Have We Become An Apostate Church?

On November 15, 2023, I awoke early in the morning and began to pray. As I continued to pray, I knew there was something deeper He was calling me to pray for so I asked the Holy Spirit for a word on what to pray for. I was taken to 1 Kings 13 and as I began to read the chapter, Holy Spirit reminded me that there are two unchallengeable messages for the body of Christ. In this blog, I will paraphrase the chapter and I encourage you to read the chapter yourself, as well as Chapters 12 and 14 to gain the entire context of what took place.

1 Kings 13 begins with Yahweh sending a man from Judah to Bethel to announce a word of judgment to Jeroboam, the king of Israel. It isn’t clear in this chapter how far the trip was for the man of Yahweh, but we know it was at least 25 miles or 40 KM. His mode of transportation was a donkey. The man of Yahweh understood the seriousness of the word because it wasn’t like he could just jump in a car and drive 25 miles, give the word, and turn around and be home in a few hours in time for lunch or dinner. This would have been a journey that could take anywhere from a day to a few days to get there depending on the terrain, weather, cooperation of the donkey, etc. 

Yahweh gave the man specific orders to travel to Bethel, speak a word (prophesy) against the altar upon which Jeroboam was sacrificing and burning incense, and leave town a different way from how he entered making sure he did not eat bread or drink water in that place. The man was obedient to Yahweh…at first. It’s curious that we are not given a name for the man and I take this to mean that Yahweh can and will use anyone He chooses to fulfill His purpose and they certainly don’t need to be a big name prophet or celebrity in the eyes of man. Yahweh shows no partiality to the status of man and so we must not ever feel as though He can not or will not use us for His glory.

The man of Yahweh left town immediately after giving the word to Jeroboam and had stopped somewhere outside of town to rest. Meanwhile, back in Bethel, the word of what transpired traveled quickly to others in town and an old prophet from there was curious about this man of Yahweh which he heard about from his sons. He immediately had his donkey saddled and he went after the man. What happened next is KEY and not to be taken lightly. It is a message to all men and women of Yahweh who are asked to give a word of the Lord, whether they are sent somewhere to speak to one person or to many via whatever means Yahweh uses them (self included). 

The man of Yahweh understood the assignment and he started his journey with a clear mind, a pure heart, and he was not about to be tossed to and fro by bribery, or lavish gifts from king Jeroboam. He also had the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon him which was evident when Yahweh healed Jeroboam’s withered hand even after Jeroboam threatened to have the man of Yahweh arrested for speaking the Word. The mission was accomplished and the man left town just as he had been instructed. What could possibly go wrong?

Scriptures tell us that the old prophet rode his donkey and caught up to the man and introduced himself as “also a prophet”. He invited the man back to his home to eat bread to which the man declined because Yahweh had said “do not eat bread or drink water in Bethel.” The old prophet wasn’t going to take no for an answer so he lied and told the man of Yahweh that an angel spoke to him and told him to bring the man back to his house. This is where things went wrong for the man of Yahweh. A lie from a prophet who used a cunning form of godliness to seduce and deceive the man of Yahweh. Is it possible that Yahweh sent the old prophet as a test to test the man’s obedience to Him? Sure it is. Chapter 13 concludes with the tragic death of the man of whom Yahweh had sent to Jeroboam, because he allowed himself to be hoodwinked by another man (a professing prophet). 

If you read the chapter a few times over, it becomes more evident that the old prophet was used to test the man of Yahweh because when he heard of the man’s death by a lion, he became greatly distressed and said, 

“it is the man of Yahweh who was disobedient to the word of the Lord. Therefore the Lord has delivered him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to him.” (1Kings 13:26)

Note the confession of the old prophet saying “it is the man of Yahweh who was disobedient to the word of the Lord.” 

Yahweh knew exactly what was happening in Bethel during the reign of king Jeroboam. Jeroboam had set up two state worship centers that the Israelites were allowed to worship at in the northern kingdom of Israel. One was in Bethel and the other in Dan. The distance between the two were 9476 KM and 659.43 meters or 5888.5 miles. The people of Israel were forbidden to travel to Jerusalem (just 10 or 11 miles from Bethel) for the annual feasts, nor could they worship as Yahweh had originally commanded. Instead of having the Israelites keep the annual Feast of Tabernacles, Jeroboam established a new feast day on the 15^th day of the eighth month and mocked Yahweh with his sacrifices and appointment of priests for the high places.

Yahweh was well aware that the bread served in Bethel was a false teaching/doctrine and was not from the Bread of Life and the water was not the Water of Life but was a false Holy Spirit. Hence the reason for the man of Yahweh being commanded to “not eat bread or drink water in that place” (1 Kings 13:16-17). 

Note: there is always a spiritual component of great significance when Yahweh speaks in the Old Testament which is a message pointing to Christ.

Room for Repentance:

Upon the hearing of the man of Yahweh’s death, the old prophet appears to have had a spiritual adjustment that perhaps set him on track with Yahweh. The scripture is not clear on this matter but it is possible. He was convicted enough to give the man his own burial tomb and asked to be buried next to him upon his own death. The fear of Yahweh was clearly upon him. 

The unchallengable message is a lesson in obedience and it is for the edification of the body of Christ as a whole which includes you and me. The Old Testament kings and judges behaviors and conduct still have a spiritual impact on us today. We must find Christ in the scriptures and seek out His wisdom. 

We are all human beings and we all are subject to deception, feelings, hurts, joy, emotions, etc. But guess what? Yahweh’s word is clear and when He speaks (both in rhema and logos) all the fleshy stuff has to step aside and we must remain in the Spirit of Yahweh or we will be deceived by the works of our flesh. 

I wonder if the man of Yahweh felt confused when the old prophet convinced him to return to Bethel to eat bread at his house?  What caused him to second guess what Yahweh had made clear to him? The old prophet must have looked like a sincere man, talked like a sincere man, but his soothsaying was a lie! Satan is as a roaring lion sent to kill, steal, and destroy, but in reality he is that serpent of old…that dragon, the fallen one!  Because Satan’s goal is to undermine our confidence, to sow discord, and to get us to second guess or revert to carnality, we must be awake, remain sober, alert, and watching steadfastly. In other words, we must be as wise as the serpents and as harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16).

Yeshua is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. This title symbolizes His power, fierceness, and majesty. Lions are the king of the beasts, and the Lion of the tribe of Judah is the King of everything. He will return at His second coming with ultimate authority and Kingship over all things. Hallelujah!

Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world” 1 Peter 5:8-9

2^nd Unchallengable Message

What transpired between the man of Yahweh and Jeroboam is also an unchallengeable message for the body of Christ today. Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense in one of the worship tabernacles he had built. He had taken upon himself the role of a priest, when in fact he was not a priest nor had he been called to be a priest by Yahweh. He was given a kingdom of the ten tribes of Israel to rule in northern Israel. He was from the tribe of Ephraim…not even close to being a Levite who at the time was the only tribe Yahweh permitted to be priests in the tabernacle. Not only was Jeroboam acting under the pretense of a priest, but he was allowing anyone who wanted to be a priest to do so. His actions caused the nation to sin against Yahweh. The same is happening today with many becoming priests of tabernacles under pretense and yet they have not a clear understanding of the covenant of Yeshua. Please think long and hard about this and how we have again seen this play out since the days of Constantine in 325 AD, when the decree was made as to when to worship, how to worship, and what holidays to celebrate. It’s an eerily close resemblance. So what’s to come? Are the kings of today heading us in the same direction or have they already hoodwinked us?

The man sent by Yahweh cried out against the altar and said,

“O altar, altar! Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, a child, Josiah by name shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you.’ And he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the Lord has spoken: Surely the altar shall be split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out.” 1 Kings 13:2-3

That’s it. That was the word the man traveled 25 miles or so to give in the presence of the king. Look at the enormity of the word however.  “On you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you.” Evidently the word hit a nerve in Jeroboam because he became enraged with the man and demanded that the guards arrest him. Yahweh had his hand of grace upon the man and when Jeroboam reached out his hand towards him to be arrested, the Holy Spirit immediately withered it and he could not move his arm or hand. Rather than repent for his wicked sins, he begged the man to “please entreat the favor of the Lord your God, and pray for me that my hand may be restored to me.” 1 Kings 13:4-6 

King Jeroboam (from the tribe of Ephraim and a self appointed priest) openly professed that Yahweh was not his God by his plea to the man and yet Yahweh, in His infinite grace and mercy, still chose to restore Jeroboam’s hand. Jeroboam had been given another chance to repent to Yahweh for his wickedness but instead he gave the glory to the man and offered to reward him instead of arrest him. How easy it would have been for the king to recognize the hand of Yahweh upon the man who had been sent to him. Jeroboam would have been given a blessing to continue ruling a nation of tribes for generations to come instead of the horrible curse of judgment that would soon follow upon his household. Pride is an ugly thing. One does not mock Yahweh for long without a severe price to pay.

Chapter 13 ends with not only the man of Yahweh being killed by a lion for his disobedience, but it is the prelude to the judgment that the house of Jeroboam was about to endure that would affect us, the body of Christ, to this very day. You can read it in Chapter 14. 

“After this event Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but again he made priests from every class of people for the high places; whoever wished, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. And this thing was a sin of the house of Jeroboam, so as to exterminate and destroy it from the face of the earth.” 1 Kings 13:33-34

About Bethel:

Bethel was an important cult center and some religious leaders say it may have even been the place of a prophetic school. Some religious organizations today have created their own prophetic schools and charge people to come and learn how to be a prophet. They are building their own guild. We must be very careful with this, as they are quick to reference the scriptures in 2 Kings 2:3-7 as one of their justifications for opening a school. There is no mention of the word school or guild of prophets anywhere in the Bible. The Bible does refer to ‘group of prophets’ but nowhere does it imply they were learning how to prophecy or become a prophet. The terminology of using the word school is liken to a group of fish being called a school of fish. They can learn from one another but it is the Creator who made them to be fish…and a certain group of fish. The group of prophets were a like-minded group of people hanging out together because of their commonality and it’s most probable that it was a small group of people (2 or more). 

Let us not forget that Yahweh is the One who gives the gift of prophecy and/or appoints to the office of prophet and He does the training Himself through His Holy Spirit and His word. The only thing man should be involved in is to test the spirit of the prophet and make sure it aligns with the word of Yahweh and bears witness to your spirit if the word is for you. I implore you to do your own research on this topic. 

In my further study of the Jeroboam priesthood and the prophets of his worship centers, I found that because both the priests and prophets had separated themselves from Yahweh with their idolatry, shrines in the high places, etc., they were actually diviners and soothsayers. UGH! Of course they were, why else would this old prophet choose to lie to the man of Yahweh so as to get his way. I can’t help but believe some of the prophets of Jeroboam did not start out as soothsayers (although some did), but when a little pride sneaks in and one is under a spirit of deception or a lying spirit, it is only a matter of time before the line is crossed from that which is holy to that which is unholy. 

I also researched several versions of Bibles and all use the wording ‘group of prophets’ (not an educational school) and ‘sons of prophets’ (of whom may have had prophetic gifts and/or served the prophets) with the exception of three versions that I found. Those have been translated to say ‘guild of prophets’. In further researching the word guild and it’s definition of that time, it also pertains to a group of soothsayers and diviners in the east. We need to remember that king Jeroboam was the king over Northern Israel. He was ruler over the political, religious, and military factions of the nation and like so many kings, had prophets that prophesied what the king wanted to hear. In contrast, some of Yahweh’s prophets we know of during the reign of Jeroboam were Hosea, Amos, Joel and Jonah. All these prophets gave grave warnings to kings, nations, and the people of Yahweh to return to Him or face the consequences.

Separate from Jeroboam, think about king Ahab and Jezebel with hundreds of their own prophets serving Baal versus the true prophets of Yahweh. We know Elijah, Elisha, Obadiah and at least 100 others with the gift of prophecy served Yahweh (spoken of in 2 Kings and Obadiah). There are clearly two groups that operate still today.

How Does the Church Compare Today?

There are worship centers set up in many places in every city, town, state, and country. We have to earnestly ask the question: Have we become an apostate church? Have we fallen from the truth of Yeshua Ha Mashiach? People love having the form of godliness on the surface but inside their cup they deny the deity of Christ as their God and Savior. We love gathering in these centers and we have come to worship the music, the musicians, the social structure, the events and festivals created by man, the clubs, the programs, all of which appear to have a form of godliness but have we left our first love, Yeshua HaMashiach, and made these things our gods? Do we take our identity in those we know or organizations we are involved in over who we are in Yeshua? Many seek out prophets because they are searching for some form of truth and believe them to speak truth (after all, they’ve gone to a school to learn how to prophecy and they paid good money to learn and earn a certificate. Some even start schools to teach how to prophesy themselves). We elevate these men and women to high esteem and take their bait, hook, line, and sinker, trusting that what they say must be straight from the throne room of Yahweh just because they tell us it is. We don’t take the time to seek and search out the matter with the Holy Spirit for ourselves. 

What type of bread and water are they serving? What type of bread are you eating? Beloved, we must test the spirit and remain true to Yahweh. There are many wolves in sheep clothing in these worship centers and the true men and women of Yahweh are very vulnerable to deception by a seducing and lying spirit. 

We must pray for the apostate church. Pray for Yeshua to reveal His truth to us and set us, and all those called by His name, free from any captivity to this apostate system because many are so blinded to it that they just can’t see it. It’s like the frog in the water pot analogy where it’s so comfortable sitting in the lukewarm water that the frog doesn’t realize the heat is being turned up on it until it is too late and the frog has been cooked. 

More importantly, we must consider what is to come. There will come a time when judgment will come on various worship centers that have become ‘golden calves’ in the eyes of Yahweh. Men and women of Yahweh must hear His voice and be obedient to His word and learn how to test the spirits (the spirits of the kings, preachers, prophets, scribes and teachers). Paul warns us in 1 Corinthians 14:32-33 that “the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For Yahweh is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”

What type of priesthood are you sitting under or following? More importantly, What type of priesthood are you practicing? For whoever has ears to hear, the above is what the Holy Spirit has put on my heart to pray for.  Pray for the apostate church!  Pray that she will repent and turn back to Yahweh before it is too late.

Father Yahweh, I thank you that you are the righteous judge of the universe and I come boldly before Your throne of grace. I thank you for your word and for your Holy Spirit of Truth. I come to you Yeshua as our chief intercessor before the throne of Yahweh making intercession for the body of Christ. I thank you that you hear my prayers and I ask for continued intercession as you have put it on my heart to pray. Father, I petition your court and ask that you open the eyes of our hearts and reveal where we, your people, are under the captivity of the spirit of Jeroboam. Your word says that even the free and bond person will be taken away as one takes away refuse until it is all gone. Set the captives free, Yahweh. I reject and renounce the sins of our forefathers who fell prey to this false worship and I repent for where I have come in agreement with it knowingly or unknowingly. Please, Holy Father, by your grace and the word of my testimony of Yeshua, forgive the sins and set us free. Fill us with your Holy Spirit of Truth. Teach us to separate ourselves from putting our eyes on the golden calves in our life, whether it be false worship, idolatry, or shrines we have set up in the natural and in our hearts. We are called to be a holy nation of people unto you—a royal priesthood. I pray for an increase in discernment for all those called by Your name to learn to test the spirits. Help us to not fall prey to the false prophets, the diviners and soothsayers of this generation, but rather to be obedient to Your word. I pray this for myself and for all my brothers and sisters in the name of Yeshua. Amen.

Note: This message was given a week prior to Batten Down The Hatches On The -Ship.