Explaining the goals and aspirations of the New World Order
Naboth
By:Charles Elliott Newbold, Jr.
It was a choice day for Naboth as he strolled through his vineyard tasting his dew-covered grapes in the still of the morning. "A good crop this year," he thought to himself, smiling and nodding his head in agreement. 1 Kings 21 (with a little of my own imagination).
The eastern sun blinded Naboth's view of Ahab, the king of Israel, who was nervously approaching him. Ahab was out early that morning. He had something on his mind. His palace was next door to Naboth's vineyard.
"Oh!" Naboth was startled by Ahab. "I didn't hear you coming."
Ahab wasted no time in making his offer to Naboth. "Give me your vineyard so I can have a vegetable garden next to the palace here. I will give you a better vineyard somewhere else, or if you prefer, I will give you its worth in money."
Naboth took a step back. He could not believe what was being asked of him. He didn't need time to think about it. It blurted right out of his mouth. "The LORD forbid me that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you." 1 Kings 21:3.
Ahab's countenance fell. His heart was set on getting this piece of property from Naboth. Heart sickened, he went into his house, laid down on his bed, turned his face away, and had a pity-party.
Jezebel found Ahab sulking and asked, "Why are you so down that you can't even eat?"
"Naboth won't give me his vineyard," he whined.
She rose to the occasion and said what any good Jezebel would say in a situation like this. "Are you not the authority over Israel? Get up! Eat! Be merry! I'll take care of this. I will give you Naboth's vineyard."
Ahab did what any good Ahab would do. He did what she told him to do and never questioned how she planned on getting Naboth's vineyard. A friend of mine saw it this way: "He did not wish to know for fear that he might find her plans disagreeable. These Ahabs are not stupid. They often live vicariously through their Jezebels."
She wasted no time. Her disregard for Naboth was obvious. This was her opportunity to gain more power and authority for herself. She achieved her goal by ruling covertly through her husband. She was the voice behind him.
She whisked past the servants outside of Ahab's bedroom, tossed her shawl over her shoulder, marched toward the royal office, pulled out a piece of parchment, and began to write letters to the elders and nobles who lived in the city. She forged Ahab's name on them, poured wax beside his name, and carefully sealed the letters with his signet ring.
"Proclaim a fast," she wrote, "and set Naboth on high among the people: and set two worthless men before him to bear witness against him, saying, 'You blasphemed God and the king.' Then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die."
I wonder! Did the men of the city, those elders and nobles, know that Jezebel was the author of this murderous scheme? Did they pretend not to know? Did they not know the good reputation of Naboth and that this was a fabrication against him? Regardless--being the yes men that they were--they did what the royal palace asked them to do. They held their kangaroo court, sentenced a good man on the word of two scoundrels, and stoned him to death.
Word quickly returned to Jezebel that Naboth was dead. She ran into Ahab's chambers, yanked the covers from off his head, and shouted, "Get up! Take possession of Naboth's vineyard. He is no longer alive, but is dead."
Still, no questions asked. The evil deed was done. Ahab and Jezebel had what they wanted. Or so they thought.
THE SYMBOLS
This story reads like a parable and has striking similarities to the circumstances surrounding the death of Jesus. It continues to speak to the present condition in the church. Reading about Naboth as a parable further exposes the nature, deeds, teachings, and work of the Nicolaitans and the Jezebel spirit. Ahab particularly further defines the Nicolaitan spirit.
Nearly every person, place, and part in this story has symbolic meaning. Naboth's name means "sprout." As such, he is a type of Jesus, the root of Jesse. He lived in Jezreel which means "God sows." Jezreel is a type of the Kingdom of God wherein God sows the good seed of the word to bring forth His vineyard. Naboth's vineyard represents the general assembly of called-out-ones, which is the body of Christ--all those who are born from above by the eternal seed in Christ. Jesus is the true vine, the Father is the vinedresser, and we are the branches. We abide in Him and He abides in us. John 15:1-8. We are the fruit of that vine as well.
We must know that the enemy of our faith seeks to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10) doing whatever it takes to claim God's vineyard for himself.
THE INHERITANCE
Naboth was horrified at Ahab's insult. His vineyard was more than a piece of real estate. It was the inheritance of his fathers. "The LORD forbid me that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you," he told Ahab.
Listen for the double meaning here: "the inheritance of my fathers." What was taken from Naboth was taken from his forefathers as well. If the inheritance I leave for my children is stolen from them, it is stolen from me because it was my inheritance for them. It becomes a personal thing.
We as God's vineyard are His inheritance. Paul prayed for the Ephesians--a prayer to which we can all lay claim--"that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: that the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints." Eph. 1:18.
Likewise, we have our inheritance in Him. Ephesians 1:11 says that we have obtained an inheritance through Christ. Colossians 1:12 adds that we are partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. Hebrews 9:15 assures us that we have the promise of the eternal inheritance. 1 Peter 1:3-4 declares that we have been born again from the dead to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ that leaves us an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that will not fade away. It is reserved in heaven. Our redemption in Christ Jesus is a wonderful inheritance for us. It is what God wants for us. Likewise, our redemption is an inheritance for God. It is what God wants for Himself. It, too, is a very personal thing with Him.
Israel of old was given an inheritance of land. They were to take it for themselves and for God. Spiritually speaking, we also have been given a land to possess for ourselves and for God. Our land is our souls; that is, our minds, wills, and emotions. We have a spiritual inheritance of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost; of redemption, sanctification, and glorification; of becoming the sons of God through obedience. For we are the heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. Rom. 8:17. We get what God wants for us, and God gets what He must have from us. We mutually benefit.
It is little wonder, then, that Satan would pull the strings on his Ahab marionettes to rob us and God of our inheritance. Satan, like Ahab, wants God's vineyard for himself. His primary mission in our lives is to destroy those of us who are heirs and joint-heirs with Christ. False shepherds sneak into the fold as wolves in sheep's clothing to claim God's inheritance for themselves. Pastors refer to congregations as their people. We identify a body of believers as "Brother Bobby's" church. We cannot possess what God owns. We belong to one another in the kingdom of God, but we are never to own one another. We are His sheep and the sheep of His pasture.
Ahab wanted the vineyard for a vegetable garden and not for the grapes and wine it could produce. He wanted to change its character. The Ahabs of today change the character of God's holy vineyard. They clone others to look like themselves to satisfy their own agendas rather than permitting the Holy Spirit to conform others into the image of Jesus. Satan gains control of God's vineyard through the self-aggrandizing personalities of the heavy-handed Ahabs that rule the churches.
THE PROPOSITION
Ahab promised Naboth that he would replace his vineyard with a better one or give him the price in money for it. In a similar way, Satan tried to buy off Jesus when he came to Him in the wilderness, showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and told him that He could have all of them and their glory if He would only bow down and worship him.
Jesus answered the Devil, "Get behind me Satan: for it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.'" Luke 4:5-8. Naboth answered Ahab by saying, "The LORD forbid me that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers." Had Jesus yielded to the temptation to sell out to Satan, there would have been no "inheritance in the saints." Eph. 1:18.
Ahab is a type of the clergy within the harlot church system--those who seek something for Self. Ahab-type ministries today must have a following in order to advance themselves in power, position, riches, and dominance. David Fitzpatrick maintains that the purpose of leadership is "to help train and equip people to work out the call of God that is on their lives...but today's church seems to flow too often in one direction--toward the center, continually gathering everyone's talents and gifts and using them to accomplish the goals of a few." He emphasizes: "I do not believe the life of the people should be consumed in helping a leader accomplish his goals in life." In bold simplicity he asserts, "We must release people, not possess them." 3 {21}
THE PLOT
Jezebel's name means "unhusbanded." This means that she was an uncovered woman. A woman can be unmarried, yet covered; and she can be married, yet uncovered. The difference has to do with her having a submissive heart. Jezebel not only failed to submit to the headship of her husband, but usurped the headship of her husband. She ruled the roost. As such, she is a type of the harlot church system in which people are the heads and not Christ. Their headquarters are in cities rather than in the Kingdom of God. Through these systems the Jezebel spirit plots and schemes to accomplish its personal ambitions and agendas.
This happened to Jesus. Matthew 26:3-4 reads, "Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, named Caiaphas; and they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth, and kill him." We can well imagine that Jezebel spirit hovering over the Ahabs/Nicolaitans in Jesus' time, goading them to crucify the Son of the living God. Certainly, it was present.
As in the case of Naboth, there were two worthless men present to testify against Jesus. Matthew 26:59-61 documents it: "Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, in order that they might put Him to death; and they did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward and said, 'This man stated, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.'"
After they brought Jesus before Pilate, they began to accuse Him of misleading the nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar and of saying that He was the Christ, a King. Luke 23:2. He was Christ and King, but their intent in saying so was evil. And, as in the case of Naboth, they even accused Him of blasphemy. Matt. 26:65.
The Pharisees, Sadducees, rulers, and elders of Judaism at the time of Christ had this political Ahab/Nicolaitan spirit in them. Remember that Nicolaitan means "conqueror of the people." John 11:47-48 bears witness to this. "Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, 'What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.'"
THE EXECUTION
The plot against Naboth was executed as Jezebel scripted. The elders and nobles had surely known Naboth all their lives and had known that the accusations were false. Nevertheless, because of the intimidating influence of the Ahab and Jezebel spirits, they killed him anyway. They took Naboth outside of the city and stoned him to death.
In this same way, the religious leaders, with political endorsements, caused Jesus to be taken outside of the city walls of Jerusalem to a hill called Golgotha (meaning "place of a skull") and ordered that He be nailed onto a Roman cross. Mark 15:22.
The Ahabs and Nicolaitans in the church today still intimidate believers with fear; for example, they may tell them they will be out of God's will if they leave their church.
Hebrews 13:13 charges us saying, "Hence, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach." Going outside of the camp for us today is like coming out of the harlot church system. You cannot live a laid-down, Spirit-led life in it. You will either be controlled by those who rule it or by the Holy Spirit. Church membership is voluntary. If you have voluntarily placed yourself under false leadership such as we have in the harlot church system, you are under false headship. If, on the other hand, you permit yourself to be led by the Holy Spirit and that runs contrary to the agenda of the leadership in your church, you will most likely cause trouble. If those who rule it cannot control you, they will put you out, find ways to silence you, or at best, ignore you.
THE POSSESSION
After Naboth had been stoned, Jezebel aroused Ahab and told him to take possession of Naboth's vineyard. Possessiveness and ownership are main traits of the Nicolaitan and Jezebel spirits.
The takeover of Naboth's vineyard became Ahab and Jezebel's downfall, for God delivered His judgment against them. Likewise, the death of Jesus by the "Ahabs" of His day was their defeat. Jesus made it clear to the disciples that no man could take His life. He had the power to lay it down and to take it up again. John 10:18. Jesus laid down His life for His sheep. John 10:15.
The ancient story of Naboth, Ahab, and Jezebel had been given as a preview performance on the stage of history. Only the names of the characters were changed. 1 Kings 21:15-16 could just as well have read, "And it came about when the Jezebel spirit heard that Jesus and all of the apostles were dead, that it said to the Ahabs/Nicolaitans (clergymen), 'Arise, go down to the called-out-ones, to take possession of them.'" This is exactly what happened, and they have ruled the churches from the second century A.D. until now.
Balaam's strategy remains the same to this day: "If we cannot curse them, we will seduce them into the harlotry of Self." Whatever it takes, the Ahabs and Nicolaitans must possess "their own."
THE ELIJAH SPIRIT
This morning was different than the one when Naboth tasted the freshly ripened grapes from his vineyard. This morning Ahab had risen early to survey the plowed-up fields of Naboth's vineyard while Naboth's death still haunted every furrow of ground. Ahab could not care less. He had what he wanted, so he thought.
In stomped Elijah with the fire of God's anointing in his eyes. He wasted no time nor did he exchange pleasantries. "Have you killed and taken possession? This is what God says to you, 'In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your blood.'" 1 Kings 21:19.
Stumbling over his own ineptness, Ahab asked Elijah, "Did you find me, O enemy of mine?" The Ahabs will always view the true prophets of God as their enemies, for the true prophets do not say what the Ahabs want to hear.
"I found you," Elijah answered, "because you have sold yourself to work evil in the sight of the LORD." God declared through Elijah, moreover, that He would bring evil upon Ahab, cut off his posterity, and make his house like Jeroboam and Baasha for the way he had provoked the Lord to anger and made Israel to sin. And so it happened just as Elijah prophesied.
The Elijah spirit is being released today in part to speak judgment against the Ahabs and Jezebels who teach and seduce God's servants to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols. Rev. 2:20. How we give our affections, time, money, energies, children, and the like to these idolatrous church systems we are in!
THE VALIDATION
Jesus told a parable which sounds strangely like the story of Naboth because of the coveting, the murder, and the judgment contained in it.
"There was a certain householder, who planted a vineyard, hedged it round about, dug a winepress in it, built a tower, let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.
"When the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
"Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did to them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, 'They will reverence my son.' But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.' They caught him, cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
"When the lord therefore of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those husbandmen? "
They said to Him, "He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard to other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons."
Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the scriptures, 'The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?' Therefore say I to you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."
And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spoke of them. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet. Matt. 21:33-46.
The householder in this parable is God, the Father. The vineyard is His assembly of called-out-ones, the true heirs of Abraham, heirs by faith. The husbandman was the nation of Israel, who by this time was ruled by the religious and political systems of the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, and rulers. The servants whom they killed were the prophets. The Son whom they also killed was Jesus Christ. The nation to whom He gave the care of the vineyard (the Kingdom of God) are the Gentiles.
This parable just as well speaks of the condition of the church system today, and the Nicolaitans in that church system today perpetuate the attitude of the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, and rulers. Once again, the Spirit of the Lord testifies that the vineyard (the called-out-ones) will be taken from them and given to those who will nurture the called-out-ones into the fullness of Christ. They will be shepherds who will seek nothing for themselves.
Ahab is a type of Self on the throne. Jezebel is the harlotry of seeking something for Self. When it comes to that Thing we call church, she connives to be on the throne--practicing her witchcraft to possess God's inheritance in the saints.
Culled From:http://www.meatindueseason.net/newbold/or/harlot/harlot12.html
It was a choice day for Naboth as he strolled through his vineyard tasting his dew-covered grapes in the still of the morning. "A good crop this year," he thought to himself, smiling and nodding his head in agreement. 1 Kings 21 (with a little of my own imagination).
The eastern sun blinded Naboth's view of Ahab, the king of Israel, who was nervously approaching him. Ahab was out early that morning. He had something on his mind. His palace was next door to Naboth's vineyard.
"Oh!" Naboth was startled by Ahab. "I didn't hear you coming."
Ahab wasted no time in making his offer to Naboth. "Give me your vineyard so I can have a vegetable garden next to the palace here. I will give you a better vineyard somewhere else, or if you prefer, I will give you its worth in money."
Naboth took a step back. He could not believe what was being asked of him. He didn't need time to think about it. It blurted right out of his mouth. "The LORD forbid me that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you." 1 Kings 21:3.
Ahab's countenance fell. His heart was set on getting this piece of property from Naboth. Heart sickened, he went into his house, laid down on his bed, turned his face away, and had a pity-party.
Jezebel found Ahab sulking and asked, "Why are you so down that you can't even eat?"
"Naboth won't give me his vineyard," he whined.
She rose to the occasion and said what any good Jezebel would say in a situation like this. "Are you not the authority over Israel? Get up! Eat! Be merry! I'll take care of this. I will give you Naboth's vineyard."
Ahab did what any good Ahab would do. He did what she told him to do and never questioned how she planned on getting Naboth's vineyard. A friend of mine saw it this way: "He did not wish to know for fear that he might find her plans disagreeable. These Ahabs are not stupid. They often live vicariously through their Jezebels."
She wasted no time. Her disregard for Naboth was obvious. This was her opportunity to gain more power and authority for herself. She achieved her goal by ruling covertly through her husband. She was the voice behind him.
She whisked past the servants outside of Ahab's bedroom, tossed her shawl over her shoulder, marched toward the royal office, pulled out a piece of parchment, and began to write letters to the elders and nobles who lived in the city. She forged Ahab's name on them, poured wax beside his name, and carefully sealed the letters with his signet ring.
"Proclaim a fast," she wrote, "and set Naboth on high among the people: and set two worthless men before him to bear witness against him, saying, 'You blasphemed God and the king.' Then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die."
I wonder! Did the men of the city, those elders and nobles, know that Jezebel was the author of this murderous scheme? Did they pretend not to know? Did they not know the good reputation of Naboth and that this was a fabrication against him? Regardless--being the yes men that they were--they did what the royal palace asked them to do. They held their kangaroo court, sentenced a good man on the word of two scoundrels, and stoned him to death.
Word quickly returned to Jezebel that Naboth was dead. She ran into Ahab's chambers, yanked the covers from off his head, and shouted, "Get up! Take possession of Naboth's vineyard. He is no longer alive, but is dead."
Still, no questions asked. The evil deed was done. Ahab and Jezebel had what they wanted. Or so they thought.
THE SYMBOLS
This story reads like a parable and has striking similarities to the circumstances surrounding the death of Jesus. It continues to speak to the present condition in the church. Reading about Naboth as a parable further exposes the nature, deeds, teachings, and work of the Nicolaitans and the Jezebel spirit. Ahab particularly further defines the Nicolaitan spirit.
Nearly every person, place, and part in this story has symbolic meaning. Naboth's name means "sprout." As such, he is a type of Jesus, the root of Jesse. He lived in Jezreel which means "God sows." Jezreel is a type of the Kingdom of God wherein God sows the good seed of the word to bring forth His vineyard. Naboth's vineyard represents the general assembly of called-out-ones, which is the body of Christ--all those who are born from above by the eternal seed in Christ. Jesus is the true vine, the Father is the vinedresser, and we are the branches. We abide in Him and He abides in us. John 15:1-8. We are the fruit of that vine as well.
We must know that the enemy of our faith seeks to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10) doing whatever it takes to claim God's vineyard for himself.
THE INHERITANCE
Naboth was horrified at Ahab's insult. His vineyard was more than a piece of real estate. It was the inheritance of his fathers. "The LORD forbid me that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you," he told Ahab.
Listen for the double meaning here: "the inheritance of my fathers." What was taken from Naboth was taken from his forefathers as well. If the inheritance I leave for my children is stolen from them, it is stolen from me because it was my inheritance for them. It becomes a personal thing.
We as God's vineyard are His inheritance. Paul prayed for the Ephesians--a prayer to which we can all lay claim--"that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: that the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints." Eph. 1:18.
Likewise, we have our inheritance in Him. Ephesians 1:11 says that we have obtained an inheritance through Christ. Colossians 1:12 adds that we are partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. Hebrews 9:15 assures us that we have the promise of the eternal inheritance. 1 Peter 1:3-4 declares that we have been born again from the dead to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ that leaves us an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that will not fade away. It is reserved in heaven. Our redemption in Christ Jesus is a wonderful inheritance for us. It is what God wants for us. Likewise, our redemption is an inheritance for God. It is what God wants for Himself. It, too, is a very personal thing with Him.
Israel of old was given an inheritance of land. They were to take it for themselves and for God. Spiritually speaking, we also have been given a land to possess for ourselves and for God. Our land is our souls; that is, our minds, wills, and emotions. We have a spiritual inheritance of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost; of redemption, sanctification, and glorification; of becoming the sons of God through obedience. For we are the heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. Rom. 8:17. We get what God wants for us, and God gets what He must have from us. We mutually benefit.
It is little wonder, then, that Satan would pull the strings on his Ahab marionettes to rob us and God of our inheritance. Satan, like Ahab, wants God's vineyard for himself. His primary mission in our lives is to destroy those of us who are heirs and joint-heirs with Christ. False shepherds sneak into the fold as wolves in sheep's clothing to claim God's inheritance for themselves. Pastors refer to congregations as their people. We identify a body of believers as "Brother Bobby's" church. We cannot possess what God owns. We belong to one another in the kingdom of God, but we are never to own one another. We are His sheep and the sheep of His pasture.
Ahab wanted the vineyard for a vegetable garden and not for the grapes and wine it could produce. He wanted to change its character. The Ahabs of today change the character of God's holy vineyard. They clone others to look like themselves to satisfy their own agendas rather than permitting the Holy Spirit to conform others into the image of Jesus. Satan gains control of God's vineyard through the self-aggrandizing personalities of the heavy-handed Ahabs that rule the churches.
THE PROPOSITION
Ahab promised Naboth that he would replace his vineyard with a better one or give him the price in money for it. In a similar way, Satan tried to buy off Jesus when he came to Him in the wilderness, showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and told him that He could have all of them and their glory if He would only bow down and worship him.
Jesus answered the Devil, "Get behind me Satan: for it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.'" Luke 4:5-8. Naboth answered Ahab by saying, "The LORD forbid me that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers." Had Jesus yielded to the temptation to sell out to Satan, there would have been no "inheritance in the saints." Eph. 1:18.
Ahab is a type of the clergy within the harlot church system--those who seek something for Self. Ahab-type ministries today must have a following in order to advance themselves in power, position, riches, and dominance. David Fitzpatrick maintains that the purpose of leadership is "to help train and equip people to work out the call of God that is on their lives...but today's church seems to flow too often in one direction--toward the center, continually gathering everyone's talents and gifts and using them to accomplish the goals of a few." He emphasizes: "I do not believe the life of the people should be consumed in helping a leader accomplish his goals in life." In bold simplicity he asserts, "We must release people, not possess them." 3 {21}
THE PLOT
Jezebel's name means "unhusbanded." This means that she was an uncovered woman. A woman can be unmarried, yet covered; and she can be married, yet uncovered. The difference has to do with her having a submissive heart. Jezebel not only failed to submit to the headship of her husband, but usurped the headship of her husband. She ruled the roost. As such, she is a type of the harlot church system in which people are the heads and not Christ. Their headquarters are in cities rather than in the Kingdom of God. Through these systems the Jezebel spirit plots and schemes to accomplish its personal ambitions and agendas.
This happened to Jesus. Matthew 26:3-4 reads, "Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, named Caiaphas; and they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth, and kill him." We can well imagine that Jezebel spirit hovering over the Ahabs/Nicolaitans in Jesus' time, goading them to crucify the Son of the living God. Certainly, it was present.
As in the case of Naboth, there were two worthless men present to testify against Jesus. Matthew 26:59-61 documents it: "Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, in order that they might put Him to death; and they did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward and said, 'This man stated, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.'"
After they brought Jesus before Pilate, they began to accuse Him of misleading the nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar and of saying that He was the Christ, a King. Luke 23:2. He was Christ and King, but their intent in saying so was evil. And, as in the case of Naboth, they even accused Him of blasphemy. Matt. 26:65.
The Pharisees, Sadducees, rulers, and elders of Judaism at the time of Christ had this political Ahab/Nicolaitan spirit in them. Remember that Nicolaitan means "conqueror of the people." John 11:47-48 bears witness to this. "Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, 'What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.'"
THE EXECUTION
The plot against Naboth was executed as Jezebel scripted. The elders and nobles had surely known Naboth all their lives and had known that the accusations were false. Nevertheless, because of the intimidating influence of the Ahab and Jezebel spirits, they killed him anyway. They took Naboth outside of the city and stoned him to death.
In this same way, the religious leaders, with political endorsements, caused Jesus to be taken outside of the city walls of Jerusalem to a hill called Golgotha (meaning "place of a skull") and ordered that He be nailed onto a Roman cross. Mark 15:22.
The Ahabs and Nicolaitans in the church today still intimidate believers with fear; for example, they may tell them they will be out of God's will if they leave their church.
Hebrews 13:13 charges us saying, "Hence, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach." Going outside of the camp for us today is like coming out of the harlot church system. You cannot live a laid-down, Spirit-led life in it. You will either be controlled by those who rule it or by the Holy Spirit. Church membership is voluntary. If you have voluntarily placed yourself under false leadership such as we have in the harlot church system, you are under false headship. If, on the other hand, you permit yourself to be led by the Holy Spirit and that runs contrary to the agenda of the leadership in your church, you will most likely cause trouble. If those who rule it cannot control you, they will put you out, find ways to silence you, or at best, ignore you.
THE POSSESSION
After Naboth had been stoned, Jezebel aroused Ahab and told him to take possession of Naboth's vineyard. Possessiveness and ownership are main traits of the Nicolaitan and Jezebel spirits.
The takeover of Naboth's vineyard became Ahab and Jezebel's downfall, for God delivered His judgment against them. Likewise, the death of Jesus by the "Ahabs" of His day was their defeat. Jesus made it clear to the disciples that no man could take His life. He had the power to lay it down and to take it up again. John 10:18. Jesus laid down His life for His sheep. John 10:15.
The ancient story of Naboth, Ahab, and Jezebel had been given as a preview performance on the stage of history. Only the names of the characters were changed. 1 Kings 21:15-16 could just as well have read, "And it came about when the Jezebel spirit heard that Jesus and all of the apostles were dead, that it said to the Ahabs/Nicolaitans (clergymen), 'Arise, go down to the called-out-ones, to take possession of them.'" This is exactly what happened, and they have ruled the churches from the second century A.D. until now.
Balaam's strategy remains the same to this day: "If we cannot curse them, we will seduce them into the harlotry of Self." Whatever it takes, the Ahabs and Nicolaitans must possess "their own."
THE ELIJAH SPIRIT
This morning was different than the one when Naboth tasted the freshly ripened grapes from his vineyard. This morning Ahab had risen early to survey the plowed-up fields of Naboth's vineyard while Naboth's death still haunted every furrow of ground. Ahab could not care less. He had what he wanted, so he thought.
In stomped Elijah with the fire of God's anointing in his eyes. He wasted no time nor did he exchange pleasantries. "Have you killed and taken possession? This is what God says to you, 'In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your blood.'" 1 Kings 21:19.
Stumbling over his own ineptness, Ahab asked Elijah, "Did you find me, O enemy of mine?" The Ahabs will always view the true prophets of God as their enemies, for the true prophets do not say what the Ahabs want to hear.
"I found you," Elijah answered, "because you have sold yourself to work evil in the sight of the LORD." God declared through Elijah, moreover, that He would bring evil upon Ahab, cut off his posterity, and make his house like Jeroboam and Baasha for the way he had provoked the Lord to anger and made Israel to sin. And so it happened just as Elijah prophesied.
The Elijah spirit is being released today in part to speak judgment against the Ahabs and Jezebels who teach and seduce God's servants to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols. Rev. 2:20. How we give our affections, time, money, energies, children, and the like to these idolatrous church systems we are in!
THE VALIDATION
Jesus told a parable which sounds strangely like the story of Naboth because of the coveting, the murder, and the judgment contained in it.
"There was a certain householder, who planted a vineyard, hedged it round about, dug a winepress in it, built a tower, let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.
"When the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
"Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did to them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, 'They will reverence my son.' But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.' They caught him, cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
"When the lord therefore of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those husbandmen? "
They said to Him, "He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard to other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons."
Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the scriptures, 'The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?' Therefore say I to you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."
And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spoke of them. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet. Matt. 21:33-46.
The householder in this parable is God, the Father. The vineyard is His assembly of called-out-ones, the true heirs of Abraham, heirs by faith. The husbandman was the nation of Israel, who by this time was ruled by the religious and political systems of the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, and rulers. The servants whom they killed were the prophets. The Son whom they also killed was Jesus Christ. The nation to whom He gave the care of the vineyard (the Kingdom of God) are the Gentiles.
This parable just as well speaks of the condition of the church system today, and the Nicolaitans in that church system today perpetuate the attitude of the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, and rulers. Once again, the Spirit of the Lord testifies that the vineyard (the called-out-ones) will be taken from them and given to those who will nurture the called-out-ones into the fullness of Christ. They will be shepherds who will seek nothing for themselves.
Ahab is a type of Self on the throne. Jezebel is the harlotry of seeking something for Self. When it comes to that Thing we call church, she connives to be on the throne--practicing her witchcraft to possess God's inheritance in the saints.
Culled From:http://www.meatindueseason.net/newbold/or/harlot/harlot12.html
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