Author	: Bill Kochman
Publish	: Nov. 25, 2025
Update	: Nov. 25, 2025
Parts	: 03

Synopsis:



Continuing our discussion from part one, and going back many decades before Jeremiah arrived on the scene, another bold Prophet of God who eventually found himself standing alone was the Prophet Elijah. After embarrassing the four hundred and fifty false prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel -- Elijah challenged them to make a sacrifice to their false god Baal, and then killed them on top of it all -- Elijah was a very wanted man. As you may possibly know, wicked King Ahab and his equally evil and vile queen, Jezebel, were on quite the killing spree. In fact, Jezebel's hands were covered in the blood of many of the Lord's Prophets who she had slain. It seems that that pair just did not want God's Word heard in Israel.

Well, as was to be expected, after Elijah slew the prophets of Baal following their failed attempt to even attract the attention of their false god, murderous Queen Jezebel was on a rampage. In fact, she swore to herself that she would not rest until she had taken her vengeance and the Prophet Elijah was killed. You can read the full story in 1 Kings 18 for all of the details. But due to the threat against his life, the Scriptures inform us that Elijah was forced to flee for his life. Eventually, the Prophet found refuge in a cave on Mount Horeb, which is also known as Mount Sinai. Following is part of the story where Elijah complains to the Lord that he is the only one left of all of the Prophets of Israel:

"And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a days journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God. And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, EVEN I ONLY, AM LEFT; and they seek my life, to take it away."


As if dear Prophet Elijah's life wasn't already tough enough, only two chapters later God commanded him to prophesy against both King Ahab and his bloodthirsty queen Jezebel. Oh my! Can you just imagine if God commanded you to go to the president, king, prime minister or sheik of your country, and prophesy against them to their very face? Would you be able do it? Or would you cower in fear and say, "Nope! Sorry, Lord, but that is not for me to do."? Such was not the case with Elijah. He did exactly as he was commanded to do, as we can determine by the following group of Bible verses:

"And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it. And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine. And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD. Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin. And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat."


As we read in 2 Kings chapter nine, Jezebel was eventually -- and intentionally -- pushed from a tower, and her body was consumed by the dogs, even before it could be recovered so that she might receive a proper burial, being as she was the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Zidonians. Furthermore, after Elijah's special prophetic anointing was transferred to his successor -- Elisha -- at the time when Elijah was taken up to Heaven in a fiery chariot being drawn by a team of heavenly horses, we are informed that Elisha sent one of the younger Prophets to prophesy again against the house of Ahab, and against Queen Jezebel, as we see by the following group of verses:

"And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramothgilead: And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber; Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not. So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramothgilead. And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of all us? And he said, To thee, O captain. And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel. And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel: And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah: And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled."


In the closing verses of that very same chapter, we find the actual fulfillment of the Lord's words, as had been spoken by both Elijah and Elisha, as we see here:

"And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window. And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master? And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot. And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a kings daughter. And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel."


As I point out in articles such as "The Office of Prophets and Teachers", the mark of a true Prophet of God is clearly when their prophetic words are fulfilled to the very letter, as occurred in this particular case. Consider the following related Bible verses:

"And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them."


"But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him."


Regarding the two prophecies which were spoken against Ahab, this leads us directly into the story of yet another one of God's true and faithful Prophets who dared to speak contrary to the politically correct, majority opinion of the day. His name was Micaiah, and similar to the Prophet Jeremiah years later, he too was maligned by the false prophets who served under King Ahab. As the account is related in the Scriptures, Ahab had determined to fight against Ben-hadad, who was the king of Syria, and whom Ahab had defeated in battle on a few previous occasions.

Well, for this purpose, King Ahab decided to form a military alliance with Jehoshaphat, who was the king of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. This was, of course, during the time of the Divided Kingdom, after ten tribes had already been taken from the house of King David as a chastisement from the Lord, due to the terrible sins which had been committed by King Solomon. I explain this issue in more detail in other BBB articles. At any rate, being as he was a very cautious and righteous king who feared the Lord, Jehoshaphat suggested to Ahab that they inquire of the Lord first regarding the matter. Upon seeking counsel from four hundred of King Ahab's politically-correct, false prophets, consider what those deceivers said to the king:

"Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king."


My friends, consider for a moment the position those prophets were in, and the person they were serving. Perhaps they really wanted to speak the truth, but they also realized that given what kind of king Ahab was, they might possibly lose their own heads if they spoke something negative which the king did not want to hear. Well, not being satisfied with their response, King Jehoshaphat wisely made further inquiry. King Ahab then informed King Jehoshaphat that there was another Prophet by the name of Micaiah. However, Ahab did not particularly care for Micaiah, because he never prophesied anything positive for the king, as we see by the following two Bible verses:

"And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him? And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so."


In other words, my friends, similar to Elijah, Jeremiah and other true Prophets of God, Micaiah went against the grain, and he was NOT politically correct. As such, he was simply not willing to compromise God's truth by speaking the false, smooth, deceptive words that we discussed earlier. He wasn't willing to candy coat the truth just to please and appease the king by telling him what he obviously wanted to hear. In short, Micaiah went against majority opinion, which in this case was represented by Ahab's four hundred false prophets.

The fact that Micaiah was a true Prophet of God was not the least bit important to King Ahab. He preferred to be lied to by his politically-correct false prophets. Do you remember what I shared with you in part one? In the Book of Jeremiah, God plainly said "My people love to have it so." Ahab was no different either. He had absolutely no interest whatsoever in the truth. Why not? Because his mind was already made up. In other words, my friends, regardless of what the Lord may have thought regarding the matter, King Ahab was quite determined to foolishly go up and fight against King Ben-hadad, under the false assumption that he would be able to defeat him yet again, as he had done on previous occasions.

At first, Micaiah was somewhat hesitant to reveal the truth. Thus, initially, he chose to lie to the two kings. However, after being prodded by King Jehoshaphat, the Prophet finally informed them that Ahab would in fact be defeated and killed by the Syrian army. King Ahab's response to this unnerving prophecy was -- as was to be expected -- the following:

"And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?"


Sadly, Ahab's reaction is typical of some people today who likewise hate God's true messengers, and who accuse them of being false prophets of doom and destruction. These people also prefer to be lied to by their phony psychics and their New Age false prophets and gurus, who continue to promote their lies regarding peace and safety and human enhancement to a feel-good, politically correct, materialistic society. In contrast, because they dare to speak the truth and defy majority opinion, God's true messengers of today also face persecution and ridicule, just like Jeremiah, Micaiah and many other true Prophets of old.

However, as if time had somehow stood still for almost seven hundred years after the Prophet Jeremiah had boldly exposed the lie of the false prophets who prophesied "peace, please" to the deceived Jerusalemites, consider now what the Apostle Paul wrote regarding the false prophets of his own time who likewise preferred to lull people to sleep with their smooth and deceptive words of peace, comfort and well-being. Not only does Paul sound just like the Prophet Jeremiah, but the aftermath was exactly the same as well, as I will explain to you in a minute:

"For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape."


"For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, PEACE, PEACE; WHEN THERE IS NO PEACE."


"Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, PEACE, PEACE; WHEN THERE IS NO PEACE."


In other words, my friends, as had occurred in Jeremiah's day, Jerusalem and the temple compound were again destroyed in 70 AD. This tragic event resulted from the commencement of what historians now refer to as the First Jewish-Roman War, or the Great Jewish Revolt. This terrible war began in 66 AD, and ended seven years later in 73 AD. It was exactly in the middle of that terrible war in 70 AD, that prophecy was fulfilled to the letter when Jerusalem and the temple were utterly destroyed a second time by the Roman legions, under the leadership of General Titus. Titus was the son of Emperor Vespasian, and a future emperor himself. You will find these historical events discussed in considerably more detail in other BBB articles.

In particular, I urge you to please consider reading both my 25-part series entitled "Vespasian, Titus and the Fall of Jerusalem", as well as the series "The Great Tribulation and the Rapture". I invested a huge amount of time and energy in writing them, and I think you will learn so much if you take the time to read them. You will find them both listed at the end of this same series with clickable links.

As we previously discussed in part one of this series, prior to the total destruction of Jerusalem and the temple compound by the forces of Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, the people purposely wanted to be deceived by both their political and their religious leaders. They did NOT want to hear the truth. When I took months to study the works of Flavius Josephus and wrote the aforementioned series, I discovered that the very same misguided attitude existed in Jerusalem centuries later during the First Jewish-Roman War. The Zealots, Sicarii and other riffraff who controlled the city were totally convinced that they could not only hold off the Romans, but even defeat them as well. Such was the depth of their personal deception.

In the case of King Ahab, Micaiah then went on to reveal how the Lord had purposely sent a lying spirit to speak through the mouths of the four hundred false prophets. Why would the Lord do such a thing? Well, as the old saying goes, a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still. The Lord knew that it was useless to try to change Ahab's mind. I am sure He could have if He had really wanted to, but that would have interfered with King Ahab's freedom of personal choice. Thus, just as the Lord had spoken through the mouth of the Prophet Isaiah many years before, He purposely chose Ahab's delusion for him. Consider this rather enlightening verse. Likewise consider what the Apostle Paul also wrote concerning the very same deception which plagued the people of Jerusalem as the First Jewish-Roman War drew near:

"I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not."


". . . because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:"


After being further abused for daring to speak the truth, just like the Prophet Jeremiah, Micaiah was also thrown into prison. However, guess what? In complete fulfillment of the words which had been spoken by Elijah, Elisha and Micaiah as well, this tragic story concludes with King Ahab being slain in battle. Thus, all three men were vindicated, and verified and confirmed as true Prophets of God. Not only was Ahab's blood in fact lapped up by the dogs as it was being washed from his chariot, but as we learned earlier, his evil wife, Queen Jezebel, was also eaten up by dogs a short time later. Consider the following verses which describe Ahab's fate:

"And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am wounded. And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot. And there went a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own country. So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria. And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armour; according unto the word of the LORD which he spake. 1 Kings 22:34-38, KJV
You know, my friends, in thinking about this, it occurs to me that if those wicked leaders had any sense at all, they would have known that resisting, fighting against, and even killing the Lord's Prophets was simply NOT a very smart move. As King David said and wrote many years earlier:

"Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the LORD into the hand of Asaph [David's chief musician] and his brethren . . . Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm."


"Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm."


Clearly then, when a person touches or tries to harm one of God's Prophets, they are really asking for trouble from the Lord, and they just might get it if they are not careful. I advise anyone who is considering engaging in such behavior to stop before you find yourself in the hot seat with God. You have been duly warned.

Thus we see from the examples I have shared in this series -- meaning Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Micaiah and Jeremiah -- that being a true and effective servant and messenger of the Lord often -- and in fact, usually -- requires that a person must firmly stand contrary to majority opinion, be willing to go against the grain, and resist political correctness at all cost. A true messenger of God cannot be weak in faith, lack personal conviction, doubt their mission in this life, or be fearful of personal retribution. He must be willing to put everything on the line, come what may, for the glory of God.

While I have shared just a few Biblical examples of men who stood resolute against the popular opinions of their day, I hope you realize that I could just as easily go into detail regarding so many other spiritual revolutionaries who dared to challenge the majority opinions of their day. Take John the Baptist, who at the instigation of wicked Herodias and her daughter, lost his head for boldly daring to expose King Herod's sin of adultery, as we see by the following group of verses:

"For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger. And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus."


Or consider the deacon Stephen who became an early Christian martyr when he was stoned to death because he dared to defy and challenge the Jewish religionists of his day by boldly declaring that God did not dwell in their precious temple in Jerusalem. Consider the following set of Bible verses which reveal the conclusion of that tragic matter:

"Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things? Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep."


Then, of course, there is the Apostle Peter. When those same Jewish religionists ordered the Apostles to stop preaching in the name of Jesus Christ, Peter boldly defied them, stood up with the other Apostles, and said the following to them:

"Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, WE OUGHT TO OBEY GOD RATHER THAN MEN."


It was not long after that that Peter found himself thrown into prison, only to be miraculously released by an Angel of the Lord. According to church tradition -- this point is NOT specifically mention in the Bible, other than what the Lord says in John 21:18-19 -- Peter was crucified upside-down because he did not feel worthy to be crucified right-side-up as Jesus had been. Consider the following Bible verses:

"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me."


Please go to part three for the conclusion of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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