As various groups and organisations campaign against drag queen story times and rainbow festivals locally and unnecessary and extremely egregious bills on the State and Federal levels, the majority of churches have shrunk away with cringing and silence. Even the emergence of the ‘Equity’ bill, a bill with proposals to bring into law practices that can only be described as straight out of the pit of hell has not been enough to bring condemnation from the lips of most pastors and church leaders. The sentiment is that we will appear, “intolerant” or “severe” if we challenge these things.
As followers of Christ all that we do and say must honour Him but are we who feel called to expose and speak out against evil too severe or is the church too tolerant?In the authoritative word of God, the only place of objective truth, tolerance is only mentioned a few times and it is clear that it is not a virtue, but a vice to repent of. What did God tell His people to do as they entered the Promised Land - in addition to killing every man, woman, child and beast? “Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places.’ Deuteronomy 12:3
The Lord Jesus Christ commends the church at Ephesus for not tolerating evil: “I know what you have done; I know how hard you have worked and how patient you have been. I know that you cannot tolerate evil people and that you have tested those who say they are apostles but are not, and have found out that they are liars.” Revelation 2:2
He rebukes the church at Thyatira for tolerating evil: “I know what you do. I know your love, your faithfulness, your service, and your patience. I know that you are doing more now than you did at first. But this is what I have against you: you tolerate that woman Jezebel,* who calls herself a messenger of God. By her teaching she misleads my servants into practicing sexual immorality and eating food that has been offered to idols.” Revelation 2:19-20
The church has tolerated abortion, even right up to birth; they have tolerated same sex marriage in case they offend someone; they have refused to stand against the promotion and celebration in their own city streets of what God detests, even as it destroys children, because they want to be seen as kind, loving and tolerant. Most in the Uniting Church have embraced same sex “marriage,” their pastors declaring what God forbids.
A pastor of a local church appeared in the local newspaper supporting the “rainbow festival” where children as young as three were to be read books teaching them to doubt their biological gender. In Victoria four churches have urged the government to provide more tax payer funded injecting rooms where people can use illicit drugs. The UK Methodist Church, not to be outdone, has decided to become editors of the Bible and remove the words Husband and Wife, brother and sister, because it is offensive to “non-binary” people. “Non-binary?” “They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” Titus 4:4
Silence, tolerance, acceptance and turning aside to myths. Even after the October 7 Holocaust in Israel, there was silence in most churches. Whilst prayers were offered in the weeks that followed for the “Palestinians” and the “babies born in Gaza,” there was mostly silence about the innocent hostages; men, women, children and babies being held in hellish conditions against their will by the very people prayers were offered up for. They prayed to the God of the Jews, but they prayed not for the Jews whose God calls them to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” Psalm 122:6. They have nullified His covenant with His people, not realising they have nullified the promise of His faithfulness in so doing.
Despite their love, faithfulness, service and patience the Thyatira church was rebuked by Jesus because they tolerated the spirit of Jezebel - the same spirit that existed in the days of Elijah, and exists in the church today - leading to sexual immorality, sin and apostasy.Well, what does the Lord have to say about this? “I have given her time to repent of her sins, but she does not want to turn from her immorality. And so I will throw her on a bed where she and those who committed adultery with her will suffer terribly. I will do this now unless they repent of the wicked things they did with her.” Revelation 2:21-22
The scriptures are clear “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12. Why do we then not realise that these same powers are involved in our schools, government institutions and even our churches? Why is the church content to exist in the echo chamber of its own four walls whilst the spiritual war rages in our city streets and in our parliaments? In the name of tolerance, they have come to fear man, not God.
*The Jezebel spirit
We read about the person of Jezebel in 1 and 2 Kings but the scriptures don’t specifically mention the term “Jezebel spirit.” However, the characterisation of the term is clearly visible in the rebuke of the Lord Jesus Christ in Revelation 2:20. Any person who acts in the same manner as Jezebel did, engaging in or being sympathetic to sexual immorality, rebelliousness towards God and unrepentant of sin, may be said to be manifesting the Jezebel spirit.
The person of Jezebel then, versus the spirit of Jezebel today: Jezebel was married to a King (Ahab). The Jezebel spirit tends to affect men in leadership positions to gain prominence, credibility and influence. Jezebel was manipulating and domineering, usurping political and religious authority of the kingdom. The Jezebel spirit manipulates the modern political, educational and religious systems to normalise wickedness and alter the language to call evil good and good evil. Jezebel was vindictive and murderous and hated God; she ordered the slaughter of all the prophets and was relentless in her pursuit of Elijah in order to have Israel cease worshipping the God of the Bible and engage in the sexual degradation, lewdness and sensuality of Baal worship.
The Jezebel spirit seeks to eliminate Christianity; it introduces, promotes and celebrates sexual immorality in all its forms and seeks to vilify and “cancel” all those who speak against it. Tragically, the church appears to have been the Jezebel spirits' most notable conquest.
Kris Dhillon
Orange Christian Alliance