The Final Rollercoaster
When Elijah and Jezebel Ride Again
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Chapter Two: Jezebel, the Original, and her Worldwide Antitype The nemesis of Elijah was Jezebel, and, next to Christ, she is the most prominent figure in Revelation, being mentioned in the second chapter and then later in the book where two whole chapters are devoted to the system she represents—Babylon the Great, the Mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. See chapters 17 and 18. Like the typical Jezebel of the Old Testament, the wicked Babylon has a terrible end. Like her prototype, Babylon has been united to wicked government, which she has seduced and ruled. She, too, has slain the prophets of the Lord. Compare 1 Kings 18:13 and Revelation 18:20,24. As Jezebel is portrayed as delighting in lascivious garb, so it is with Babylon. Compare 2 Kings 9:30-37 and Revelation 17:4. When the final book of Scripture, one particularly dedicated to the last times, pictures a wicked entity at such considerable length—more than two chapters—it is clear we are meant to pay it special attention. And we who live in the nuclear age, when it has been demonstrated that the world is exceedingly vulnerable, will be wise if we give particular attention to what God has emphasized. The story of Jezebel spans the closing chapters of l Kings beginning in chapter 16 and is climaxed in 2 Kings 9. She was a pagan princess dedicated to sun worship (see 2 Kings 23:5,6 and Ezekiel 8:12-16), and she led the king of Israel, who owed fealty to God, into the depths of heathen depravity. Through and through this “lady” is a monstrous killer set on wiping out all opposition to herself and her husband. By fraudulently attaching a false seal to a legal document she contrives to murder the innocent. See l Kings 21:8ff. (In Revelation 13 Antichrist has a false seal or mark for his law.) None of the worshipers of the true God are safe, and she condemns Elijah to death with a vicious oath. Being nervously and physically exhausted, the prophet of God is plunged into a blue funk. This depression is referred to repeatedly in Scripture as pointing to the final time of tribulation for the true worshipers of the Creator. Jeremiah calls it “the time of Jacob’s trouble,” and it is part of the terrible tribulation mentioned by Daniel (12:1), referred to by Christ (Matt 24:21), and repeatedly alluded to in Revelation. See 3:10; 6:9-17; 7:14; 11:7-10; 12:17; 13:11-18; 14:20; 16:12-14; 17:13 and 19:19. But Elijah’s depression is followed by translation to heaven, and so will it be with the saints living in the Last Days. Other Old Testament prophets besides Daniel and Jeremiah symbolically portray the final onslaught on the people of God. See the last verses of Daniel 11, Joel 3:9-16, Zechariah 14, and Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. This terrible time is typified in Jacob’s night of wrestling (when fearful because of the approach of Esau with an armed band), and the tests over idolatry in Daniel chapters 1, 3, and 6. Particularly note that the key word in chapters 3 and 6 is “deliver” (KJV) and compare 12:1 where the same key word appears. The story of Esther, where genocide is threatened because of Israel’s loyalty to the law of God, is yet another parallel. Revelation repeatedly alludes to the false trinity of “the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet.” See 12:3-13:1-12; 16:13; and 19:19-20:2. The dragon is a symbol of Satan (see 12:9); the beast is a counterfeit Messiah, a counterfeit Son of God, and the false prophet who brings fire down from heaven is the counterfeit Holy Spirit. Compare Acts 2 and Revelation 11:5. The false prophet, the lamb with two horns, represents the leaders of Babylon’s idolatrous hosts. He is first represented by a literary associate of Jezebel in Revelation 2:14—Balaam. Both Balaam and Jezebel signify those who tempt God’s people into apostasy through spiritual fornication—false worship. See Numbers chapters 22, 24, and 31. Balaam, bribed by the King of Moab to curse Israel fails, but later he uses the heathen women of Moab to lead the men of Israel into fornication. It is this incident which lays the Scriptural foundation for its prediction of what the final Jezebel, Babylon the Great, will do in the end time. Underlying all these crises is the first rebellion the universe ever witnessed, when Lucifer led many of the angelic hosts into apostasy. These fallen beings would become the demons so often referred to in the Gospels and again in the Bible’s last book (Rev 9:14-21 and 16:13,14). Will beings made in their Creator’s image worship their Maker only, or descend to the infernal spiritual depths of creature worship? That issue can be traced through both Old and New Testaments. Jezebel and Ahab imitate Lucifer by their idolatry, and the final conflict of earth will again be over the issue of choosing between the Creator and the great Apostate. Because God likens his love relationship with his people to marriage, false worship is set forth as harlotry or fornication. See particularly Ezekiel chapters 16 and 23, chapters so terrible we would probably not read them aloud in public worship. There is nothing more repulsive to heaven than idolatrous worship—note the strong repelling language of these chapters.
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About the Book
We are all interested in the future, because that's where we are hoping to live. In the Bible, the special book about the future is the last one—the book of Revelation. It is often thought to be a mysterious book, but in fact it's a mosaic of over 500 Old Testament references.
These references are the keys with which we may unlock the Apocalypse. Prominent in its forecasts are allusions to Jezebel and Elijah. Most have heard of the world's last conflict called Armageddon. But few realize that Armageddon cannot be understood without studying its Old Testament source—the histories of Ahab, Jezebel, Elijah at Mount Carmel, and the destruction of idolaters in the Kishon Valley (at Megiddo, which is the Hebrew root name for the Greek word Armageddon). Desmond Ford has two doctorates, and two of his postgraduate degrees are in eschatology. He has written 10 books on Daniel and Revelation and lectured in many countries on these themes. Here, Ford focuses in on future events typified by the Old Testament stories of Elijah versus Jezebel. Central to this study are investigation into Antichrist and his attacks on the latter day church. Revelation's messages for an imperiled world are central in this book.About the Author
Desmond Ford has been a pastor, evangelist, teacher and scholar for over 60 years. He lives on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia with his wife Gill. Des preaches regularly at Mango Hills Farm at Peachester and be seen and heard live over the Internet at www.desford.org.au and on Radio Rhema at FM 106.5. His special area of expertise is eschatology, the study of the end of this world's history. Des has written four books on Daniel, and several on the book of Revelation. He is a great believer in living healthily, is a vegan, and exercises over 10 miles a day.