There is a spiritual war playing out in the church today that God has warned us about throughout His Word...

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The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, "There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." - 1Kings22: 8 (NIV)

Those who truly love the Bible probably have their favorite chartacters. Many might identify with the travails of Peter or the deliverance of Joseph. Others might feel as if they have been knocked off their own high horse as Paul once was or run away from the call of God like Jonah. Then there are those smaller characters that stand out to us. That spark our interest or who we can relate to. For me one of those men was named Micaiah. Perhaps one of the most famous prophets to not have his own book, Micaiah prophesied during the reign of King Ahab in Israel. He always stood out to me because he refused to compromise the truth for what was convenient or expedient, even though it could cost him his very life. What we see play out in 1Kings 22 is a picture of what we see playing out in the church today. Remember, the Bible tells us that these things were recorded so that we might learn from them and not be caught unaware. Before we get to Micaiah however it is important to realize who King Ahab was and how a similar spirit today can be found controlling much of modern churchianity. Please keep in mind that when I say "spirit" I do not mean to suggest that the actual spirit of King Ahab is walking the halls of churches across this land. Rather the personality traits that Ahab possessed that led him so far astray are embraced and embodied in what we see today. The spiritual warfare he engaged and lost in during his life we see playing out today. What is past is prologue.

First off, Ahab was always found contrary to the Word of God. Remember in these days there was no Bible. The Word of the Lord would come to His people through the true prophets. Ahab's reign shows five different clashes with the prophets of God, all of which find Ahab in opposition to the Lord. The first of these is with Elijah, whom Ahab refers to as a "troubler of Israel." This is probably the most known conflict which ends on Mount Carmel with 450 prophets of Baal slain by the power of the one true God. After two more conflicts with prophets that remain unnamed, we come to the story of Elijah confronting Ahab over the execution of Naboth at the hands of his wife, Jezebel. Lastly, there is the confrontation with Micaiah. The spirit of Ahab is in opposition to the Word of the Lord. It finds for itself false prophets to follow and false gods to support. In leading up to the battle on Mount Carmel there were no shortage of Baal prophets and only Elijah stood for God. Yet Ahab looked upon Elijah as the problem:

When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Is it you, you troubler of Israel?" And he answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father's house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals. Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table." - 1Kings 18: 17-19 (ESV)

So it is today in the church overrun with the spirit of Ahab. Those who would stand up for the truth of what God says and His commandments are deemed the troublers. Meanwhile the church continues to follow the Baals. We follow the gods of money and prosperity and gather around us teachers to fill our hearts with the greed of our own avarice. We follow the Baals of lawlessness and gather around us greasy grace teachers to fill our hearts with the excusal of our own sins. We follow the idols of demonic supernaturalism and gather around us false signs and lying wonders preachers to fill our hearts with the worship of our own carnality. What do these and the other 450 false followings have in common beloved? They are all opposed to the one true God and they all accuse those who oppose them as being troublers. This is what Ahab embodied.

Secondly, Ahab was married to the world and because of his love for it, he led the people to worship the same. Jezebel was not a follower of the one true God. She was a Phoenician princess. Like Solomon before Him, Ahab would go outside of his faith to join with and the result was predictable. He not only set up areas for his wife to practice her abominable worship of Baal and Asherah but he would lead the people of Israel to do the same. She persecuted the true prophets and set up safe haven for the multitudes of her own false ones. Jezebel required that her religion be the official religion of Israel. The parallels to the modern church are stark and obvious for those who would see spiritual warfare. For those with the eyes to see.

The church today is likewise married to the world and because of their love for it, it leads the people to worship the same. The church not only allows the temptress to come in but gives her the pulpit. Gives her the control. The mega church mentality built on purpose driven theology is an Ahab spirit allowing the Jezebels of foreign idol worshiping to become the acceptable national religion. The actual Word of God is given lip service, ignored or marginalized. When discussing people who are unsaved today pastors are taught to refer to them as unchurched. When discussing their needs it is always couched in worldly terms. Improving their marriages or self esteem. Sure they always acknowledge the "need for Jesus" but not in the Scriptural sense. Jesus becomes a catch-all, feel good-ism. He becomes our spiritual busboy cleaning up our messes and our blessing dispenser here to satiate our perceived needs. All under the carnal definition of "love." The true prophets? Just like Jezebel who cannot stand the actual Word of the Lord neither can the spirit in the church today. Instead entire networks of false prophets are built, just like Jezebel built hers, to prop up the new national religion. Those who are opposed and insist on biblical accuracy are persecuted either in spirit or in truth. I have written before how different mega church pastors have referred to believers who want a deeper relationship with His Word this year alone. One referred to them as the "jackasses" in his church. Another referred to them as the excrement in the body of Christ. If you challenge what is false you are branded as divisive or religious.

Just as Ahab and Jezebel led the nation of Israel into widespread pagan worship so the same traits are embodied today in a church that leads the people of God away from Him. The carnality that has infiltrated the church today is exactly the same as in the days of Ahab. It is a love for the world over God. Just this past week we saw another mega church put on a performance of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and then posted an altar call picture claiming the people responded not to the preached Word of God but to their display of "Thriller" carnality. Another popular televangelist posted a picture of her and her new (third) husband dressed up for Halloween. There is not even any shame about our worldliness anymore. Why would there be when the Ahab's across the pulpits in this country preach what they practice? The people are led to be shameless in their carnality. Experience is placed above doctrine. If something "feels" right it is attributed to the Holy Spirit while no one allows the Spirit to lead them into all truth, which is contained only in Scripture. So we come to the story of Micaiah and Ahab in 1Kings 22. King Jehoshaphat of Judah came to visit Ahab and they discussed the prospects of going to war with Ramoth-gilead. While they agreed in principle, Jehoshaphat wanted to make sure God would be with them:

But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, "First seek the counsel of the Lord."So the king of Israel brought together the prophets--about four hundred men--and asked them, "Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?" "Go," they answered, "for the Lord will give it into the king's hand."But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?" - 1Kings 22: 5-7 (NIV)

Jehoshaphat realized that the 400 "prophets" Ahab consulted were just telling him what he wanted to hear. Beloved, this is the state of the church today. We have gathered for ourselves 400 people we convince ourselves are from God to prop up what we know is our own flesh. Listen to the mainstream preaching today and what will you hear? You will hear about how great we are. How special we are. How much purpose we have. How much God loves us. How much He wants to give us. How prosperous we should be. How God is never angry with us. How our sin no longer matters to God. How we are destined to reign. How this is our best life now. How we have the same power of creation in our words as God Himself. How in fact we are "little gods." How we are the head and not tail. Above and not beneath. How we are more than conquerors. How we ought to be taking this land "for God." How much God needs us. We ask if we should go to battle and the response from the 400 we have gathered is - absolutely! This has been prophesied beloved:

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. - 2Timothy 4: 3 (NIV)

Sound doctrine from the true prophet of the Lord? We will not put up with that. Instead we will gather around us those the suit our own desires and tell us exactly what we want to hear. Thus we come to the key verse for today. Chosen because it so perfectly represents the true nature of the spiritual battle we are engaged in and losing today.

The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, "There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." "The king should not say such a thing," Jehoshaphat replied. - 1Kings 22: 8 (NIV)

I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me but always bad. Oh beloved is this not the state of the church today? Instead of desiring the truth from the mouth of God we seek out and embrace only what we deem to be "good" and acceptable. We want what we want and we will seek out those who will confirm our own worldview, biases, and fleshly desires - all in the name of the Lord without seeking His actual counsel. Those who serve in discernment try to point out the truth and are hated for it. In many ways, Micaiah was a forerunner of discernment ministry and was persecuted for it because Ahab was not interested in the truth but preferred the lies. Such is the true state of the church today. Ahab sends for Micaiah and what follows brings this even more into focus for us:

Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns and he declared, "This is what the Lord says: 'With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.'"All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. "Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious," they said, "for the Lord will give it into the king's hand."The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, "Look, the other prophets without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably."But Micaiah said, "As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me." - 1Kings 22: 10-14 (NIV)

Can we picture this scene? The two kings sit upon their thrones and watch as four hundred sycophants all lie to them about going to war and being victorious. One of the false prophets, Zedekiah, goes as far as to say that God showed him that he will gore the Armenians with iron horns. Micaiah is brought forth and asked to agree with the 400 false prophets. After some gamesmanship, Micaiah not only prophesies the truth but reveals that it is the Lord who was behind the lying spirits in the mouths of the false prophets:

Micaiah continued, "Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. And the Lord said, 'Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?' "One suggested this, and another that. Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, 'I will entice him.'"'By what means?' the Lord asked."'I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,' he said."'You will succeed in enticing him,' said the Lord. 'Go and do it.'"So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you." - 1Kings 22: 19-23 (NIV)

So it goes today as well. The true watchmen on the wall are the Micaiah's of this age. Refusing to compromise the truth of what God has actually said. Willing to stand in the gap against the spirit of this age and the love of worldliness. We have read the Bible sought the Lord and are trying to show people that disaster has been decreed for them if they do not repent and return unto Him. What is false beloved never goes down without a fight however:

Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. "Which way did the spirit from the Lord go when he went from me to speak to you?" he asked. Micaiah replied, "You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inner room."The king of Israel then ordered, "Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king's son and say, 'This is what the king says: Put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.'"Micaiah declared, "If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me." Then he added, "Mark my words, all you people!" - 1Kings 22: 24-28 (NIV)

No good deed goes unpunished beloved. Micaiah not only tells Ahab the truth but specifically warns him to not go into this battle for it will be his last if he does. Just as Ahab ignores the true Word of God and instead believes what is false, so does the church today. Ahab would go into battle with Ramoth-gilead and sure enough he would die in it. Just as God had warned him through Micaiah. Soon after, Jezebel would also meet her end as Elijah had prophesied long ago. Beloved, the Word of God is always true. It does not change. It will not waver.

The spiritual war we are in as believers is very real. The Bible says that few are those who will find the narrow path that leads to salvation. It speaks of a great falling away which is already underway in the church today. It is accomplished because we refuse to learn from the examples God has clearly given us in His Word. We do not like Micaiah because he never prophesies anything good about us. He does not tell us that God wants us rich but instead says to store up treasures in heaven. He does not tell us that sin is meaningless but instead says to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We do not like Micaiah because we do not like the truth of the Word of God when it grates against our flesh. On the other hand, we like Zedekiah and his 400 friends. Safety in numbers we wrongly presume. We like being told that it is all about us when it is really all about Christ. We embrace the Ahab personality because we too like the worldliness that Jezebel represents. We do not want to hear the truth from God. We do not want to hear that we have to die to self and carry our own cross. We do not want to hear about partaking in the sufferings of Christ. That's the pesky Micaiah spirit we hate so much. Away with it! Let me hear the soothing balm of lies that assure me I will be victorious. Let me hear the cacophony of 400 false teachers and prophets telling me how great I am. What is past is prologue beloved. Ahab dies even though God warned him he would. So God is warning each of us today. Hear the voice of Micaiah calling from the pages of time; Mark my words, all you people!

Reverend Anthony Wade - November 8, 2015

Authors Bio:
Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.