extra vigilant in whom they listen to within their midst. They should not listen to Jezebel and her cohorts, who teach rebellion against Yah'shuah, for she and her cohorts teach idolatry and sexual immorality. And even though these cohorts of Jezebel were in times past considered Yah'shuah's servants, Yah'shuah true servants should not recognise them as such. For true servants of Yah'shuah remain faithful in serving Yah'shuah, and do not rebel against him in idolatry and sexual immorality.

Therefore, if one wonders how he or she may know whether a particular person is speaking by the Spirit of Yahweh or not, one should ascertain whether that mouthpiece is faithfully serving Yahweh or not. If the mouthpiece faithfully serves Yahweh then he or she will not presumptuously utter words by Yahweh's name when Yahweh has not commanded that mouthpiece to so utter. Therefore when that mouthpiece utters words in Yahweh's name it will only be when Yahweh has clearly spoken to him or her to do so. Therefore those who hear the mouthpiece can indeed rely on such word as being Yahweh's word.

Also, seeing that Yahweh's words never fall to the ground, seeing that Yahweh does not lie, whatever he utters by his mouthpieces comes to pass as uttered. Therefore, even if one does not know that a particular mouthpiece is Yahweh's, by waiting for the fulfilment of the spoken word the one will indeed know that the mouthpiece is indeed Yahweh's, and does not belong to an evil spirit.

Going back to 1 Kings 22, it is seen in 22:30-38 that Yahweh's word by Micaiah is the one that prevailed over the word of the lying spirit by the false prophets. Micaiah was therefore the true prophet of Yahweh, while Zedekiah and his colleagues were false prophets, despite having uttered their prophecies in Yahweh's name!

It should also be noted that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah made a mistake in going to the battle after having received Yahweh's word through Micaiah the prophet that Ahab and his company would lose the battle. Jehoshaphat should not have accompanied Ahab in the battle, but should have returned back to his own land and kingdom.

It is again reiterated that when we seek Yahweh's word in a matter we should be ready and willing to abide by it. There is no value in seeking Yahweh's will in a matter if we will not submit ourselves to it. In such a case we might as well not bother seeking Yahweh's will, seeing that our minds are already fixed on the course of action we are to take.

It should also be noted that in Ahab's day there were true prophets of Yahweh other than Elijah, such as Micaiah, through whom Yahweh worked his works mightily. Therefore it should also be clear that even though in the assembly of Thyatira the spirit and power of Elijah is clearly needed, in doing battle against Jezebel and her cohorts, there are also other servants of Yahweh. And Yah'shuah works mightily through these servants of his, even while working mightily through Elijah as prophesied in Malachi 4.

[Previous Section] [Contents] [Next Section]

Your comments on this article

Return to Servants of Yahweh Site Contents page.

Go to Home Page

© 2000, Isaac Aluochier, All rights reserved. Published by Servants of Yahweh, P O Box 78, Royston, SG8 7WF, United Kingdom. E-mail: servantsofyahweh@serveyahweh.org. Permission is hereby GRANTED to reproduce this and other publications in the Servants of Yahweh web site, http://www.serveyahweh.org, unless otherwise stated.

Financial contributions, payable to Servants of Yahweh, and sent to P O Box 78, Royston, SG8 7WF, United Kingdom, are welcome and gratefully received. These facilitate the effective distribution of the word Yahweh has given us, both in electronic and hard copy formats. Not all have easy access to the Internet and therefore cannot easily access our web site, http://www.serveyahweh.org, for this information where it is freely available. These need hard copies of the information published on our web site. Production and distribution of books and booklets is significantly more costly than publishing and distributing material over the Internet. In this regard your financial contributions, whether by way of tithes and/or freewill offerings, go a great way in disseminating the word Yahweh has given us to the people he wills it to reach. May Yahweh richly bless you for your financial contributions to Servants of Yahweh.