Rick Warren was certainly not the first, but he so far has been the most prominent of well-known pastors to endorse congregational leadership by women since Aimee Semple McPherson. My thoughts are derived from Revelation 2.20.
(2.20) Notwithstanding I have
a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which
calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit
fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
After the commendation the Lord comes back with a severe condemnation of this man’s life and ministry. Notice that the condemnation stemmed not from what he did but from what he did not do, as he stood by and watched someone else do wrong without stepping in to stop it. He tolerated a woman named Jezebel. I do not know if her real name was Jezebel or if the Lord Jesus was likening her to the Jezebel in the Old Testament, who opposed the ministry of Elijah. I instead think it was the latter case.
Jezebel was the wife of wicked king Ahab, king of the northern kingdom of Israel. In addition, old Ahab is a beautiful example of a spineless jellyfish type of husband who is ruled over and patronized by a wicked and loud-mouthed wife. Notable, is it not, how frequently such a woman is so big-mouthed? That observation aside, Ahab’s Jezebel was responsible for the wholesale idolatry that swept across Israel while her pathetic husband quietly occupied the throne. As for the woman the Lord Jesus refers to in Thyatira, I doubt that her given name was Jezebel. However, she does seem to be the spiritual twin of the queen of Israel, who lived some 550 years before Christ.[1]
This woman called herself a prophetess. She set herself up as an authority. That is the chief characteristic of a Jezebel since there is no evidence that the Jezebel of Old Testament times was ever unfaithful to her husband. We know that she dominated and manipulated the man she was supposed to submit to. Therefore, a Jezebel is a manipulative wife who speaks out as an authority and runs her husband.
Several scholars, because of the wording of this verse, think this woman in Thyatira was none other than the wife of the angel of the Church in Thyatira.[2] That would mean the Lord Jesus Christ harshly rebuked this preacher for refusing to restrain his wife as she pretended she was a God-called spiritual leader. Imagine that. The Lord Jesus Christ called a preacher down for not keeping his wife in line and allowing her to pawn herself off as an anointed congregation leader, just like he was supposed to be.
I wonder what modern-day women preachers, the so-called co-pastor wives found in many Pentecostal and Charismatic congregations (and bossy Baptist pastor's wives who overstep their positions), and the female pastors in liberal mainline denominational churches say about this passage. I wonder how a man married to such a woman who rolls over and allows her to trample him with her words and deeds can live with himself. I know men whose wives are Jezebels and have no respect for them. They are pathetic and despicable excuses for manhood. I am in no way advocating abuse by any husband. I am, however, advocating authentic manhood in a man and not wimpy simpering passivity because the pansy is afraid to make his contentious wife angry with him for daring to stand up to her.
Whoever this Jezebel was, she taught and seduced Christ’s servants to commit fornication and to eat things offered to idols. To do this, she must have established herself as an authority over the plain teachings of God’s Word. However, is that not what bossy wives and women preachers do today? Sure they do. What do First Timothy 2.11-12 and 3.1-7 say?
11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
This Jezebel taught believers that they did not need to separate themselves from their past pagan practices. Though it may be difficult and trying for you to cut the ties to your pagan religious past, you must. Amen? Cut yourself off from Roman Catholicism, Mormonism, Pentecostalism, Buddhism, and secret societies like Masons and Shriners and Easter Star and Job’s daughters and DeMolay.
The fornication here could refer to either literal fornication or spiritual fornication. She may have led the congregation into sexual sin, especially if she indulged in paganism, which was frequently nothing more than religious harlotry. Greek temples, those beautiful ones whose remnants are seen in National Geographic documentaries? They were nothing more than brothels, where sacred prostitution and sanctioned sodomy took place under the guise of worship. I speak the truth. If this woman did not lead people into committing physical fornication, it could be that what is meant here is that she led them into idolatry, which is spiritual fornication.
When the Holy Spirit is dealing with a person, if the individual wants to be saved, they ought to sever all religious ties to any false religious system to which he once belonged. To continue relations with the past is to commit spiritual fornication and adultery. I encourage Churches not to mix and mingle with false religion. This is why I am a separatist.
Where Rick Warren is now positioned is the consequence of an approach to the ministry that led to a path he began walking in high school. Sadly, there are many other pastors who are married to Jezebels or who tolerate, in the name of wokeness, Jezebels in their ministries.
