RELIGION – POLITICS – COMMERCE
Apostasy Then – Apostasy Now
By Doug Krieger
(Excerpts Taken From: UNSEALING THE END OF DAYS)
THE NATURE OF ISRAEL'S APOSTASY-Elijah vs. Jezebel
Many believers have the misconception that when Israel “fell into apostasy” (i.e. idolatry) that there was a complete forsaking of the worship of Elohim (God). Quite to the contrary, the veneration of the God of Israel was fully mixed in with the worship of both Baal and Ashtaroth (Heb.) (Grk. Astarte; Chaldean, Ishtar; or Asherah, also of the Canaanites).
It was this mixture that was “apostate” in the eyes of the Lord—and that is precisely what is going on in the America Church today!
In King Ahab’s case he had married Jezebel in the classical “National Alliance” fashion. Solomon had blazed the trail on this type of nuptial bliss—having refined the art of political alliances through marriage to the max (hundreds of countless such affairs). No doubt Ahab was quite active here apart from his union with Jezebel, for he had some 70 sons (surely, Jezebel did not bear them all)!
Ethbaal, now (after slaying the King of the Sidonians) has become the new Canaanite/Phoenician King of Tyre and Sidon. We can tell from antiquity that these Priest-Kings of the Phoenicians were altogether the order of the day—it’s just that murder was a bit rash in securing this title. But the people of Tyre and Sidon knew full well that the “commercial alliance” through marriage that Ahab sought, was well within their grasp, and cemented the extension of their trading empire.
They were experts at establishing oligarchs (native ones) throughout their international trading empire (much akin to how the USA establishes its own native oligarchs; their local ruling elites who traffic in the bodies and souls of men wherever they establish their commercial hegemony—unlike the colonial powers of old (the UK, the Dutch, French, etc.) who established “racial oligarchs” and/or administrators). (For more information on how ancient Tyre controlled its international trading empire, please read “The Phoenicians and the West-Politics, Colonies, and Trade” 2d Edition, by the Spanish authoress, Maria Eugenia Aubet, Cambridge University Press).
In essence, the ten tribes of Israel, which had broken away from the two tribes of the south (Judah and Benjamin), had become commercial vassals of both Tyre’s trading empire and “religious culture.” (Much more of this in my tome: THE KING OF TYRE—now in writing; introduction only now available.
TEMPLE WORSHIP – COMPLIMENTS OF JEZEBEL
King Ahab’s Queen Jezebel, naturally (along with her father Ethbaal), wanted (and Ahab no doubt did as well) a multitude of Baal and Astarte “prophets and prophetesses.”
Thus, some 450 males of Baal and some 400 females of Astarte (i.e., Ashtaroth in Hebrew) were available to participate in the sensuous religious ceremonies conducted in the newly built Temple of Baal on the plains of Jezreel. Jezebel is called a harlot for good reasons.
Note these verses exposing Jezebel for the harlot she was:
“Now it happened, when Joram (one of Jezebel’s sons) saw Jehu, that he said, ‘Is it peace, Jehu?’ So he answered, ‘What peace, as long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft are so many?’ . . . Now when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she put paint on her eyes and adorned her head (the classic allure of the harlot), and looked through a window (eventually, Jehu slays her) . . .” (II Kings 9:22, 30-32a).
Pray tell, what went on in this Temple of Baal that Ahab had built to suffice the harlotries of Jezebel? The infamous practice of SACRED PROSTITUTION wherein all the “merchants of the earth” could fornicate with her—with the prophets of Baal and Astarte, carried the day. My friend, the many merchants who trafficked through Israel were more than obliged; yea, predisposed, to pay such visits at Baal’s Temple—both as an expression of their own devotion to this system of trade, as well as to satiate their own fleshly passions (NOTE: All under the “spiritual covering” of communion with the gods of Baal and Ashtaroth). Alas! Did these fertility gods seduce Israel; but remember, it was the “harlotries of Jezebel” that directed this apostasy; she no doubt was handsomely remunerated.
If you think there is but one harlot in Revelation 17 and 18, you are wrong. There are “harlots” (plural). The “Woman who Rides the Beast” (that great apostate end times’ Church) is certainly one; but, who is this in Revelation 18:9: “And the kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her . . . for your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery (Note: Jezebel was “into” witchcraft) all the nations were deceived” (Revelation 18:9, 23)? Both commercial fornication and witchcraft (sorcery) are clearly pronounced here. The Harlot of Tyre, The Witch of Sidon, who is the daughter of the King of Tyre, is altogether too apparent!
OBADIAH—THE ONE WHO “GREATLY FEARED THE LORD”
One would surmise that any “true religion” - any worship of the One True God—which could be so compromised—would surely be lost in the orgies of Baal and Ashtaroth “worship.” Indeed, most of the Lord’s prophets had been slain by Jezebel (I Kings 18:4); but, enter the God-fearing Obadiah.
Elijah had initially “shut up the heavens that it rained not” - but, now, the Lord’s word through Elijah would be: “I will send rain on the earth” (I Kings 18:1).
“And Ahab had called Obadiah, who was in charge of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly. For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.)” (I Kings 18:3-4).
There you have it. Obadiah was the confidant of King Ahab (sort of Ahab’s “spiritual link” to reality, just in case . . . and, of course, in charge of reading Bible stories to Ahab’s brood of 70!).
THE CAVES OF OBADIAH – HIDING THE LORD’S TESTIMONY!
Somehow Obadiah had managed to escape the wrath of Jezebel (no doubt due to his spiritual abilities to survive the deadliest of apostasies—while at the same time ensconcing 100 prophets of the Lord in specially designed caves (affectionately known by me as the CAVES OF OBADIAH). Yes, Obadiah was something unusual in the annals of the One True God. No matter what the severity of the apostasy, God had his man right in the midst of the camp!
Preserving a “testimony unto the Lord” was Obadiah’s passion—and, again, somehow he pulled it off. Now, the riches of the “Good Land” (arch type of the “riches of Christ” spoken of in the book of Hebrews), would have to suffice in the form of bread and water for the prophets of the Lord—now, bumping into each other and developing “caveites” in the process (I understand that you loose your eyesight if you bump around in the dark long enough—there goes the vision.).
“We’re safe, we’re hungry, we’re thirsty, we’re blind, we’re testifying to each other, and we’re still alive” (that’s the best part). Also, we’re being enabled and empowered to abide in the caves by the one who greatly fears the Lord, our beloved Obadiah—man of many talents, especially survival. Praise the Lord we found Obadiah who’s got the King’s ear . . . O-ba-di-ah’s he’s our man, if he can’t do it, no one can!”
Furthermore, when one succumbs to MAINTAINING A TESTIMONY by such hidden techniques—one does get “into” a sort of survivalist mindset. It’s sort of like “fleeing Babylon” – heading for the ranch – isolated, alone, impacting upon the trees and the horses (“But, at least we’re safe and not EXPOSED to the wretchedness of Jezebel—better to live another day than to die at the hands of such apostasy—look what happened to those who resisted Jezebel; where’s there testimony now?”).
WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS or OBADIAH’S OUTTED BY ELIJAH
In I Kings 18:1-19 we eventually get caught up in the prophetical showdown of Elijah versus the Prophets of Baal—the score: Elijah: 850 - the Prophets of Baal: 0. But the Elijah fireworks are peripheral, compared to the account of Obadiah, Elijah and Ahab. First, with the rains falling afresh, Ahab and Obadiah cut a deal where one goes one way up the Jezreel Valley and the other goes the other way looking for fresh grass, water, etc., (attempting to sustain their herds).
Obadiah encounters Elijah storming up the Valley: “It is I. Go, tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’” (I Kings 18:8). Then begins this little dialogue between Elijah and Obadiah wherein Obadiah pulls every spiritual trick in the book to get out of announcing Elijah’s request to see Ahab. Here are some of Obadiah’s coping mechanisms in I Kings 18:
“Now as Obadiah was on his way, suddenly Elijah met him; and he recognized him, and fell on his face.” (This is called: “Good grief, I can’t believe you’re back!”)
“Is that you, my lord Elijah?” (This is called: “Maybe I’m having a bad dream and when I wake up this whole thing will be a grand delusion!”)
Then Elijah speaks: “It is I. Go, tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’”
Now comes Obadiah’s enthusiastic response: “How have I sinned, that you are delivering your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me?” (This is called: “Elijah, how’s about using a more indirect approach; you know, ‘negative confessions’ like you’re proposing never work—I mean, can’t you see that one can attract more with honey than the bitter taste of your proposal?”)
Furthermore, Obadiah explains just how bad it is and can get. “If Elijah values his life, he’ll do as I (Obadiah) and live life to the fullest—somewhere else but here!”
“As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to hunt for you; and when they said, ‘He is not here,’ he took an oath from the kingdom or nation that they could not find you. And now you say, ‘Go, tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’” (“Elijah, them search and destroy missions have turned up nothing—everyone’s taking oaths that they’ve not seen hide nor hair of you. Then, all of a sudden, presto-facto, I show up with you for introductions, like you’re spokesperson or something. You’ve got to be kidding me. How do you spell “stupid” – “D E A T H!”’)
Obadiah waxes spiritually eloquent in his own defense:
“And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of the Lord will carry you to a place I do not know; so when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me. But I your servant have feared the Lord from my youth.”
Can you believe what you’re reading? (“My nightmare has come full circle . . . Elijah, I’m the guy who greatly fears the Lord (Who is likely to do me dirt.). Once I tell Ahab you’re here, then you’ll cop out on me. Furthermore (nothing like a “positive confession” here) once Ahab turns up zero, I’m dead meat. Man, I’m the “fear-the-Lord-brother-from-my-youth” - so, why’s God picking on me?”)
Now, for the ultimate defense . . . Obadiah continues:
“Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I hid one hundred men of the Lord’s prophets, fifty to a cave; and fed them with bread and water? And now you say, ‘Go, tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’ He will kill me!’”
You see what a tangled web we weave, and the manifold nature of apostasy. But, now, at last, Obadiah gets to the point: “You see, Elijah, I’m so committed to keeping a testimony in this apostasy that I miraculously engineered a deal with Ahab (hard to believe that Ahab wasn’t in on this somehow) to stash what’s left of the Lord’s work (i.e., His prophets) in two—I say TWO (the number of testimony, be it oh so recluse)—caves. It’s not like I’ve been spiritually remiss here. I figure, something’s better than nothing. Besides, I’ve kept them on a hearty diet of bread and water (hard to come by around these parts), rather ingenious of me. In the darkness of the caves we’ve gotten to know the meaning of inner joy, camaraderie; and the meaning of: Be still and know thy God. We’re so still, so quiet, so recluse—there is just no way that we’d offend anyone; and when all is said and done: We’re still alive! I say this to bring attention to your desire to get me killed—now, who will care for the prophets in the Caves of Obadiah? Surely, you see my point in all this?”
Elijah has had it with Obadiah:
“As the Lord of host lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today.” (Translation: Get out of my way, Obadiah, I do not abide weasels—if you can’t grid up your loins to do the job, then Ahab will just have to ‘make my day.’”)
Behold, Obadiah’s witness: “So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.”
What went on between Obadiah telling Ahab and Ahab going to meet Elijah? We don’t really know—but it would sure be interesting to find out. The above exchange is both sad and humorous. Sad, in that it is the truth of how we hide behind our so-called spirituality and high impressions of ourselves in the midst of apostasy.
Believers are able to achieve a “martyr’s complex” and the ability to rationalize their “stay” in such degradation—they have, in fact, completely lost their testimony, notwithstanding their protestations to the contrary. These attempts of physical survival on Obadiah’s part only belie his spiritual bankruptcy and pride.
The saving of his own skin was undoubtedly justified in his eyes in that it was saving the prophets of the Lord in his caves—they needed him for their own survival. Yes, they fled from the “Babylon” of their day—they hid in the caves to save their own skin and somehow convoluted their tactics in the garb of spirituality—the last place they wanted to be was on the “street of the great city” for all to see their “dead body.” (Revelation 11:9)
Obadiah—his name forever stands for those leaders (among the Church today)—who tenaciously hold on to their esteemed positions of prestige and alleged influence at the cost of apostate compromise. They cling to the thought that they can withstand the most overt forms of apostasy because they supposedly have “known the Lord from their youth!” Yet, their actions totally belie the true condition of their blinded hearts!
Thus, Obadiah became an enabler of the worst spiritual order. For us he represents those well meaning, but grossly deceived and deceiving, brethren who “survive” in the midst of Babylon—tainted by their connections to the system; desperately staving off the inevitable apostasy that commences to infect themselves once they realize that they should take a definitive stand against it. The more they struggle in the quicksand of apostasy, the deeper they sink into its mire. What awful results, what malignant pathologies lurked in the Caves of Obadiah—witness the leader of these entombed prophets and see if there be any comparisons with today’s Christian leadership, especially in America!
THE “ART OF POLITICS” IS COMPROMISE
Obadiah’s strategies were utterly exposing—exposing the fact that no amount of spiritual acrobatics (and/or “political compromise”) would convince the rigidity he sensed in Elijah’s command: GO TELL AHAB, ELIJAH IS HERE! The real “master” of Obadiah was not the Lord God who he allegedly feared from his youth—it was Ahab, the Co-Master of Apostasy. How insidious was Obadiah’s compromise—compromise, upon compromise, until he could not abide the truth any longer. Blinded by his own spiritual inconsistencies and survival techniques—he stands out in the Scripture as the quintessential believer who manages to “hang in there to the bitter end,” only to realize that all his “stick-to-it-tiveness” is pure folly.
There comes a point—a specific place and time—when a decision to get out of the current apostate system must be made. It’s hiding in a cave or STAND AND DELIVER! King Ahab gathered all of Israel for the final showdown between the forces of apostasy (the Prophets of Baal) and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. You know the results and the final score. But the famous injunction given to Israel by Elijah can be heard today, for today’s apostasy:
“How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” BUT THE PEOPLE ANSWERED HIM NOT A WORD” (I Kings 18:21) (My emphasis).
Hedging to the uttermost—the Lord’s people waft between the two opinions. What they’re really saying is this: “We want our cake and eat it too—we want the best of both worlds—one foot in glory, and one on this tainted planet. We long for the leeks and garlic of Egypt—we yearn for the Good Land promised by our Lord. Why, just why, can’t we have both? In our hearts the Lord knows we are His—even if our flesh is exposed to the likes of Jezebel’s harlotries and witchcraft. We can stay here—actually, we’ve gotten so used to it, we’re hardly unnerved by the obscene antics witnessed daily by us all. Does it really make a difference? After all, wasn’t it Elijah that caused all the uproar? Prior to his coming we were fat and sassy—we had it made, our kitchens were full because Ashtaroth’s image was there. We, the husbands, let our wives enjoy the sight of the Queen of Heaven (Ashtaroth) mounted in our kitchens and, sure enough, she provided our households abundantly!” (See Jeremiah 44 for confirmation.)
The silence of God’s people today is so “deafening” it astonishes. Gone are the prophets of the Lord—hidden in the Caves of Obadiah—recoiling from their responsibilities to attest to the One True God, AND, against the apostasy running rife within the land. And, worse, there’s that spiritual giant of a midget, Obadiah, whose longevity has long lost its rewards. Obadiah—maintaining his Contacts of Apostasy—was thought by him (at its best) to be necessary until things got back to normal—whatever that meant in the spiritually twisted mind of this man.
Are we satisfied with “normal” in today’s Christianity? Do you find it your right of survival to prolong the agony of decision wavering between the most essential opinions of life? God or Baal (and Baal’s name comes in so many, many forms—they all mean “Full Replacement” of God’s life and purposes)—a decision is now mandatory. Yet, not a word is heard—we’ve blown our chance to PROPHESY IN THE STREET OF THE GREAT CITY!
Obadiah gets short shrift when it comes to the story of Jezebel, Ahab and Elijah—but it is he who epitomizes the leadership of a compromised Church that is wed herself to the politics of their day. Is it not Obadiah who witnessed the commercial system of TEMPLE WORSHIP/SACRED PROSTITUTION wherein the wealth of the world (i.e., the Canaanite/Phoenician idolatries), through Jezebel, merged with the religion of Jehovah? And, don’t think that this form of commercialism among the “people of God” is but a loose interpretation/application of Holy Writ for our time wherein real believers have so adulterated “Church after Church – Ministry after Ministry” as they bow down to the Babylonian god, MAMMON, and in so doing kiss Baal!
The graphic at the commencement of this blog is the classic of Jezebel’s demise at the hands of King Jehu (II Kings 9:10, 30-37)—wherein she was tossed from her second floor, and eaten by dogs: SO ENDED THIS MOTHER OF HARLOTS! Apostasy’s end in Revelation is too similar—the Beast, the political power which supports her, shall turn on her and devour her! (Revelation 17:16-17: “And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.”).
The solitary, the isolated feeling, and the depressing loneliness that closes in on you in this warfare against apostasy—it’s called “The Elijah Complex.” Elijah overwhelmed by the apostasy of Israel, until he cried out: “I alone am left” (I Kings 18:14). Then, out of this apostate abyss comes a divine amazement: “Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him” (I Kings 18:18).
“Yes, Lord, You are proving to us, over and over again, that You have your 7,000 who have not bowed their knee, who long to testify of You in the sunshine of Your presence—though the brightness of the Son will take getting used to, abandoning the Caves of Obadiah is no longer an option. Lord, if that means meeting in twos and threes—whoever else is willing to come out of the caves, Lord we’re willing. All arguments and justifications aside—Lord, triumph over our fears, our reticence, and our compromise.
“Lord, You know who my Ahab is! Come to me, set me free—free from the Caves of Obadiah. I’m not alone; show me those willing to stand, and not bow their knee. Lead me to those who ‘Kiss the Son’ - and shun Baal. Lord, it’s time, overtime, for me to come out for You . . . for Your Church . . . Amen.”
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Table of Contents
Part 1 - The Apostasy comes first
Part 2 - The "Shrine of Micah" or "The seeker-friendly Church"
Part 4 - Apostasy: The marriage of the State& the Christian Religion through commercialism
Part 5 - Apostasy's final enticements & Judgment